FFAR & AAVMC Announce 2023 Honey Bee Vet Fellows

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) announced the 13 recipients of the 2023 Veterinary Student Research Fellowship (FFAR Vet Fellows). This unique fellowship creates opportunities for veterinary students around the world to conduct research advancing global food security, sustainable animal production and environmental sustainability.

Veterinarians trained in animal science and public health are critical to addressing many global challenges within the veterinary and agricultural fields. Through the FFAR Vet Fellows program, veterinary students can pursue research outside of the biomedical sciences and gain experiential learning opportunities with a qualified mentor. This fellowship culminates with student presentations at the annual Veterinary Scholars Symposium.

“There are few funding opportunities for veterinary students to gain the research experience needed to adequately prepare them to address climate change, emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and other issues that threaten sustainable livestock production,” said Nikki Dutta, FFAR interim scientific program lead for Advanced Animal Systems. “FFAR is excited to support this fifth cohort of FFAR Vet Fellows to give these students a leg up on their veterinary research and public service careers.”

The 2023 FFAR Honey Bee Vet Fellows include:

Madison Rowe

Texas A&M University

Honey bees are an ecologically and economically important livestock species often overlooked in veterinary agricultural research. Rowe is studying the behavioral and reproductive effects of a detrimental gastrointestinal fungus, Nosema ceranae, in honey bee queens and workers to determine the indirect impacts of infection. This research will inform future treatments and supportive care for the disease, as well as trace potential production impacts that occur prior to colony collapse.

Courtney Wallner

Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine

Honey bees pollinate over 80% of all flowering plants, including many agricultural crops. They play an integral role in ecosystem health and food security but face numerous threats from parasitism to pesticide toxicity. In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a directive that tasked veterinarians with overseeing their care, yet honey bees are the only food-producing species not traditionally taught in U.S. veterinary schools. To address this knowledge gap, Wallner is designing a honey bee medicine curriculum tailored to veterinary students and professionals to increase the number of veterinarians able to see honey bees as patients.

Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.

About the AAVMC

The member institutions of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) promote and protect the health and wellbeing of people, animals and the environment by advancing the profession of veterinary medicine and preparing new generations of veterinarians to meet the evolving needs of a changing world. Founded in 1966, the AAVMC represents more than 40,000 faculty, staff and students across the global academic veterinary medical community. Our member institutions include Council on Education (COE) accredited veterinary medical colleges and schools in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as departments of veterinary science and departments of comparative medicine in the U.S.

Contact: Michelle Olgers, 804.304.4200, molgers@foundationfar.org

Each year, the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), in conjunction with several partners, solicits nominations for eight prestigious awards: the Pollinator Advocate Award (3 countries), the Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award (3 countries), the Pollinator Roadside Management Award, and the Pollinator Electric Power Award.

Nominees in all categories understand just how important pollinators are to food, culture, and life. They have taken that extra step to help out the birds, bees, butterflies, moths, and bats that support agriculture and ecosystems everywhere. NAPPC, through its recognition and appreciation of all awardees, encourages their activities and hopes to catalyze future actions on behalf of pollinators. Each year, awards are given in Canada, the United States, and Mexico supporting all of the work that goes into protecting North American pollinator populations. Winners of these awards are recognized at the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign Conference hosted annually in October.

2022 POLLINATOR AWARD WINNERS

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

2022 POLLINATOR ROADSIDE AWARD

The Ohio Department of Transportation, (ODOT) planted wildflower sites across the state purely for aesthetics in the 1990s. The Department realized the practice was not sustainable in its current form and discontinued the practice. In 2011, ODOT was approached by the Ohio Department of Natural Resource’s Division of Wildlife and Pheasants Forever to install a sustainable prairie on the western edge of the state in Darke County. The planting was successful and with a subsequent test site focusing on plants that benefit pollinators and wildlife began ODOT’s pollinator habitat effort. With minor adjustments to its seed mixture, the Department determined a prairie could be created that would meet the needs of both initiatives, which greatly increased the number of public-private partners. In 2016, ODOT created a fully funded standalone Highway Beautification and Pollinator Habitat Program to capture the numerous opportunities available to enhance and establish pollinator habitat along the state’s 19,000 miles of roadside. The coordinator works with local, state and federal agencies, non- profit organizations and other partner organizations to plan and implement new roadside pollinator habitats.

