COLLEGE STATION — Dr. Ray Frisbie, an expert in integrated pest management, has been named head of the entomology department at Texas A&M University.
“Dr. Frisbie has been a national leader in the sciences of entomology and will continue to make enormous strides toward an even greater awareness of entomology and related sciences internationally,” said Dr. Ed Hiler, Texas A&M vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences.
Frisbie has been with the Texas A&M University System for 20 years. Most recently he was director of the Center for Biologically Intensive IPM. IPM programs use a variety of techniques to reduce undesired insect populations, among them biological controls and cultivation practices, rather than rely solely on chemical applications.
As director of the center, Frisbie has coordinated 22 Texas Agricultural Extension Service IPM programs in 60 counties involving at least 10 of the state’s major commodities. His specialty is cotton IPM.
He led in the formation of the Texas Pest Management Association, which is the largest farmer-operated, non-profit IPM group in the nation. He also was a primary organizer of the National Coalition on IPM, a producer, food processor, environmentalist and consumer group formed to support more implementation of IPM in the country. And he has served as an IPM consultant in Africa and South America.
Frisbie is a member of numerous professional societies in entomology and has been the recipient of many awards, including the Association of Former Students’ Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension.
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