Entomology in Academia: Where do we go from here?

1. Entomology in Academia:Where do we go from here?

2. Historical Perspective: Entomology in Academia Developed in Land Grant Universities • Teaching • Morrill Act 1862 established LGU’s to “bring higher education of a practical nature to citizens of ordinary means.” • Morrill Act 1890 • Provided for annual appropriations to support state LG colleges • Extended LG status to historically black state colleges

3. Entomology in Academia: Research • Hatch Act 1887 – established State Agricultural Experiment Stations • Linked ag research to universities • Bankhead-Jones Act 1935 – • Formula funding for research • Additional funding for research into basic problems of agriculture

4. Entomology in Academia: Extension • Smith Lever Act 1914 – created Cooperative Extension Service • To aid in disseminating useful and practical information relating to agriculture and home economics to the public

5. The Winds of Change – Post WWII • National Science Policy was established • Build the economy • train PhD scientists to meet needs of government, industry, & academia • National Science Foundation – 1950 • Support education and fundamental research in all scientific and engineering disciplines • Ensure leadership in scientific discovery and technology development • Advance national health, prosperity and welfare • Secure the national defense

6. NSF Budget Growth

7. The Winds of Change – Post WWII • National Institutes of Health grants program extended to all institutes – 1946 • Funding for research in life sciences developed and grew independently from agricultural research

8. USDA R&D Funding

9. USDA funding shifting to competitive • USDA Competitive Funding programs began in 1979: • $40 million • National Research Initiative funded in 1990 • $73 million Hatch and NRI funding $ millions

10. Historical Perspective:Demographic changes • Population growth • Urbanization and decline in farm population • Total Ag Employment (2002) 14.3% • Production 1.8% • Farm inputs 0.2% • Processing & marketing 1.5% • Wholesale & retail 10.1%

11. Changes in the Structure of Agriculture • Technology intensive • Increase in farm size and efficiency • Consolidation of input suppliers • Global markets • Increased international competition • Consumer driven markets

12. Historical Perspective: Increase in agricultural productivity -167% since 1948

13. Improved Agricultural Productivity • Abundant and inexpensive food and fiber • Production agriculture issues are not a national priority

14. Historical Perspective: Growth of Social and Environmental Issues • Silent Spring – 1962 • Provided stimulus for creation of EPA, cancellation of DDT, growth of IPM • Hard Tomatoes Hard Times: A report of the Agribusiness Accountability Project on the Failure of America’s Land Grant College Complex – 1973 • Focused attention on social costs of technological advances in agriculture

15. Huffaker Project, IPM, and Entomology • “The Principles, Strategies, and Tactics of Pest Population Regulation and Control in Major Crop Ecosystems” 1972-1978 • Funded by NSF, USDA, EPA for $14 million • To develop improved, ecologically oriented pest management systems that optimize long-term costs and benefits of crop protection to the farmer, society, and the environment • Involved >250 scientists from 19 universities, USDA & USFS • Changed focus and scope of entomological research • Stimulated growth in numbers of faculty in entomology and crop protection disciplines

16. Expansion of Undergraduate Population • Response to population growth and increasing affluence • Permanent budgets of LGU’s and departments linked to undergraduate education • Positions linked to academic budget line

17. Advances in Science • Conceptual and technological advances leading to new insights, new paradigms, new avenues of inquiry • Medical Advances • Consumer products • Improved communications • Economic Growth

18. Link between Science and Economic Growth • Growth in private sector engagement in proprietary research in food, plant, animal, and medical sciences • Private sector funding of academic research • Proprietary information • Increase public expectation that investments in scientific research should lead to near-term economic and health benefits

19. Advances in Science and Increased Specialization • Drowning in information • Disciplinary Fragmentation

20. NRC Report “Colleges of Agriculture at the Land Grant Universities: Public Service and Public Policy” 1996 • Greater relevance and accessibility through programs that embody an expanded view of the modern food and agricultural production system • Stronger linkages among teaching, research, and extension • Encouragement of research, teaching and extension collaborations that cross disciplines, institutions and states • Heightened accountability and quality through competitive funding

21. Entomology: a taxon based discipline • Unifying element – focus on insects and related arthropods • Existence as distinct discipline rests on • Mitigation of insect-related problems • Ability to contribute to understanding or solutions to larger, non-entomological problems • Contributes to advances in fundamental science and draws on advances in other scientific disciplines to • Expand knowledge of insects • Devise solutions to problems

22. Facing the Future: What are the big issues? • Static or declining Federal & state budgets for research / extension • Growth in competitive funding • Institutional demands for • Cutting edge, innovative, high impact science • Responsiveness to clientele needs • Programmatic relevance to big issues of societal concern • Extramural funding – with overhead • Involvement and excellence in undergraduate & graduate teaching • Accountability