DISNEY SOLAR POLLINATOR PROJECT

2022 POLLINATOR ELECTRIC POWER AWAR

Disney set ambitious goals to drastically improve the sustainability and carbon footprint of company operations by 2020 including a 50% reduction of net emissions by 2020 from 2012 levels. To help achieve this goal, Disney worked with ORIGIS Energy USA, Duke Energy, Reedy Creek Improvement District, and Reedy Creek Energy Services to bring two solar facilities online, which offsets enough electricity to operate two out of the four Disney theme parks in Orlando. However, the story does not stop at clean energy. In continued commitment to wildlife and conservation, teams from Disney Conservation, Origis Energy USA, Duke Energy, Reedy Creek Improvement District, Disney Horticulture, other contractors, and individual experts worked together to create pollinator-friendly habitat at the solar facilities. The project goal is to not only add conservation value for native pollinators and wildlife, but also to provide valuable research meadow. Disney’s current research aims are to continue to develop best management practices for long term habitat maintenance, to study solar habitat impacts on native bees, and to study how under-panel microclimate affects flowering phenology and abundance. This project allows us to lead and support other businesses in setting a new bar for industry standards and corporate conservation.

To see ALL the Award Winners go to; Awards | Pollinator.org

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: Awards | Pollinator.org

Project Apis m. is proud to announce the 2022 selection of PAm-Costco Canada Scholars!

The PAm-Costco Canada Scholarships are awarded to outstanding scholars in Canada who are dedicated to making an impact on honey bee health and the sustainability of beekeeping throughout their careers.

PAm-Costco Canada scholars demonstrate academic excellence, innovation, scientific aptitude, communication skills, and a commitment to honey bees and beekeepers.

The students who receive this PhD Fellowship award bring new energy, ideas, and expertise to the fold of scientists pushing the edges of bee health research across the globe. This award is an investment in the next generation of leaders to innovate and support beekeepers and pollinators.

We commend all of the applicants and give our heartfelt congratulations to the Awardees!

Ana María Quiroga Arcila

PhD student, Laval University

Awarded: $60,000

Ana María Quiroga Arcila is pursuing her PhD in the Phytology Department at Laval University. She is co-advised by Dr. Valérie Fournier, and Dr. Pierre Giovenazzo. She will be researching stocking rates and blueberry pollination in Quebec. Her project is titled:

 “Optimization of Lowbush Blueberry Pollination by Honeybees and Bumblebees.” 

Tracey Smith

PhD student, University of Alberta

Awarded: $60,000

Tracey Smith is pursuing her PhD at the University of Alberta. She is advised by Dr. Olav Rueppell. The focus of her research is relative humidity within bee colonies and it’s impact on varroa and viral transmission. Her project is titled:

“ The Effect of Hive relative Humidity on Varroa destructor Reproduction and Viral Infections.”

The Golden Bee Award Was Awarded to The President of The Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, Boštjan Noč

The second Golden Bee Award was awarded on World Bee Day. Alojz Kovšča, President of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia, presented the award at the ceremony attended by Jože Podgoršek, Minister and Chair of the Golden Bee Award Committee, and Urška Klakočar Zupančič, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia.

The Golden Bee Award Committee chose from among 12 nominees. There were three nominations from France, two from Italy and Libya, and one from Slovenia, Germany, Greece, Egypt, and China. The topic of this year’s award is the preservation of bees and other pollinators. The committee selected Boštjan Noč, President of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, as the winner of the 2022 Golden Bee Award.

With projects associated with World Bee Day and the Golden Bee Award, Slovenia promotes the transfer of knowledge and technology and increases its global visibility as a green, healthy, proactive, and innovative country. At the ceremony, Jože Podgoršek, Minister and Chair of the Committee, highlighted the contribution of the award winner to the promotion of beekeeping in Slovenia and across the world: “He has made an important contribution nationally and internationally to developing responsibility towards these small creatures, which are essential for our food security and our planet. With his enormous energy, he is the driver of activities, which have recently gone beyond beekeeping and triggered a social movement to support the bees and nature, local integration between producers and consumers, and the use of beekeeping experience and tradition in tackling contemporary challenges.” He highlighted World Bee Day and the 3D Carniolan Bee as the most important projects of Boštjan Noč.

