Scholarships
Two student opportunities are offered by the Florida Mosquito Control Foundation for students seeking degrees in fields related to arthropod control with emphasis on Public Health. Individuals may apply for both opportunities, however, the same student cannot be selected for both awards in the same year. Previous winners are eligible to apply as long the requirements are met. Winners are expected to attend the annual FMCA meeting and attendance will be partially supported by the FMCF.
Cyrus R. Lesser Student Paper Competition
The Florida Mosquito Control Foundation is proud to announce the administration of The Cyrus R. Lesser Memorial Scholarship to the winner of the student paper competition at the Florida Mosquito Control Annual Meeting.
Cyrus R. Lesser worked in the field of mosquito control for 38 years until his unexpected passing in 2007. Cy started his career in the State of Maryland as the Biologist for the Mosquito Control Section, later as the Program Manager and finally as Chief of Operations. Cy was also past President of the American Mosquito Control Association, served on the Board of Directors for the AMCA for 6 years, and held numerous professional awards and recognitions. Cy was a forward-thinker, a leader and an invaluable industry resource and mentor. In memory of Cy, members of the profession, industry, and family established this scholarship to support graduate and/or undergraduate research in the field of operational mosquito control.
The purpose of student paper competition is to foster future learning in the field of mosquito control and vector biology. Students will compete by presenting their research that ties into the field of operational vector control. The winner of the Cyrus R. Lesser Student Paper Competition will receive $2000. In addition, five abstracts submitted for the student paper competition will be selected by a committee to receive travel funds of $250 to attend the meeting.
The following criteria have been established to choose the five abstracts for the travel award:
- The applicant must submit an abstract (200 words maximum) to [email protected] by the deadline of Oct. 1st, 2023 and identify that they are planning on participating in the Cyrus R. Lesser student oral paper competition.
- On the application below for the travel assistance, the applicant must provide their current GPA, including their major and minor if applicable.
- The travel award will be based upon course of study and dedication to the profession.
- The travel award is open to any graduate or undergraduate student pursuing studies in the field of mosquito control, mosquito biology and/or vector management that have not previously attended a Florida mosquito Control Association Meeting.
- The scholarship is restricted to United States residents.
- The student must be enrolled within an accredited US college or university. Additionally, applicants 1-year post graduating can still apply for the travel award and student paper competition.
Previous Winners of the Cy Lesser FMCA Scholarship
| Year Awarded | Recipient | Affiliation |
| 2014 | Edward Foley IV | Florida Gulf Coast University |
| 2015 | Casey Parker | University of Florida |
| 2016 | Robert Aldridge | University of Florida |
| 2017 | Christopher Bibbs | University of Florida |
| 2018 | Casey Parker | University of Florida |
| 2019 | Alexandria Watkins | Florida Gulf Coast University |
| 2020 | Remy Powell | University of Florida |
| 2021 | Jacob Hart | University of Central Florida |
| 2022 | Abdullah Alomar | University of Florida |
| 2023 | Hunter Martin | University of Florida |
| 2024 | Connor Kuppe | Anastasia Mosquito Control District |
T. Wainwright Miller Scholarship
The T. Wainwright Miller, Jr Scholarship is offered by the Florida Mosquito Control Foundation for students seeking degrees in fields related to arthropod control with emphasis on Public Health. Previous winners are eligible to apply if the scholarship requirements are met. The winner is expected to attend the annual FMCA meeting and attendance will be partially supported by the FMCF.
The T. Wainwright Miller, Jr. Florida Mosquito Control Association Scholarship is managed and awarded by the Foundation. The purpose of the Scholarship is to encourage and assist students having a major in Biological, Ecological and/or Entomological studies who are seeking degrees relevant to arthropod control, with particular emphasis on Public Health fields. First place recipients will receive a one-time scholarship award of $2,000.00.
