About me

Minsoo Dong (Min-Soo Dong) (22)
Insect Taxonomy Lab. (Kangwon National University, Korea)
Insect species assistant identification committee member (BRIC: Biological Research Information Center, POSTECH, Korea)
Antwiki (https://antwiki.org/) Editor

 Huge passion for ants: I thought there were only 2 or 3 kinds of ants that are present on this planet, but soon I noticed that more than 15000 species of ants are living with us. That was enough to make me captivated by ants. I was doing narrow taxonomy and morphology of ants when I was an undergraduate, and now I'd like to study more complicated things far beyond what I did. : 
 1. How reproductive behaviors (or ecological facets) lead various genital structures in male ants and how we could delimitate the boundaries of ant species? 2. What are the potential ant species which can be spread to the world rapidly and what ecological features they have? 
 I'd like to use 3d based morphological methods and phylogenetic approaches with the CO1 gene that I already have extracted for many Korean ants to figure out what I've been wondering.

Education
2020
EEB (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology) Scholars Program (Honorable Mention), Princeton University, USA
2016-2020
B.Sc. in Applied Biology in Kangwon National University, Korea
2011-2014
 Science Education Institute for The Gifted, Incheon National University, Korea
Award
2020
The Best Graduate Student, Director of the Rural Development Administration
2019
The Best Poster Presentation Award, Korean journal of Applied Entomology
2018
The Best Insect Photography Award, Korean journal of Applied Entomology
2017
The Best Poster Presentation Award, The Entomological Society of Korea
2017
Talent Award of Korea, Deputy Prime Minister of Korea (Link) $2420
2015
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, 1st  Prize (group), Prudential Foundation of Korea
Research Experience
2020 ~
Research Assistant, Discovery of invertebrate species from unexplored habitats / NIBR (National Institute of Biological Resources), Korea 
2020 ~
Research Assistant, Species distribution modeling on invasive ant species (Anoplolepis gracilipes and Paratrechina longicornis) and developing diagnosis method on the sister species / APQA (Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Korea)
2020 ~
Research Assistant, Study of environmentally important species / NIBR (National Institute of Biological Resources), Korea
2018-2019
Research Assistant, Research of Ecological Risk Assessment and Import Permission Required Unintroduced Species / National Institute of Ecology, Korea
2017-2019
Research Assistant, Insect Mediated Relevance Study of fire blight / Chungbuk National University, Korea
2018
Research Assistant, Natural Resources Research / Korea national park research institute, Korea
2018-2019
Research Assistant, Diffusion Modeling for Two Invasive Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta, S. geminata) in Korea /APQA (Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Korea)
2017-2019
Research Assistant, Development of customized quarantine pest management technology for each country of asparagus / Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry, Korea
Publication
2020
M. Dong & S.K. Kim. “A Taxonomic Study on the Genus Strumigenys Smith, 1860 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Korea with a description of new species” Asian Myrmecology 12, e012001 
(doi: 10.20362/am.012001)
2020
M.G. Baek, T.W. Kang, S.J. Kwon, M.C. Kim, S.K. Kim, W.K. Kim, Y.H. Kim, T.W. Kim, M. Dong (Part "Formicidae"), S.W. Park, Y.C. Jeon, K.S. Jeong, J.C. Jeong, D.S. Choi The Insect atlas of Yang-Pyeang. Yangpyeang Insectarium (Yang-Pyeang, Korea) (will be published within 2020) (in Korean) 
2017
M. Dong (2017) The Ants of Korea. Nature&Ecology (Seoul, Korea), 257pp (in Korean) Link
In Review
M.S. Dong & S.K. Kim. "First record of gyne fossil Aphaenogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from Eastern Palaearctic Region"  Zootaxa
Unpublished paper
2015
M.S. Dong "Discussion of the Korean unrecorded Myrmecophilus Ant Cricket, Myrmecophilus sp."
2014
M.S. Dong  "Guidance for the identification of the genus Lasius in South Korea"
2012
M.S. Dong "The Ant Fauna of Mt. Gyeyang-san, Korea"
Oral Presentation
2019
Current status of fossil ants in Korea  in Korean journal of Applied Entomology, October 24-25.
2018
Importance of ant male genitalia in Formicidae in The Entomological Society of Korea, June 7.
Poster Presentation
2020
Taxonomic study on Aphaenogaster lepida with closely resembling species, A. tipuna. Korean journal of Applied Entomology, May 25
2019
Review of genus Aphaenogaster Mayr, 1853 from Korea. ANet (International Network for the Study of Asian Ants) November 11-15
2018
Morphological comparison of the male genitalia of Formica fusca group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Korea. Korean journal of Applied Entomology, October 24
2018
The guests of Korean ants: A First Record of genus Scydmaenus from Korea. The Entomological Society of Korea, June 7
2018
First record of gyne fossil Aphaenogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from Eastern Palaearctic Region. Korean journal of Applied Entomology
2017
First Record of Myrmecophile Millipede from Korea. Korean journal of Applied Entomology, October 26-27
2017
Taxonomic study and comparison of Strumigenys kumadori with closely resembling species, S. lewisi in Korea. The Entomological Society of Korea, June 1-2
Invited lecture
2020
For expert members,  Korea Insect Pet Contest, Seoul, Korea
2019
For middle school students,  Gong-Hang Middle School, Incheon, Korea, 2 hours
2019
For children, Boramae Park, Seoul, Korea, 1 hour
2019
For citizens, Gwacheon National Science Museum, Korea, 1 hour
2018
For citizens, National Ecological Institute, Korea, 2 hours
2017
For citizens, Gwacheon National Science Museum, Korea, 1 hour
Consulting & Outsourcing
2019
EBS Documentary "ANTS: The Secret Empire 1~2 Link". 18~19. Feb. 2019
2018
EBS Documentary "The World of Millimeter 1~2 Link". 4~5. Jun. 2018
2019
Outsourcing: Pesticide research on Tapinoma melanocephalum, Pharmcle Co., Ltd. 2019
Exhibition
2019~2020
Providing pictures and specimens for ant exhibition held in Gwacheon National Science Museum, Korea
Media coverage
TV
2018 YTN science "Young Ecologist" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTsJFo1p-s0)
Web
2019 Maeil Business News, Korea (https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/view/2019/01/1240/)
 
