Doctoral Student Fischer Earns ESA Plant-Insect Ecosystem Graduate Award

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Entomology doctoral student Hillary Fischer conducts research in professor Fiona Goggin's lab for plant-insect interactions.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Hillary Fischer, an entomology doctoral student in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, has been named winner of the 2019 Plant-Insect Ecosystem Kenneth and Barbara Starks Plant Resistance to Insects Graduate Student Award.

The award is administered and presented by the P-IE Section of the Entomological Society of America. It recognizes innovative research by a graduate student in entomology or plant breeding/genetics.

Fischer will be presented the award at the P-IE networking session during the Entomological Society of America meeting in St. Louis in November. She will also receive a cash award, a plaque and the opportunity to present research.

Fischer works under the guidance of entomology professor and adviser Fiona Goggin in the lab for plant-insect interactions. Her research focuses on the role of reactive oxygen species in signaling for plant defense to aphids.

"I'm thrilled to receive this award, especially knowing all the talented and hardworking individuals in my field who were considered for it," said Fischer. "And I'm grateful to the Plant-Insect Ecosystem section of the Entomological Society of America for providing an opportunity to showcase my research to a large audience. I'm also glad I could win this award for my advisor, Dr. Fiona Goggin, and our department. Dr. Goggin has been an amazing mentor and incredibly helpful through my degree program. I would not be where I am in my program without her."

Fischer's research focuses on the role of reactive oxygen species in signaling for plant defense to aphids. After earning her doctorate in 2020, she plans to continue researching the molecular aspects of host-plant resistance to insects and eventually work in academia as a teacher and researcher.

"I love my research," said Fischer. "My passion is truly for discovering and understanding the molecular aspects that underlie plant resistance to insects. However, research is not without its ups and downs, so to be acknowledged for the work I've put in for the last few years means a lot to me."

During the spring, Fischer earned the Scholar Award from the Philanthropic Education Organization, which provides merit-based awards for women in the U.S. and Canada who are pursuing doctoral-level degrees at an accredited college or university. She was one of 150 award winners of $15,000 from more than 900 nominees. She is the first Scholar Award winner from the Fayetteville PEO chapter.

Fischer, from Beatrice, Nebraska, has also previously been named Conviron Scholar by the American Society of Plant Biologists, and earned the Lillian and Alex Feir Graduate Student Travel Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry or Molecular Biology from the Entomological Society of America.

She has served as president of the Arkansas Entomological Society and as president of the student Entomology Club.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.