Curriculum Vitae of Shelah Morita

NAME:	Shelah Irene Morita
ADDRESS:	Department of Entomology North Carolina State University, CB 7613 Raleigh, NC USA 27695-7613	(919) 515-3429 (919) 515-7746(fax)
BORN:	18 March, 1974. Anaheim, CA, U.S.A.	simorita@ncsu.edu

PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION

University of California, Davis	Population Biology Graduate Group	Ph.D.	2006
Advisor: Michael Sanderson,	CoAdvisor: Peter Cranston
University of California, Davis (UCD)	Population Biology	M.S.	2002
University of California, Riverside (UCR)	Biology	B.S.	1998
Fullerton College (FJC)	Transfer-student	1993	-1996

ACADEMIC/PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

2009	Assistant Lecturer	Insect Diversity (ENT 418) Univ of Stellenbosch
2008-09	Postdoctoral Fellow	NSF IRFP, University of Stellenbosch/UKZN
2006-07	Postdoctoral Scientist	Assembling the Tree of Life: FLYTREE, NCSU
2004-06	Teaching Assistant	Evolution (EVE 100), UCD
2005	Invited Lecturer	Evolution (EVE 100), UCD
2005	Teaching Assistant	Administrator Introductory Biology (BIS 1B), UCD
2005	Teaching Assistant	Phylogeny and Macroevolution (EVE 103), UCD
2001	Graduate Research Ast.	McLaughlin Research Consortium, UCD
2000-01	Teaching Assistant	Introductory Biology (BIS 1B), UCD
1996	Biology Instructor	College Bound Program, FJC

GRANTS

2008- 2009	$90,705	International Research Fellowship Program – NSF DEB 0701336 “Is the correlated morphology between long-proboscis fly Prosoeca ganglebauri and the flower Zaluzianskya microsiphon due to coevolution?” PI: S. Morita
2007- 2012	$742,541	Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy – NSF DEB 0731528 “Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, and Evolutionary Studies of Horse flies (Diptera:Tabanidae): An Integrated Approach to Systematics Training” PI: B. Wiegmann, CoPI’s: S. Morita, D. Yeates, G. Kampmeier
2002- 2005	$23,446	US-South Africa Dissertation Enhancement Grant – NSF DEB 0138288 "The Evolution of Long-Tongued Fly Pollinators (Diptera: Tabanidae)." Under PI: M. Sanderson, CoPI: P. Cranston

FELLOWSHIPS	2006 Samuel W. Williston Travel Fellowship –Smithsonian Inst. 2004 Eileen D. Ludwig Endowment Fund Scholar – ARCS Foundation 2002 J. William Fulbright Student Scholar – U.S. Department of the State 2000 Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund Scholar – ARCS Foundation 1997 Research Experience for Undergraduates scholar – NSF, RMBL 1996 Chancellor's Scholar – UCR
MAJOR AWARDS	2003 Amy Biehl Award – South African Fulbright Commission 1998 Edmund C. Jaeger Award for undergraduate research – UCR 1996 Woman of Distinction Achievement Award – Fullerton College

SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES

US Embassy Science Speaker at UASD, Dominican Republic 2006

Reviewer for NSF, Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society, Systematic Entomology, Bulletin of Entomology, Oecologia

City of Davis Picnic Day “Bug Doctor” 2001-2005
As “Bug Doctor” for the UCD Entomology dept., I identified insects for children and adults in the Davis community.

Arbor Day Presentation Assistant – Cape Nature Conservation, South Africa 2003
Presentation stressing the importance of native trees and the cost of invasives to water and soil preservation was given to small, rural communities east of the Cederberg Wilderness Area in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Committee on Women’s Attrition in the Population Biology Graduate Group 2002

Putah Creek Explorations 2002
Designed and executed a 3 session outreach program for a Trenton School 5th Grade class to teach about natural selection and adaptation.

PBGG Open House Representative 2001
The Open House introduced community members to research in evolution and ecology.

