After two nearly two decades at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) laboratory in Sidney, MT, Insect Pathologist Stefan Jaronski is retiring, but before he goes he’s sharing his extensive knowledge of this innovative field. As a sought-after expert not only in identifying and researching new microbial control options for agricultural pests, but also in their commercial development, he will be offering his insights on the field during a special brownbagger session on Friday, Feb. 15 from noon to 1 pm.
Dr. Jaronski’s presentation is entitled: “Microbial control of insects: Where we are, where we are going and where we should be going.” His talk will be held from noon to 1 pm in the Tech Transfer Room at the Sidney ARS lab, located at 1500 N. Central Avenue.
His background in microbial control is extensive both inside and outside of ARS. After a Ph.D. program at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, and two postdoctoral appointments concerning microbial control of mosquitoes, he left the academic community for industry and changed focus from medical entomology to agricultural pests. From 1983 to 1992, Dr. Jaronski worked at Abbott Laboratories as an insect pathologist, during which time his research involved commercial development of Beauveria bassiana and Bacillus thuringiensis for use against a wide variety of insects. In 1992, he joined Mycotech Corp., Butte MT, a small, venture-capital biotech group commercializing Beauveria-based mycoinsecticides. There, he spent 8 years involved in all aspects of commercial development of the fungus - from the early basic research through field trials to generation of registration data, from basic mycology to formulation chemistry, from science to marketing. His last position prior to joining ARS in March 2000 was Manager of Biopesticide Research and Development for Mycotech.
At ARS, Dr. Jaronski studied microbial control of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets in rangeland as well as researching microbial control options for a variety of crop pests, including sugarbeet root maggot and wheat stem sawfly. He is a joint holder on two patents and is frequently called upon for seminars and workshops regarding development and production of new and existing microbial agents, both in the US and overseas.
NPARL invites all interested persons to join us for this very enlightening presentation at noon this Friday, Feb. 15. Bring your lunch or if you wish join us for a retirement potluck. Regardless, we’ll provide the dessert!
In addition to Dr. Jaronski, other upcoming speakers scheduled to date for NPARL’s 2019 BrownBagger season include:
Mar. 22 – Mark Leibig, Research Soil Scientist , USDA-ARS, Mandan, ND
Apr. 5 – Bruce Maxwell, Co-Director, Montana Institute on Ecosystems, Montana State University-Bozeman
Note: all days listed are Fridays and all presentations begin at noon in the Tech Transfer Room at the Sidney ARS lab. Topic titles and other details will be announced in future articles.
For questions or more information on Sidney ARS’ 2019 BrownBaggers, contact Beth Redlin at 406-433-9427 or beth.redlin@ usda.gov.
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