Professors Mike and Brenda Wingfield recently embarked on a six-month sabbatical in the USA, based at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville.  At UF, they are visiting scholars in the School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences as well as Plant Pathology, all part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS).  More specifically they are the guests of Profs Jiri Hulcr, Jeremy Brawner and Matthew Smith, all having an interest in tree health, beetle/microbe interactions and mycology.  Their time at UF will include seminars presented at various universities and conferences, as well as meetings with colleagues and collaborators in the country. Some specific research projects will include a study of the fungi associated with some southern USA Pine-infesting beetles and diseases of Eucalyptus grown in the area.  As part of their visit, they will be joined by Dr Nam Pham, a Postdoctoral Fellow in FABI, who will support Mike and Brenda with aspects of the laboratory and field work.