Shira D. Gordon, Ph.D.
Biologist & Science Communicator
PhD Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati
MS Entomology, University of Georgia
BA Environmental, Populational, Organismal Biology; University of Colorado
Email: Shira@SheRockScience.com
Shira’s passion for insects started when she was a small child. She has studied more than a half-dozen insect and spider systems. Throughout her academic career, she was a member of 8 laboratories, publishing 20 peer-reviewed articles and one book chapter. As a science communicator, she has taught General Entomology and Agricultural Entomology at California State University, Fresno, and Monterey Bay.
Shira’s Master's of Entomology at the University of Georgia focused on a parasitoid wasp that laid its egg inside a caterpillar egg. At the University of Cincinnati, her PhD looked at the behaviors and communication of a wolf spider living in leaf litter. She was the biologist in an engineering group at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. During this postdoc, she studied the biomechanics and neurobiology of different types of insect ears. The idea was bio-inspired engineering: if an insect can hear with a 1 mm ear, engineers should be able to create as sensitive microphones. She spent a year at Dartmouth College studying how moths listen to bat calls. Her final research role was at the USDA, studying leafhopper communication. She was looking into using vibrations to control the pest insects on grapevines, rather than chemicals.
In 2018, Shira left research to pursue another passion of hers, science communication. She wants to get other people excited about science and nature. She has worked with health and science communication for a variety of NIH institutes, creating videos, written content, and visuals. She is excited to bring Entomology as a course offering to CWS learners.
Teaching
-
Gordon SD, Krugner R. 2021. Copulatory Signaling and Polygamy of Glassy-Winged Sharpshooters (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 114: 522-527.
Krugner R, Gordon SD. 2021. Mating Communication of the Variegated Leafhopper, Erasmoneura variabilis, with Notes on Vibrational Signaling of Other Grapevine Cicadellids in California. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 114: 528-537.
Gordon SD, Tiller B, Windmill JFC, Krugner R, Narins PM. 2019. Transmission of the frequency components of the vibrational signal of the glassy‑winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis, within and between grapevines. J. Comp. Physiol. A. 205:783-791.
Gordon SD, Krugner R. 2019. Mating Disruption by Vibrational Signals: Applications for Management of the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter. IN: Hill P., et. al. (eds) Biotremology: Studying Vibrational Behavior. Animal Signals and Communication, vol 6. Springer, Cham. P. 355-373.
Krugner R, Gordon SD. 2018. Mating disruption of Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) by playback of vibrational signals in vineyard trellis. Pest Manag. Sci. 74:2013-2019.
Gordon SD, HM ter Hofstede. 2018. The influence of bat echolocation call duration and timing on auditory encoding of predator distance in noctuoid moths. J. Exp. Biol. 221 (6):jeb171561.
Gordon SD, Sandoval N, Mazzoni V, Krugner R. 2017. Mating interference of glassy-winged sharpshooters, Homalodisca vitripennis. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 164:27-34.
Mazzoni V, Gordon SD, Nieri R, Krugner R. 2017. Design of a candidate vibrational signal for mating disruption against the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis. Pest Manag. Sci. 73:2328-2333.
Gordon SD, Klenschi E, Windmill JFC. 2017. Hearing on the fly: the effects of wing position on noctuid moth hearing. J. Exp Biol. 220:1952-1955.
Nieri R, Mazzoni V, Gordon SD, Krugner R. 2017. Mating behavior and vibrational mimicry in the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis. J. Pest Science. 60:887-889.
Sitvarin M, Gordon SD, Uetz GW, Rypstra A. 2016. The wolf spider Pardosa milvina detects predator threat level using only vibratory cues. Behaviour. 153:159-173.
Gordon SD, Windmill JFC. 2015. Hearing ability decreases in ageing locusts. J. Exp. Biol. 218:1990-1994.
Gordon SD, Jackson JC, Rogers SM, Windmill JFC. 2014. Listening to the Environment: Hearing Differences from an Epigenetic Effect in Solitarious and Gregarious Locusts. Proc. R. Soc. B. 281:20141693.
Eberhard MJB, Gordon SD, Windmill JFC, Ronacher B. 2014. Temperature effects on the tympanal membrane and auditory receptor neurons in the locust. J. Comp. Physiol. A. 200:837-847.
Mortimer B, Gordon SD, et al. 2014. The Speed of Sound in Silk: Linking Material Performance to Biological Function. Advanced Materials. 26:5179-5183.
Uetz GW, Roberts JA, Clark D, Gibson J, Gordon SD. 2013. Active space of multimodal signals of wolf spiders in a complex litter environment. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 67:1471-1482.
Gordon SD, Uetz GW. 2012. Environmental interference: impact of acoustic noise on seismic communication and mating success. Behavioral Ecology. 23:700-714. 2012
Gordon SD, Uetz GW. 2011. Multimodal communication of wolf spiders on different substrates: evidence for behavioral flexibility. Animal Behaviour. 81:367-375.
Lohrey AK, Clark DL, Gordon SD, Uetz GW. 2009. Anti-predator responses of wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae) to sensory cues representing an avian predator. Animal Behaviour. 77:813-821.
Gordon SD, Strand MR. 2009. The polyembryonic wasp Copidosoma floridanum produces two castes by differentially parceling the germ line to daughter embryos during embryo proliferation. Dev. Genes Evol. 219:445-454.
Gordon SD, Hartley C, Ipser R, Nachappa P, Wiltz BA. 2007. Urban Entomology a student debate, topic 3, con position. American Entomologist. 53:102-112.