Center-Funded Tick Projects

Since 2007, the Northeastern Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Center has funded approximately nine tick-related projects, recognizing that ticks are a significant pest of humans, pets, and livestock, capable of transmitting a number of pathogens.

Two of these projects have been funded in the last few years:

2022: Production/management profile (PMP) grant awarded to Allison Gardner, associate professor at the University of Maine: Production/management profile for arthropod pests of horses in Maine. Gardner sought to develop Maine’s first equine PMP, focusing on arthropod pests. Maine has one of the largest horse populations per capita in the region, underscoring the relevance of this work, although Gardner pointed out that the results of the project would likely prove useful throughout the region, given similarities of pests and pathogens.

2023: Partnership Grant awarded to Thomas Mather, professor at the University of Rhode Island: #BeReadyForTicks: A digital media tick-bite prevention education campaign with just-in-time learning tools, based on the premise that the most effective way to help people avoid tick bites and tick-borne disease is to provide actionable knowledge at the moment they’re most likely to need it—for instance, when starting a hike in areas known to be tick habitats. The project aimed to develop a #BeReadyForTicks digital media campaign, partnering with organizations throughout the region to post QR-code-enabled signage to warn visitors of the presence of ticks and provide convenient access to up-to-date detailed information.

The Center has also produced impact statements on some of the other tick-related projects we’ve funded, along with a separate impact statement on tick IPM as a whole. Visit neipmc.org/go/impacts to peruse all current impact statements, which are designed as downloadable, printable PDF documents.

A key portion of the Center’s remit is funding projects that address critical and emerging pest-related issues in the Northeast. Visit neipmc.org/go/grants for more information about the grants we award, including how and when to apply, and follow Center news for announcements about grant opportunities.