Upon receiving the award, Boštjan Noč said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Slovenian beekeepers as they represent the foundation of beekeeping in Slovenia. This award is for them. I would like to stress that we must continue to take care of bees, since they are a sign of a clean environment. It is also important to follow the example of bees, to connect and continue to work together.”

Source: https://www.gov.si/en/news/2022-05-20-bostjan-noc-receives-the-2022-golden-bee-award/

A European honey bee with a parasitic varroa mite on its back. A newly funded program planned by a Penn State Extension educator will help beekeepers learn queen rearing and artificial insemination techniques that could help in breeding bees resistant to varroa mites. Credit: Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org. All Rights Reserved.

By Alexandra McLaughlin

A $217,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program will enable Robyn Underwood, apiculture educator with Penn State Extension, to develop an extension program on honey bee queen rearing and artificial insemination.

“Honey bees are the most important managed pollinator,” Underwood said. “We need honey bees to help provide high crop yields and a variety of food. One in every three bites of food is due to pollination from honey bees.”

The extension program will provide long-term learning opportunities, including regular lunch-and-learn sessions, online classes and written informational resources, structured educational forums, and in-person workshops. Organizers named the program “EPIQ,” which stands for education about production and insemination of queens.

Underwood said she expects a competitive application process to result in a cohort of about 100 experienced beekeepers participating in queen rearing education at no cost.

Queen rearing means that a beekeeper can boost profits by raising extra queens to sell to other beekeepers, Underwood explained. She aims to increase self-reliance of beekeepers in the Northeast. “The beekeeping community relies on California and Georgia for a lot of our queens,” she said. “We would rather rely less on imports and be more self-sustaining.”

Participants will learn about the anatomy and biology of queens, workers and drones; data collection to select the best bees for breeding; proper care for colonies; techniques to rear queens and drones; and the importance of nutrition.

A select subgroup of participants will receive the training and equipment needed to provide artificial insemination services.

“Artificial insemination is highly advanced and technical,” Underwood said. “Our goal is to have one person in each state who can provide that as a service. Any nearby beekeeper can come to them for controlled breeding.”

Underwood noted that bees normally fly off and mate randomly. Artificial insemination allows beekeepers to mate queens with drones from the best colonies to improve genetic traits. In the long term, selective breeding could help address the biggest problem in the beekeeping industry — the parasitic varroa mite.

“People liken varroa mites on bees to having a tick the size of a dinner plate on your body,” Underwood said. “They pierce the bees and transmit deadly viruses.”

Breeding programs can help bees become genetically resistant to varroa mites, decreasing the need for beekeepers to use mite-killing chemicals in hives.

Underwood explained that the grant will generate learning opportunities to help beekeepers move toward breeding programs, but that breeding programs are not the focus of the award. She expects the grant to last through at least 2025.

The funding will enable Underwood to create intermediate and advanced online beekeeping classes that build upon Beekeeping 101, the beginner course offered through Penn State Extension.

Underwood will partner on the project with Kate Anton, an apiculture technician in the Center for Pollinator Research in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences; other professionals skilled in queen rearing and insemination; and a network of stakeholders in the Northeast.

Funded by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Northeast SARE offers grants and education to farmers, educators, service providers, researchers and others to address key issues affecting the sustainability of agriculture throughout the Northeast.

Penn State Extension educator secures grant to aid honey bees and beekeeping | Penn State University (psu.edu)

• Ninth Place: Amara Orth, 18, of Glenwood, Iowa received a $50,000 award for eavesdropping on her family’s honeybees so she could identify the changes in vibroacoustic patterns in each hive. She measured the sounds and vibrations from bees in 25 hives and developed an AI model to analyze the colony’s health with an accuracy of 92%. If the data is gathered and decoded in time, her system may give beekeepers time to prevent colony collapse.
  • Project Information: https://projectboard.world/project/amara-orth—council-bluffs-ia
  • Project video: https://youtu.be/s0746LCNZkA
  • Photos: https://bit.ly/3CJwjuW

Hawkins FFA’s beekeeping program named among national finalists for major grant

HAWKINS, Texas (KETK) — Hawkins Independent School District (ISD) announced Friday that its beekeeping program was selected to be a national finalist for a $30,000 grant from the Garden Club of North America.

As finalists, the beekeeping program, also known as 4G Honey after the four girls who started the program, are automatically guaranteed a grant of $10,000 and could receive up to $30,000 should they win the competition. The winner is set to be announced in April. According to Byrd, the grant money will be used to purchase new extraction and bottling equipment.

