By Olivia Byers
Grace Tiwari, an entomology and international agriculture and development (INTAD) graduate student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been awarded the Future Leaders Fellow Scholarship from the Association of International Agriculture and Rural Development.
Out of the 72 applicants that applied for the scholarship, Tiwari was one of 10 invited to the annual Future Leaders Conference and was the sole winner of the $5,000 endowment to use on her research.
Tiwari said she plans to use the funding to study crop pest monitoring efforts in smallholder farming communities, including how they shape decision making in an international context. Her doctoral research combines technology, ecological modeling and biocontrol strategies to manage the fall armyworm and corn earworm — two destructive pests that cause significant economic damage and contribute to food insecurity.
“The goal is to improve how growers respond to pest pressure by making monitoring more effective in the field,” she said. “We’re currently focusing on developing a low-cost smart trap to conduct real-time monitoring of fall armyworm, so growers can make informed management decisions.”
Deanna Behring, assistant dean and director for Ag Sciences Global Faculty Affiliate, said she's thrilled to see Tiwari receive the recognition.
Source : psu.edu