FAMU Press Release:

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA —

The Florida A&M University Center for Biological Control will
sponsor a Symposium and Open House on April 8-9, 2010 to celebrate “Ten Years of Partnership and
Excellence.” The event will take place in the FAMU Teleconference Center, located at 2010 Pinder Drive.

At the symposium, the research team in the FAMU Center for Biological Control will be formally presented “The Friends of IPM ‘Pulling Together’ Award,” by Dr. Steve Toth, Associate Director of the
Southern Region Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Center.

The Southern Region Integrated Pest
Management Center is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and
fosters the development and adoption of IPM, a science-based approach to managing pests in ways that
generate economic, environmental and human health benefits.

The research team members to be honored includes: Kenneth Bloem, Wills Flowers, Muhammad Haseeb, Stephen Hight, Raymond Hix, Jesusa Legaspi, Moses T.K. Kairo, Lambert H.B. Kanga and
Stuart R. Reitz. The diverse backgrounds and the variety of their accomplishments helped the team be selected to earn this year’s Pulling Together Award.

Through its ongoing projects, the CBC unites experts from the Florida A&M University College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture (CESTA); USDA Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Research in the Center focuses on
the prevention and management of invasive pests, along with the development of ecologically based pest
management.

Research conducted through the CBC significantly benefits US agriculture and environmental health, including savings of approximately $75 million annually to the vegetable industry
by the prevention of direct losses from pests; preservation of honeybee colonies, which are vital to most pollinated crops; and safeguarding of prickly pear cactus, which is a major ecological component of the southwestern deserts.

The Awards Ceremony will take place on April 9, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. Several dignitaries from the “Friends of IPM,” FAMU and USDA will be participating in the ceremony including: Dr. Larry
Robinson, Vice President for Sponsored Research, Florida A&M University; Dr. Edward Knipling, the
USDA Agriculture Research Service Administrator; Dr. Deborah Brennan, South Atlantic Area Director,
ARS and senior USDA APHIS personnel, along with other collaborators.
Dr. Moses Kairo, director, CBC stated, "This recognition provides an ideal platform for us to
launch a new strategic plan for the CBC. The strong partnerships that exist between the FAMU, CESTA
and USDA provide a stable foundation for us to build and expand our research efforts to successfully
meet the challenges in the agricultural and environmental industries. I think the Center team is highly
capable and well positioned to serve society through science and scientific study."

Kairo will launch a
new strategic plan for the center immediately following the awards ceremony.

To close out the celebration, scientists and student researchers will participate in a Poster Session
(April 9) 11:25-1:00 p.m. in the Walter L. Smith School of Architecture. The Open House and Tour will
take place at the Center facility, located on 6505 Mahan Drive, from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

For more information, please contact Dr. Moses Kairo, Associate Research Director, FAMU
Center for Biological Control, Office: 850.412.7062; and Email: moses.kairo@famu.edu.