David W. Onstad

Education

Ph.D., Entomology, Cornell University, 1985
M.S., Environmental Systems Engineering, Cornell University, 1982
B.S., Biology, California State University, Sacramento, 1979

Faculty member since 1985

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Research Interests

My research has increasingly stressed the theoretical and applied biology of insect and plant populations, especially their diseases, their evolution, and their management in agriculture. Colleagues expect me to create and analyze mathematical models to help understand nature and solve agricultural problems. I enjoy the challenge of testing theories as much as I like to solve real ecological and agricultural problems. I often choose to make ecological models realistic with respect to insect behaviors, age structure, natural enemies, and dispersal for the same reason ecologists and entomologists choose to perform field experiments instead of only lab experiments. I want to test hypotheses under realistic conditions. Of course, the realism also helps when trying to solve an agricultural problem. I choose the model structure and analysis that best contribute to accomplishing the goals of a project.

Although much of my work has focused on insects, I have studied plant populations and their diseases, and many of the general concepts are relevant to other taxa. These concepts include population dynamics, population genetics, epidemiological thresholds, and risk assessment. Over the past few years, my research has explored the scientifically-complex and politically-charged subject of managing insect resistance to crop rotation and genetically-engineered crops. My focus has been on European corn borer, southwestern corn borer, and western corn rootworm.

In 2007 my book, Insect Resistance Management, was published by Academic Press (Elsevier).

I also am supervisor of Illinois Farm Direct, the directory of locally grown and locally sold foods in Illinois. The website for the searchable database representing over 500 farms and processors and 200 markets is at http://www.illinoisfarmdirect.org/

Professional Affiliations

Entomological Society of America
American Institute of Biological Sciences
Ecological Society of America
Society for Invertebrate Pathology

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