The Agricultural Department at Hawkins High School has also gained partnerships with Ozarka Bottled Water Company and the Garden Club of Tyler, both of which are responsible for the acquisition of this grant. Hawkins Agricultural Science teacher Matt Byrd said that these two partners were the ones to apply for the grant for the program, and that they were the ones to inform the school that they qualified as finalists.

4G Honey isn’t just receiving this grant, however. Byrd said that the community passed a bond worth $6 million last May that will fund an Agricultural Science Center and Livestock Center. Additionally, part of the bond money will be used to build a new Honey Processing facility that will be included in the new building.

On top of all of these tremendous achievements, Hawkins ISD Superintendents Susan Morton and Stephanie McConnel have drafted and submitted curriculum for a beekeeping course to the state for approval. In the event of the curriculum’s passage, schools all across Texas will be able to add it to their own curriculum and receive funding for it.

Hawkins FFA’s beekeeping program named among national finalists for major grant (ketk.com)

To read more about Dr. Wu-Smart and her award go to: https://www.abfnet.org/page/Hoopingarner

Master Melittologists garner national award for biodiversity conservation

MCMINVILLE, Ore. – From childhood Dan and Michael O’Loughlin were hooked on the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it. Their fascination never waned and as adults they’ve turned their 200-acre grass seed farm along the South Yamhill River near McMinnville into a model for environmental stewardship.

For their significant efforts, the brothers received the national Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award from the National Association of Conservation Districts and the Pollinator Partnership.

“Growing up, Dan and I were into creatures,” said Michael O’Loughlin, an Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener and Master Melittologist. “We were always bringing home snakes and letting them go in the house. We were always outdoors. I don’t think there was ever a conscious decision that we were going to turn our farm into an environmental haven. We want wildlife around. It feeds our soul.”

Dan O’Loughlin, also a Master Melittologist, said the brothers are committed to the philosophy of identifying bees and improving the environment. They do it for the joy it brings them, but to be recognized feels good, he said, as if they’d accomplished something.

One of the first projects the O’Loughlins took on was a reptile study of their property. Once a month, the pair would spend time walking a grid, catching snakes and weighing and measuring them. They wanted to get a sense of the number of snakes and how far they travel into the grass fields to eat slugs. Their research led them to set up a hibernaculum as habitat for the reptiles and amphibians, which in turn help keep the pest level down by eating the insects and animals that do harm.

On a third of a mile down the center of the farm, a long berm planted with lupine, goldenrod and other high-quality pollinator-friendly host plants attract beneficial beetles that eat pest insects such as cutworms and slugs. Native bunch grass gives bumblebees and other pollinators a place to nest and four artificial nests were installed. The bank serves as a Monarch Waystation and is part of Monarchwatch.org.

“The beetle bank came out of our commitment to do more sustainable farming,” Michael O’Loughlin said. “They are not traditionally used by conventional farms where insecticides are used. We rarely use pesticides, so it’s been very successful.”

Both men have careers outside the farm: Dan is a veterinarian of small and exotic animals. Michael works for Clark Public Utilities as a communications coordinator working on the utility’s pollinator initiative. Fortunately, the farm is leased to a father-son team who are supportive of the O’Loughlins’ conservation practices.

Never satisfied and endlessly motivated, the O’Loughlin brothers have made major strides to increase insect biodiversity on their farm to provide natural pest control and to preserve the endemic flora and fauna, including the federally threatened Nelson’s checkermallow. Other insectary plantings attract aphids early in the year, giving beneficial insects something to eat. Planted with native plants like clarkia, Douglas aster and yarrow, the insectaries are also important nectar and pollen sources and butterfly host plants.

Two federally listed butterfly species – Taylor’s checkerspot and Fender’s blue – and hundreds of species of native bees make their home in Oregon. With pollinators providing one of three bites of food we eat and nearly $16 billion to the U.S. agricultural economy, biodiversity conservation is essential, said Andony Melathopoulos, OSU Extension pollinator specialist who nominated the brothers for the award.

