Recently Funded Grants
2012 Andrew G. Stephenson received a NSF-REU supplement for 2011-2014 NSF Solanum carolinense Grant ($7,500).
2012 Katherine Ellis received the Northeast SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, Northeast branch) Grant. "The role of cover crops as a floral resource for native bee conservation in agroecosystems" ($14,929). Katherine Ellis is being mentored by Mary Barbercheck.
2012 Anthony Vaudo received funding from the Sigma Xi Grant-In-Aid of Research on “Effects of floral nutrition on bee foraging preferences” ($600). Anthony is being mentored by Christina Grozinger, Harland Patch, and John Tooker.
2012 Megan Synyder received a PSU College of Ag Undergraduate Research on “Energetic Cost of Nosema Infection in Male Honey Bees” ($1550). Megan is being mentored by Christina Grozinger and Holly Holt.
2012 Shelby Fleischer and David Biddinger are members of a consortium that received funding the USDA-Coordinate Agricultural Programs on "Developing Sustainable Pollination Strategies for U.S. Specialty Crops" The program is headed by Rufus Isaacs (Michigan State University) and has received $1.6 million in funding for the first year of a project 5 year, $9 million project.
2012 Shelby Fleischer and David Biddinger are members of a consortium that received funding the USDA-Coordinate Agricultural Programs on "Developing Sustainable Pollination Strategies for U.S. Specialty Crops" The program is headed by Rufus Isaacs (Michigan State University) and has received $1.6 million in funding for the first year of a project 5 year, $9 million project.
2012 Elina Lastro Nino received a two year, $122,838 USDA-AFRI Postdoctoral Fellowship on "Breeding Honey Bees: From Evolutionary and Functional Genomics to Sociology". Elina is being mentored by Christina Grozinger and Chloe Silverman from Penn State and Mariana Wolfner from Cornell.
2011 Alex Surcica and Christina Grozinger received funding from the NE IPM Center on "Establishing a NE, Region-wide IPM Pollinator Working Group". $6000.
2011 Holly Holt received a three year NSF-Predoctoral Fellowship for her thesis studies on "Molecular and behavioral studies of host-parasite interactions in honey bees". Holly is being mentored by Christina Grozinger.
2011 - USDA Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative Grant: "Multifunctional cover crop cocktails for organic systems" led by PI Jason Kaye and Co-PIs M. Barbercheck, S. Cornelisse, T. DuPont, D. Hartman, M. Hautau, D. Luthe, D. Mortensen, M. Schipanski, and C. White will quantify and translate the ecological and farm management benefits and trade-offs of using multi-species cover crop mixtures in an organic corn, soybean, and wheat crop rotation. $2.3 million from 9/1/2011 to 8/31/2015.
2011 - Northeast IPM Center IPM Partnership Grant - Native Pollinators of Eastern Apple Orchards and How to Conserve Them. Project Director: John Losey – Cornell University, PIs – Cornell – A. Agnello & M. Park, Penn State University – D. Biddinger & E. Rajotte. 1 year (4/1/11-4/1/12) - $19,923.
2011 - USDA Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative Grant: "Multifunctional cover crop cocktails for organic systems" led by PI Jason Kaye and Co-PIs M. Barbercheck, S. Cornelisse, T. DuPont, D. Hartman, M. Hautau, D. Luthe, D. Mortensen, M. Schipanski, and C. White will quantify and translate the ecological and farm management benefits and trade-offs of using multi-species cover crop mixtures in an organic corn, soybean, and wheat crop rotation. $2.3 million from 9/1/2011 to 8/31/2015.
2011 - Northeast IPM Center IPM Partnership Grant - Native Pollinators of Eastern Apple Orchards and How to Conserve Them. Project Director: John Losey – Cornell University, PIs – Cornell – A. Agnello & M. Park, Penn State University – D. Biddinger & E. Rajotte. 1 year (4/1/11-4/1/12) - $19,923.
2011 Christina Grozinger (co-PI) with Gro Amdam received a Norwegian Research Council Grant on “Training, Strategies, and Perspectives to Advance RNA Interference Technology in Honey Bees” ($16,923).
2011 Andrew G. Stephenson received a four year NSF Grant on “Effects of inbreeding on plant defenses, volatile production, plant-insect interactions, and the evolution of the breeding system in Solanum carolinense” ($510,000) with M.C. Mescher and C.M. DeMoraes.
2011 Andrew G. Stephenson received a NSF-REU supplement for 2011-2014 NSF Solanum carolinense Grant. $7,500
2010 - USDA-Specialty Crop Research Initiative – Determining the Role of and Limiting Factors Facing Native Pollinators in Assuring Quality Apple Production in Pennsylvania; a Model for the Mid-Atlantic Tree Fruit Industry. PD – D. Biddinger & E. Rajotte, Co-PIs: M. Frazier, J. Schupp, D. Mortenson, J. Frazier, C. Mullin, T. Leslie, & M. Vaughn. 3-year Research & Extension Grant- $1.38 million.
2010 Holly Holt received funding from Sigma Xi Grant-In-Aid of Research on “Chemical Regulation of Molecular and Social Immunity in Worker Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)” ($400). Holly Holt is mentored by Christina Grozinger.
2010 Andrew Stephenson received a 3 year NSF Grant on “Factors that influence the amount and pattern of genetic diversity in ZYMV” ($12,324) DDIG with Heather Simmons
2008-2010 State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania - David Biddinger and Ed Rajotte - 3 grants totaling $35,044 to identify, conserve and determine the effectiveness of wild pollinators in Pennsylvania tree fruit orchards.
Jim Tumlinson, Jim Frazier, Maryann Frazier, Christina Grozinger, Harland Patch (Penn State) and Eluid Muli and Dan Masiga (icipe, Nairobi, Kenya) have received an NSF-BREAD Grant on "Sustainable Solutions for Preserving Pollinator Health in East Africa". This is a two year grant (2010-2012) for $397,181. The NSF Press Release can be viewed (here)
David Biddinger and Ed Rajotte have received a National Conservation Innovation Grant from USDA-NRCS for $45,000 in partnership with the Xerces Society.
David Biddinger and Shelby Fleischer have received a USDA-Organic Agricultural Research & Extension Initiative Grant on "Sustainable Systems for Cucurbit Crops on Organic Farms". This is a 3-year (6/1/09-5/30/12), $1,047,000 grant for Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. Project Director – Mark Gleason, Iowa State University. PSU Portion - $364,125 with Co-PIs, S. Fleischer, E. Sanchez, B. Gugino & D. Biddinger.
Christina Grozinger and Jim Tumlinson have received a USDA-AFRI grant on "Behavioral, physiological and molecular effects of multiple factors impacting honey bee health". This is a three year (2010-2013) grant for $398,871.
Together with Soojin Yi (PI) and Michael Goodismen (Georgia Tech University), Christina Grozinger received a NSF-MCB grant on "Collaborative Research: Epigenetic gene regulation in the social bee, Apis mellifera". This is a three year (2010-2013) grant for $260,779 (to Penn State).
Andrew Stephenson received a USDA grant “Development and Validation of a Model for the Spread and Management of an Escaped Virus Resistant Transgene in Wild Populations of Cucurbita” with M. J. Ferrari. This is a three year (2009-2013) grant for $397,001.
