A fatal case of indigestion: Ben Hanelt recently discovered the secret lifecycle of the horsehair worm.

Death to Crickets

Unraveling the Life Cycle of Horsehair Worms

By Tom Simons, Public Relations

To biologists, they have been one of the most enigmatic groups of animals in the world.

They're the horsehair worms of the phylum Nematomorpha, one of only four animal phyla known to be completely parasitic. They have been thought of as "enigmatic" because until last year, no one had a clue about their life cycle.

What has been known is that as adults, the worms are free-living in streams and lakes, where they gather to mate in tight masses that are almost impossible to unravel. It has also been known that the egg strings they produce become heavy, non-swimming larvae that settle to the bottom of the lake or stream.

The question has been how those aquatic larvae end up inside terrestrial insects such as grasshoppers or crickets, where they feed on the insect's internal organs and reach lengths of as much as 3 meters in some species before emerging to mate.

UNL doctoral candidate Ben Hanelt found the answer to that question in research performed in Lancaster County and at UNL's Cedar Point Biological Station near Ogallala.

"We found that these tiny larvae settle on the bottom of stream or lake and are taken up by almost anything in the water, and they produce cysts," Hanelt said.

Among the creatures that will ingest them, Hanelt found, are snails, fish and the larvae of aquatic insects like midges or mosquitos.

"Nematomorphs will encyst in midge or mosquito larvae and when the midge or mosquito larva emerges as an adult, the cyst is retained," he said. "When crickets or grasshoppers eat a dead midge or mosquito, they ingest the nematomorph cyst."

That, he said, proves to be a fatal meal for the insect. The nematomorph larva, which had ceased development when it encysted, emerges from the cyst and begins to eat the host creature from the inside out. When the larva finishes its meal, it emerges from the dead host as an adult, mates and dies. While crickets and grasshoppers aren't normally found in water (a necessary condition for the adult worm to emege), Hanelt said the speculation is that as the larvae near maturity, the insects become thirsty as well as weak and this can cause them to fall in the water.

In his research, Hanelt collected freshwater snails of a single species at 50 scattered sites in streams in Lancaster County and found nematomorph cysts in snails at 35 of the sites.

He fed some of the infected snails to crickets, waited 30 days and put the now-infected crickets in water.

"Within one or two seconds, the worms start emerging and in one case, nine worms 30 to 40 centimeters (12 to 16 inches) long and about 2 millimeters in thickness came out of one cricket," Hanelt said. "We weighed the worms and we weighed the cricket and they were about equal weight. So when the worms were done with the host, there wasn't much host tissue left."

Hanelt's research also showed that human population density and land use does not affect the distribution of nematomorphs. In fact, one of his collection sites was in a shopping center.

"As urban sprawl increases, the chances for human-worm interaction increases and some people or their pets may get infected," Hanelt said. "It's really a pseudoinfection because humans, dogs and cats really don't get infected the way a grasshopper would. It sure would make you sick - and there's reason to be concerned about that - but it's never been reported to be life-threatening."

Hanelt said although human infections are not common, about 150 cases have been reported in the scientific literature.

He said he has heard from people who found horsehair worms (so-called because of their resemblance to a horse hair that has come to life) in their toilet and feared a family member had been infected. "I ask them if they've recently killed a cricket and tossed in the toilet, and that usually turns out to be the case," he said.

April 6 Honors Convocation Recognizes Scholars, Teachers, Mentors

By Annette Wetzel, Public Relations

Twenty-five UNL faculty and staff members will receive awards for outstanding teaching, student advising or service, and more than 3,400 students will be recognized for outstanding scholarship at the 73rd annual All-University Honors Convocation beginning at 3:30 p.m. April 6. in the Coliseum.

Thirty-one seniors will be honored as Chancellor's Scholars for earning a 4.0 grade average during their entire academic career at the university and at any other post secondary institutions. They are: Jaclyn Anderson, math; Donald Arp Jr., history; Angie Child, biochemistry; Heather Easter, psychology & sociology; Katie Fraass, chemical engineering; Kiley Frank, political science & history; Kimberly Gradoville, chemistry & math; Kristyn Harms, agricultural education; Amy Hulme, bio science & bio chemistry; Charlsi Hulsebus, architectural studies; Gregory Krafka, economics; Stephani Krienert, biological sciences; Cynthia Lamm, communication studies; Amanda Maine, international studies, French, political science; Shane Mares, communication studies; Karen Meier, biological sciences; Christine Murphy, business administration; Courtney Niemeyer, elementary education; Nicholas Phillips, music; Heidi Redelfs, English; Mark Rentschler, mechanical engineering; Christina Riesselman, English & geology; Cari Roeth, communication studies; Megahn Schafer, management; Jeremy Scheffler, math; Jennifer Thomsen, management; Brandon Tomjack, criminal justice; Megan Torau, math & economics; Ruby Urban, administration; Amanda Wilcox, advertising & English; Angela Wild, bio system engineering.

