UC Davis Entomologists, Alumni Win Regional Awards

Entomologists in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and alumni are newly announced recipients of three major awards from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA).

Geoffrey Attardo

Medical entomologist-geneticist Geoffrey Attardo, associate professor, won the Distinguished Teaching Award. He now will be considered for the national award, sponsored by the Entomological Society of America (ESA).  

Rachel Vannette

Community ecologist Rachel Vannette, professor and vice chair of the department, won the Plant-Insect Ecosystems Award.

Spotted-Wing Drosophila Resistance Team

The Spotted-Wing Drosophila Resistance Team, led by UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus (on recall) Frank Zalom and Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, received the Entomology Team Work Award.  Team members are postdoctoral researcher Christine Tubuloc of the Chiu lab; Mark Bolda, strawberry and caneberry farm advisor for Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties, “the strawberry capital of the world”; Andrew Molinar, production research manager of the California Strawberry Commission; and Hillary Thomas-Sanchez, research and technical director of Naturipe Berry Growers, Salinas. The team collaborates closely with UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors, researchers, growers and the berry industry. Four members of the team are UC Davis alumni: Zalom, Tabuloc and Thomas-Sanchez all hold doctorates, and Bolda, a master’s degree.

The awardees will be honored at the annual PBESA meeting, which takes place April 12–15 in Spokane, Wash.   The theme  is "Progress that Matters. Innovation That Serves. Where Ideas Shine and Impact Grows." PBESA encompasses 11 Western states, plus parts of Canada and Mexico, and U.S. territories.

The list of winners:

Professional Awards

• Award for Excellence in Integrated Pest Management: Dong-Hwan Choe, UC Riverside
• Distinction in Student Mentoring Award: Amy Murillo, UC Riverside
• Distinguished Achievement in Extension Award: Andony Melathopoulos, Oregon State University
• Distinguished Achievement in Teaching Award: Geoffrey Attardo, UC Davis
• Entomology Team Work Award: Spotted-Wing Drosophila Resistance Team (Frank Zalom et al) UC Davis
• Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology Award: William Walker, USDA-ARS
• Plant-Insect Ecosystems Award: Rachel Vannette, UC Davis
• Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award: Scott Geib, USDA-ARS Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center

Early Career Professional Award

• Excellence in Early Career Award: Adrian Marshall, USDA-ARS

Student Awards

• Dr. Stephen Garczynski Undergraduate Research Scholarship: Raquel Amrhein-Cervantes, UC Riverside
• John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award: Daniel Marshall, Washington State University
• Student Leadership Award: Michelle Au, University of Hawaii
• Student Travel Awards: Ava Bartlett-Miller, University of Arizona; Melissa Thayer, UC Riverside; and Alejandra Rocha, UC Riverside 

(Editor's note: Geoffrey Attardo, Rachel Vannette and the Entomology Team will be spotlighted in an upcoming news story)