Pest Management Foundation Scholarships

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Pest Management Foundation Scholarships

Pest Management Foundation Scholarships

The application period is now closed. Scholarship recipients will be notified in mid-January.

Donor: Pest Management Foundation

Award Amount: Up to five (5) awards per year totaling $2,000 each

The Pest Management Foundation Scholarship Program will award up to five scholarships of up to $2,000 each, to outstanding students at accredited entomology programs at U.S. colleges or universities. In return, scholarship recipients will be asked to provide a letter explaining how the scholarship has helped them in their academic and research endeavors.

Scholarship Criteria

Currently enrolled undergraduate (junior or senior year) or graduate college students majoring in biological sciences and focused on urban pest management.
Completed at least two semesters of study with at least one year remaining for degree.
Full time student in good academic standing (3.0 GPA or better on 4.0 scale).

Application Submission Requirements

Resume or curriculum vita.
Current unofficial academic transcript.
A one-page (minimum) essay describing applicant’s professional goals and aspirations and how he/she plans to use their studies to contribute to a field in urban pest management.
At least one (1) letter of recommendation from the applicant’s teacher or counselor addressing the applicant’s progress in studies, and his or her work ethic.
Other supporting documents (research papers and proposals, faculty research participation, related industry internship participation, fellowship projects, industry work experience, etc.) can also be submitted.

Recipients

2023-2024 Recipients

	Samantha Dilday Washington State University Sam Dilday, a PhD student at Washington State University, specializes in studying the odorous house ant (OHA), a common urban pest. With a biology degree from George Mason University and a Master’s in Environmental Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Sam brings a solid academic background to her research. Since relocating to Washington, she collaborates closely with pest management operators in the Pacific Northwest, focusing on understanding OHA resilience in urban environments. Her current research focuses on OHA colonies' starvation resistance and queens' reproductive systems. Beyond academia, Sam is an avid scientific illustrator, having published numerous works. Her goal is to inform the pest management community and contribute to the development of effective Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies against the OHA.
	Kiara Ivy Florida A&M University Kiara Ivy is a 2nd year Master’s student of Entomology at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. She is from Gainesville, FL. Her current research is “Assessing the Establishment and Spread of Natural Enemies of The Red Imported Fire Ant [Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)] in Northwest Florida.” These natural enemies include parasitoids, microsporidia, and insect-killing fungi. With this research she helps local organic farmers deal with their fire ant mounds. Kiara currently serves as FAMU Entomology Club of Excellence President for the 2023-2024 academic year. She is also heavily involved in her local community helping educate and mentoring the youth in entomology, biology, and other STEM-related fields. Outside of research, she is pursuing athletic endeavors for Trinidad and Tobago as a pole vaulter. Her future career goals include going into urban pest management focusing on biological control and developing novel pesticides and biopesticides.
	Isabelle Lucer University of Kentucky Isabelle Lucero is a recent graduate from the University of Kentucky with a Master of Science degree in entomology. She completed her B.S. in environment and natural resources with a minor in entomology at Clemson University. While at the University of Kentucky, Isabelle studied cockroaches in the DeVries urban entomology lab and investigated how cockroach gel baits perform over time and in different environments. Her ongoing work with the DeVries lab investigates how cockroach bait placement affects bait detection. Isabelle has always been interested in insects and takes pride in the fact that her research will not only help PMPs perform more sustainable cockroach control but will also improve human health through the management of indoor cockroaches.
	Simona Principato University of Kentucky Simona Principato is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky. She obtained her B.S. in Biotechnology at the Università degli Studi di Perugia (Italy) and her M.S. in Entomology at Harper Adams University (United Kingdom). She is currently working with bed bugs in the Urban Entomology lab with Dr. DeVries, focusing on the possible health impact of bed bug-derived histamine, mitigation strategies, and bed bug control. In the pursuit of her academic endeavors, she is dedicated to broadening her knowledge and research expertise with the goal of positively contributing to the pest management industry.
	Sangwoo Seok University of Florida I am a third-year PhD student at Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida. I received my bachelor's and master’s degrees from Korea University, South Korea in 2016 and 2018, respectively. I studied aquatic insects at Korea University and entered the University of Florida to study mosquitoes advised by Dr. Yoosook Lee. Presently, my research is focused on understanding Aedes mosquitoes, which are vectors of various arboviruses, using population genomic approaches in the Pacific region to inform stakeholders involved in novel mosquito control strategies. I’m also studying invasive mosquitoes spreading to other countries from South Korea.