Michael Blust Ph.D.

Professor of Biology

Terrace 002
One College Circle
Poultney, VT 05764-1199
Email Address: blustm@greenmtn.edu
802-287-8331; Fax: 802-287-8099

"During the 13 years I have been teaching at Green Mountain College, the sciences have grown from a two person, service department, to a department with a Biology program and a significant role in the Environmental Studies. In the process, I have had the opportunity to teach a wide variety of courses. This is one of the reasons I chose to come to Green Mountain College. The ability to use the "backyard" of the college to teach and study birds and insects is one of the reasons I have chosen to stay.

My interest in birds started when I was in elementary school. As a sophomore in college, a summer job investigating the effects of mosquito control on nesting birds in Barnegat Bay, NJ, stimulated my interest in insects. During my Masters program at the University of Delaware, I researched the life history and ecology of the dragonfly Stylogomphus albistylus. This was followed by a Ph.D. project working on insect/host plant interactions with a grasshopper species in Kansas.

In 1994, I went to the Philippines, my wife's home country, with my family. Since then, I have been back to Asia twice, including a 5-month sabbatical in South Korea. These experiences have greatly broadened my perspective on birds and insects of the world, as well as the environmental threats and rich natural history found in other countries. I hope to share these experiences with students in the future."

Education
1986 Ph.D. in Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.
1980 M.S. in Entomology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE.
1977 B.S. in Wildlife Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
1973-1975 Undergraduate coursework at Dept. of Environmental Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Courses Taught
Interdisciplinary Courses:
Images of Nature
Dimensions of Nature
Delicate Balance
Science and Society

Science/Math Courses:
General Biology
Biology I
Human Biology
Animal Behavior
Ornithology
Entomology
Evolution Revolution
Biogeography
Introduction to Physical Science
General Chemistry 1
Elementary Algebra
College Algebra
Zoology

Research Interests
Aquatic insects of the Poultney River and vicinity
Dragonflies (Odonata) of Vermont
Odonata of Vermont website

Publications
Blust, M.H. and T.L. Hopkins. (1990) A comparison of feeding periodicities of specialist and generalist grasshoppers. Physiological Entomology Vol. 15, 261-267

Blust, M.H. And TL Hopkins. (1987) Gustatory responses of a specialist and a generalist grasshopper to terpenoids of Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt.(Asteraceae). Entomologica Experimetalis et. Applicata. Vol. 45, 37-46

Blust, M.H. And TL Hopkins. (1987) Olfactory responses of a specialist and a generalist grasshopper to volatiles of Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt.(Asteraceae). Journal of Chemical Ecology. Vol. 13,1893-1902.

Gershenzon, J., Rossiter M., Mabry, T., Rogers, C. Blust, M., & Hopkins, T. (1985) Insect Antifeedant Terpenoids in Wild Sunflower: A Possible Source of Resistance to the Sunflower Moth. In "Bioregulators for Pest Control". Ed. P. Hedin ACS SYMPOSIUM SERIES No. 276.

Knutson, H.K., S.G.F. Smith, and M.H. Blust. (1983) Grasshoppers: Identifying Species of Economic Importance. 9 pp. (including 65 illustrations and 22 color plates). Kansas State University Extension Bulletin S-21.

Presentations
2000 Rutland County Audubon Society presentation "Tit for Tat(tler)" - a biogeographic comparison of birds in Eastern Asia and North America

2000 Animal Behavior - Guest lecture at Chungnam University, S. Korea

1987 The interesting world of insects. Invitational seminar speaker. Skidmore College Dept. of Biology.

1986 Sexual differences in electroantennogram response of a specialist grasshopper. North Central Branch Meetings of the Entomological Society of America. Minneapolis, Minnesota..

1984 Chemical Ecology of Specialist and Generalist Grasshoppers on Louisiana Sagewort. National ESA Conference. San Antonio, Texas.

1984 Chemical Ecology of a Sage-feeding Grasshopper. North Central Branch Meetings of the Entomological Society of America. Wichita, Kansas.

1983 Chemical Ecology of a Sage-feeding Grasshopper. Department of Entomology Seminar, Kansas State University.

1983 A Device for Monitoring Grasshopper Feeding Activity. North Central Branch Meetings of the Entomological Society of America. St. Louis, Missouri.

1982 Phytochemicals and Grasshopper - host-plant interactions. North Central Branch Meetings of the Entomological Society of America. Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

1981 Ecology of Stylogomphus albistylus (Odonata: Gomphidae). North Central Branch Meetings of the Entomological Society of America. Columbus, Ohio.

1981 Life History and Ecology of a Stream Dwelling Dragonfly. Department of Entomology Seminar. Kansas State University.

1980 Insect Photography, Equipment and Methods. Presented jointly with Dr. R.J.Elzinga. Department of Entomology seminar. Kansas State University.

Activities and Service
1987-2001 - Board of Directors, Rutland County Audubon Society

1999-2001 - Board of Directors, Lakes Region Youth Orchestra

1996-2000 - General Education Governance Council of Green Mountain College

International Experience
South Korea
2000 Feb-July Taejon, Cheju do, So huk san do,
1997 July-August Taejon, Koji do,

China
2000 July Jilin Province - Chang-bai Shan World Biosphere Reserve
1997 July Beijing

Philippines
2000 April Boracay Island
1994 June, July Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan

Japan
1994 July Hokkaido