Aviva Goldmann

2013 Scholarship Recipient

Aviva Goldmann is a 3rd year PhD candidate studying biological control of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP)  in California. ACP is a serious threat to California citrus because it can vector a bacterium which causes a disease in citrus trees. To help optimize classical biocontrol of ACP, she will characterize, collect, and identify the sex pheromone of Tamarixia radiata, a parasitoid of ACP, and use it to develop a simple monitoring tool for population-level field experiments. To advance augmentative and/or conservation biocontrol of ACP, Aviva will describe the native arthropod natural enemy community, determine relative numbers of ACP consumed by natural enemies by DNA-based gut analysis, and produce a ranking of the candidate predators for conservation biological control and/or mass rearing.

Aviva developed a vocational interest in insect biology during her undergraduate studies at U.C. Berkeley. Entomology combined with a long-standing interest in agroecology made biological control a natural fit. Before beginning graduate studies, Aviva worked as a technician at  in Dr. Nick Mills’ lab at U.C. Berkeley for three years, where she worked on biological control of agricultural pests, including walnut aphid, mealy plum aphid, spider mites, and light brown apple moth.

Aviva will use the funds provided by this award to attend and present her work at the 2013 Entomological Society of America national meeting and the 2014 ESA Pacific Branch annual meeting.  After completing her PhD, she plans to work with specialty fruit and nut growers through UC Extension, industry, and/or private consulting to improve and promote biological control and integrative pest management in California.

After completing her PhD, she plans to work with specialty fruit and nut growers through UC Extension, industry, and/or private consulting to improve and promote biological control and integrative pest management in California.