Syngenta donates to Pi Chi Omega scholarship

From left: Pi Chi Omega Treasurer Karen Furgiuele; Berry Cothern, of Syngenta; Pi Chi Omega President Dr. Cassie Krejci; and Pi Chi Omega Executive Director Andrea Coron. PHOTO: SYNGENTA

Syngenta delivered its annual scholarship donation to industry fraternity Pi Chi Omega during the National Pest Management Association’s (NPMA’s) Legislative Day in Washington D.C.

Pi Chi Omega President Dr. Cassie Krejci, Treasurer Karen Furgiuele and Executive Director Andrea Coron accepted the contribution of $4,500 from Berry Cothern, of Syngenta.

This contribution helps Pi Chi Omega provide scholarship funds and research support to students studying urban entomology at the undergraduate and graduate level.

“They say, ‘it takes a village,” and I will kindly adopt that phrase for the Pi Chi Omega Scholarship program. We thank the Syngenta team – an integral part of the Pi Chi Omega village – for their continued support of students through the Pi Chi Omega scholarship program,” Dr. Krejci said in the news release.

Syngenta’s continued commitment to match what was previously donated as part of the yearly Copesan Conference, ensures Pi Chi Omega’s long tradition of awarding scholarships will continue well into the future.

Berry Cothern, district manager for professional pest management at Syngenta, North America, said, “We have dedicated one-third of our giving program to Pi Chi Omega because we recognize the long-term impact of the Pi Chi Omega scholarship program.”

Funding the studies of six students a year, over nearly five decades, has resulted in 145 students whose scientific discoveries positively impact the industry’s ability to manage pests, Cothern explains. Many of those individuals have become an integral part of the structural pest management industry: “Syngenta is proud to partner with organizations like Pi Chi Omega in the continual support of entomology students who fuel industry growth and innovation.”

Pi Chi Omega provides five $2,000 scholarships, and one $3,000 scholarship each year to deserving entomology students at universities in undergraduate and graduate programs.