Sources: Raymond Cloyd, 785-532-4750, rcloyd@k-state.edu;
Jim Nechols, 785-532-4744, jnechols@k-stat.edu;
and John Reese, 785-532-4708, jreese@k-state.edu
Photos available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-6415
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, media@k-state.edu

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

THREE K-STATE ENTOMOLOGY PROFESSORS RECEIVE HONORS FROM THE NORTH CENTRAL BRANCH OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

MANHATTAN -- Three Kansas State University entomology faculty members are recipients of honors from the North Central Branch of the Entomological Society of America.

The honors were presented at the organization's recent annual meeting in Louisville, Ky.

Raymond Cloyd, associate professor of entomology, received the Award of Excellence in Integrated Pest Management, while Jim Nechols, professor of entomology was honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching, and John Reese, professor of entomology, was the recipient of the Recognition Award in Entomology.

"We are honored to have three faculty recognized for their expertise and hard work," said Tom Phillips, head of K-State's department of entomology. "Entomology at K-State has a long history of excellence in faculty performance, and Drs. Cloyd, Nechols and Reese clearly carry on the tradition."

Cloyd came to K-State in 2006 and is an extension specialist in ornamental entomology. He is an active researcher on the topic of pest management in greenhouses, nurseries, landscapes, turfgrass, conservatories, interiorscapes and vegetables and fruits, in addition to being published widely on the topic of pest management.

Nechols joined the K-State faculty in 1984 and is an expert in the biological control of pests, natural enemy-pest interactions and horticultural entomology. His research and teaching is diverse and he collaborates with faculty and students in entomology and other disciplines.

Reese has been at K-State since 1982 and is an expert in plant resistance to several species of aphids including greenbugs, soybean aphids, green peach aphids and pea aphids. He uses a technique called the Electrical Penetration Graph in which a feeding aphid completes an electrical circuit, resulting in waveforms that tell the researcher where the piercing-sucking mouthparts are inside the plant, and what they are doing.

The Entomological Society of America is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. The North Central branch involves entomologists from 14 states and the central part of Canada.