Michelle Susan Samuel-Foo is an American biologist and Assistant Professor of Biology at

Alabama State University Alabama State University (ASU, Bama State, or Alabama State) is a public historically Black university in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1867, during the Reconstruction era, it was one of about 180 " normal schools" established by state gove ...

. She serves as President of the Southeastern Entomological Society of America. In 2020 Samuel-Foo became the first African-American person to win a major award for

entomology Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

when she was awarded the

Entomological Society of America The Entomological Society of America (ESA) was founded in 1889 and today has more than 7,000 members, including educators, extension personnel, consultants, students, researchers, and scientists from agricultural departments, health agencies, ...

Founders' Memorial Recognition.

Early life and education

Samuel-Foo is from

Sangre Grande Sangre Grande () is the largest town in northeastern Trinidad and Tobago. It is located east of Arima and southwest of the village of Toco. It is the seat of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation and capital of the region. Overview and histo ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

. Her parents were cash crop growers, and she helped them to sell vegetables in markets. Samuel-Foo started college determined to study biology, but became fascinated by the world of

. She earned her undergraduate degree at

Brewton–Parker College Brewton–Parker College is a private Baptist college in Mount Vernon, Georgia, United States. Brewton–Parker was founded in 1904 and is affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention.Turner, Ann C."Brewton-Parker College"New Georgia Enc ...

, where she was awarded a scholarship. She decided to stay in academic research after a conversation with the school's head of science, David McMillin, who encouraged her to look for graduate schools. She was a graduate student at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

, where she studied the resistance of ''

Triticum aestivatum Common wheat (''Triticum aestivum''), also known as bread wheat, is a cultivated wheat species. About 95% of wheat produced worldwide is common wheat; it is the most widely grown of all crops and the cereal with the highest monetary yield. Ta ...

'' (common wheat) to '' Mayetiola destructor'' (

hessian fly The Hessian fly (''Mayetiola destructor''), or barley midge, is a species of fly that is a significant pest of cereal crops, including wheat, barley and rye. Though a native of Asia, upon its discovery it was believed to have been transported in ...

). At the time, she was one of only two minority students in the department. Her dissertation committee was chaired by H. Roger Boerma, who was well known for the

Soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source o ...

Improvement Programme. After graduating, Samuel-Foo joined the programme, which is where she first experienced

DNA sequencing DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. The ...

and molecular breeding.

Research and career

In 2009 Samuel-Foo joined the faculty at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

. Here she worked to support the registration of speciality crops in the Southern States and

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. She was made regional field coordinator of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

Interregional Research Project No. 4 (IR-4) Project. From 2015 to 2017 Samuel-Foo served as President of the International Association of Black Entomologists and on the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Food Crops Society. Samuel-Foo joined the faculty of

in 2018, where she leads the programme on industrial hemp research. When she arrived at

she established an urban teaching garden that looks to introduce students to sustainable agriculture. In 2020 Samuel-Foo was named President-Elect of the Southeastern Entomological Society of America. She provided expert guidance to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

congress on the ''Murder Hornet Eradication Act'', which looks to eliminate the

Asian giant hornet The Asian giant hornet (''Vespa mandarinia''), also known as the northern giant hornet, and the Japanese giant hornet, is the world's largest hornet. It is native to temperate and tropical East Asia, South Asia, mainland Southeast Asia, and par ...

(so-called murder hornet), an invasive species that is predatory to

honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the ...

s. In her testimony, Samuel-Foo spoke about the devastating impact of the murder hornets on the

honey bee population, as well as their potential threat to critical agriculture. In May 2020 Samuel-Foo was awarded the

Founders' Memorial prize, and dedicated her award lecture to the research of Ernest J. Harris. Harris was the first Black entomologist to be the subject of the Founders' lecture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuel-Foo, Michelle Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent American women entomologists Alabama State University faculty People from Sangre Grande region University of Florida alumni American women biologists University of Florida faculty African-American women scientists African-American biologists Brewton–Parker College alumni University of Georgia alumni American women academics 21st-century African-American scientists 21st-century African-American women