Consumer sentiment among Floridians in April dropped 3.5 points to 95.7 from a record-high reading of 99.2 in March, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey.
Despite the ups and downs in the index during the first four months of 2017, consumers are overall more optimistic compared with those same months in 2016.
Among the five components that make up the index, one increased and four decreased.
Perceptions of one’s personal financial situation now compared with a year ago rose 2.2 points, from 88.7 to 90.9. This is the highest reading for this component since February 2005.
Opinions as to whether now is a good time to buy a major household item such as an appliance dropped 1.9 points, from 103.4 to 101.5.
Taken together, these two components represent Floridians’ perceptions about current economic conditions.
“Despite the decrease in one of the two components that address present conditions, current perceptions have remained stable in recent months, reflecting the favorable economic conditions that have prevailed in the state,” said Hector H. Sandoval, director of the Economic Analysis Program at UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
The three components that measure expectations of future economic conditions all shifted downward between March and April.
Expectations of personal finances a year from now declined 2.3 points, from 107.5 to 105.2. Anticipated U.S. economic conditions over the next year decreased 6.8 points, from 99.3 to 92.5. Finally, expectations of U.S. economic conditions over the next five years showed the greatest decline, from 96.8 to 88.2, an 8.6 points change.
“Most of the pessimism in this month’s index figure comes from the unfavorable expectations about the future state of the economy. Notably, these perceptions are shared by all Floridians with the sole exception of those with an income level over $50,000,” Sandoval said.
“It is worth noting that those with incomes of $50,000 and over display favorable perceptions in all five components of the index. In particular, they have a very strong positive expectation about their personal financial situation one year from now. This might be a result of the proposed tax reform announced by the federal government, which is expected to slash the tax rates on corporations and high-income individuals,” Sandoval said.
Economic data in Florida continue to be generally positive. In particular, Florida’s labor market continued to expand in March. Over the last year, 246,100 jobs have been added in Florida, a 3 percent increase. The industry sector gaining most jobs was education and health services, followed by professional and business services. There were also increases in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, as well as the construction industry.
A particular bright spot: Florida’s unemployment rate in March dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.8 percent, which is the lowest rate since December 2007, right at the beginning of the Great Recession.
Conducted April 1-27, the UF study reflects the responses of 568 individuals who were reached on cellphones, representing a demographic cross section of Florida.
The index used by UF researchers is benchmarked to 1966, which means a value of 100 represents the same level of confidence for that year. The lowest index possible is a 2, the highest is 150.
Details of this month’s survey can be found at http://www.bebr.ufl.edu/csi-data.
Writer: Colleen Porter, [email protected]
University of Florida
UF receives up to $8.4 million from DoD to study brain training using electric stimulation
The U.S. Defense Department is looking for ways to speed up cognitive skills training — the types of skills useful for specialists such as linguists, intelligence analysts and cryptographers — and is awarding University of Florida engineers and neuroscientists up to $8.4 million over the next four years to investigate how to do that by applying electrical stimulation to peripheral nerves as a means of strengthening neuronal connections in the brain.
Two neuroengineering experts in UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering are among eight team leaders across the country receiving awards announced Wednesday under the Targeted Neuroplasticity Training program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. The program’s goal is to develop safe and effective enhanced training regimens that accelerate the acquisition of cognitive skills while reducing the cost and time of the DoD’s extensive training program. A large percentage of the work involves fundamental research to decipher the neural mechanisms that underlie the influence of nerve stimulation on brain plasticity.
Under an award of up to $4.2 million, Kevin J. Otto, Ph.D., will lead a team of neuroscientists from the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida and the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center to identify which neural pathways in the brain are activated by vagal nerve stimulation. The team will conduct behavioral studies in rodents to determine the impact of vagal nerve stimulation on perception, executive function, decision-making and spatial navigation.
This could potentially lead to an expansion of the use of vagal nerve stimulation, a therapy currently applied to prevent seizures in patients with epilepsy and to treat depression and chronic pain.
“There are clinical applications, but very little understanding of why it works,” said Jennifer L. Bizon, a professor of neuroscience at UF and an investigator on Otto’s team. “We are going to do the systematic science to understand how this stimulation actually drives brain circuits and, ultimately, how to maximize the use of this approach to enhance cognition.”
