We're glad to see that the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State University will host the third International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy next year--July 18-20, 2016--on the Penn State campus in University Park, Penn.
Some of our UC Davis pollinator specialists will be involved. One of the conference organizers is pollination ecologist Neal Williams, associate professor of entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and one of the speakers will be his former graduate student, Katharina Ullmann, who received her doctorate last year and is now working with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
A major theme of this year's conference will be translating the results of recent research advances in the biology and health of pollinators into solutions that can be applied in the field to conserve and expand pollinator populations, said conference coordinator Kim Swistock of Penn State.
"The conference will cover a range of topics in pollinator research, from genomics to ecology, and their application to land use and management, breeding of managed bees, and monitoring of global pollinator populations," she said in a news release. "Recent global initiatives in policy, education, and extension will also be highlighted."
Other confirmed speakers include:
Dennis vanEngelsdorp (University of Maryland), Marina Meixner (Bieneninstitut Kirchhain, Germany), Taylor Ricketts (University of Vermont), Luisa Carvalheiro (University of Brasilia, Brazil), Ed Rajotte (Penn State University), Amy Toth (Iowa State University), Guy Smagghe (Ghent University, Belgium), Lucy King (Save the Elephants), Andrew Barron (Macquarie University, Australia), Hollis Woodard (University of California, Riverside), Mark Brown (Royal Holloway University of London), Dan Cariveau (University of Minnesota), Katharina Ullmann (The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation), Vicki Wojcik (Pollinator Partnership), and Matthew Smart (USGS). Symposia will include invited and contributed talks and posters related to epidemiology and modeling of global pollinator populations, managing landscapes for ecosystem services, pollinator nutrition and habitat, integrated pest and pollinator management, molecular tools for managing pollinator populations, and education and outreach.
Prior to the conference, the Xerces Society will host a one-day Pollinator Conservation Short Course on Sunday, July 17, 2016 at Penn State. Topics include creating and protecting pollinator habitat, as well as related research of Penn State scientists. (Contact Jillian Vento jilian.vento@xerces.org for more information.)
So, how many people are expected to attend the conference? When it was held in 2013, it drew more than 230 participants from 15 countries, representing universities, government agencies, industry, non-profit organizations, and several stakeholder groups. (See http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators/conference-materials, including an abstract book and several of the policy-related presentations.)
The conference agenda, online registration, and online abstract submission will be available in early February 2016. (To receive an email announcement once registration is open, send a message to csco@psu.edu)
For more information about the conference, email conference coordinator Kim Swistock (kar3@psu.edu) or the conference organizers, Christina Grozinger - PSU (cmgrozinger@psu.edu ), Shelby Fleischer – PSU (sjf4@psu.edu), Neal Williams - UC Davis (nmwilliams@ucdavis.edu) and Rufus Isaacs - Michigan State University (isaacsr@msu.edu) or visit the conference website: http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators/events/2016-international-conference-on-pollinator-biology-health-and-policy.
The Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State is described as "a dynamic consortium of more than 25 faculty involved in research, education and extension efforts focused on improving pollinator health, conservation and ecosystem services."
The UC Davis "bee people" hope to host the conference in 2018. Extension apiculturist Elina Niño of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, received her doctorate in entomology from Penn State, working with Christina Grozinger.
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