Michelle Susan Samuel-Foo | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater | University of Georgia Brewton–Parker College |
Awards | Entomological Society of America Founders' Memorial Award |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | University of Florida Alabama State University |
Thesis | Genetic analyses of Hessian fly resistance in KS 94U275 (2003) |
Michelle Susan Samuel-Foo is an American biologist and Assistant Professor of Biology at Alabama State University. She serves as President of the Southeastern Entomological Society of America. In 2020 Samuel-Foo became the first African-American person to win a major award for entomology when she was awarded the Entomological Society of America Founders' Memorial Recognition.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Samuel-Foo is from Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago.[2][3] Her parents were cash crop growers, and she helped them to sell vegetables in markets.[2] Samuel-Foo started college determined to study biology, but became fascinated by the world of entomology.[2] She earned her undergraduate degree at Brewton–Parker College, where she was awarded a scholarship.[2] She decided to stay in academic research after a conversation with the school's head of science, David McMillin, who encouraged her to look for graduate schools.[2] She was a graduate student at the University of Georgia, where she studied the resistance of Triticum aestivatum (common wheat) to Mayetiola destructor (hessian fly).[4] At the time, she was one of only two minority students in the department.[2] Her dissertation committee was chaired by H. Roger Boerma, who was well known for the Soybean Improvement Programme. After graduating, Samuel-Foo joined the programme, which is where she first experienced DNA sequencing and molecular breeding.[2]
Research and career
[edit]In 2009 Samuel-Foo joined the faculty at the University of Florida. Here she worked to support the registration of speciality crops in the Southern States and Puerto Rico.[5][3] She was made regional field coordinator of the United States Department of Agriculture Interregional Research Project No. 4 (IR-4) Project.[2] From 2015 to 2017 Samuel-Foo served as President of the International Association of Black Entomologists and on the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Food Crops Society.[6][7]
Samuel-Foo joined the faculty of Alabama State University in 2018, where she leads the programme on industrial hemp research.[1] When she arrived at Alabama State University she established an urban teaching garden[8] that looks to introduce students to sustainable agriculture.[9][10]
In 2020 Samuel-Foo was named President-Elect of the Southeastern Entomological Society of America.[9][11] She provided expert guidance to the United States congress on the Murder Hornet Eradication Act, which looks to eliminate the Asian giant hornet (so-called murder hornet), an invasive species that is predatory to honey bees.[12][13] In her testimony, Samuel-Foo spoke about the devastating impact of the murder hornets on the United States honey bee population, as well as their potential threat to critical agriculture.[14][15] In May 2020 Samuel-Foo was awarded the Entomological Society of America Founders' Memorial prize, and dedicated her award lecture to the research of Ernest J. Harris.[5] Harris was the first Black entomologist to be the subject of the Founders' lecture.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Michelle Samuel-Foo Is the First African American to Win a Major Entomological Award". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Memoirs of Black Entomologists | Entomological Society of America". www.entsoc.org. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ a b "55 CFCS 2019 República Dominicana". www.cedaf.org.do. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ Samuel-Foo, Michelle Susan (2003). Genetic analyses of Hessian fly resistance in KS 94U275. OCLC 56497943.
- ^ a b c "Michelle Samuel-Foo to Deliver 2020 ESA Founders' Memorial Lecture | Entomological Society of America". www.entsoc.org. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ "BOARD OF DIRECTORS". CFCS. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ "Dr. Michelle Samuel-Foo | Alabama State University". www.alasu.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ "New Garden and Entomology Lab Coming to Campus". HBCU Sports Forums. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ a b Insider, The (2020-03-12). "ASU's Samuel-Foo is New President of the Entomological Society of America's Southeastern-Branch!". TheMontgomeryInsider. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ "New Entomology Professor | UPAA". www.upaa.org. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ "MICHELLE SAMUEL-FOO". Diverse. 2020-04-16. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ Grijalva, Raul M. (2020-06-25). "H.R.6761 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Murder Hornet Eradication Act of 2020". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ Visram, Talib (2020-05-14). "The government may have bungled the coronavirus, but it wants to get a head start on murder hornets". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ Beitsch, Rebecca (2020-06-25). "Lawmakers weigh methods to battle Asian 'murder hornets' found in US". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
- ^ "Written Statement of Proposed Testimony" (PDF). Congress.