Seun Oladipupo, an Alumnus of the Federal University of Technology Akure,FUTA and currently a Ph.D. student of Entomology at Auburn University, USA has been awarded the Vetoquinol and Societe Francaise de Parasitologie Young Scientist Scholarship of France.
The scholarship instituted at the initiative of the veterinary pharmaceutical multinational firm Vetoquinol, in collaboration with the French Society of Parasitology (SFP) will enable Oladipupo enjoy a fully funded trip to attend the Entomology Summer course Organized by Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse in France.
The course, which starts on the 5th of July, offers a global perspective, from theory to practice, on vector-borne diseases, vector ecology, resistance in arthropod populations, control tools, principles of laboratory rearing, and morphological identification of arthropods of medical and veterinary importance.
The “Young Scientist Award” aims to support the participation of an outstanding PhD student from the Global South to foster continuous education in medical and veterinary entomology also in the developing world.
According to Dr Vincenzo Lorusso, initiator of the Award, “The Young Scientist Award aims to provide an enriching and empowering opportunity to a promising ‘in-training’ entomologist from the Global South, with a view to contributing to the strengthening of entomological capacity and know-how in areas of the world where such skills can be particularly crucial for communities’ public health”.
“This specialised event in the field of Entomology offers a varied training to students coming from Europe and other continents with diverse backgrounds. The program is dense and rich with internationally renowned lecturers. Thanks to the sponsor Vetoquinol, and with the support of the French Society of Parasitology, a scholarship is offered to a student from the Global South; this can be the initiation of future collaborations with researchers working in the field of Entomology”, said Prof Isablle Villena, President of the French Society of Parasitology
“Oladipupo had his B.Tech in Biology in 2012 at FUTA and M.Tech in Environmental Biology and Public Health in 2017 which he passed with Distinction at the same University.
He served as a Teaching Assistant in FUTA before proceeding to Auburn University for his Ph.D. programme specializing in the biology, physiology, and management of medical and urban pests.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Joseph Fuwape, has congratulated Oladipupo describing him as an excellent ambassador of FUTA who is projecting the excellence of FUTA on the global academic stage.