College Bound Program Instructor 1996
This program introduces 6th graders to college opportunities in science and biology.

PUBLICATIONS

Brody, A. K. and S. I. Morita (2000). A positive association between oviposition and fruit set: female choice or manipulation? Oecologia 124 (3), pages 418-425.

Johnson, S. D. and S. I. Morita (2006). Lying to Pinocchio: floral deception in an orchid pollinated by long-proboscid flies. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 152:271-278..

Morita, S. I. (2008). A revision of the Philoliche aethiopica species complex. African Invertebrates 49(1):129-158.

Morita, S. I. (2008). A phylogeny of long-tongued horse flies (Philoliche, Diptera: Tabanidae) with the first cladistic evaluation of higher relationships within the family. Invertebrate Systematics. 22(3): 311–327.

Buffington, M. L. and S. I. Morita (2009). Not all oak gall wasps gall oaks: the description of Dryocosmus rileypokei, a new, apostate species of Cynipini from California. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 111(1): 244–253

Morita, S. I. and S. D. Johnson (manuscript). Floral niche models best explain parallel evolution of long proboscides in blood-sucking pollinators (Tabanidae:Philoliche).

Morita, S. I. and D. Barraclough (manuscript). A new species of long-proboscid tangle-vein fly explains some proboscis length variation in the Prosoeca ganglbaueri species complex (Diptera: Nemestrinidae).

Morita, S. I. (manuscript). How not to stretch the issue: challenges and solutions for consistent proboscis length measurement in long-proboscid flies.

Morita, S. I. (manuscript). Allowing for polymorphic ancestors shows no evidence for Darwin’s arms race in long-proboscid horse flies.

Selected PRESENTATIONS

Morita, S.I, K. M. Bayless, and B. M. Wiegmann. “Molecular phylogeny of the horse flies: a framework for renewing tabanid taxonomy.” 56th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Reno, Nevada, November 19th, 2008.

Morita, S. I. “Bioassociative forensics: Harvesting species interaction data from collections and the importance of specimen level databasing.” Invited symposium speaker: Uses of collections for non-systematic purposes. Entomological Collections Network Annual Meeting, Reno, Nevada, November 15th, 2008.

Morita, S. I. “Floral niche models best explain proboscis length evolution in long-tongued, bloodsucking pollinators (Diptera: Tabanidae).” Invited symposium speaker: Plant Insect Interaction- Floral rewards and advertising. XXIII International Congress of Entomology, Durban, South Africa, July 8th, 2008.

Morita, S. I. “Floral niche models best explain proboscis length evolution in long-tongued, bloodsucking pollinators (Diptera: Tabanidae). Joint meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution, the American Society of Naturalists, and the Society of Systematic Biologists, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 24th, 2008.

Morita, S.I. “The Evolution of Blood-Sucking Pollinators.” Invited speaker for the 1111th meeting of the Entomological Society of Washington, Washington, DC, October 4th, 2007.

Morita, S.I. “The Evolution of Long-Tongued Fly Pollinators.” Invited speaker for the North Carolina State University Department of Entomology Seminar Series, Raleigh, North Carolina, September 10th, 2007.

Morita, S.I. “Hunting for long-tongued flies in South Africa.” Invited speaker for the North American Dipterists Society at the 54^th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Indianapolis, Indiana, December 12^th, 2006.

Morita, S.I. “Bloodsucking Flower-feeders: horse flies as pollinators.” Featured speaker for the US Embassy Department of Cultural Affairs Science Outreach Program. Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 25th, 2006.

Morita, S.I. “A preliminary phylogeny for the horse flies.” Presented at the 6th International Congress of Dipterology, Fukuoka, Japan, September 28^th, 2006.

Morita, S.I. “Bloodsucking Flower-feeders: proboscis length evolution in long tongued horse flies.” Presented at the joint meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution, the American Society of Naturalists, and the Society of Systematic Biologists, Stonybrook, New York, June 23rd, 2006.