The research funded by the DARPA awards will test the mechanisms by which peripheral nerve modulations make learning faster and more efficient.
For military analysts on the job, “One hypothetical example would be target detection,” said co-investigator Barry Setlow, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at UF. “So for people who spend hours a day looking for things of interest on a screen, if by stimulating their vagus nerve at just the right time you can help them realize performance improvements more quickly, then they become better attuned to the fine details of images.”
The technology has the potential to help Defense Department personnel advance through training more quickly, yet effectively. “Currently, they could spend 50 years of their careers, 80 hours a week, just doing training and still wouldn’t be qualified to do every single thing,” said Otto, an associate professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering. “So they’re always interested in increasing mechanisms of learning and memory.”
Otto said if investigators can gain a more complete understanding of how targeted neuroplasticity works, they may be able to figure out how to optimize learning while avoiding potential side effects, such as blood pressure manipulation, heart rate changes and perceived visceral pain.
In a second UF effort, and with an additional $4.2 million award, Karim Oweiss, Ph.D., a professor of electrical and computer engineering, biomedical engineering and neuroscience, will study the mechanisms by which cranial nerve stimulation can affect brain activity. His lab will use advanced optical imaging that will produce extremely high-resolution images of brain dynamics to map the functional circuitry in areas of the brain responsible for executive function. Additionally, optogenetic interrogation, a technique to drive specific brain cells to fire or go silent in response to targeted illumination, will be used to study the causal involvement of these areas in learning cue salience and working memory formation in rodents trained on auditory discrimination and decision making tasks.
Oweiss will collaborate with Qi Wang, an assistant professor at Columbia University. Wang’s lab will focus on the noradrenergic pathway — a neuromodulator widely responsible for brain attention and arousal — and the extent to which it is engaged when rodents learn a tactile discrimination task.
Oweiss’ project seeks to demonstrate the effects of vagal nerve stimulation on cognitive-skill learning and the brain activity supporting those skills, as well as to optimize the stimulation parameters and training protocols for long-term retention of those skills.
“We want to see if it’s possible to promote targeted changes in specific brain circuits to accelerate this process by stimulating the vagus nerve, which sends close to 80 percent of its output back to the brain,” Oweiss said. “So if one knows that ‘brain area A’ talks to ‘brain area B’ when learning a new language, can we develop training protocols that promote the exchange between these two areas while leaving other areas unaltered? Then the person will learn at a faster rate and retain the skills for much longer.”
The implications of both projects reach beyond accelerated learning speeds. “If we identify specific ways that neural pathways change as a person learns, then if a person loses brain function, we could potentially rewire disconnected brain areas and personalize neural rehabilitation,” said Oweiss. “This technology could be used to restore quality of life much quicker if brain function has been compromised.”
CRC Holds Public Hearing at the University of Florida in Gainesville
MEDIA ADVISORY
Tonight beginning at 5:00 PM, the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) invites all interested Floridians to participate in a public hearing at the University of Florida (UF).
Members of the media wishing to attend are asked to bring their press credentials. The event will also be live-streamed by The Florida Channel on www.TheFloridaChannel.org.
WHAT: Public hearing of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC)
WHEN: Wednesday, April 26, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Doors open at 4:00 PM)
*End time is tentative depending upon attendance and public interest in speaking before the CRC. All Floridians wishing to speak before the CRC will be given an opportunity to be heard.
WHERE: University of Florida (UF)
Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
3201 Hull Road
Gainesville, FL 32611
Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/NrWZd9EBVBp
PARKING: Parking is available in the parking garage and surface lots at the University of Florida Cultural Plaza. ADA accessible parking is also available.
Link to Parking Map: http://performingarts.ufl.edu/venues/
Individuals requiring an accommodation to participate in public hearings (such as a sign language interpreter) are requested to notify the Constitution Revision Commission five days prior to the scheduled meeting date at [email protected] or 850.717.9550.
App aims to take the risk out of routine traffic stops
Members of the student team that created Virtual Traffic Stop, from left to right: Dekita Moon
(CISE PhD Student), Isabel Laurenceau (CISE undergrad and now PhD student), Michelle
Emamdie (CISE undergrad), and Jessica Jones (CISE PhD Student). Photo by Lyon Duong.
