 |
| Professor Fred Gould of North Carolina State University, shown here at the Entomological Society of America meeting, is recruiting students for an IGERT Program titled "Genetic Engineering and Society: The Case of Transgenic Pests." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) |
Wanted: bright students who have a strong desire to link Natural Systems Studies with Human Systems Studies in their graduate training.
Professor Fred Gould of North Carolina State University, Raleigh, wants to recruit students for its new Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT) titled “Genetic Engineering and Society: The Case of Transgenic Pests.”
The National Science Foundation recently funded the project and NC State created a website and a flier (PDF).
“The first cohort of students who will start in July 2012 will focus on mosquitoes that vector malaria and dengue, so this would be an alternative to other health-related careers,” Gould says.
"The co principal-investigators in our IGERT are interested in making "virtual visits" to campuses via Skype," Gould said.
Why Examine Genetic Pest Management?
Genetic Pest Management (GPM) offers the potential to alter and control mosquitoes, mice, fish, and other species that pose risks to human health, biodiversity, and sustainable development. Its goal is to manipulate genomes of pest populations to decrease their density or render them harmless. The scientific and social dimensions of this emerging technology must be explored together to evaluate its feasibility, appropriateness, and potential contributions. |
If entomology, and biological and social sciences faculty at UC Davis have a group of students (or even one very interested student), Gould says “we could set up a time to do a Skype session with them."
Gould is the William Neal Reynolds Professor of Agriculture at North Carolina State University. He focuses his research on insect ecology and evolution.
He recently contacted UC Davis entomology professors Tom Scott, Rick Karban, Walter Leal, Jay Rosenheim and Bruce Hammock about the opportunity for their students, and is seeking widespread distribution of the information.
Contact information for Fred Gould:
Phone: 919.515.1647
Fax: 919.515.2824
Email:
fred_gould@ncsu.edu
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
