Scholarship boost for future entomologists

Posted 25 November 2014

More postgraduate entomology students will be able to take advantage of a coveted scholarship worth £4,000, thanks to an increase in funding from the Royal Entomological Society.

Due to the success of the MSc Entomology course at Harper Adams, the Society will now fund five 50% bursaries each year.

Harper Adams is the only UK institution to teach general and applied entomology at postgraduate level and is committed to helping to address the challenges within UK plant science.

Professor of Entomology, Professor Simon Leather, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer more students this bursary, and given the current skills shortage within our sector, hope it will encourage them to pursue a career within entomology.

“We are proud to deliver a successful postgraduate course in the subject, and to receive recognition from the Society for this is rewarding for both Harper Adams and the staff and researchers that work here.

“It’s their passion and vast expertise that is helping to produce the quality graduates that the Society has commended us for.”

Entomology is the scientific study of insects, and investigates the important role that they play in all of our ecosystems. As well as beneficial insects, many are also important pests of agriculture, horticulture and forestry, and some may cause human health problems.

Students will be able to apply for the £4,000 scholarship once they have accepted an offer of a place on the course at Harper Adams.

They will need to submit a statement to explain why they have selected the course, what modules are of particular interest and how the scholarship will benefit them.

In addition to the scholarship, students will also benefit from new specialist facilities when a dedicated entomology building is opened on campus next year.

The building, funded by the Jean Jackson Charitable Trust, will include a laboratory and insect culturing facilities.

The deadline for scholarship applications is August 28, 2015, with enrolment taking place in September.