MS Environmental Health student, Heidi Knecht, was selected as a 2018 Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP) Student Research Competition winner for her work on investigating the impact of a sublethal dose of an insecticide on the ability of mosquitoes to transmit Zika virus. Dr. Stephanie Richards served as her faculty preceptor. AEHAP sponsors the Student Research Competition (SRC) to highlight important environmental health research being conducted by students enrolled in National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC) accredited environmental health degree programs.

Heidi will present the results of her research at the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) Annual Educational Conference in Anaheim, California on June 25-28, 2018. As an SRC winner, she will be awarded an all-expenses paid trip (including hotel accommodation, transportation, conference registration, and meals) to attend the NEHA Conference.  Heidi will conduct both oral and poster presentations titled “Potential for Sublethal Insecticide Exposure to Impact Vector Competence of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) for Zika Virus” at the NEHA Conference.  This is the 6th consecutive year that a graduate student from our EH Program wins this award.  Congratulations, Heidi!