23. Entomology is well equipped to meet these demands • Breadth and depth of insect science lends itself to: • Excellence in research at all levels of integration • Relevancy to big issues • Environmental quality • biodiversity, water quality, climate change, invasive species, reducing environmental footprint of ag. • Health & comfort • Safe & secure food supply • Population growth • Responsiveness • Ability to compete for funds

24. NRC Report:Research Model for the Future Fundamental Integrative Research Adaptive Entomology Disseminated Extension Implementation

25. Entomology - spanning the research continuum • Insect behavior – sex pheromones • Behavior, chemistry, ecology • Pest monitoring and detection • Pest suppression – mating disruption: IPM • Insect pathology – Bt • Pathogen host interactions, biochemistry, molecular genetics, genetic engineering, population genetics, population ecology, landscape ecology • GMO plants, Resistance management, Regulatory policy: IPM • Reduced insecticide use • Reduced insecticide run-off, non-target effects, poisonings and disposal issues • Reduced energy use

26. Key to the Future of Entomology in Academia • Maintaining a Broad, Contemporary Research Capability • Relevant and Responsive to state, national & international needs and priorities • Basic and Applied Research/Extension Balance • Environmental • Human health & welfare • Agriculture (state, national, international) • Sub-organism & organism-level biology • Population biology • Community, Landscape, Ecosystem studies • Pest management

27. Entomology is well equipped to meet these demands: Undergraduate Education • Insects capture imagination and are relevant to teaching in biological as well as social sciences and humanities • Enrollment in entomology major/minor programs is limited

28. Entomology is well equipped to meet these demands • Excellence in Graduate Education • Breadth, depth, quality of insect science provides template for outstanding graduate education • Spans the continuum: • Fundamental • Integrative • Adaptive • Dissemination • Implementation

29. Key to the Future of Entomology in Academia:Excellence in Graduate Education • A viable, productive, successful graduate degree program in entomology: • The only thing that a department has that is uniquely entomological • Central to core mission of the University • Cannot be sustained by another administrative unit

30. Successful Graduate Program Requires • Critical mass of faculty • Broad range of scientific expertise • Excellence in contemporary research and itsapplication • Ability to recruit top students • Ability to fill graduate classes and maintain steady flow of graduates • Ability to fund students • Ability to place students

31. Challenges to Sustaining a Successful Graduate Program in Entomology • Maintaining relevancy, identity, visibility • Keeping the entomological context of the program • Bucking the trend toward increasing specialization in science • Disciplinary fragmentation undermines communication, collaboration, & mutual respect among faculty and research areas within a department • Undermines potential for excellence in entomology

32. Challenges to Sustaining a Successful Graduate Program in Entomology • Avoiding over-emphasis on sub-specialties that place entomology in direct competition with other disciplines and graduate programs on campus • For students in the entomology degree program • For students in entomology classes • Maintain a balanced research portfolio that spans the research continuum

33. Meeting the challenge • Identify broad areas of excellence for graduate education that cut across sub-specialties within the Department • Keep the focus on the broader context: “Advancing Insect Science to Make the World a Better Place” • course content and discussion groups relating research areas to broader scientific issues/advances and major entomologically related issues facing humanity • Keep programs entomological

34. Meeting the Challenge • Recognize and accommodate different career goals of students • Research in academia, private sector, government • Teaching • Extension • Government and public policy • International Agriculture • Private consulting, technical development, sales • Other

35. Meeting the Challenge • Make excellence in graduate education the number one priority • Requires: • A vision • A dynamic plan • Collaboration • Coordination • Commitment • Expect active participation of all faculty in the graduate program • When hiring faculty – recognize that the best scientist is not necessarily the best fit for all positions

36. Where will entomology have an impact in the future • Environmental Quality • Biodiversity • Reducing environmental footprint of agriculture and landscapes • Accommodating effects of global climate change • range expansions and invasive species • Health & comfort • Vector borne diseases, nuisance pests • Safe & secure food supply • New technologies • Globalization • Exotic pests • Increased efficiency & market demands • Population growth

37. Keys to the Future of Entomology in Academia • Scientific Excellence • Breadth • Depth • Responsiveness • To developments in science • To critical issues • Balance of Basic and Applied Research & Outreach • Excellence in Graduate Education

38. Entomology:Advancing Insect Science to Make the World a Better Place

39. THANK YOU

40. Premise: • Decades-long changes in institutional priorities challenge the long-term viability of Entomology departments within Land Grant Universities.

41. Argue: • Excellence in research and active participation in graduate education and non-major undergraduate teaching will not guarantee long-term viability • Entomology Department programs must: • Remain responsive to changes in science, society and university priorities • Be recognized nationally and internationally for contributions that are uniquely entomological • Key to the future is maintaining a balanced research portfolio and an outstanding graduate degree program

42. Entomology Departments: Strategic Goals Shaped by the Past • Excellence in research • Addressing insect related problems through research and extension • Agriculture • Urban • Environmental • Health • Meeting institutional goals for undergraduate and graduate teaching