As Master Melittologists, the pair volunteer to search the state for native bees, some that have never been identified. They catch and categorize and spend a lot of time hunched over a microscope determining which bee they’ve caught. The brothers have covered more than 1,500 locations for the Oregon Bee Atlas, part of the Oregon Bee Project, a legislatively funded program to preserve the state’s bees, both native and managed. They’ve worked with Yamhill County to establish trials assessing roadside pollinator mixes and created pollinator habitat at schools throughout Oregon. And a wetlands area on the farm was turned into a riparian habitat.

“Although the size and scale of the O’Loughlin brothers’ pollinator-friendly farm management is exceptional by national standards, what completely sets them apart is the extent to which they take their knowledge back out to the community,” Melathopoulos said.

Research seems to be part of O’Loughlins’ DNA.

“We like to do experiments just for the sake of doing experiments,” Michael O’Loughlin said. “We do it because we believe in it.”

It shows. In addition to all their activities, sharing knowledge is important to the O’Loughlins. Their outreach to schools results in gardens full of pollinator plants and children who learn about the importance of conservation.

“I have worked with pollinators and landowners for over 30 years and in all those years, I have never encountered a large commercial farm as dedicated to pollinator conservation as that of O’Loughlin Farms,” Melathopoulos said. “They serve as the bridge between abstract ideas about conservation and what can be done on the ground in a commercially viable manner. They have the rare combination of being exceedingly practical farmers with a deep knowledge of pollinator biodiversity and natural history. In fact, I am positive there is not a single commercial farm in the U.S. with operators who understand the native bee fauna as well as Dan and Micha

Ravenna High School beehive project is buzzing along months after $100K tech Grant

The school secured a federal rural tech grant in December 2020 to launch the project

Photo by: Scripps

By: Michael Martin

RAVENNA, Mich. — A project developed by a high school teacher and several students passionate about honey bees has taken off, several months after the school secured a $100K federal grant.

FOX 17 first reported back in December 2020 that the school had been selected to receive a $100,000 rural tech grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Ravenna was one of just five schools across the United States selected for the grant.

Now seven months later, agri-science teacher Melanie Block, several students, and a recently graduated former student have three fully functioning hives, which will continue to expand.

“Really this is just something that students have taken charge of… There’s going to be student leaders, student workers. It’s all going to be school based,” said recent graduate Kaia Cooper.

Initially, the group had intended to purchase a pre-constructed, automated beehive with the grant money, but they found that option too large for their starting point.

Teacher Melanie Block told FOX 17 Tuesday, “That’s one of the things that we’re trying to deal with is helping smaller beekeepers get involved in the industry, and having the access to the technology that the larger beekeepers do.”

They have a device called a Hive Genie that they ordered to supplement some of the technology they are hoping to utilize in the hives.

“You can tell how much honey is being formed inside of… each hive… It can do the temperature and humidity,” Block said.

“One of the things that we’ve really had a hard time finding is a camera that won’t get all gummed up by the bees because they like to cover everything they can in honeycomb.”

On Tuesday a group of students was harvesting honey for the first time.

“When bees go into their hive, they have two options. They are either nurse bees or worker bees, if they’re going to be doing anything… worker bees are going to be the ones that are going out there, getting the pollen; they’re collecting everything, the nectar,” Cooper explained.

“Nurse bees are a little bit different… they don’t really leave the hive. Their job is to protect the brood, make sure that all of the eggs get to larvae, the larvae get to adulthood, so then those bees can go and be worker bees and help the hive.”

All of those types of working bees are females. The only male honey bees are called drones.

“And they’re basically freeloaders,” Cooper said. “They just sit around, and they are there to reproduce with the queen.”

The grant money the school received in December lasts for two years. After that point, the school has the chance to win an additional $100,000 grant.

You will soon be able to purchase jars of the honey produced at Ravenna High School.

You can visit the RHS Rural Tech Grant site , RHS Rural Tech Project – Store (google.com) to buy a jar and to find out more info about the program.

Ravenna High School beehive project is buzzing along months after $100K tech grant (fox17online.com)

It is with great pleasure that, on behalf of the AAPA Officers and the 2021 AAPA Awards Committee, this year’s AAPA Awards Recipients:

Student Research Award: Ms. Abigail Chapman, University of British Columbia
Extension Activities Award: Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda, University of Tennessee
Postdoctoral Researcher Travel Award: Dr. Selina Bruckner, Auburn University

 Congratulations, winners!