A total of 393 seniors will be honored as Superior Scholars for being in the upper 3 percent of their colleges, or for being on the honors list since their matriculation as freshmen. An additional 958 freshmen, 679 sophomores, 768 juniors and 628 seniors will be honored as High Scholars for having cumulative grade point averages of 3.6 or higher.

Christin J. Mamiya, professor of art and art history, will receive the Annis Chaikin Sorensen Award for distinguished teaching in the humanities. This award carries a a $3000 cash award, provided by the Sorensen family.

The following faculty members will receive Distinguished Teaching Awards from their colleges. Each recipient will receive a $1,000 cash award, provided by the Nebraska Legislature. They are: Deborah Bandalos, associate professor, department of educational psychology; Diane C. Cawein, associate professor, school of music; Rochelle L. Dalla, assistant professor, department of family and consumer sciences; Joan L. Erickson, association professor, department of special education and communication disorders; Steve Goddard, assistant professor, department of computer science and engineering; Bruce B. Johnson, professor, department of agricultural economics; Craig M. Lawson, professor, college of law; C. William McLaughlin, senior lecturer, department of chemistry; Deborah Minter, assistant professor, department of English; Stephen D. Scott, assistant professor, department of computer science and engineering; Keng Siau, associate professor, department of management; Nicholas Spencer, associate professor, department of English; Alan E. Steinweis, Rosenburg associate professor, department of history; Sidnie White-Crawford, associate professor, department of classics and religious studies.

Stephen Mason and Daniel Walters, professors, department of agronomy and horticulture, will share the Student Foundation/Builders Award for Outstanding Advising. They will each receive a $750 cash award provided by the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Arnold J. Bateman, director of learning center coordination and assistant vice chancellor for extended education and outreach, will receive the Distinguished Educational Service Award. He will receive a $1,500 cash award, provided by the NU Foundation.

Mark R. Powell, assistant director of intramural sports and campus recreation, will receive the Chancellor's Exemplary Service to Students Award. He will receive a $1,000 cash award, provided by the NU Foundation.

William E. Splinter, the George Holmes University professor emeritus in the department of biological systems engineering, will receive the George Howard-Louise Pound Award for exceptional contributions through teaching, research, public service and administration. He will receive original artwork painted by artist and UNL faculty member Keith Jacobshagen.

Charles H. Adams, professor emeritus in the department of animal science, will be honored by the Nebraska Alumni Association with the Doc Elliott Award.

The following faculty members will be recognized for receiving University of Nebraska systemwide awards:

Daniel J. Bernstein, professor in the department of psychology, will be recognized for receiving Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award. This honor carries a $3,500 cash award. Bernstein will also be recognized for the Scholarly Teaching Award.

Gary E. Moulton, professor in the department of histor, and Brett C. Radcliffe, professor and curator of insects with the State Museum, will be recognized for receiving Outstanding Research and Creative Activity awards. This honor carries a $3,500 cash award.

Ruth M. Heaton, assistant professor in the center for curriculum and instruction will be recognized for receiving the Donald R. and Mary Lee Swanson Award for Teaching Excellence with a cash award of $10,000.

The newly established Harold and Esther Edgerton Junior Faculty Award will be received by Chris Gallagher, assistant professor in the department of English, and Stephen C. Scott, assistant professor in the department of computer science and engineering. This first-time award establishes $3,000 in professional development funds and $1,000 cash award for two years.

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Getting Past the Vertical Learning Curve

Chancellor-designate Harvey Perlman sent this email message to the UNL community March 22.

Dear Faculty and Staff:

It looks like for better or worse you are stuck with me for a while. I am truly honored to be your Chancellor and very appreciative and humbled by the support you have given me over the past eight months. I am also excited about what lies ahead for us. I accepted this position because I believe that you are ready to work with me and the other members of the campus administration to make this campus a better place. I know we will disagree from time to time not only on what it means to be "better" but also the proper approach to getting there. I pledge to you that I will make decisions solely on what I believe to be in the best interests of the university, as I see those interests. I expect you to let me know when you see those interests differently. I expect you to let me know when you see things that I could do better or things that need to be done. You should rightly expect that I will consider your views. You should rightly expect that if I disagree with you I will tell you why and not be offended if you remain unconvinced.

