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UNIVERSITY PARK -- Penn State Extension Master Gardeners triumphed at the International Master Gardener Conference held June 18-22 in Overland Park, Kan., earning first place in the research category of the David Gibby Search for Excellence Awards for their exceptional volunteer work and dedication to bee monitoring. The conference hosted 1,130 Master Gardeners and extension professionals from 44 U.S. states, Canada and England.
"It is thrilling to have the honor of joining my Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in receiving this award and for our data collection efforts to be recognized," Susan Janton, Master Gardener from Cumberland County, said.
Named after David Gibby from Washington State University, who created the Extension Master Gardener program in 1972, the award celebrates the efforts and talents of Master Gardener volunteers. Earning first place in the research category were 20 Penn State Master Gardeners who partnered with the lab of Margarita López-Uribe, associate professor of entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, in a multiyear effort to increase understanding of Pennsylvania's native bee population. This project leverages Master Gardeners' interest in pollinators while providing advanced training on the protocols used to collect, pin, label and identify native bees.