Many police officers will tell you the riskiest parts of their job are responding to domestic violence calls and making traffic stops.
A group of University of Florida students has come up with a way to make the latter a little less dangerous – for everyone.
The group, all students in UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering department of computer and information science and engineering, developed Virtual Traffic Stop, an app that allows the officer and the driver to remain in their vehicles during routine stops.
While the idea was inspired by a series of police shootings starting with events in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2015, the students say their goal is to make the interaction between law enforcement and citizens safer for all involved.
“At the end of the day, everyone just wants to make it home,” said team member and doctoral student DeKita Moon.
Said her fellow team member and doctoral student Jessica Jones: “The goal is not to keep the police and the community separate; the goal is to keep the police and the community safe.”
Here’s how it works: A motorist downloads the app and enters their vehicle information, driver’s license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance. Police download a different version of the app that an officer can use on his or her laptop.
When the officer stops a driver, the officer enters the vehicle’s license plate number and can see the driver’s information. The officer can then request a real-time video conference with the driver.
The app also makes it possible to bring a third party into the interaction — for instance, the parent of a minor or a translator to help someone whose knowledge of English may be limited.
For routine stops, the students said, the interaction could be conducted entirely from the safety of the vehicles involved. But police will also tell you that they gather much valuable information from the face-to-face encounter – the smell of alcohol on the driver’s breath, for example.
That would still be possible. Jones said if an officer sees anything during the video conference that raises concern or prompts suspicion, he or she could still approach the driver in person.
The app, team members say, would also reduce the risk officers face stepping out onto the shoulder of a busy highway or during dangerous weather conditions. In addition, they say, it would address the fear some motorists experience being pulled over at night and not knowing whether the person in the vehicle behind them is actually a cop.
“Virtual Traffic Stop has the potential to save lives. That statement alone justifies testing this app. If we can save a single life with this app, it’s worth it,” said Juan Gilbert, chairman of UF’s computer and information science and engineering department and Andrew Banks Preeminence Chair in Engineering.
The team is working with two law enforcement agencies in hopes of launching a pilot program to try the app in real-world settings this summer. If all goes well, they say, the app could be available to consumers later this year.
The team also was scheduled to present Virtual Traffic Stop at the National Academy of Inventors sixth annual meeting in Boston in April.
Writer: Steve Orlando, [email protected]
Source: Juan Gilbert, 352-562-0784, [email protected]
Volunteer Florida CEO, former Mayor of Tampa, distinguished UF Alum join UF’s Bob Graham Center advisory board
Three influential Floridians have joined the University of Florida Bob Graham Center for Public Service Council of Advisors.
Joan Forrest, Pam Iorio and Chester Spellman have accepted invitations to serve three-year terms on the council, which harnesses the expertise of various public and private sector leaders from across the state. The council provides strategic and programmatic direction to the Bob Graham Center, enabling it to better serve the UF campus and the state of Florida.
“The willingness of these three outstanding individuals to serve as advisors for the Bob Graham Center for Public Service says a lot about the work of the center and its students,” said David Colburn, Ph.D., center director and University of Florida Provost Emeritus. “They will provide invaluable advice as the center looks to the future.”
Forrest is a graduate of the University of Florida and serves as the president of St. Petersburg’s Dawson Academy, a postgraduate educational and clinical research facility dedicated to the advancement of dentistry. She is a recipient of the university’s Outstanding Female Leader Award and is a member of its Hall of Fame.
Iorio, a graduate of American University and the University of South Florida, is currently the president and chief executive officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the country’s largest youth mentoring program. She served as the Mayor of Tampa from 2003 to 2011, Hillsborough County’s Supervisor of Elections from 1993 to 2003 and a Hillsborough County Commissioner from 1985 to 1992.
Spellman serves as the chief executive officer of Volunteer Florida, the Governor’s lead agency for volunteerism and service. Volunteer Florida administers more than $32 million in funds to deliver high-impact national service and volunteer programs in Florida. He is also the executive director of the Volunteer Florida Foundation, a nonprofit charity that serves as a direct support organization to Volunteer Florida. Spellman received the center’s Young Floridian Award in 2016. In addition to his work at Volunteer Florida, Spellman serves as the current chair for Connect Florida, a program of Leadership Florida and as the national chair of the American Association of State Service Commissions.
