Michael J. Stout

Insects are the most diverse and abundant group of animals on earth. Because they are so ubiquitous, insects intersect with humans frequently and in numerous ways, with impacts ranging from beneficial (e.g., honey bees and other pollinators, natural enemies of crop pests) to destructive (pests of crops and structures, vectors of diseases). Accordingly, graduates of departments of entomology have a wide range of career options, and alumni of the LSU Department of Entomology, in particular, have enjoyed success in a variety of endeavors throughout the world.

Students graduating with a master’s degree in entomology from LSU often choose to further their education by pursuing a Ph.D. degree. A few remain at LSU to do so, but most go on to other universities. Recent master’s students from the department have continued their doctoral studies at prestigious universities such as the University of Florida, Purdue University, Texas A&M University, Colorado State University, University of Kentucky and Western Sydney University in Australia. Similarly, Ph.D. graduates from LSU who have not immediately found permanent positions have worked as post-doctoral scientists at prominent universities, including Kansas State University, Johns Hopkins University, Rhodes University in South Africa and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom.

Our graduates have historically been valued for their practical understanding of pest management and for their hands-on experience in insect identification and field research. Some of our alumni work in the structural pest control industry. They are also well-represented in the community of agricultural consultants, who assist Louisiana farmers and ranchers in managing the pests in their fields and pastures. Of the current board of directors for the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association, 40% hold graduate degrees from LSU Entomology.

Many of our graduates are employed by the agrochemical industry and are engaged in the discovery, development, evaluation and marketing of chemicals (insecticides) or crop varieties used to manage pests of crops or structures. Several of our graduates over the past 25 years now hold leadership positions in major agrochemical companies. For example, Melissa Willrich Siebert (Ph.D. 2004) is global entomology program leader, and Boris Castro (Ph.D. 2002) is global technical education leader, both with Corteva Agrisciences, and Victor Mascarenhas (Ph.D. 1997) is senior field scientist for Syngenta.

The medical and veterinary entomology labs in the department have a strong tradition of placing their graduates in positions related to public health at the local, state and federal levels. Roxanne Connelly (Ph.D. 1998), for example, is chief entomologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Fort Collins, Colorado, while several other departmental alumni have served as medical entomologists in the military or have led efforts to control arthropod-borne diseases at mosquito abatement districts in Louisiana and other states.

Still other graduates have had successful careers in research and regulatory agencies within the federal government. Several alumni have had long and successful careers in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, with some, such as John Adamczyk (Ph.D. 1998) and Bob Danka (Ph.D. 1987), rising to roles as research leaders. Other alumni have enjoyed similar success with the U.S. Forest Service. Still others serve as regulatory officers with agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency; Kelly Tindall (Ph.D. 2004) is a senior biologist and Deanna Colby (Ph.D. 2002) is a senior regulatory specialist in the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs.

Alumni of the department have also made important contributions in academia, as professors and researchers, administrators and authors. Some of these alumni have remained with the LSU AgCenter for their entire careers. For example, Abner Hammond (Ph.D. 1967) rose through the ranks of our department and is now a professor emeritus, and B. Rogers Leonard (Ph.D. 1990) started as a student worker with the AgCenter and retired in 2020 as the associate vice president for agriculture at LSU.

Other graduates have had successful academic careers at universities throughout the United States and the world, including Korea, Jamaica, Nigeria, Brazil, Zambia and China. Notable examples include: David Ragsdale (Ph.D. 1980), associate director, Texas A&M Agrilife Research; Jeffrey Lockwood (Ph.D. 1985), professor and award-winning science writer, University of Wyoming; Beverly Sparks (Ph.D. 1983), first female director of the extension service at the University of Georgia, who retired in 2014; Michael Roe (Ph.D. 1981), William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, North Carolina State University; and Linda J. Mason (Ph.D. 1987), dean of the Purdue University Graduate School.

The successes of alumni of the LSU Department of Entomology are a testament to the historical excellence of both its faculty and its students. As the department has added new faculty members over the past decade, an emphasis has been placed on broadening and diversifying the research interests and methodological approaches of the faculty to reflect the modern discipline of entomology. The addition of these outstanding new faculty members ensures that graduates of the LSU Department of Entomology will continue to contribute to the well-being of humanity.

For further information, visit us on the web at https://entomology.lsu.edu/.

Michael J. Stout is professor and head of the Department of Entomology.

(This article appears in the spring 2020 issue of Louisiana Agriculture magazine, which focuses on entomology.)

Linda J. Mason ( Ph.D. 1987) was named dean of the Purdue University Graduate School in 2018, after having served as the associate dean, starting in 2010. She had been an entomology professor at Purdue since 1991.

B. Rogers Leonard (Ph.D.1990) retired as the LSU associate vice president for agriculture and program leader for animal and plant sciences in 2020.

Deanna Colby (Ph.D. 2002) is a senior regulatory specialist in the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs.

Roxanne Connelly (Ph.D. 1998) is the chief entomologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Bob Danka (Ph.D. 1987) is research leader at the USDA Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Melissa Willrich Siebert (Ph.D. 2002) is global entomology program leader with Corteva Agrisciences.

Beverly Sparks (Ph.D. 1983) retired in 2014, after serving for seven years as associate dean for extension at the University of Georgia. She was the first woman to hold that post. She had spent 32 years in the extension service, first in Texas and then Georgia.

Michael Roe (Ph.D. 1981) is the William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, North Carolina State University. He’s also an alumnus of the LSU Tiger Band.

David Ragsdale (Ph.D. 1980) is the associate director, Texas A&M Agrilife Research.

Kelly Tindall (Ph.D. 2004) is a senior biologist at the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs.

Jeffrey Lockwood (Ph.D. 1985), left, a professor at the University of Wyoming and award-winning writer, gave a lecture on the LSU campus in 2013. He is with Abner Hammond (Ph.D. 1967), who is a professor emeritus in the Department of Entomology. Photo by Johnny Morgan

Boris Castro (Ph.D. 2002) is global technical education leader at Corteva Agrisciences.