Morita, S.I. “Insect Systematics at UC Davis and Phylogeographic Structure of Tongue Length and Its Relationship to Floral Resources in the Long-tongued Horsefly Pollinator Philoliche aethiopica (Diptera: Tabanidae).” Invited speaker for the Graduate Student Symposium in Systematics. Pacific Branch Entomological Society of America 89th Annual Meeting. Pacific Grove, California, March 1st, 2005.

Morita, S, I. “Phylogeographic structure of proboscis length in the long-tongued horse fly pollinator Philoliche aethiopica (Diptera: Tabanidae).” Presented at the 6th Young Systematists' Forum, London, UK, Dec. 9th, 2004.

Morita, S.I. “Phylogeographic structure in the long tongued horse fly pollinator Philoliche aethiopica (Diptera: Tabanidae).” Presented at the Southern Connections meeting, Cape Town, South Africa, January 20th, 2004.

Morita, S. I. and Brody, A. K. “A positive association between ovipostion by a pre-dispersal seed predator and fruit set: Female choice or manipulation?” Presented at the joint meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution, the American Society of Naturalists, and the Society of Systematic Biologists, Vancouver, B. C., Canada, June 23rd, 1998.

Relevant Employment

Pollination Biologist and Insect Taxonomist N. M. Waser/G. Smith, UCR/US Navy 1999
Biological risk assessment of the rare costal plant Dytheria maritima.

Insect Taxonomist R. R. Redak, UCR 1998–1999
Costal Sage Scrub Conservation Project

Biological Technician, GS4       Dr. Arlee Montalvo, USDA/USFS      1997-1998
      Pacific Southwest Research Station
      Field and greenhouse work on reproductive biology of Salvia mellifera and Aquilegia cerulea.

OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS AND HONORS

2006 Ernst Mayr Award Finalist – Society of Systematic Biologists
2005 Consortium For Women And Research Graduate Travel Award – CWR, UC Davis
2005 Graduate Student Association Travel Award – GSA, UC Davis
2003 Jastro-Shields Fellowship – UC Davis
2001 Hardman Research Award – UC Davis
2001 McLaughlin Research Consortium Grant – Mellon Packard Foundation
2000 Center for Population Biology Research Grant – CPB, UC Davis
2000 Bodega Bay Marine Lab Travel Grant – BML
2000 Population Biology Graduate Group Block Grant – UC Davis
1999 Population Biology Graduate Group Block Grant – UC Davis
1999 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention – NSF
1998 Project Minigrant for presentation of undergraduate research results – UCR
1998 Project Grant – Associated Students of University of California, Riverside
1997 Research Experience for Undergraduates scholar – NSF, UCR
1997 Rosemary Schraer Memorial Fund Scholar – UCR
1997 Affiliates of UCR Scholar – UCR
1996 Elizabeth Wright Scholar in Natural Sciences – Fullerton College
1996 Biological Sciences Faculty Scholar – Fullerton College

References

Brian M. Wiegmann, PhD Professor Department of Entomology CB 7613 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695-7613	Phone: +1 (919) 515-1653 Fax: +1.919.515.7746 bwiegman@ncsu.edu
Michael J. Sanderson PhD Professor Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology P.O. Box 210088 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721	Phone: +1 (520) 626-6848 Fax: +1 (520) 621-9190 sanderm@email.arizona.edu
Steven Johnson PhD Professor School of Biological and Conservation Sciences University of KwaZulu-Natal P. Bag X01 Scottsville Pietermaritzburg 3209 SOUTH AFRICA	Phone: +27 (0)33-260-5148 Fax: +27 (0)33-260-5105 JohnsonSD@ukzn.ac.za
Bruce Anderson PhD Assistant Professor Department of Botany & Zoology University of Stellenbosch Private Bag X1 Matieland 7602 SOUTH AFRICA	Phone: +27 (0)21 808-3586 Fax: +27 (0)21 808-2405 banderso.bruce@gmail.com

More references available upon request.

Updated 7 April 2009

Relevant Employment

Copyright © 2007 S.I. Morita