Fire Ant Trails:
News from the Texas Imported Fire Ant Research & Management Plan
November 2000 Special Issue
Table of Contents
Meeting Announcement
Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project,
FY 2001-2002: Request for Proposals - Proposed Guidelines
The Southwestern Branch Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, in conjunction with the meeting of the Southwestern Entomological Society will be held, Feb. 26 through Feb. 28, 2001, at the Gunter Hotel (205 Houston Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205; 210/227-3241). The Annual Imported Fire Ant Research Conference will also be held in the same location, Feb. 28 through March 2, and a symposium featuring the Texas Imported Fire Ant Research & Management Project is scheduled for the afternoon of Feb. 28 when the two meetings will overlap.
A web site has been developed for pre-registration, poster, paper and display submissions, donations and other vital information. The address is: http://swbifa.tamu.edu.
At this time, we are trying to refine the mailing list of individuals interested in receiving additional information about these upcoming events. The Contact Form can be found on the web site or requested from the Fire Ant Project office. The deadline for submitting pre-registrations, making room reservations, paper and poster titles and exhibit booth space is January 26, 2001.
Texas Imported Fire Ant Research & Management
Project
FY2001-2002: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS -PROPOSED GUIDELINES
As the Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management enters its third biennium, efforts are being made to streamline our research, education and regulatory efforts to focus more closely on potentially high impact areas and deliverable technology. One major change approved by the Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Account Advisory Committee (FARMAAC) is to develop a single review panel to evaluate all research proposals. Budgets for education (TAEX) and regulatory (TDA) program efforts will require justification and approval by FARMAAC.
In FY2000, disciplinary "teams" were requested to review research efforts within their areas and submit a prioritized list of research areas to be considered for continued funding. Targeted areas of research for funding in FY2001-2002 are listed below. No caps will be placed on any one proposal. Proposals are due June 30, 2001, so there will be plenty of time for preparation and expected collaboration.
Proposals which contain the following elements will be considered to be of high priority:
- Those proposals with the highest probability of achieving the goal of the Texas Fire Ant Project: To eliminate the red imported fire ant as a major pest of economic and health significance
- Within the higher goal of the Project, proposals indicating collaboration between participating institutions (Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas Tech University, University of Texas, Texas Department of Agriculture and other in-state and out-of-state institutions)
- Those proposals with a high prospect of leveraging Fire Ant Project Funding with outside institutions, both public and private.
High priority research areas:
- Investigations of biological control organisms which can be mass-reared, released or augmented to suppress red imported fire ants, including phorid fly species, Thelohania and others; establishment and monitoring of biological control nurseries; impact studies (30 - 34% of research funding)
- Investigations of physiological processes and behaviorally-modifying chemicals that can lead to new control or suppression technology; delivery methods and impact studies (20%)
- Investigations of genetics/genomics mechanisms and transformation systems which could lead to the elimination of red imported fire ants (25%)
- Investigations addressing regulatory issues such as development of treatment programs for shipment of fire ant free articles (i.e., bee hives, hay bales, sod, nursery stock); surveys of red imported fire ant spread (5 - 10%)
- Development, implementation and evaluation of integrated pest management (IPM) systems for agricultural commodities and wildlife areas (5 -10%)
The proposed review panel will include the representatives below:
- Panel Chair (non-voting): Texas Imported Director, Texas Imported Fire Ant Project (Drees)
- Texas Imported Fire Ant Research & Management Plan Account Advisory Committee (FARMAAC) chairman (Forgason)
- Texas Imported Fire Ant Research & Management Initiative Committee (FARMIC) representative (Gilstrap)
- Texas Imported Fire Ant Project Director (Frisbie)
- Texas Tech University (Albin)
- University of Texas (Rankin)
- Texas Department of Agriculture (Nilakhe)
- Peer review committee chairman (Williams)
- Outside member (Fondrin)
Timeline:
- Pre-proposals due: January 30, 2001
- Full proposals due: April 1, 2001
- Notification of funding intention contingent on funding availability: May 1, 2001
- Fiscal year begins, funding transferred to collaborating institutions: Sept. 1, 2001
Those interested in developing and submitting a Pre-Proposal must be affiliated with one of the collaborating institutions in Texas and can obtain a copy of the proposal outline by contacting the Fire Ant Project office.
Prepared by: Bastiaan "Bart" M. Drees,
Director, Texas Imported Fire Ant Project
Department of Entomology
412 Minnie Belle Heep Bldg.
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843-2475
409/845-5878; FAX: 409/845-7029
b-drees@tamu.edu; http://fireant.tamu.edu