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K-State Today

November 1, 2012

2012 Entomology Distinguished Alumnus seminar on Friday

Submitted by David Margolies

The entomology department will present its 2012 Distinguished Alumnus Award to Terry Mize, product development manager for North America for FMC Corporation, at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, in 217 Leadership Studies Building. Mize will then present a seminar “An entomologist's journey in the commercial world: Expectations and realities of choosing a career in the private sector.”

Mize is a native of Texas, born in the heart of the large western Texas cotton and cattle production area around Lubbock, Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Science in entomology, with a minor in genetics, from Texas Tech University, and a Master of Science in 1980 and doctorate in 1985, both in entomology and with minors in plant breeding and genetics, from Kansas State University working under Gerald Wilde.

After receiving his doctorate, Mize stayed at the university for two years, first as a postdoctoral researcher in the area of plant-insect interactions with John Reese, and as field manager of a statewide stored grain pest project to determine optimum integrated pest management strategies for on-farm and commercial storage facilities.

Mize joined FMC Corporation in 1987 as a market development field biologist in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, where he was responsible for efficacy research and market definition on new active ingredients, and as the primary source for technical support on newly-registered or existing products over a diverse crop geography that ranged in scope from the sub-tropical Texas Gulf Coast to the semi-arid prairies of Oklahoma. While still in Texas, Mize took on the role as manager of technical support and research for all Midwestern and Western states before moving to the new national FMC office in Kansas City to take the national technical support and product development manager position directing a staff of 30 scientists.

At present, Mize is a product development manager for North America, responsible for creating new crop protection solutions from concept to registration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and market launch as the leader of a diverse team of scientists and business professionals responsible for each step of the process, including proprietary ingredient access, intellectual protection, product definition, regulatory approval, sourcing, manufacturing and market launch.

Mize has received various company commendations in his tenure, including the FMC Corporation Key Achievement Award and Bell Ringer Awards and the  FMC Corporation Master Technical Representative Award. He is a past president of the Entomological Society of America–Southwestern Branch. Mize remains active in professional societies across several agricultural science disciplines, and has authored or co-authored papers in the fields of entomology, weed science, and plant pathology.

Mize's talk will offer an overview of the rewards, risks and opportunities from a choice of a career path in the private sector.