Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
410 MRAK HALL
DAVIS,CA 95616-8671
Performing Department
Entomology/Nematology
Non Technical Summary
Managed and wild pollinators provide critical services to agriculture, and help to sustain resilient natural ecosystems. Pollinators face a wide range of current and emerging challenges that threaten their health and the human welfare that depends on them. In response to documented declines of key pollinators, governments, businesses and non-governmental agencies have supported research to promote pollinator health and implemented pollinator protection policies. The pace and breadth of pollinator health research has grown and has revealed the complexities underlying the challenges facing pollinators and their likely solutions.We address multiple priorities of the AFRI Program on Pollinator Health. To promote continued sharing of information on key factors that influence bee abundance and diversity, enhance research on pollinator health, generate innovative collaborations, facilitate greater dialogue with policymakers, and effectively translate solutions for stakeholders we will hold the International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health, and Policy at the University of California, Davis, from July 18-20, 2019.We request support to facilitate attendance by graduate students, postdocs, and leading researchers in key areas of pollinator health and pollination research including and scholars from underrepresented regions. It will be an opportunity for U.S. students and researchers to integrate into the global network of scientists studying the biology, health, and management of bees and other pollinators, and to engage policymakers working to promote pollinator health. Travel to meetings and registration fees are prohibitively expensive for many young scientists, especially those from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in science. This funding helps support their participation.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Overall Goal: The International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health, and Policy will bring together national and global community of pollinator researchers, managers and practitioners to share and synthesize information, develop new collaborations, and integrate approaches to meet the challenges facing pollinators now and in the future.Our specific Objectives are:1. Bring together leading researchers from across the US, North America and around the globe to share the current state of research on key topics of bee biology and health.2. Provide a space for discussion between young emerging researchers and recognized leaders in the field.3. Facilitate meaningful interdisciplinary discussion on research direction and solutions to pressing challenges to bee health.4. Develop concise summaries of key information to assist policy makers and the public.5. Support dialog between stakeholders, citizens, policy makers and researchers.
Project Methods
The organization of the conference and its outcomes will be developed prior to, during and following the actual conference. This is achieved through an organization commitee. The committee is comprised of local co-PDs Neal M. Williams (Professor of Pollination and Bee Biology), Elina L. Niño (State Extension Specialist for Apiculture in CA). In addition, Rufus Isaacs (Professor of Entomology Michigan State University) who co-organized a 2016 meeting at Penn State University. This group will form the core committee. These individuals bring expertise in Apis and non-Apis bees, fundamental and applied research and extension, and regional coverage across the United States. The full organizing committee, which shares responsibility for final selection of speakers and travel support includes Symposium and poster session organizers, Claudio Gratton (UW Madison), Maj Rundlof (Lund University, Sweden), Magaret Douglas (Dickenson College), Jessica Forrest (University of Ottawa), Christina Grozinger (Penn State University), Quinn Mc Frederick (UC Riverside), Leif Richardson (UVM), Hollis Woodard,( UC Riverside), Scott Mc Art (Cornell University), Gail Longelotto (Oregon State University), Boris Baer (UC Riverside), Michael Simone-Finstrom (USDA Baton Rouge Bee Lab).Local logistical support at UC Davis is provided by the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center. Amina Harris (Center Director) and Elizabeth Luu (Administrative Assistant) are the final members of the organization committee. Amina Harris is a prominent apiculturist and honey packer who has coordinated classes and research on honey and honey products through the Honey and Pollination Center.The three-day conference will combine a mix of fundamental research, applied presentations and policy. There will be five scientific symposia one each morning and on the afternoons of the first two days. The morning of the final day will focus on pressing honey bee challenges and solutions, while that afternoon is reserved for an open public session. We will widely publicize the final day so that regional beekeepers and the public can attend. We will hold poster sessions in the late afternoon/evening of each day. Posters allow for much greater participation by researchers at all career stages and areas, and submissions will be open to all registered participants. In addition to the symposia, we have scheduled two plenary talks. We have invited key leaders in the field to provide a daily plenary presentation linking core topics of the meeting and providing cross-disciplinary perspectives. Finally, we have incorporated Policy Briefs which will be synopses created by each symposium group and others who are interested and presented at the end of each symposium. These will target legislators and provide streamlined summaries of current understanding of each core topic of the symposia that can be used for informing policy at local to federal levels.Plenary sessions: We have invited two leading members of the international pollinator community to provide broad overviews to the conference delegates, focusing on key areas of our symposium.