November 10, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business and Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Center, Room BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker:  Dr. Gary Miller

“…drenched in dirt and drowned in abominations…”:  Insects, Soldiering, and the Civil War

 

Sometimes slimy!  Sometimes beautiful! Sometimes bothersome! Sometimes fatal!  All can refer to our thoughts about insects; worms, butterflies, bugs and bees.  Tonight, join the Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table as Dr. Gary Miller takes us on a journey, showing us the influence of insects during the Civil War.  Insects had an important impact on nearly every aspect of soldier life including disease transmission and general annoyances.  However, they were also a source of entertainment. This topic brings to light an overlooked aspect of the War.

Gary Miller was born and raised in the Pennsylvania Dutch region of Lancaster County, PA.  He received his B.A. in Biology from Millersville University, Millersville, PA (1980) and M.S. in Entomology and Plant Pathology from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1982).  While working as a Research Associate at Auburn University, AL, he was able to pursue his doctorate and received his Ph.D. in Entomology from Auburn University (1991).  Dr. Miller began his career with the USDA in 1991 as a Support Scientist with the Systematic Entomology Laboratory (SEL) in Beltsville, MD.  In 2004, he was hired as the aphid specialist in SEL where his assignment includes research, service identifications, and curation of the national aphid collection (>90,500 microscope slides).  Dr. Miller has published over 135 scientific publications concentrating mostly on aphids and scale insects.  He currently serves as the Research Leader for the USDA’s Systematic Entomology Laboratory.

In addition to his interest in entomology, he is also a long-time student of the American Civil War. With this combination he is able to provide a unique perspective to the Civil War that includes both history and natural history.  Dr. Miller has published several papers on this topic and has co-authored (with Dr. R.K.D. Peterson) the website:  Insects, Disease, and History.

Attendance is free for all, but membership is recommended.  For information, contact the Round Table’s president, Brad Gottfried, at bgottfried@csmd.edu or 301-934-7625.