The AAPA Student Research Award supports graduate student research on honey bees. This award is given annually to a recipient whose proposed research promises the best contribution to this field of study. The winner of the 2021 Student Research Award is Abigail Chapman, who will receive a $2,500 grant to support her research. Abigail Chapman is a member of the AAPA and holds a BSc degree from University of British Columbia. She is currently a MSc (M.S.) student at the University of British Columbia, under the direction of Dr. Leonard Foster. Her proposal is titled “Towards a better understanding of honey bee queen immunity” and promises to shed light on the role of queen quality on colony health.

The AAPA Extension Activities Award supports extension activities conducted by a member of our association. This award is given annually to a recipient whose proposed extension activities promise the best contribution to improving outreach and education on honey bees. The winner of the 2021 Extension Activities Award is Jennifer Tsuruda, who will receive a $1,000 grant to support her extension activities. Dr. Tsuruda is a member of the AAPA and holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of California at Davis. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee. Her proposal is titled “Pollinating a Public Garden with Science-based Information” and will increase awareness about pollinators through the creation of signs that educate the public about the importance of public gardens.

The AAPA Postdoctoral Researcher Travel Award supports extension activities conducted by a member of our association. This award is given annually to a recipient whose proposed research and extension activities promise the best contribution to the field of apiculture. The winner of the 2021 Postdoctoral Researcher Travel Award is Selina Bruckner, who will receive a $1,000 grant to support her travel to ABRC 2021. Dr. Bruckner is a member of the AAPA and holds a Ph.D. degree from Auburn University. She is currently a postdoctoral scholar at Auburn University. Her proposal titled “Can effective knowledge gain facilitate the adoption of Best Management Practices by beekeepers?” will create more effective ways to deliver educational materials to beekeepers by including information such as demographics.

And a huge thank you for the wonderful job done by the AAPA Awards Committee, Dr. Reed Johnson, Dr. Hongmei Li-Byarlay, and Dr. Daniel Schmehl.

With kind regards,
Dr. Maggie Couvillon, Secretary/Treasurer of AAPA
Dr. Margarita López-Uribe, Vice President
Dr. Judy Wu-Smart, President

Lou Naylor, Chairman

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

TO: Entomology Departments, Apiculturists, and Apicultural Laboratories

 FROM: Lou Naylor, Chairman of the Board,

Eastern Apicultural Society of North America

 DATE: December 4, 2020

 RE: Call for Nominations for the EAS James I. Hambleton Memorial Award;

Roger A. Morse Outstanding Teaching/Extension Service/Regulatory Award; and Student Apiculture Award.

The James I. Hambleton Memorial Award was established by the Eastern Apicultural Society of North America to recognize research excellence in apiculture.

The EAS Student Apiculture Award was established to recognize students studying apiculture at the undergraduate or graduate level in a recognized college or university in the United States or Canada. Each award nomination must include a biographical sketch of the nominee, a list of his/her publications, specific identification of the research work on which the nomination is based, and an evaluation and appraisal of the accomplishment of the nominee, especially of work in the last five-year period for Hambleton Award nominees (or a shorter period for Student nominees). A minimum of one letter of recommendation, in addition to the nomination letter, in support of the nomination are also required; additional support letters are welcome.

The Roger A. Morse Outstanding Teaching/Extension Service/Regulatory Award Supported by Anita Weiss Foundation is given annually to recognize an individual in teaching/extension and/or regulatory activity in the field of apiculture. Nominations for this award are welcome from any person in the field of apiculture. Self-nominations are acceptable. Nominations shall consist of a letter documenting the achievement of excellence in any or all the areas of teaching/extension and/or regulatory activities in apiculture. Some indication of the appointment responsibilities should be included. In addition, a suitable CV or resume documenting the activities of the nominee must be submitted.

 Nominations are now being accepted for all three awards. The awards for 2021 will be presented at the annual conference of the Society at Amberst, Massachusetts, July 26-30, 2021.

Nominations and letters of recommendation should be emailed to:

AwardNomination@easternapiculture.org and received no later than February 1, 2021.

Resubmissions from a previous year should be updated if necessary, and a new cover letter should be attached which should indicate that this is a resubmission and relevant data is already in EAS possession.

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UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
UF/IFAS Communications

NEWS BRIEF

Jamie Ellis, director of UF/IFAS honey bee lab, wins national Excellence in Extension Award

October 12, 2020

By: Samantha Murray, grenrosa@ufl.edu, 949-735-1076

Recognizing visionary leadership and diversity in educational programming, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Cooperative Extension, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) announced that Jamie Ellis of the University of Florida will receive the 2020 Excellence in Extension Award.

