Leigh Award Recipient Hannah Burrack Chronicles Career and Thanks Collaborators
Professor and Chair of Michigan State University's Entomology Department
UC Davis alumna Hannah Burrack, professor and chair of the Michigan State University and recipient of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology’s 2025 Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Award, chronicled her career in entomology and thanked her collaborators at her recent seminar in the UC Davis Student Community Center.
Titling her talk, “Extending the Olive Branch: From Field Research to Entomology Leadership,” she discussed her work at UC Davis, North Carolina State University (NCSU), and at Michigan State.
Burrack, who received her doctorate in entomology from UC Davis in 2007, studied with Professor Frank Zalom, now a UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus (on recall). She earlier received her master's degree in entomology from UC Davis.
Zalom, also a UC Davis doctoral alumnus, introduced her as a "notable student" who became a "national leader in IPM entomology."
Learned to Drive a Stick Shift
“At UC Davis, I developed a passion for invasive species biology and management and Extension engagement," Burrack said. "I learned to lead teams, deliver results, and drive a stick shift.”
While at UC Davis, Burrack studied introduced pests of olives. She completed her dissertation research on “The Seasonal Biology of the Olive Fruit Fly (Bactrocera oleae), an Invasive Pest in California.” Her research addressed the olive fruit fly phenology, reproductive biology, cultivar preference and adult fungal associations.
Burrack described Zalom an “incredible mentor and entomologist.” Zalom, former director of the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program, is an Honorary Member of the 7000-member Entomological Society of America (ESA), its highest award, and a past president.
Turning to NCSU, Burrack said that during her 14-year career there (beginning in 2007), she served as an Extension specialist for small fruits and tobacco pest management. She advanced from assistant professor to professor. “I built connections with stakeholders, engaged in diversified crop experiences, mentored students,and identified leadership goals,” she told the crowd.
At NCSU, Burrack led entomology research and extension efforts for blueberries, caneberries, grapes, tobacco and industrial hemp. She generated $10.8 million in funding, authored 71 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and delivered more than 500 extension presentations to more than 28,000 stakeholders. Internationally recognized for her work on invasive agricultural pests—particularly Drosophila suzukii (spotted-wing drosophila)—she also prioritized mentorship, advising or serving on committees for postdoctoral scholars, visiting scholars, and more than 30 graduate students.
Serving as Department Chair Since 2022
Burrack was appointed chair of Michigan State University's Department of Entomology, East Lansing, effective Jan. 1, 2022. Her leadership roles involve recruiting and supporting faculty, being an advocate for entomology, and making a leadership impact, she said.
In her talk, Burrack praised the work of all of her collaborators, including the late Marshall Johnson (1950-2025), UC Riverside Extension entomologist emeritus. She included an image of him in her presentation. "He introduced me to his to international collaborators."
Burrack's work at NCSU gained national attention. Known for her “boundless energy and fresh ideas,” she served as the principal investigator and manager of several USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants and panels related to research on spotted-wing drosophila management, crop protection, pest management and methyl bromide transitions. In 2018, she received the University Faculty Scholar Award and the Extension Service Award from NC State University. She was named the 2011 recipient of the “Future Leader” award from the Southern Region Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Center. She received the Friends of IPM award at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Branch of ESA, held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Monitoring Network for Spotted-Wing Drosophila
One of Burrack's greatest achievements: her monitoring network for spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), an invasive pest that has devastated fruit and vegetable crops on the U.S. west coast. The network led to the first discoveries of the pest in South Carolina in early July 2010, and in North Carolina a few weeks later. She is among the authors of 14 articles in The Journal of Economic Entomology's Special Collection: Research Advances in Spotted-Wing Drosophila suzukii Management, published in the August 2022 edition.
In her talk, Burrack touched on her SWD collaborations with Zalom and molecular geneticist and physiologist Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
"What have we learned about SWD since 2008?" Burrack asked. She listed four points:
- Risk varies greatly between crops and regions
- Nonchemical tactics are important but not sufficient for control in high-risk crops
- Naturally occurring biological controls are insufficient and the impacts of advantageous and introduced agents are unclear
- Management will require long-term efforts
Turning to tobacco, Burrack noted that North Carolina is the leading producer of tobacco in the U.S. "Tobacco is a leading crop because there’s a market for it, and growers make money," she said simply. Her IPM work with tobacco growers led to more efficient and effective operations.
