AMCA YPs 2026 May Newsletter

STAY CONNECTED!

Letter from the chairs

A Message from the AMCA Young Professionals Committee Chairs

Nicole (Past Chair), CC (Chair), and Vilma (Co-Chair)

Hi all,

It was wonderful seeing so many of you in Portland! The AMCA Annual Meeting was a great opportunity to make new connections, and re-connect with friends and peers. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, participated, and helped make all of our YP events a success. It was especially meaningful to see new faces, reconnect with colleagues, and hear about the incredible work happening across our field.

As mosquito season begins to ramp up across the country, we know many of you are heading into one of the busiest times of the year. Whether you are in the field, lab or supporting operations behind the scenes, your work is critical to protecting public health. We hope the conversations and connections from Portland continue to support you throughout the season, whether that means troubleshooting challenges, sharing resources, or simply knowing you have a network of peers to lean on. The relationships formed in spaces like these are invaluable, especially during the busy months ahead when collaboration and communication are key.

The Young Professionals Committee is looking forward to building on this momentum with upcoming webinars and resources designed to support your growth and engagement within AMCA.

Wishing you all a productive and successful mosquito season!

Nicole, CC, and Vilma

AMCA Young Professionals Committee Leadership

AMCA YPs Pre-Conference Workshop Recap

AMCA YPs Symposium & Career Roundtables

The YPs Symposium and Career Roundtables at this year’s Annual Meeting saw record breaking attendance, with nearly 50 people at both sessions! We want to say a big thank you to the incredible group of experts who spoke about their professional journeys and experience with Community Engagement at the Symposium sessions and for networking with our YPs at the Career Roundtables. Thank you as well to all who attended, we sincerely hope that you found these activities rewarding and left with inspiration and new connections.

In case you missed these events, here are some words of wisdom from our experts:

AMCA YPs Dinner Sponsored by Clarke

Many thanks to Clarke for supporting another great AMCA YPs Dinner this year in Portland, OR! The dinner was held at The EastBurn where we had delicious appetizers, entrées, desserts, and most importantly, mosquito themed beverages! The dinner was full of energy and networking, so if you attended the YPs Dinner in Portland, thank you kindly for contributing to the energy! If you did not get a chance to attend our very popular YPs Dinner, keep your eyes peeled for the RSVP form for our 2027 YPs events that will be released early 2027. We can't wait to see you in St. Louis!

YP Committee Member Posters and Presentations

A big shoutout to the YP committee members that had posters and presentations! From student competitions, to poster sessions and symposiums, these bright minds have brought new light to their topics of study. They are as follows:

Carla-Cristina Edwards, MS, PhD candidate

Seeing Resistance in a New Light: Using Raman Spectroscopy to Detect Insecticide Resistance in Aedes aegypti

Vilma M. Cooper, PhD

Efficacy of Multiple Control Strategies against Culicoides Biting Midges from Florida

Nicole L. Foley, MS

To Chill or Not to Chill? Optimizing Storage Duration and Temperature for Culex quinquefasciatus Egg Raft Shipping

Dhivya Rajamanickam, PhD candidate

Comprehensive Insights into Mosquito Species Diversity and Habitat-specific Host Selection Patterns in Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, Texas

Cassandra Durden, MS

Evaluating Colorado’s Vector Network: A Survey of Surveillance Practices, Control, and Needs

Jafina Tubbs, BS

Impact of Solvent on Larvicidal Activity of Plant Extracts Against Aedes aegypti

Melissa M. Clawson, BS, MS

An Evaluation of Gravid Traps for West Nile Virus (WNV) and St. Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV) Detections in Culex quintefasciatus in Lubbock, TX

Human Blood Feeding Prevalence in Mosquito Vectors in Lubbock, Texas, 2024

Thank You for Visiting the YPs Booth!

The booth was vibrant as always thanks to all the new and returning faces of AMCA. Whether you came for the games, for the art, or wanted to learn more about the YPs, your interest and support is much appreciated. If you were lucky enough to snag one, we hope you’re sporting the awesome shirt custom-designed by your fellow Young Professional, Anwar Green!

The members of AMCA continue to impress with their art. Thank you to all of the brilliant artists for their kind donations and congratulations to everyone who was able to take home a unique piece of mosquito control culture! The 50/50 Raffle was also a major success! A huge thanks to those who participated in the fundraiser. One lucky winner was able to take home a HUGE grand prize!

With the help of all the wonderful art donors and raffle participants, the AMCA YPs were able to raise well over $3000! All of the proceeds will go towards supporting future YPs events and initiatives.

Upcoming Events

Join the Committee!

Interested in getting more involved with AMCA? Keep an eye out for the upcoming call for applications to join the AMCA Young Professionals Committee, which will be shared broadly across our social media pages and newsletter. Serving on the YP Committee is a rewarding opportunity to network across the association, build valuable leadership and professional skills, develop lasting relationships, and demonstrate your commitment to AMCA and the mosquito control community. We encourage interested members to apply and get involved! Please reach out to amcayps@gmail.com with any questions!

Connect with us

The AMCA YPs have a variety of ways to keep you up to date on any events or opportunities within the group. You can find all of our social media pages on our Linktree site.