Knights at the American Museum of Natural History

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  As a postdoc working with David Grimaldi, curator of Diptera, Lepidoptera, Isoptera, and fossil insects—that's mosquitoes, houseflies, termites, butterflies, and more—Jessica Ware is immersed in systematics. "This study of the evolutionary relationships of a group of organisms is like a family tree. We look at who is most closely related to whom, which helps us find evolutionary trends."

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  For several years Ware worked on "the systematics of a group of dragonflies, the Libelluloidea. The project involved a lot of collecting and detailed study back in the lab of larval and adult morphology." Here, Ware collects dragonflies and damselflies at Popa Falls, near the Okavango River, in Namibia.

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  "There was a part of me that thought a tenure-track evolutionary biology position was a crazy, challenging career path," says Ware, "but I knew I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else. Having a satisfying career involves doing what you're passionate about." In September, Ware starts as an assistant biology professor at Rutgers–Newark. Above, a blue skimmer dragonfly rests on a rock in Namibia.

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  Above is a detailed image of the immature stage of the dragonfly Neopetalia punctata, a member of the Libelluloidea family. For several years, Ware studied this "beneficial group that eats mosquitoes and other insects, is not harmful, and does not bite. If you have ever observed a dragonfly hovering around a pond, lake, or stream, chances are good it was a member of this group."

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  Ware is now on to lower termites, a surprisingly social group that exhibits "altruistic behavior, such as caring for siblings. I love the project because it includes scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging, molecular tools, and phylogenetic methodology." Above are SEM images of the mandibles of a newly discovered species of the termite genus Neotermes, which infests mahogany plantations in Fiji.

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  Back at Rutgers' George H. Cook Campus, Ware eats a bug cookie at Ag Field Day. Ware says "Rutgers entomology is a great place to learn about insects … My advisers, Mike May, Karl Kjer, and George Hamilton were excellent examples of success—their work ethic, publication record, and grantsmanship inspired me [as did their] excellent balance among work, family, and service."

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  "The Rutgers entomology department is a close, friendly group," says Ware. "Students really supported each other. Rather than feel overwhelmed by competition, we were allies, which bettered all of us." Photos 1 and 7 by John Emerson. Additional images courtesy Jessica Ware.