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Pest Management
Program Requirements
The research-based master of pest management (MPM) program is distinct from an MSc program because of its strongly applied context and its interaction with practioners and producers.
The student completes all of
A broad range of agricultural pests and their management, with emphasis on insects, crop diseases, and weeds in greenhouses, orchards and field crops. Pest problems in urban environments, including stored products in and near buildings.
Management of insect, microbial, vertebrate and plant pests of forests and forest products, including seed orchards, nurseries, dryland sorting areas. Emphasis is placed on diagnosis, decision-making, interactions and techniques for forest pest management.
Status and special problems of research development and implementation of pest management programs in different kinds of ecosystems; consideration of factors such as management systems, economics, communication, legal and social constraints, and ethics in the practice of pest management.
and two of
Bionomics, ecology, economic impact, and management of the major groups of insects, based on intensive reviews of information on representative species. Prerequisite: BISC 317 or permission of the department.
Study of the proximate and ultimate causes and consequences of alternative social systems in non-human animals.
An examination of hormonal and nutritional factors that influence growth and development, as well as energy metabolism in insects, with emphasis on the molecular mechanisms involved in their regulation.
Concepts and methods from behavioral ecology and population dynamics are used to solve problems of an applied nature (e.g. pest management, harvesting policies, management of human diseases). Model building and analysis feature prominently.
Principles, theory, and practice of the use of living organisms in the natural regulation and the control of organisms. Emphasis will be on parasitic insects, and include host specificity, genetics, genetic controls, and the evolution of host-parasite associations.
The chemistry of insecticides, with emphasis on their toxicology, metabolism and molecular mechanism of action.
Evaluation of the biology of vertebrates that are in conflict with human activities; discussion of control strategies and economic and social impacts.
Physiological, molecular, and behavioral interactions between parasites of human importance and their insect vectors. Emphasis is placed on current literature relating to modern approaches in reducing parasite transmission.
A course that provides graduate students with an in-depth analysis of a topic in pest ecology and management. The course content will change from year to year to reflect student interests and topical research, and can be taught by any faculty member of the Department of Biological Sciences.
and one additional 800 division elective (three units).
Thesis Requirements
The program requires a thesis, which is based on original research with relevance to pest management. To do this, the student enrols in
An independent research thesis based on laboratory or field-based research and focused on some aspect of pest management. The research may be supervised by any faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences.
and continues enrolling in that course until the thesis is finished.
The thesis will be defended publicly. The examining committee is composed of a chair (non-voting), all members of the student’s supervisory committee, and a member of faculty at the university, or a person otherwise suitably qualified, who is not a member of the student's supervisory committee.
Supervisory Committee
A senior supervisor is appointed prior to admission.
The supervisory committee consists of, at minimum, the senior supervisor and one additional regular biology faculty member. In exceptional cases, a faculty member from another 間眅埶AV department may be substituted for the Department of Biological Sciences faculty member. Additional supervisory committee members from other institutions may be appointed upon submission of research credentials and approval by the departmental graduate studies committee.
Annual Progress Report
Students submit a report of their progress every year, and will maintain satisfactory progress toward degree completion to remain in the program. Students receive an annual report form from the graduate secretary every year in the term in which they started, and are expected to complete and return it within six weeks. They will have a committee meeting each year, and a brief summary of this meeting will be included in the report. Also included should be a description of the work/courses completed since the last report (or since starting their program if this is the first time), student progress evaluation forms by each of the supervisory committee members, and a copy of the student’s unofficial transcript.
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