Scholarship Opportunities
If you have mosquito research scholarships for undergraduate or graduate level studies that you would like to post on this website, please contact amca@mosquito.org.
FLORIDA
FMCA Roxanne Connelly Student Presentation Scholarship
Research topic: Outstanding student oral presentations on mosquito control, public health entomology, vector-borne disease research, and related biological, ecological, and entomological sciences, presented at the FMCA Annual Meeting.
Eligible students: Undergraduate students, graduate students, and recent graduates within two years of graduation. Individuals may apply for all FMCA Foundation scholarship opportunities. Previous winners may reapply if requirements are met. Winners are expected to attend the FMCA Annual Meeting; attendance is partially supported by the Foundation.
Award: First place: $2,000 and recognition at the FMCA Annual Meeting. In addition, five abstracts selected for the student paper competition receive $500 in travel funds.
Contact: https://www.yourfmca.org/foundation/scholarships/ | Abstract deadline: September 25 (200-word maximum).
Cyrus R. Lesser Memorial Scholarship
Research topic: Mosquito control, vector biology, public health entomology, and operational vector management, with emphasis on operational programs and applied public health research.
Eligible students: Undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at an accredited U.S. college or university (students within one year of graduation remain eligible); U.S. residents pursuing a related course of study and demonstrating interest in operational mosquito control or vector-borne disease prevention. Previous recipients may reapply.
Award: $2,000
Contact: https://www.yourfmca.org/foundation/scholarships/ | Deadline: October 1, 2026. Transcripts mail to Dr. Whitney Qualls, 120 EOC Drive, St. Augustine, FL 32092; 904-484-7337.
T. Wainwright Miller, Jr. Scholarship
Research topic: Biological, ecological, and/or entomological studies relevant to arthropod control, with particular emphasis on public health.
Eligible students: Students enrolled at a Florida college or university seeking a degree related to arthropod control with emphasis on public health. Previous winners may reapply if requirements are met. The winner is expected to attend the FMCA Annual Meeting; attendance is partially supported by the Foundation.
Award: $2,000
Contact: https://www.yourfmca.org/foundation/scholarships/ | Deadline: October 1, 2026. Transcripts mail to Dr. Whitney Qualls, 120 EOC Drive, St. Augustine, FL 32092; 904-484-7337.
LOUISIANA
Lewis T. Graham - Student Research Award
Research topic: Any area of mosquito biology or control.
Eligible students: All undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in public or private schools in the State of Louisiana are eligible to apply.
Award: $700 to be used for research or associated educational costs.
Contact:Â http://www.lmca.us
C. Lamar Meek - Memorial Scholarship
Research topic: Scholarship to one graduate student each year to promote and encourage research relating to mosquito biology or control.
Eligible students: Open to graduate students in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.
Award: $1,500
Contact:Â http://www.lmca.us
Operational Research Fund
These grants provide seed money to researchers in building databases for the next level of research and/or to allow grantees to use data to encourage collaboration and leverage to further research. Projects are generally completed within 1-2 years of funding. Special attention is given to projects that are developing solutions to an identified vector-borne disease or mosquito control problem or need in Louisiana. Preference will be given to projects that contribute directly to an improved public health climate in Louisiana.
Contact:Â http://www.lmca.us
MICHIGAN
Kenly Farrel Memorial Scholarship
Research topic: To assist a student financially towards a higher education in Natural Science or a related field.
Eligible students: College-bound high school senior or college undergraduate; Michigan resident.
Award: $1,000 First Place; $250 Second Place
Contact: (989) 894-4555 for more information or visit Kenly Farrel Memorial Scholarship.
William J. Lechel, II Memorial Scholarship
Research topic: To assist a student financially towards a higher education in Natural Science or a related field.
Eligible students: Enrolled in a US undergraduate or graduate college/university program.
Award: $1,000 First Place
Contact: (989) 894-4555 for more information or visit William J. Lechel, II Memorial Scholarship.
NEW JERSEY
NJMCA Daniel M. Jobbins Scholarship
Research topic: Mosquito research of graduate students.
Eligible students: Rutgers, The State of New Jersey
Award: $4,000
Contact: Sean Healy, NJMCA Scholarship Committee, Phone: 732-542-3630, Fax: 732-542-3267, or email:Â shealy@co.monmouth.nj.us
NJMCA Educational Scholarship
Research topic: Research of graduate students in a curriculum that may be peripheral to mosquito control but whose research uses or impacts mosquitoes in a manner that contributes new information to the mosquito control community.
Eligible students: Students enrolled in a graduate program at a College/University in New Jersey.
Award: $1,000
Contact: Sean Healy, NJMCA Scholarship Committee, Phone: 732-542-3630, Fax: 732-542-3267, or email:Â shealy@co.monmouth.nj.us
NORTHEAST
The Jobbins Scholarship
Research topic: Area relevant to mosquito or biting fly control in the Northeast. (wetlands biology-ecology, entomology, or vector parasitology) Studies may range from purely ecological to strict vector control.
Eligible students: Conducting research in the Northeast U.S.; Candidates whose work is at any stage of completion.
Award: Not to exceed $2,000
Contact: For more information go to http://www.nmca.org/Jobbins.htm
TEXAS
James Gus Foyle Memorial Scholarship
Research topic: Research relating to mosquitoes, insects, or disease transmission related thereto.
