Registration Open for the International Conference on Pollinators

Online, February 2, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Registration is now open for the first International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Heath and Policy being hosted by Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research July 24-28, 2010 at the University Park campus.

According to Christina Grozinger, associate professor of entomology and director of the center, the focus of the conference will be current research on pollinator biology and health, as well as policies related to pollinator conservation. "Pollinators are essential for both plants and animals in agricultural and natural ecosystems." Grozinger explains. "Unfortunately, there has been a dramatic decline in both managed and native pollinator populations due to a variety of stressors, which have been highlighted by the recent reports of Colony Collapse Disorder. This conference will bring together a diverse group of experts, so we can better address these complex issues."

The conference will include symposia on behavioral ecology, disease ecology, evolving policies on pollinator risk assessment and conservation, impacts of environmental toxins, conservation and ecological applications of native pollinators, and coordinated international efforts on pollinator decline. The keynote speaker will be Dr. May Berenbaum, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (maybe some background info?).

The conference will take place on the Penn State University Park campus amidst the mountains of central Pennsylvania and will include interaction among the participants with group meals and evening informal receptions coupled with poster presentations. The conference is being sponsored by Häagen-Dazs and Anthropologie/Urban Outfitters, as well as Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Entomology, and The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State.

Registration is limited to 300 participants, so be sure to register early by going to web site.... For more information about the conference or the Center, visit website at http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators, or contact conference organizers: Christina Grozinger, (814)-865-1895 or cmg25@psu.edu; Diana Cox-Foster, (814) 865-1022 or dxc12@psu.edu; or Ed Rajotte, (814) 863-4641 or uvu@psu.edu.

The Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State includes 26 independent groups and spans Penn State's Departments of Entomology, Biology, Horticulture, Crop and Soil Science and Landscape Architecture; the Arboretum at Penn State; the PA Department of Agriculture; and the USDA. Center activities are supported by government grants, corporate gifts, the beekeeping industry and Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.