Speaker: Howard Ginsberg, Ecologist at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and Unit Leader of Patuxent’s Coastal Field Station at the University of Rhode Island
Abstract:
Several innovative new approaches complement traditional methods to control ticks and mosquitoes. However, efficient integration of techniques has received little attention. Field trials of efficacy, combined with theoretical advances on pathogen transmission dynamics, can be used to make preliminary predictions on the effects of various combinations of techniques on the number of human cases of disease. These predictions can be used to develop IPM programs, and data on vector densities and infection rates collected during application can be used to improve the IPM programs in subsequent applications.
Biography:
Howard Ginsberg is an Ecologist at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and Unit Leader of Patuxent’s Coastal Field Station at the University of Rhode Island. He received his Ph.D. in entomology from Cornell University in 1979. Research interests include the ecology of vector-borne diseases, including tick-transmitted infections such as Lyme disease, and mosquito-borne pathogens such as West Nile Virus. His emphasis is on managing vector-borne diseases so as to protect public health, while minimizing negative effects on sensitive natural systems. He is also interested in bee foraging ecology and pollination, especially the interactions between native and introduced species. Finally, he is interested in conservation of invertebrates and assessing the effects of human activities on coastal fauna (e.g., beach invertebrates). Dr. Ginsberg received the Director’s Award for Natural Resource Research, 1999, from the National Park Service.