Winners of the 2017 CAPS Recognition Award and their accomplishments are listed below.
Chris Rallis
State Survey Coordinator
New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food
Chris continued to support the CAPS Program and community, especially in the areas of capacity building, tool development, and use of technology to provide valuable outreach resources to scouts and pest managers. Chris routinely identified and addressed critical pest detection needs, initiated projects, and worked independently and as part of a collaborative team.
Chris dutifully fulfilled the target objectives of the exotic woodborer and bark beetle survey and, additionally, sorted and identified (often to species) the bycatch collected during the survey. This considerable extra effort provided valuable information about the woodborer beetle distribution in the state and significantly increased the benefit of the survey to the state by providing both positive and negative collection data. Last year, Chris identified several species not present in the department’ or the University of New Hampshire’s collection.
Over the last year, Chris has worked to expand and improve the screening aid for Eastern Scolytinae to make it easier and more useful for identifying samples by species. His objectives were (1) to maximize the positive attributes of high-quality photographs to illustrate characteristics and linkages within a user-friendly platform, and (2) to provide users access to complete identification keys of known Scolytinae. This has considerably increased his identification efficiency and builds capacity within the department by providing an easy-to-use, illustrated screening tool for those with less experience in identifying bark beetles.
Chris additionally served multiple critical roles in developing and publishing growing degree day resources for New Hampshire in a multiagency effort. The project provided background information on how to use growing degree days to improve pest management, easily accessible current-year growing degree day accumulations for accurately timing surveys and other pest management activities, and tables highlighting important degree day thresholds and targets for the management of many common agricultural, landscape and forest insect pests.
Susan Schechter
Senior CAPSIS User Services Administrator
Purdue University
Susan’s sincere willingness to help and provide guidance has been a hallmark of her career with the Center for Environmental and Regulatory Information Systems (CERIS) at Purdue University. Susan was always available and willing to spend the time to help troubleshoot and answer questions from the CAPS community across the country. Susan took the time to introduce new users, and even more experienced users, to the various components of the CAPS Information Systems (CAPSIS). She was instrumental in coordinating the development and refinement of CAPSIS with APHIS and state cooperators and spent long hours with users on an individual basis patiently explaining and exploring their interaction with the Survey Summary Form and the NAPIS database.
Susan worked with many in the CAPS community to explain and facilitate understanding and utilization of new technology in her CAPS services support role. When states have had trouble uploading data to NAPIS, Susan often would notice this from her computer and proactively call that state to assist. She was always positive and professional in her interactions, with an eye to improving the user experience and efficiency. In this regard, Susan routinely went above and beyond her job description. She is service-oriented, a problem solver and a team player.
Susan also was instrumental in the development and implementation of the highly successful Phytophthora ramorum notification system. She was always immediately available if or when users had problems getting logged into the system. This system has provided a streamlined, standard and secure online notification process to receiving state officials and shipping nurseries. Susan was the primary developer of this system that has had a significant impact on making sure states were receiving consistent prenotifications for shipments of high-risk material from the P. ramorum quarantine areas. It has greatly aided both shipping nurseries and receiving states. Susan worked closely with the National Plant Board members to gather input on the development of the system and in making refinements and improvements along the way. States had very favorable feedback about the system and, as a result, are considering other ways the system might be used for other pests and diseases.
Congratulations Chris and Susan!
The CAPS Recognition Award consists of a Pest Detection silver coin (highly prized and somewhat rare). Chris and Susan will be publically recognized at the 2017 National Plant Board Awards Banquet in Savannah, Georgia.
The National Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) Program wishes to recognize outstanding activities and achievements by members of the CAPS community, including State Survey Coordinators, Pest Survey Specialists, State Plant Regulatory Officials, State Plant Health Directors, and other individuals and groups. These individuals or groups (which may include additional cooperators) shall be nominated for work done in support of Pest Detection activities and the CAPS community, accomplished in the previous calendar year.
Next year at this time we will be announcing CAPS Recognition awardees for activities and achievements accomplished during 2017. Be aware of the work and distinctions that set your SPHD, SPRO, PSS, SSC, or other individuals and groups apart from the rest, and nominate them for CAPS Recognition next year. More detail appears in the CAPS Recognition and CAPS Recognition Nomination Form> documents, and in the National Pest Surveillance Guidelines on the CAPS Resource & Collaboration website. The next call for nominations will go out in January 2018.