One of the most important issues on which we need to work is the climate on campus for faculty and staff. With a positive climate, students will feel more welcome, donors will feel more generous and most importantly, we will all be more productive. There are too many important and exciting things to do that are disrupted when individuals feel unwelcome, or undervalued, or unfairly treated. There are also so many good things that happen when people work together rather than at cross-purposes. There have been some good steps in that direction. However, I invite you to share with me any ideas you have as to how we might together improve the climate on campus for all employees.

Notwithstanding some of the media commentary, I am not the best-prepared person who has assumed the role of chancellor. I remain on a steep learning curve and I need your counsel, and perhaps your patience. But I don't think there is any magic formula for responding to the challenges or opportunities we face. If each of you will work with me to move this university forward then good things will happen. If you won't, there is little an administration can do on its own account.

There. Now I've successfully put the entire responsibility on your shoulders! Seriously, I look forward to working with all of you in the years ahead.

Harvey Perlman

Chancellor

It Pays to Learn: With Chancellor Harvey Perlman looking on, junior Angela Clements reacts after finding out she has been named a 2001 Truman Scholar March 21. Clements was one of 70 college students chosen nationwide for the $30,000 post-baccalaureate scholarship.

Prize Patrol Tabs Student for Scholarship

By David Fitzgibbon, Public Relations

Angela Clements received a surprise announcement last week. Rather than Dick Clark and the Prize Patrol, Chancellor Harvey Perlman dropped by her Italian class to tell the junior from Elmwood that she'd been named a 2001 Truman Scholar. The honor comes with a $30,000 scholarship-$3,000 for her senior year and $27,000 for graduate study-and recognizes her commitment to a career in public service.

A political science and history major, Clements plans to use her scholarship to attend law school and study international human rights law.

"It's further evidence of the quality of our student body and the quality of the education that we give them," Perlman said.

Clements attributes her success to a love of public service and involvement on campus. She is active in student government and has worked on statewide human rights campaigns.

"She has modeled public service on our campus for the past three years," said Patrice Berger, the director of the Honors Program who nominated Clements for the Truman. "She has been exceptionally effective in mobilizing students for constructive action."

Clements is the 10th Truman Scholar from UNL. The past five recipients from UNL have been members of the Honors Program.

"I think UNL does a very good job of helping students get involved," Clements said. "UNL has really helped me and given me the tools to succeed both on campus and off campus."

This year, 70 students were selected as Truman Scholars from 592 candidates nominated by 303 colleges and universities. The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to our 33rd president.

NU Directions Updates Status of Alcohol Recommendations

By Tom Workman, NU Directions

Participants of the two policy symposiums hosted by NU Directions can now go to the web to see how the ideas generated at the meetings are progressing into policies and programs.

NU Directions, the campus-community coalition to reduce high-risk drinking at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has created a web site that includes a "Policy Update" page outlining actions toward the five recommendations discussed at the symposium in November. The page also includes a synopsis of all alcohol-related legislation being considered by the Nebraska Unicameral.

This past July, 116 community leaders from across the state gathered to discuss alcohol-related problems and hear solutions from communities across the country. The November meeting introduced five potential policies and programs that could reduce alcohol-related problems throughout the state.

One recommendation surrounding a new "tamper-resistant" driver's license has gained the most momentum. LB574 won legislative approval last week with amendments to limit the use of information stored in the bar code. It now awaits the governor's signature. The NU Directions coalition, along with a host of other groups including the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Nebraska Retail Grocers Association, and the Association of Students at the University of Nebraska support the bill.

Two of the recommendations outlined on the web site don't involve state legislation, but have seen significant advancement since the symposium series. This past December, the Lincoln City Council requested that the NU Directions Policy Workgroup expand their membership to explore options for Lincoln to address local approaches to reducing alcohol-related problems. A group of community and business leaders is being assembled, led by coalition co-chair Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady and coalition member Deane Finnegan of Leadership Lincoln, to develop a series of recommendations for the city.

The other non-legislative recommendation involves a pilot web-based server-training program that could enable liquor license holders to train their staff on state standards and specific outlet policies. Funding has been found for the project, and negotiations are under way for the development of the web-based program.

The NU Directions web site can be found at http://www.nudirections.org. Also included in the site is information on other programs by the coalition, information about college drinking, and links to other resources.