USDA-NIFA and Cooperative Extension have sponsored the awards since 1991. The awards will be presented virtually on October 28.

“Each year, these awards showcase the fundamental, transformative difference Cooperative Extension continues to make in our society,” said NIFA Acting Director Parag Chitnis. “Excellent programs like these are a testament to the true value of Cooperative Extension capacity funds more than a century after the Smith-Lever Act created this unparalleled system of outreach and education that enriches every community across the nation.”

“This year’s National Cooperative Extension Award winners demonstrate educational excellence,” said Mark Latimore, Jr., associate dean and administrator for Extension, Fort Valley State University, and chair of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy. “They stand as a powerful example of the impact of Cooperative Extension to address real-world problems in communities across the country.”

The Excellence in Extension Award is given annually to one Cooperative Extension professional who excels at programming, provides visionary leadership and makes a positive impact on constituents served.
Jamie Ellis is the director of the UF/IFAS Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory, as well as a professor and Extension specialist the UF/IFAS department of entomology and nematology.

The laboratory’s mission is to advance the understanding of honey bees in Florida, the U.S. and globally, with the goal of improving the health and productivity of honey bee colonies everywhere. Ellis advances this mission through basic and applied research with managed and wild honey bees, communicating his findings to assorted clientele groups through diverse Extension programming, and training future generations of bee educators, researchers and conservationists. His work has contributed to a four-fold increase in the number of managed honey bee colonies and a five-fold increase in the number of beekeepers in Florida.

“Dr. Ellis is a model for faculty not just at our university but within the land-grant system and across the world,” said Nick Place, dean of UF/IFAS Extension. “He is the go-to person for all things honey bees. Dr. Ellis has gained national and international recognition for his innovative Extension programming, which has allowed beekeepers and other stakeholders to adopt science-based practices that improve the health and productivity of honey bee colonies.

Dr. Ellis’ program has also increased the public’s awareness about the importance of honey bees within the food system and how all of us can support pollinators.”

Ellis said he was honored to receive the award.

“Successful Extension programming is always the result of the investment of many people. I am grateful to my UF/IFAS colleagues, my collaborators, and the beekeepers we serve. I am excited that our efforts are making a lasting impact in the communities we support,” Ellis said.

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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
ifas.ufl.edu | @UF_IFAS

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American Electric Power

COLUMBUS, Ohio, — The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), managed by Pollinator Partnership, has awarded its first 2020 Pollinator Electric Power Award to American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) for its leadership in pollinator-friendly projects. This award was established by the NAPPC Pollinators on Managed Lands Task Force and sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). As a sponsor of the award, EPRI does not participate in the nomination process or award selection committee.

By implementing pollinator-friendly projects on managed lands, electric power companies can play a significant role in boosting pollinator habitat nationwide, including habitat for the imperiled native Monarch butterfly.

AEP is studying the substitution of native vegetation in place of traditional grasses to establish and maintain prairie habitat on typical transmission line upgrades while developing guidance and best management practices. Native prairie grasses and flowers may provide an improved alternate land use option that requires minimal maintenance once established. The native seeding approach can reduce erosion and provide drought-tolerant cover, while significantly improving the ecological value of rights-of-ways. Native seed mixes developed for AEP’s research projects include a variety of plants that attract pollinator species and support wildlife.

In one major research effort, AEP is collaborating with the nonprofit Dawes Arboretum (near Newark, Ohio) to create a biodiverse prairie habitat along a transmission line right-of-way. This approach may be a cost-effective way to fulfill electric utility vegetation management requirements while significantly improving the ecological value of the habitat. Researchers there are documenting rich biodiversity and monitoring habitat quality, erosion control and invasive tree growth. AEP also is involved with other sustainability-oriented pollinator initiatives and right-of-way vegetation management studies.

Tim Lohner and Amy Toohey, AEP environmental specialist consultants, accepted the award on AEP’s behalf at an Oct. 20, 2020, virtual ceremony during NAPPC’s annual conference hosted by the Pollinator Partnership and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Learn more about NAPPC at www.nappc.org.

Learn more about AEP’s environmental stewardship in promoting and protecting pollinators at https://www.aepsustainability.com/environment/wildlife/.

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