Eligible students: Enrolled in college or University in the state of Texas
Award: $1,000
Contact: For more information go to http://www.texasmosquito.org/Foyle.html
THE AMCA STUDENT PAPER COMPETITION
In 1988, AMCA held the first student paper symposium at the annual meeting to focus on the contributions of AMCA student members. The Board of Directors approved the first student paper competition for the 1989 meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. Excluding 2001, the competition has been a recurring symposium during the AMCA Annual Meeting. Dr. Roger Nasci was the organizer and moderator from the first competition in 1989 until he was elected Vice-President of the AMCA in 2002. Dr. Roxanne Rutledge is currently serving as the competition organizer and moderator.
In 1997, the AMCA Board of Directors accepted a motion to designate the first place winner of the AMCA student paper competition as the winner of the Hollandsworth prize. This prize includes a $500.00 cash award. Additionally, two honorable mention prizes of $250.00 each were made available to be awarded at the discretion of the judges for each competition.
The Hollandsworth prize is named in honor of Gerald Hollandsworth, an active AMCA member from Pueblo, Colorado, who passed away in 1988. Gerald worked in the Environmental Health field with the Pueblo City-County Health Department and was a past president of the West Central Mosquito and Vector Control Association. The Hollandsworth family has funded this award in an effort to further encourage student participation in the AMCA national meeting.
In 2003, the AMCA Board of Directors voted to increase the prize money for winners of the competition and added $500.00 to the total cash award that the Hollandsworth winner receives bringing that prize to $1000.00 with $500.00 available for 2 honorable mention awards.
PREVIOUS WINNERS OF THE AMCA STUDENT COMPETITION
| 1989 | Scott Willis | McNeese State U. |
| 1990 | Andrea Brown | Peru State Coll. |
| 1991* | John Paul Mutebi | Notre Dame U. |
| 1992* | RosMarie Kelly | U. Massachusetts |
| 1993* | Merry L. Holliday-Hanson | U. California, Davis |
| 1994* | John E. Gimnig | U. California, Davis |
| Alice Shaeffer *** | U. Mainz, Germany | |
| 1995* | Glen Scoles | Notre Dame U. |
| Jittawadee Rochaeroen *** | U. California, Riverside | |
| 1996* | Esther Chow Schaeffer | U. Maryland |
| 1997* | Lynn Cooper | U. Maryland |
| 1998** | Roxanne Rutledge | Louisiana State U. |
| Timothy Schaub *** | U. Illinois | |
| Emmalee Kennedy *** | U. Illinois | |
| 1999** | Laura Harrington | U. Massachusetts |
| Adam S. Jones *** | U. Massachusetts | |
| Hillary Reno *** | U. Illinois | |
| 2000** | Jason L. Rasgon | U. California Davis |
| Hope Q. Liu*** | VPI | |
| Linda M. Steyer*** | U. California Davis | |
| 2001 | No competition | |
| 2002** | Laura B. Goddard | U. California Davis |
| Sharon L. Minnick*** | U. California Davis | |
| Margaret Sherriffs*** | Yale U. | |
| 2003** | Sarah A. Yaremych | U. Illinois |
| Jason L. Ragson*** | U. California Davis | |
| Laura B. Goddard*** | U. California Davis | |
| 2004** | Gregory M. Williams | U. Delaware |
| Stephen Aspen*** | Colorado State U | |
| Christian Kaufmann*** | U Zurich | |
| 2005** | Wesley Rubio | San Diego State University |
| Whitney Qualls*** | Auburn University | |
| Rebecca Trout*** | University of Kentucky | |
| 2006** | Robert D. Anderson | University of Delaware |
| Linda O'Connor (First Runner Up) | University of Delaware | |
| Joshua R. Ogawa*** | Oregon State University | |
| Matthew Eaton*** | Concordia College | |
| 2007** | Jennifer Armistead | University of Florida |
| Robert D. Anderson*** | University of Delaware | |
| Thomas M. Mascari*** | Louisiana State University | |
| Kristen Bartlett*** | Rutgers University | |
| 2008** | Jerome Schleier | Montana State University |
| Christopher Barker*** | University of California, Davis | |
| Lisa Reimer*** | University of California, Davis | |
| 2009 | Alexandra Chaskopoulou | University of Florida |
| Stephanie Larick*** | University of Florida | |
| 2010 | Sarah Wheeler | University of California, Davis |
| Jimmy Mains* | University of Kentucky | |
| Holly Tuten* | Clemson University | |
| 2011 | Logan Minter** | University of Kentucky |
| Kristen Meckel-Parker*** | The San Diego County Vector Control Program | |
| 2012 | Jerome Schleier** | Montana State University |
| Elizabeth Andrews*** | University of Kentucky | |
| Jennifer Gordon*** | University of Kentucky | |
| Joseph Iburg*** | University of Georgia | |
| 2013 | Brian Johnson | Rutgers University |
| Andrea Igizi | Rutgers University | |
| Brittany Nelms | UC Davis - CVEC | |
| 2014 | James Ricci** | University of California |
| Eva Buckner *** | University of Florida | |
| Allison Gardner *** | University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign | |
| 2015 | Maria Christina Carrasquilla ** | University of Florida |
| Casey Parker *** | University of Florida | |
| 2016 | Sydney Crawley ** | University of Kentucky |
| Lin Zhu *** | University of Miami | |
| CassandraUrquhart *** | University of Tennessee | |
| 2017 | Edmund Norris ** | Iowa State University |
| Adena Why *** | University of California, Riverside | |
| Evlyn Pless *** | ||
| * $500 cash award presented to winner. ** Gerald Hollandsworth Prize. *** Honorable mention. | ||