According to the Tobacco Growers’ Association of North Carolina, tobacco is the nation's leading tax generating commodity in all of agriculture. "The yearly average of the farm product value for leaf tobacco is nearly $1 billion. More than 2200 farmers have contracts to market tobacco. Every tobacco grower is a diversified family farm with various row crops such as corn, soybean, small grain, cotton, sweet potatoes and produce as the major rotational crops. Many also have livestock included in the operation."
"The gross value of tobacco averages around $4,715 per acre and can reach nearly $7,000 per acre," according to the National IPM Database.
Weathering Current Environment
In her last slide, Burrack called attention to “How do we weather the current environment?” She zeroed in on two points.
Practicality:
- Diversifying partners and funders
- Keeping stakeholders engaged and supportive
- Holding to our values and remaining focused on our missions
Ethically
- When do we take a stand?
- How do we support research and people at risk (without jeopardizing others)
- How can we make our voices loud and powerful?
Native of Green Bay Area
A native of the Green Bay, Wis., area, Hannah served as an international student at Thammasat University, Bangkok in 2000. She received her bachelor degrees in entomology and rural sociology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 2002. At the University of Wisconsin, she worked with only a three-month field season. Her desire to move to a warmer climate, where she could broaden her field experience, resulted in her move to California.
"Hannah is one of those special people who you feel grateful to have come into your life," Zalom said. "When I first met Hannah, I was immediately impressed by her confidence, communications skills, and dedication to science and service. She had graduated from the University of Wisconsin with two undergraduate degrees, in entomology and rural sociology, which were perfect fits for my lab, as well as solid research experience. She had done undergraduate research at Wisconsin in the labs of two excellent entomologists--molecular endocrinologist Walt Goodman, also a UC Davis alumnus, and Dave Hogg, an ecologist and biocontrol specialist from UC Berkeley."
"Hannah is independent and a self-starter. As a PhD student, she surrounded herself with very competent undergrad students and was an excellent mentor to them. She organized her own lab meetings, engaging students in literature reviews and meaningful research projects. She was offered her first faculty position, at North Carolina State University, before she had formally graduated from our department. I had no doubt that she was destined to achieve great things in her career. Her position included research and extension responsibilities for specialty crops and tobacco."
"Shortly after her arrival there, faculty colleagues mentioned to me that they were especially impressed by how well she could engage the 'grizzly old tobacco farmers' who were described as a particularly difficult community to reach. That didn’t surprise me at all. She has a gift of relating to people irrespective of their status or the communities they represent. People just like Hannah. They value her opinions and respect her science."
A National Leader Among IPM Entomologists
"Hannah is recognized as a national leader among IPM entomologists," Zalom related. "She has been project director of major multi-institutional program grants involving specialty grants, and that have produced innovative solutions for important economic pest problems. She has a superior record of mentoring grad students and postdocs who have gone on to productive careers. Hannah became a full professor at North Carolina State before into the department chair position at MIchigan State University. By all accounts, she is providing excellent leadership to their faculty and the institution. It’s incredible that Hannah has achieved so much in such a relatively short period of time, and she certainly deserves this our department’s recognition as an outstanding alumnus."
The Leigh seminar memorializes cotton entomologist Thomas Frances Leigh (1923-1993), an international authority on the biology, ecology and management of arthropod pests affecting cotton production. During his 37-year UC Davis career, Leigh was based at the Shafter Research and Extension Center, also known as the U.S. Cotton Research Station.
Previous Recipients of Leigh Alumni Award
Previous recipients of the Leigh Award include:
1996: Michael Irwin
1990: Lowell "Skip" Nault
2004: Kenneth Yeargan
2008: Mary Purcell-Miramontes
2010: Murray Isman
2011: Gary Felton
2011: Brian Fisher
2012: Marc Tatar
2013: Kenneth Haynes
2015: Tim Paine
2017: Jennifer Thaler
2018: Robert Page Jr.
2024: Michael Hoffmann (selected in 2023 but seminar postponed until 2024)