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Previous Winners
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Jeffery LaFage Graduate Student Research AwardNicola Gallagher
Nicola Gallagher is a Ph.D. student at Ohio State University, where she also earned her M.S. degree. Her research is an in-depth investigation of the physiological and behavioral mechanisms involved with water maintenance in subterranean termites. She is hoping her research will provide data that will help resolve how water is transported by termites, potentially leading to new termite control methods, either by directly manipulating the termites’ ability to manage water or reinforcing the importance of a holistic approach to termite management. She has presented many posters and research talks and has five refereed publications to her name.
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Henry and Sylvia Richardson Research Grant
Karla Addesso Award Overview: The purpose of this grant is to provide research funds to postdoctoral ESA members who have at least one year of promising work experience, are undertaking research in selected areas, and have demonstrated a high level of scholarship. SNODGRASS MEMORIAL RESEARCH AWARD
Jennifer Zaspel
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KENNETH AND BARBARA STARKS PLANT RESISTANCE TO INSECTS GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD Alexzandra Murphy is pursuing her Ph.D. from Purdue University’s Department of Entomology. Her B.S. was received from Oregon State University. Her research project involves characterizing the population dynamics and mating behavior of the western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera Le Conte) under different refuge structures in a Bt corn -refuge system. Transgenic Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner) corn (Zea mays L.) provides an alternative control tactic for the western corn rootworm and is being used by growers. Her research investigates the insect resistance management plan for rootworm-resistant corn, which requires that a refuge of susceptible crop plants be planted with the transgenic plants. For the refuge strategy to successfully manage western corn rootworm resistance to Bt corn, susceptible adults emerging from the refuge must disperse and mate randomly with any resistant adults emerging from transgenic corn. She hopes her research will have implications for resistance management of the western corn rootworm in Bt corn. Back to Top
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Jennifer Zaspel, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Minnesota, earned her Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Her M.S. and B.S. degrees were received from the University of Minnesota. Her research "Systematics, biology, and behavior of fruit-piercing and blood-feeding moths in the subfamily Calpinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)" was awarded the University of Florida, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Best Dissertation Award of Excellence in Graduate Research for 2008. This research focuses on the evolutionary relationships and adult feeding behaviors of moths in the tribe Calpini, vampire moths in the genus Calyptra, and their gut symbionts. Jennifer has given both national and international research presentations and has co-authored 10 research publications. 