NCSU entomologist receives regional IPM award
Media Contact: Dr. Hannah Burrack, assistant professor, N.C. State University, 919-513-4344 or hannah_burrack@ncsu.edu
The Southern Region IPM Center has honored Dr. Hannah Burrack, assistant professor of entomology at North Carolina State University, with its Friends of IPM Future Leader Award.
The Friends of IPM Future Leader Award recognizes an individual early in his or her career who has shown leadership in integrated pest management, or IPM. Dr. Danesha Seth Carley, assistant director of the IPM Center, presented Burrack with the award recently at the meeting of the Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America, held this year in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Southern Region IPM Center is located on the N.C. State University campus.
Burrack received the award for her successful monitoring networks of serious pests such as the spotted wing drosophila, and for her early adoption of a blog to communicate news to growers.
Burrack began her career at NC State University in 2007, after graduating with a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of California at Davis. Burrack specializes in small fruits and tobacco.
For tobacco, Burrack is currently reviewing old economic thresholds and has developed a website that tracks the movement of thrips, the insect vector of tomato spotted wilt virus, a devastating disease that also damages tobacco. She is in the process of training tobacco growers how to use the website.
Burrack also developed a monitoring network for spotted wing drosophila, an invasive pest that has devastated fruit and vegetable crops on the U.S. west coast. The network led to the first discoveries of the pest in South Carolina in early July 2010, and in North Carolina a few weeks later.
Since then, the network has confirmed spotted wing drosophila in 13 locations in the Carolinas.
Burrack is also establishing monitoring networks for blueberry maggot and grape root borer. She posts findings from the networks, in addition to information about workshops, on her blog, NC Small Fruit, Specialty Crop and Tobacco IPM, located at http://ncsmallfruitsipm.blogspot.com/.
Written by: Rosemary Hallberg, communications specialist, Southern Region IPM Center, 919.513.8182 or rhallberg@sripmc.org