The Bob Graham Center was established in 2006 with the goal of creating a community of students, scholars, and citizens who share a commitment to revitalizing the civic culture of Florida and the nation. Former Governor and U. S. Senator Bob Graham founded the Center as a place where students acquire the skills and knowledge to become informed and engaged citizens, with the expressed purpose of strengthening the nation’s democratic institutions.
CRC Announces Public Hearing at University of Florida in Gainesville
MEDIA ADVISORY
The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) invites all interested Floridians to participate in a public hearing at the University of Florida in Gainesville on Wednesday, April 26 beginning at 5:00 PM.
Members of the media wishing to attend are asked to bring their press credentials. The event will also be live-streamed by The Florida Channel on www.TheFloridaChannel.org.
WHAT: Public hearing of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC)
WHEN: Wednesday, April 26, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Doors open at 4:00 PM)
*End time is tentative depending upon attendance and public interest in speaking before the CRC. All Floridians wishing to speak before the CRC will be given an opportunity to be heard.
WHERE: University of Florida
Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
3201 Hull Road, Gainesville FL 32611
Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/bmauZd9cXzR2
Individuals requiring an accommodation to participate in this public hearing (such as a sign language interpreter) are requested to notify the Constitution Revision Commission five days prior to the scheduled meeting date at [email protected] or 850.717.9550.
ABOUT THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION REVISION COMMISSION (CRC)
Once every twenty years, Florida’s Constitution provides for the creation of a thirty-seven member revision commission for the purpose of reviewing Florida’s Constitution and proposing changes for voter consideration. The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) meets for approximately one year, traveling the State of Florida, identifying issues, performing research, and possibly recommending changes to the Constitution. Any amendments proposed by the CRC would be placed on the 2018 General Election ballot. For additional information, visit FLCRC.GOV. Follow the CRC on Twitter @FloridaCRC and like the CRC on Facebook @FloridaCRC.
Volunteer Florida CEO, former Mayor of Tampa, distinguished UF alum join UF’s Bob Graham Center advisory board
Three influential Floridians have joined the University of Florida Bob Graham Center for Public Service Council of Advisors.
Joan Forrest, Pam Iorio and Chester Spellman have accepted invitations to serve three-year terms on the council, which harnesses the expertise of various public and private sector leaders from across the state. The council provides strategic and programmatic direction to the Bob Graham Center, enabling it to better serve the UF campus and the state of Florida.
“The willingness of these three outstanding individuals to serve as advisors for the Bob Graham Center for Public Service says a lot about the work of the center and its students,” said David Colburn, Ph.D., center director and University of Florida Provost Emeritus. “They will provide invaluable advice as the center looks to the future.”
Forrest is a graduate of the University of Florida and serves as the president of St. Petersburg’s Dawson Academy, a postgraduate educational and clinical research facility dedicated to the advancement of dentistry. She is a recipient of the university’s Outstanding Female Leader Award and is a member of its Hall of Fame.
Iorio, a graduate of American University and the University of South Florida, is currently the president and chief executive officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the country’s largest youth mentoring program. She served as the Mayor of Tampa from 2003 to 2011, Hillsborough County’s Supervisor of Elections from 1993 to 2003 and a Hillsborough County Commissioner from 1985 to 1992.
Spellman serves as the chief executive officer of Volunteer Florida, the Governor’s lead agency for volunteerism and service. Volunteer Florida administers more than $32 million in funds to deliver high-impact national service and volunteer programs in Florida. He is also the executive director of the Volunteer Florida Foundation, a nonprofit charity that serves as a direct support organization to Volunteer Florida. Spellman received the center’s Young Floridian Award in 2016. In addition to his work at Volunteer Florida, Spellman serves as the current chair for Connect Florida, a program of Leadership Florida and as the national chair of the American Association of State Service Commissions.