T. Wainwright Miller, a fourth generation Floridian, began his public service career at the age of 14, spending two years in Washington D.C. in the House of Representatives under the wing of Congressman Joe Hendricks. Born in Clearwater and raised in Kissimmee, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II before earning a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in Atlanta. In 1988, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of Business Administration by Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Florida, Louisiana, and Massachusetts. Mr. Miller moved to Ft. Myers in 1956, where he helped establish the Lee County Mosquito Control District and administered programs in Lee County for mosquito and aquatic weed control until his retirement in 1994. He served as President of the Florida Anti-Mosquito Association and the Aquatic Plant Management Society and served as Secretary for both organizations for ten years. He also served as Secretary of the American Mosquito Control Association for seven years. He was named Engineer of the Year by the Calusa Chapter of the American Society of Civil engineers in 1989, and again by the Southwest Florida Chapter in 1993. Also, in 1993 he was named to the Hall of Success at Georgia Tech and in 1997 was inducted into the Engineering Hall of Fame. Mr. Miller has served as Trustee, President and CEO of the John E. and Aliese Price Foundation since 1983.
Application Information and Application Form
Online applications and college or university transcripts must be received no later than October 1st, 2024 to be considered. Transcripts are to be mailed to Dr. Whitney Qualls, 120 EOC Drive, St. Augustine, FL 32092. Make sure to plan extra time for the transcripts to be received by the deadline since they have to be mailed from the University.
You must complete this application, IN ITS ENTIRETY, once you begin the process. YOU CANNOT save your entered data and return at a later time to complete the submission.
You will need the following information to complete this submission; please have this information readily available:
- Overall Grade Point Average
- Major Grade Point Average
- Credit Hours Completed
You will have the opportunity to upload the following supporting documentation; please have these items ready to upload.
- Proof of current enrollment at a Florida College or University.
- One color headshot photograph of the applicant.
- Statement from the student describing their interest in public health entomology, career goals, and other factors pertinent to scholastic ability which illustrate qualifications for the scholarship (limited to 1,000 words).
IMPORTANT! You will also need reference letters from three (3) persons (two of which are from professors from your academic institution) who are knowledgeable individuals attesting to your entomological interests, character, and aptitude. Upon completion of this application, you will need to have your three reference statements emailed to: Whitney Qualls Email: [email protected].
Appropriate file formats for document uploads include: DOC, DOCX, PDF, and for pictures: JPG, JPEG, BMP, GIF, or PNG, File sizes are restricted to 10 Mb each. Please have these documents available BEFORE beginning the submission process.
You will receive an email confirming receipt of your application and that supporting documents have been successfully submitted to the FMCA.
For more information please contact:
Whitney Qualls
Anastasia Mosquito Control District
120 EOC Drive, St. Augustine, FL 32092
Phone: 904-484-7337
Email: [email protected]
Previous Winners of the T. Wainwright Miller, Jr. FMCA Scholarship
| Year Awarded | Award | Recipient | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1st Place | Stephanie Larrick | University of Florida |
| 2008 | 2nd Place | Whitney Swan | University of Florida |
| 2009 | 1st Place | Aaron Lloyd | University of Florida |
| 2009 | 2nd Place | Whitney Swan | University of Florida |
| 2010 | 1st Place | Natasha Marie Elejalde | University of Florida |
| 2010 | 2nd Place | Sheri Anderson | University of Florida |
| 2011 | 1st Place | Ali Messenger | University of Florida |
| 2011 | 2nd Place | Whitney Swan | University of Florida |
| 2012 | 1st Place | Kylie Zirbel | University of Florida |
| 2012 | 2nd Place | Eva Buckner | University of Florida |
| 2013 | 1st Place | Eva Buckner | University of Florida |
| 2013 | 2nd Place | Robert Aldridge | University of Florida |
| 2013 | 2nd Place | Kylie Zirbel | University of Florida |
| 2014 | 1st Place | Jill Ulrich | University of Miami |
| 2015 | 1st Place | Catherine Pruszynski | Florida Keys Mosquito Control |
| 2016 | 1st Place | Rebecca Zimler | University of Florida |
| 2017 | 1st Place | Casey Parker | University of Florida |
| 2018 | 1st Place | Christopher Bibbs | University of Florida |
| 2018 | 2nd Place | Joshua Raji | Florida International University |
| 2019 | 1st Place | Stephanie Mundis | University of Florida |
| 2020 | 1st place | Kristin Sloyer | University of Florida |
| 2021 | 1st place | Abdullah Alomar | University of Florida |
| 2022 | 1st place | Kyle Kosinski | University of Florida |
| 2023 | 1st place | Miranda Tressler | University of Florida |
