PBESA Honors Four UC Davis-Affiliated Scientists

The Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA), singled out three members of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and a UC Davis doctoral alumnus for special awards. The complete list was announced today (Feb. 5).

Professor Jason Bond, described as “a powerhouse in the world of systematics and arachnology,” won the Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award. He serves as the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, and associate dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He is president-elect of the American Arachnological Society. Bond was nominated by molecular geneticist and physiologist Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology.

Doctoral candidate Mia Lippey, described as an "awe-inspiring entomologist who not only excels in leadership, but in research, academics, public service, science communication, computer programming, and scientific illustrations," is the winner of the Student Leadership Award. She is mentored by UC Davis Distinguished Professor (now emeritus) Jay Rosenheim, an insect biologist, and assistant professor Emily Meineke, an urban landscape entomologist. Lippey was nominated by molecular geneticist and physiologist Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology.

Undergraduate Kaitai Liu, a senior majoring in entomology and a member of the Jason Bond lab, is the winner of the Dr. Stephen Garczynski Undergraduate Research Scholarship. He is active in the campuswide Research Scholars Program in Insect Biology (RSPIB), which accepts 6 to 10 academically strong and highly motivated undergraduates a year in its program.   He was nominated by Professor Jason Bond.

UC Davis doctoral alumnus Douglas Walsh,  professor and Cooperative Extension specialist at Washington State University, received the C. W. Woodworth Award, the highest award given by PBESA.  Walsh, an integrated pest management (IPM) specialist and ESA Fellow, is internationally known for his research on the modes of action and resistance mechanisms of acaricides on spider mites and regionally in the Pacific Northwest for his Extension and outreach efforts on specialty crops. 

Walsh received his doctorate in entomology from UC Davis in 1998, studying with IPM specialist Frank Zalom, now a UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus on recall. Zalom, a past president of both PBESA and ESA and the 2011 recipient of the Woodworth award, is an Honorary Member of ESA, the organization's highest award. In a letter of support, Zalom, who has known Walsh for more than 35 years, wrote in part: "His career achievements in research, extension, graduate student mentorship and service are outstanding. He is well respected nationally for his leadership in integrated pest management and his expertise has been recognized not only by the entomological community but by the stakeholders that he interacts with."

The awards will be presented at the PBESA conference, set March 30-April 2 in the Salt Lake City Center, Salt Lake City, Utah.

PBESA encompasses 11 Western states, plus parts of Canada and Mexico and U.S. territories.

The list of 2025 PBESA winners:

• C. W. Woodworth Award, Douglas Walsh, Washington State University (UC Davis doctoral alumnus, 1998)
• Excellence in Integrated Pest Management Award, Ary Faraji, University  of Utah
• Distinction in Student Mentoring Award: Lauren Weidner, Arizona State University
• Distinguished Achievement in Extension Award: Houston Wilson, UC Riverside
• Distinguished Achievement in Teaching Award: Javier Gutierrez Illan, Washington State University
• Entomology Team Work Award: Dong-Hwan Choe (Ant IPM Alliance Team with UC Integrated Pest Management Team), Cooperative Extension specialist, UC Riverside
• Excellence in Early Career Award: Christopher Bibbs, Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District
• Medical, Urban and Veterinary Entomology Award: Amy Murillo, UC Riverside
• Plant-Insect Ecosystems Award: Patrick Moran, Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS
• Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity Award: Jason Bond, UC Davis
• John Henry Comstock Award: Hanna Chu, UC Riverside
• Student Leadership Award, Mia Lippey, UC Davis
• Dr. Stephen Garcyznski Undergraduate Research Scholarship: Kaitai Liu, UC Davis