Congratulations to Ms. Sastia Prama Putri, winner of the 2009 Division of Fungi Student Travel Award. Sastia received her B.Sc. in Biology from Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia and her M.Eng. in Biotechnology from Osaka University. She is currently a Ph.D. student under the supervision of Prof. Takuya Nihira at the International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University, Japan where she is majoring in Biotechnology. She has received several awards including the P.T. Kondur Petroleum S.A. Indonesia Academic Achievement Award for undergraduate studies and the UNESCO Fellowship from the Japanese Government and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Sports and Technology Scholarship for postgraduate studies. She will be presenting a paper entitled “Utilization of entomopathogenic fungi for the control of plant pathogenic fungi”. Her co-authors are Hiroshi Kinoshita, Fumio Ihara, Yasuhiro Igarashi and Takuya Nihira.

Congratulations to Ms. Sopher Ondiaka, winner of the 2008 Division of Fungi Student Travel Award.  Ms. Ondiaka received her B.Sc. in Zoology and Botany from the University of Nairobi, and her M.Sc. in Agricultural Entomology also from the University of Nairobi.  She is currently a Ph.D. student in Medical Entomology at Wageningen University, in the laboratory of Dr. Bart G.J. Knols.  Ms. Ondiaka has received several awards, including a Wageningen University Sandwich PhD Fellowship; a MASHAV Fellowship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel; a Rockefeller Foundation M.Sc Coursework and Research Scholarship; an Earth Watch Fellowship; and a Tropical Biology Association Scholarship.  She will be presenting a paper entitled “Effects of fungal infection on the host-seeking behaviour and fecundity of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae.” Her co-authors are Tullu Bukhari, Marit Farenhorst, Willem Takken, and Bart G.J. Knols.

Mr. Vitalis Wafula Wekesa
Winner of the 2007 Division of Fungi Travel Award