2018 Dong-a Science, Korea  (http://dongascience.donga.com/news/view/22222)
 
2017 Neighborhood Scientist (http://www.astronomer.rocks/news/articleView.html?idxno=83385)
 
2017 Gangwon People's Daily (http://www.kado.net/?mod=news&act=articleView&idxno=885616)
 
2017 Gangwon Daily (http://www.kwnews.co.kr/nview.asp?s=601&aid=217081000083)
 
2017 Gangwon People's Daily (http://www.kado.net/?mod=news&act=articleView&idxno=863779)
 Magazine
2018 Children's Science Dong-A (https://m.post.naver.com/viewer/postView.nhn?volumeNo=16849400&memberNo=9406188&vType=VERTICAL)
 
2018 KNU Magazine (College Magazine)
 
2018 Science Dong-A
Radio
2017 MBC (Chuncheon) (https://chmbc.co.kr/programme/5D80Ht0hBUpHgIGj-dhSJ)
Field Experience
2020
USA (Florida), October
2020
Japan (Kagoshima, Prof. Yamane Lab.), April - Cancelled
2020
Australia (Canberra, CSIRO), March - Cancelled
2020
Peru (Iquitos, Amazon), February 20 – March 01
2020
Taiwan (Taipei), February 10-15
2019
Thailand (Bangkok), November 11-15
2019
Russia (Vladivostok), August 26-29
2019
Laos (Vientian), May 26-31
2019
Japan (Tsushima), June 5-9
2018
Japan (Okinawa), November 14-17
Volunteer Work
2018~2020
Mentor of Citizen Science (Earth Love Explorer), Children's Science Dong-A, Link
2013~2014
Insect Docent in NIBR (National Institute of Biological Resources), Korea

Mentoring in Citizen Science for kids

In ANet with Prof. Seiki Yamane 

In ANet with Dr. Meenakshi,  Dr. Himender and Dr.. Akihiro

Presentation in Korean journal of Applied Entomology

Best Poster Presentation Award

In KNU Magazine

Best Insect Photography Award

Talent Award of Korea (1)

Talent Award of Korea (2)

Field work in Peru amazon

Field work in Okinawa, Japan

Presentation in Citizen Science