Through this series of live-streamed guest lectures, recorded and co-hosted by Penn State University and the University of Freiburg in Germany, students gained exposure to the contributions and perspectives of scientists, science advocates, and regulatory officials across the globe.
The course delved into how socioeconomic and environmental policies, spanning disparate cultures and countries, restrict or enable the adoption of novel and/or potentially controversial IPPM practices.
Students also learned how these individuals are harnessing recent advances in transcriptomics, bioinformatics, and molecular biology to better understand the nature of and problems associated with maintaining global food security and ecosystem functions in modern agriculture. Finally, we introduced students to a series of ‘case studies’ that juxtapose common IPPM practices used in paired European versus American landscapes, such as in agriculture, natural landscapes, and urban settings. Altogether, we hope to educate students on the nuances and intricacies of balancing the needs for successful food production with the needs of preserving the integrity of wild landscapes and promoting the abundance and biodiversity of non-target organisms.
Intro to IPPM webinar - Ed Rajotte, Dept. of Entomology, Penn State
Genomic Technologies - Christina Grozinger and Rose Zhu, Dept. of Entomology, Penn State
Pesticide Exposure and Bees -James Crall, Dept. of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard
Molecular and neural circuit effects of insecticides and implications for pest control/pollination - Andrew Straw, University of Freiburg, Germany
Risk Assessment Perspectives - Dr. Thomas Steeger (USEPA) & Alessio Ippolito (EFSA)
Industry Perspectives - Christian Maus (Bayer) and Bruce Hall (Wymans of Maine)
NGO Perspectives - Verena Riedl (NABU) & Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)
Case Study: Apple IPPM in U.S. versus Germany - David Biddinger (Penn State) & Katja Röser (Marktgemeinschaft Bodensee)
IPPM in developed vs. developing countries - Dr. Sulav Paudel (AgResearch New Zealand)
IPPM in developed landscapes - Cristina Botías (Apicultural Research Center, Guadalajara, Spain) and Kim Skyrm (President, Apiary Inspectors of America, and Chief Apiary Inspector, MDAR)
IPPM in monocultures - John Tooker (Penn State) & Teja Tscharntke (University of Göttingen)