Previous Winners

2011

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Back to Scholarships & Fellowships.

Stanley Beck Fellowship

Scott M. Ferrenberg

This award assists needy students at the graduate or undergraduate level of their education in entomology and related disciplines at a college or university in the United States, Mexico, or Canada. Scott M. Ferrenberg is currently a doctoral student working with Jeffry Mitton at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Scott earned a master’s degree in 2002 from the University of Maryland’s Department of Entomology, where he was advised by Bob Denno. Scott is currently studying mountain pine beetle development and host selection in high elevation forests that were historically outside of the beetle’s climatically suitable range. His work focuses on comparing host tree defenses from the beetle’s novel range to trees of the same species in forest stands at lower elevations with long histories of beetle infestations. He is also studying the bark beetle fungal-symbionts to determine their geographical ranges and host tolerance. Scott’s path through graduate school has been redirected due to chronic Crohn’s disease, a genetically-linked, incurable, autoimmune disorder. He currently collaborates with other Colorado scientists to improve research efforts on Crohn’s and other autoimmune disorders that are not only influenced by genetic factors, but also by changes in the human microbiotic community.

Award Overview:
This award assists needy students at the graduate or undergraduate level of their education in entomology and related disciplines. The need may be based on physical limitations or economic, minority, or environmental conditions. This annual fellowship was established in tribute to Stanley D. Beck, a notable scientist who pursued his profession despite the effects of a debilitating disease. The amount of this fellowship varies each year depending on earnings from the endowment.

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Joseph H. Camin Fellowship

Leopoldo F. de O. Bernardi

Leopoldo F. de O. Bernardi is a P.h.D. student at the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), in the Applied Ecology graduate program. His research is developed in the Laboratory of Underground Ecology under the supervision of Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira (UFLA) and Mauricio Sergio Zacarias (Embrapa). His interests are on the ecology and taxonomy of the cave and soil mites, especially species of the Parasitiformes group. His study is focused to describe the biodiversity of the mites in caves, because this group is very ignored in the history of the speleobiology science in Brazil. He is also interested in the ecology management and conservation of the subterranean ecossystem. Currently his work is about biogeography, ecomorphology and taxonomy of the Opilioacariforme order found in brazilian caves and karst areas. He likes to teach and plans to be an university professor to continuous his research on the taxonomy and ecology of mites.

Award Overview:
The award supports graduate students in attending the Acarology Summer Program at Ohio State University or an equivalent institution offering acarine systematics training. Made annually, the value of this annual award depends on interest earned from the endowment.

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Undergraduate Scholarships (BioQuip Scholarship)

Ginny Morgal

Sponsored by BioQuip Products, a major supplier of entomology equipment, this $2,000 annual scholarship assists a student in obtaining a degree in entomology or pursuing a career as an entomologist. Ginny Morgal is an undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in insect science. She is currently conducting her senior thesis research, which is funded through the Undergraduate Creative Activity and Research Experience Program, on the effects of formic acid, which is commonly used to treat for the honey bee pest Varroa destructor, on brood development and on queen mandibular pheromone. Brood areas were measured in colonies treated and untreated with formic acid, and queens were then collected and their mandibular glands dissected out. Gas chromatography will be used to determine the levels of 9-ODA in both the treated and untreated queens. Ginny serves as president of the Insect Science Club, and is actively involved in K-12 entomology-based outreach programs, and is also a teaching assistant for the introductory Insect Identification course. After graduating with a degree in insect science, Ginny plans on attending graduate school to obtain her Ph.D. in entomology.

Award Overview:
Annually, BioQuip Products, a major supplier of entomology equipment, sponsors a $2,000 scholarship. The scholarship is designed to encourage student interest in entomology.

Pioneer Hi-Bred International Graduate Student Fellowship

J. Megan Woltz

J. Megan Woltz is a Ph.D. student at Michigan State University, Department of Entomology. Her graduate research focuses on how insect predator-prey relationships and ecosystem services in agro-ecosystems are influenced by local vegetation and landscape characteristics. Specifically, she is examining how habitat management and landscape context impact predation on the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines. Megan’s study involves the planting of flowering buckwheat strips along the edges of fields, then examining the diversity of predators and their impact on aphid numbers in the neighboring field. She is also studying how the presence and arrangement of key habitats in the landscape influence the movement of lady beetles through soybean fields, and the subsequent effects on biocontrol. Her goal is to develop sustainable agricultural methods that allow conventional farmers to receive the maximum ecosystem services benefit from the surrounding landscape while also maximizing yield on land they have in crops.

Award Overview:
Pioneer Hi-Bred International (a DuPont Company) offers the fellowship to recognize and encourage innovative research and graduate education in the area of entomology with a focus on key insects or complexes of insects that effect significant commodity crops. The amount of the fellowship (stipend) is $12,500 per year until completion of the graduate degree up to a limit of four years. The fellowship winner will be presented with the first installment of the stipend at the Entomological Foundation’s awards ceremony held in conjunction with the Entomological Society of America's annual 2010 meeting.