Announces Winners
By: Priyadarshini Basu
Peter Fowler
The winner of the 2022 Extension Activities Award is PhD student Peter Fowler of Michigan State University, who is advised by Dr. Meghan Milbrath. He received the $1,000 award for his proposal entitled, Diagnostics training for veterinarians working with honey bees. Funding will fill a much needed gap and support development of training for veterinary professionals to conduct diagnostic screening assays. This effort may also lead to larger funding, and so this award serves as a seed grant in this capacity.
Brooke Lawrence
The winner of the 2022 award for Masters work is Brooke Lawrence, a Masters student in the Department of Entomology at Pennsylvania State University under Dr. Margarita López-Uribe. Her thesis research is entitled, The role of beekeeping management systems on microbes, pathogens, and immunity in honey bees. Her integrative research shows the importance of understanding the multifaceted impacts of management strategies on bee health and overall the continued importance of keeping varroa mites in control. Brooke’s work is impressive and we look forward to seeing where her career takes her.
Garrett Slater
The winner of the 2022 award for PhD candidates is Garett Slater from the Department of Entomology at Purdue University under Dr. Brock Harpur. His application was entitled, Using genomics to predict drone quality: Why are there so many ‘dud’ male honey bees. His research is firmly rooted in a deep understanding of drone genetics and reproductive quality with the ultimate goal of improving queen mating success and colony health. Garett’s productivity and commitment to scientific communication is exceptional.