The Bob Graham Center was established in 2006 with the goal of creating a community of students, scholars, and citizens who share a commitment to revitalizing the civic culture of Florida and the nation. Former Governor and U. S. Senator Bob Graham founded the Center as a place where students acquire the skills and knowledge to become informed and engaged citizens, with the expressed purpose of strengthening the nation’s democratic institutions.
University of Florida selects new Executive Director of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs
After a thorough national search, the University of Florida announced that Will Atkins has been selected as Executive Director of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs, effective immediately.
Multicultural and Diversity Affairs supports and empowers underserved communities and leads the Division of Student Affairs’ inclusion efforts to accomplish the University of Florida’s diversity goals, by educating, empowering and mobilizing students, campus stakeholders and community partners towards creating an inclusive, affirming, and just campus community. The Executive Director oversees the department of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs, including Black Affairs, Hispanic-Latino Affairs, Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer Affairs, and Intercultural Engagement.
“Out of a robust and competitive applicant and finalist pool, Mr. Atkins has been selected to serve as the Executive Director of MCDA,” said Dr. David Parrott, UF’s vice president for Student Affairs. “He brings experience from several large universities, in addition to six months as the interim leader of MCDA. The University of Florida, the Division of Student Affairs, and our students will benefit from his leadership, compassion, and commitment to excellence. He has a superb core group of full-time staff, graduate assistants, and student employees and volunteers who will serve as the foundation of the new team he will build.”
In his time serving as interim Executive Director of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs and past roles at the University of Florida, Miami University, and University of Michigan, Atkins has a proven track record of exemplary professionalism, leadership and relationship building skills. Most recently, he co-lead the Black Student Affairs Task Force, launched an intercultural dialogue series, and organized the Town Hall with President Kent Fuchs.
“Mr. Atkins brings a strong foundation in social justice education, serving underrepresented students and working on campus climate initiatives and assessment,” said Dr. Mary Kay Carodine, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. “His excellent relationships and collaborations with academic colleges and departments, student organizations and alumni combined with the strength of the team, poise MCDA to make a substantial and lasting impact on campus.”
Through the search process, the Division of Student Affairs brought four candidates to Gainesville for on-campus interviews. The finalists were strongly vetted through a review of stakeholder feedback, strengths/weaknesses provided by the search committee, and extensive reference checks with the candidates’ current and former employers and faculty members.
For the role of Executive Director of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs, UF sought an individual with strategic vision and leadership, strong communication skills, experience with advocacy, and a history of meaningful collaborations, among other attributes.
University of Florida to host National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities
Third National Summit focuses on comprehensive, evidence-based approaches to wellness
On April 6 and 7, the University of Florida will host the National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities’ (BHAC) third summit on best practices in promoting and sustaining wellness in academic settings. The biannual conference, launched in 2013 at The Ohio State University, brings together transdisciplinary leaders, faculty, students and staff from academic institutions of all sizes, as well as policy makers from professional organizations and academia who are committed to improving health and wellness outcomes in institutions of higher learning and their surrounding communities.
BHAC is a rapidly growing organization for academic institutions that facilitates and supports optimal health and wellness in faculty, staff and students through innovation, collaboration and evidence-based programming. Multiple studies show that strong wellness cultures and programs in organizations lead to reductions in healthcare costs and health insurance premiums and, most importantly, healthier and more engaged faculty, staff and students.
“UF is excited to partner with BHAC and to serve as the host for this conference,” said Jodi Gentry, Vice President for UF Human Resources. “We all benefit from a healthy environment, and exploring evidence-based practices helps us better understand the impact of programs and approaches on our university community, culture and climate. As a preeminent university, we are proud to take a leadership role in furthering these efforts.”
Among the program will be a presentation on UF’s Field and Fork Program, which creates awareness about food insecurity and sustainable food practices and educates the UF community on how to make balanced food choices. The Field and Fork Campus Food Program Pantry supports students, faculty and staff who need help finding healthy food for themselves and their families.
Other presentations by academics from about a dozen universities will cover topics such as implementing a cost-effective, comprehensive wellness programs in a university setting; combining mental health treatment and exercise is medicine; healing with arts; managing stress in the classroom to improve learning; collecting mental health data on campus; and using data to build a healthier academic community.
