UH Manoa's HAW-FLYPM Prograrm Receives USDA's Highest Honor

UH professor Ronald Mau and team members awarded 2004 Secretary's Honor Award

HONOLULU — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded its 2004 Secretary‘s Honor Award to Ronald Mau, an entomologist and professor in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at UH Mānoa, and fellow members of the Hawaiʻi Fruit Fly Area-Wide Pest Management (HAW-FLYPM) core team. The most prestigious award presented by the USDA, it recognizes outstanding contributions to agriculture, to the consumers of agriculture products, and to the ability of the USDA to serve rural America.

In addition to Mau, the USDA recognized HAW-FLYPM team members Roger Vargas, UH graduate and project head, and Eric Jang with the USDA-Agriculture Research Service (ARS) in Hilo, and Lyle Wong with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Agriculture. Their development of an effective and sustainable area-wide program to suppress fruit flies in Hawaiʻi will enable the expansion of fruit and vegetable production in rural Hawaiʻi.

"These awards highlight the dedication and talents of ARS employees who contribute in so many ways to improving the world around us," said ARS Acting Administrator Edward B. Knipling. "The accomplishments of each of these honorees exemplify public service at its best."

The HAW-FLYPM program aims to develop and implement environmentally acceptable, biologically based, sustainable pest management strategies that reduce use of insecticides while suppressing fruit flies to economically manageable levels for the benefit of Hawaiʻi. It is funded in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi‘s Cooperative Extension Service, USDA — Agricultural Research Service and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Agriculture.