François Verheggen receives the Désiré Jaumain Foundation Award
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Assistant lecturer at the Laboratory of Functional and Evolutionary Entomology (TERRA Research Unit - Faculty of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech) François Verheggen was awarded the Désiré Jaumain Foundation prize in the field of science and environment related to living organisms, for his work entitled "Development of new methods of biological control against undesirable insects".
François Verheggen has been interested for the past dozen years in insects that attack our plant production. Together with his team, he is developing new biological control methods that are more respectful of the environment and human health. In particular, he works on odorous molecules (semio-chemicals) capable of repelling insects out of fields and orchards, or attracting them into traps. He also seeks to valorize the natural enemies of insect pests, beetles are among the insects he studies. He has established numerous collaborations with companies active in the search for organic alternatives and some of his work has resulted in the commercialization of organic products. François Verheggen attaches great importance to North-South collaborations, alien and invasive species, criminal entomology or the impact of climate change on biodiversity. Criminal entomology and the impact of climate change on entomological biodiversity are just some of his other passions and research projects.
Désiré Jaumain Foundation
The Foundation Désiré Jaumain, a non-profit foundation in the fields of Science, Art and Culture in Wallonia, intends to encourage initiatives in these fields by awarding a prize every two years for one of these fields. The Foundation's aim is to help the development of Wallonia, to harmonise and coordinate the aspirations of all Wallonians by rewarding exceptional merits or by making possible exceptional efforts likely to bring moral or material benefits to Wallonia or one of its provinces in the field of science and their applications, arts and culture.