International Cooperation and Development

Entomology is by its very nature international; just as insects are not restrained by artificial political boundaries, neither is our Department. Our quest to discover new knowledge by necessity reaches to the far edges of the earth. That work may seek to find parasitoids to bring back to the USA to control an invasive pest insect that earlier had slipped across our borders from abroad. Or it may be to bring home innovative concepts to help combat diseases like West Nile fever. Alternatively it may have a purely humanitarian cause (e.g., helping impoverished farmers and city dwellers in Africa have enough food to eat. At the same time, our Departmental technology transfer – bringing knowledge and practical tools to bear on real-world problems – is likewise international. Making the world a better place for everyone makes it better for us as well. And since some of the best science and scientists are found overseas, it makes sense to pursue strategic international partnerships that will help push back the frontiers of knowledge.

Most of our international activities fall into the following broad areas: integrated pest management (IPM), development of biotechnological tools and their application, rural development and market-driven technology transfer, and invasive biology. The research interests of our faculty in this area are as follows: