In a State where agriculture is a major
contributor to the economy, the Department, as a member
of the College of Agriculture, will continue to focus
on insects of agricultural importance. However, land-grant
institutions in general and the University of Minnesota
(largely due to location) in particular must also acknowledge
that an increasing segment of the population has little
contact with or knowledge of agriculture. This will require
that areas outside traditional agriculture be addressed
both to increase understanding and maintain support for
agricultural programs and to deal with the problems and
questions of an urbanized population. Current staffing
and our long-range staffing plan acknowledge this combined
role.
A dwindling chemical arsenal requires more holistic approaches
to insect management. Environmental issues related to pesticide
use coupled with the public's uneasiness about insects as
a regular part of their environment, has been an important
impetus for our aggressive movement into biological control,
host plant resistance, and integrated pest management. The
State of Minnesota, through the Legislative Commission on
Minnesota Resources (LCMR) and its Departments of Agriculture
and Natural Resources have validated this decision by providing
funds for discovery, development and implementation of biological
control strategies in agriculture, recreation areas, wetlands,
and urban landscapes. We will also plan to link our basic
and applied programs as we seek novel, non-chemical ways
of coping with insects. In addition, as conservation concerns
have grown, an increasing number of insects have been recognized
as endangered species. As entomologists we must be prepared
to answer questions on the positive and negative roles of
insects, their biologies and how to manage populations economically
and effectively with minimal environmental disruption. Our
basic and applied programs represent long and short range
efforts that will help answer entomological questions asked
by society. At the organismal level, our programs will continue
to emphasize integrated pest management, biological control,
insect conservation, ecology, host plant resistance, and
insect biology. At the sub-organismal level, work on interactions
between human pathogens and insect vectors, the genetic
basis for insecticide resistance, the relationship between
insect pathogens and their hosts, and neuronal regulation
of insect behavior should yield information that will carry
entomological science and problem-solving well into the
21st century.
We foresee a bright future as our department strives to
functionally combine basic research to discover new principles
with applied programs that work to produce and deliver answers
for real-world problems. The breadth of our programs--from
molecular genetics to potato IPM, from insect neurobiology
to urban entomology, from systematics to human health--provide
an expanse of viewpoints and techniques that can synergistically
interact to advance the frontiers of science and answer
tomorrow's questions. We plan to combine past strengths
in interpreting and converting new knowledge for transfer
and implementation with new strengths in basic research
to become a leader in information development and transfer.
To foster an environment for synergistic exchange, the
Department supports the complete integration of the three
functions of teaching, research and extension. Each member
of the department is encouraged to contribute to all three
areas regardless of her/his formal appointment. Research/extension
faculty provide their expertise via guest lectures in a
formal classroom setting; research/teaching faculty extend
their science to lay audiences. Combining research and extension
responsibilities into a single position has been an ongoing
tradition in our Department. We will continue to maintain
a strong extension program that works in concert within
and outside the Department to "translate" and
deliver new information for practical implementation.
We anticipate that the breadth of our expertise will be
especially appealing to high-quality graduate students who
seek an education that will prepare them to tackle the increasingly
complex issues facing agriculture and society. We also recognize
that an informed public is an essential component of a highly
technical society. We must work toward educating the public
as well as stimulate the brightest and most talented young
people to see the rewards and challenges of science careers.
We feel that strong efforts in undergraduate education,
youth education, and outreach will significantly contribute
to this vision. The inclusion of new and revised courses
such as insect biology, social insects, ecology of agriculture,
and economic entomology into the university-wide liberal
education curriculum will help achieve this goal. Efforts
such as the formation of a course for elementary teachers
on using insects in the classroom, coupled with outreach
efforts that include elementary classroom visits, living
insect displays at the Minnesota State Fair, and graduate
student involvement in youth education programs will also
contribute to this goal.
Our vision also includes maintaining a high national standing.
We strive to remain among the top five departments by building
on historical strengths in the quality of our students,
research quality and productivity, teaching skills, extension
programs, faculty participation in peer review panels, and
faculty editorial assignments.
To fulfill such high expectations, we recognize the need
to develop innovative and collaborative approaches outside
our discipline. Traditional collaborations must be maintained
and nurtured, more recent collaborations expanded, and completely
new areas of collaboration need to be explored in order
for us to move aggressively in the pursuit of answers that
will be demanded in the coming decades. We envision that
our traditions in interdisciplinary and collaborative work
will continue to grow. These traditions include efforts
in integrated pest management, the Dial U Insect and Plant
Information program, working groups and centers such as
the enhanced natural control working group, the turf working
group, Centers for Sustainable Agriculture, and Alternative
Animal and Plant Systems, joint appointments in Forestry,
Neuroscience, Conservation Biology, and shared efforts with
the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Department
of Natural Resources and Metropolitan Mosquito Control District
plus numerous interdisciplinary research and extension projects.
Strong efforts to regionalize our apiculture program are
indicative of our commitment to share expertise across state
lines--a process that will require greater use of distance
delivery technology.
We envision these ventures as true collaborations. Entomologists
can provide stimulation and answers to these fields in quantities
at least equal to what we gain. As the most successful group
of animals on the planet, knowledge about insects can provide
insight into the many aspects of science. We should be willing
to help expose this potential. |
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