Oct. 24, 2007 View George Kennedy's PowerPoint Presentation
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George Kennedy |
DAVIS—Noted entomologist George Kennedy, a past president of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), will discuss “Entomology in Academia: Where Do We Go From Here?” on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the Distinguished Seminar Series lecture sponsored by the Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis.
The event, geared for entomology faculty, emeriti, affiliates, professional researchers and students, will be held in the campus Activities Recreation Center, intersection of LaRue Road and Orchard Drive. A reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by the lecture at 6:30 and a dinner at 7:30.
“Scientific advances and changing institutional and funding priorities are challenging entomology departments to expand upon entomology’s traditional agricultural constituency and embrace global environmental and biomedical issues,” said Kennedy, the William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Entomology at North Carolina State University, Raleigh.
“Only by meeting this challenge can entomology departments be assured of a future within land grant universities,” said Kennedy, whose lecture will probe “the nature of this challenge and the elements of a strategy for meeting it.”
Walter Leal, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology, said the Distinguished Seminar Series “is aimed at discussing the future of entomology from various perspectives. While Dr. John Hildebrand opened the debate last spring from the perspective of fundamental insect science, Dr. Kennedy will continue the debate now from the perspective of a mission-oriented, prolific professor who has served as president of the Entomological Society of America and editor of prestigious journals in the field.”
Kennedy is an ESA Fellow, recipient of the ESA’s Award for Excellence in Entomology and currently serves as president and chairman of the board of directors of the Entomological Foundation, a non-profit educational foundation whose mission is “to excite and educate young people about science through insects.”
In addition, he is an editor for the international journal Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata and a former member of the editorial committee for the Annual Review of Entomology.
Kennedy’s research focuses on the principles and fundamental relationships that determine pest status and on the development of pest management approaches. He is currently involved in research on the epidemiology, management, and virus-vector-host interactions of thrips-borne, tomato spotted wilt virus, which causes major crop losses worldwide. He also conducts research on the management of soil arthropod pests of vegetable crops and teaches courses on pest management and insect-plant interactions.
The author or co-author of more than 160 scientific publications, Kennedy has served as program manager for the National Research Initiative, affiliated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and on numerous advisory panels for the USDA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Research Council, addressing issues relating to pesticides, pest resistance, integrated pest management, and biotechnology.
Kennedy holds a bachelor’s degree in entomology from Oregon State University and a doctorate in entomology from Cornel University. He served as assistant professor of entomology at UC Riverside from 1974-1976, before joining the faculty at North Carolina State University.
Reservations for the seminar, due by Oct. 31, may be made by contacting Clara Pacheco, academic executive assistant to the chair, (530) 752-0492.
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--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
(530) 754-6894
