Hanula Gives Keynote Address as A.D. Hopkins 2008 Award Recipient

By Teresa J. Jackson, Media Officer, Southern Research Station

Jim Hanula

James (Jim) Hanula, entomologist with the Forest Service's Southern Research Station in Athens, GA, was the keynote speaker at this year’s annual Southern Forest Insect Work Conference, held July 28-31 in Gulfport, MS. Hanula gave the address as the winner of the A.D. Hopkins Award for 2008.

In his remarks, Hanula spoke passionately about the profound effects his interactions with the conference members have had on his career and research. He also touched on how the Forest Service's shift toward ecosystem management in the early 1990's caused him to shift from traditional forest entomology to research on how forest management affects food availability for red-cockaded woodpeckers and pollinator diversity.

"This was some of the most exciting and rewarding research of my 16-year career," said Hanula. "More recently, the ever growing threat from non-native species invading our forests has caused me to shift back toward more traditional pest management oriented research."

The Hopkins award is presented to an individual with an outstanding record of service to Southern forest entomology, including effectiveness of extension activities, significance and originality of research contributions, and contributions to science. It is the most distinguished prize given to a forest entomologist in the South and one of only two such honors nationwide that recognize the contributions of entomologists studying forest insects. The award is named in honor of Andrew Delmar Hopkins "the father of forest entomology" in the United States. He was a pioneering scientist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Southern Research Station has a strong record with regard to this award. Of the 21 total recipients since 1983, four have come from the SRS: Jim Hanula (2008), Dr. John Moser, emeritus (1999), Dr. Peter Lorio, retired (1993) and Dr. Gary DeBarr, retired (1990).