We are accepting applications for the 2024 HPI Workshop on vector biology, with a focus on mosquitoes. The workshop is open to anyone with a basic life sciences / biology background and does not require previous experience with mosquitoes or vector biology.

This workshop provides an opportunity for participants to learn basic tenants of vector ecology, primarily focusing on mosquitoes. This workshop will broaden participants knowledge of vectors, the pathogens they transmit, and the methods used to control them. Workshop sessions will introduce participants to the basic biology, applied sampling methods, and public and veterinary health importance of mosquitoes. Participants learn material from a range of disciplines that contribute to the study and control of disease vectors.

This workshop builds on our first two successful workshops in 2022 and 2023. Last year, we had more than twenty trainees attend the workshop. Instructors will be drawn from academia, government, and mosquito surveillance and abatement such that participants will be exposed to a variety of careers and ways in which the study and control of ectoparasites is practiced across North America. After completing the workshop, attendees will be eligible for a micro-credential sponsored by the University of Calgary. Microcredential information is available at https://badges.ucalgary.ca/badges/230. For practitioners in Alberta, continuing education and/or pesticide applicator credit (CEUS) are available, as well.

Meals and accommodations for the duration of the workshop are provided on site at the Biogeosciences Institute. Registration will be free for trainees from Host-Parasite Interactions Training Network labs. Exact registration fee will depend on number of attendees but will be no more than ~$400 CAD.  Registration fees will be collected at a later date, and exact cost of the workshop will depend on total attendees.  We expect to have room for all applicants, but spots will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once an application is received, you will receive information from the course coordinator within a few days.