Join New York State Integrated Pest Management at Cornell University for our a monthly seminar series designed increase awareness of new research and techniques that advance Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and its adoption in all types of pest management settings.
Seminar Agendas
A typical agenda for our seminars:
- 11:30 a.m.–12:10 p.m.: Presentation
- 12:10-12:20 p.m.: Q&A Session
- 12:20- 12:30 p.m.: Virtual Meet and Greet for those with a special interest in the topic
Upcoming Seminars
Advancements in non-chemical control of intra-row weeds.
Date: Thursday, May 26, 2022
Speaker: Margaret McCollough
Facilitator: Bryan Brown
Margaret McCollough will join to discuss her ongoing research, which aims to identify improved non-chemical management strategies for targeting weeds in the intra-row zone using cultural, physical, and preventative methods. Research topics include: (i) weed seedbank depletion for reduced weed emergence; (ii) the augmentation of crop density and spatial arrangement for increased weed suppression; (iii) targeted fertilizer placement for improved crop growth and impaired weed growth; and (iv) the optimization of robot-assisted intra-row hoeing and flame weeding. Margaret possesses a background in organic vegetable production, having owned and operated a farm located in her home state of Maine. Margaret earned a Bachelor's degree in Sustainable Agriculture and a Master's in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from the University of Maine; she is now working towards completing her doctorate in Agroecology at Aarhus University, located in eastern Denmark.
Past Seminars
Spring 2022 Series
Better Common Names Project: The process of recognizing and correcting common names of insects with derogatory connotations.
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022
Speaker: Joe Rominiecki
Facilitator: Brian Eshenaur
Names matter. The notorious gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) has a new name; it is now spongy moth. This new name was not selected lightly. The Entomological Society of America has been forward-thinking to address the common names of insects that have been hurtful to groups of people and quick to develop a process to make these changes. This seminar will take us through this process and give us insights on how it all works.
Using hummingbird predation as a management tactic against spotted-wing drosophila in raspberry.

Date: Thursday, March 10, 2022
Speaker: Juliet Carroll
Facilitators: Marion Zuefle and Alejandro Calixto
Seminar Video: Hummingbird predation as a management tactic against spotted-wing drosophila in raspberry
Juliet Carroll is the Fruit IPM Coordinator for the NYS IPM Program. She works to promote the adoption of IPM practices by fruit growers to manage arthropod, plant disease, weed, and vertebrate pests. She holds a PhD from Cornell University in plant pathology and plant molecular biology, a MS from the University of Massachusetts in plant pathology and a BS from the University of Maine in botany. Her IPM research currently focuses on surveying orchards for invasive insects and alternative strategies for managing the destructive invasive insect spotted-wing drosophila.
Spring 2021 Series
Managing Ants in Urban Environments
Date: May 6, 2021
Speaker: Karen Vail, University of Tennessee
Facilitator: Alejandro Calixto
Seminar Video: Managing Ants in Urban Environments
Digital Resources to Support Implementation and Adoption of IPM
Date: April 8, 2021
Speaker: Joe LaForest, University of Georgia
Facilitator: Dan Olmstead
Seminar Video: Digital Resources to Support Implementation and Adoption of IPM
A Fortuitous Partnership: The Tale of a Winter Cover Crop and Strip Tiller Crusade Against Pests
Date: March 18, 2021
Speaker: Cerruti RR Hooks, University of Maryland
Facilitator: Bryan Brown
Seminar Video: A Fortuitous Partnership: The Tale of a Winter Cover Crop and Strip Tiller Crusade Against Pests
Fear as a Biological Control? How Scaring Farm and Garden Pests Could Lessen Plant Damage
Date: February 18, 2021
Speakers: Jennifer Thaler and Nicholas Aflitto, Cornell University
Facilitator: Marion Zuefle
Seminar Video: Fear as a Biological Control? How Scaring Farm and Garden Pests Could Lessen Plant Damage
Fall 2021 Series
Fostering the evolution of Digital IPM to meet changing needs of applied research and extension efforts
Date: September 16, 2021
Speaker: Dan Olmstead, NYSIPM, Cornell University
Facilitator: Alejandro Calixto
Seminar Video: Fostering the evolution of Digital IPM to meet changing needs of applied research and extension efforts
Weeding around the edges of the science of invasive plant management: Biological control agent hybridization, biotic resistance, apparent competition, and restoration
Date: October 7, 2021
Speaker: Ellen Lake, USDA ARS
Facilitator: Bryan Brown
Tools for managing strawberry diseases: Strawberry Advisory System, UV and thermotherapy
Date: November 4, 2021
Speaker: Natalia Peres, University of Florida
Facilitator: Alejandro Calixto
Spotted Lanternfly Field Observations and Biocontrol Studies: learning about and leveraging entomopathogenic fungi and surveys for SLF egg masses in vineyards
Date: December 9, 2021
Speaker: Eric Clifton
Facilitator: Brian Eshenaur
Seminar Video: Spotted Lanternfly Field Observations and Biocontrol Studies: learning about and leveraging entomopathogenic fungi and surveys for SLF egg masses in vineyards