Keynote speakers include:
Behavior change expert Kathy Dempsey, RN, MED CSP, President, Keep Shedding! Inc.
Global physician executive Ray Fabius, M.D., Co-Founder of HealthNEXT, Harvard Shool of Public Health
Neuroscientist Amishi Jha, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, Director, Contemplative Neuroscience, UMindfulness Initiative, University of Miami
Raj Patel, Ph.D., Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, author of “Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System”
Bernadette Melnyk, Ph.D., RN, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, Associate Vice President for Health Promotion, University Chief Wellness Officer and Dean, College of Nursing, The Ohio State University
Additionally, “Dancing With the Stars” pro Louis van Amstel will lead the group in a LaBlast wellness activity.
For registration and more information, visit https://healthyacademics.org/national-bhac-summit-2017.
UF team identifies major coffee threat in Papua New Guinea
Their methods are helping farmers at home and abroad fight agricultural pests
An insect no bigger than a grain of rice is threatening coffee worldwide, but a team of University of Florida researchers is using some unconventional thinking to stop it in its tracks.
The team’s collaboration with locals led to the early identification of the world’s most damaging coffee pest in Papua New Guinea – one of only two coffee-producing countries free of it, before now.
Known as the coffee berry borer and capable of decimating 80 percent of a coffee crop, the beetle is notorious in places like Hawaii and Brazil, where it has devastated coffee production. In February, careful inspection by the UF-trained Coffee Industry Corporation in Papua New Guinea led to its discovery in a container of beans.
The proactive training will likely save coffee in Papua New Guinea, which is the backbone of its economy, said Jiri Hulcr, a forest entomologist with UF’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation, part of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
“We’re being proactive by looking at agricultural pests abroad and at home, and informing our government as well as developing nations about potential threats,” Hulcr said. “Usually the focus is on places where infestations have taken hold, but we aim to save commodities in places that remain untouched.”
Hulcr has worked at home in the U.S. and abroad to save commodities like avocados, pine trees, mangos and figs from dangerous pests. He said the proactive training that led to early identification of the berry borer in Papua New Guinea will inform future work in the U.S.
Hulcr and his team spent the last two years preparing New Guineans for what to do if they encountered the beetle. His team trained local inspectors to survey coffee crops throughout the country, recognize damage symptoms, take high-quality photographs of any suspect using microscope camera equipment, and email the images to Hulcr’s lab at UF for identification.
“They have been ready for this,” he said. “The trouble is they have lots and lots of local species that look like it, but the native beetles don’t cause any damage. It requires training to identify the real pest among many imposters.”
Training drills gave way to the real sighting when local inspectors examined a specimen under the microscope. Realizing it was the invasive berry borer, they sent a photo to Hulcr’s lab where the detection was confirmed.
As instructed by the UF team, New Guinean authorities immediately started a survey to delimit the distribution of the small outbreak and embarked on an aggressive mission to eradicate it. The correct identification of the pest, which allowed authorities in Papua New Guinea to trigger this early eradication response, was the culmination of two years of UF-led training, Hulcr said.
Andrew Johnson, a doctoral student in UF’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation, trained local entomologists to identify signs of the beetle’s infestation. Meanwhile, Craig Bateman, a UF doctoral student with the department of entomology and nematology, helped authorities in Papua New Guinea build a lab capable of performing insect DNA extraction, which helps scientists confirm species identification.
“I organized the renovation of the lab and acquisition of totally modern molecular equipment to the eastern highlands, plus gave lectures and demonstrations to extension agents and scientists there. Weekends included field training, where we visited coffee gardens around the highlands and coastal provinces, talking to farmers, scientists and extension agents,” Bateman said.
“It is great to consider all the accomplishments we’ve had in New Guinea and elsewhere. Our work has direct benefits of increased food security and infrastructure for agricultural research,” he added.
Now that the beetle has been found, inspectors will visit the farm of origin, examine plants for signs of the insect and destroy any that might be infested. Early detection is key to stopping the borer and other pests, Hulcr said.
“We prepared them, gave them good information and good training, and now they are working to eradicate the pest themselves,” he said.
Writer: Stephenie Livingston, [email protected]
Sources: Jiri Hulcr, [email protected], 517-256-1894
