Auburn University graduate students and one faculty member rose above and beyond for this year’s Southern Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Awards. For the first time, two Auburn doctoral candidates, Caitlyn Lawton and Rogan Tokach, were honored for their achievements in integrated pest management. Assistant Professor and Alabama Extension Specialist Scott Graham was awarded the distinguished recognition of the Future Leaders of IPM Award.
Graham credits his achievement to the great teams in the Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology at Auburn and Alabama Cooperative Extension. “We have such great people collaborating on research and Extension programs at Auburn. I am proud of this award, because it’s great visibility for the College of Agriculture and Alabama Extension. It shows that we are conducting innovative research that has real-world applications for our farmers,” Graham said.
Graham’s graduate student Caitlyn Lawton, a doctoral candidate, was also honored for her research accomplishments by winning the Friends of IPM Doctoral Student Award. Graham and Lawton travel statewide to conduct row crop research trials at the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station’s outlying units, testing pesticide treatments and pest management strategies. As the trials progress, Lawton presents research findings to row crop farmers providing them with ways to improve their profitability and impact their production.
“Dr. Graham nominated me for this award, and I am honored to be recognized by my peers at Auburn, but also at other land-grant universities for IPM research, education and outreach. My dream job after graduating is to work for Alabama Cooperative Extension and continue using research to help producers have the best advantage for success,” Lawton said.
Each year, Graham and Lawton conduct surveys for invasive pests that threaten the productivity of Alabama row crops. By identifying the presence of pests such as thrips, stink bugs, cotton bollworm and soybean looper, researchers gain a deeper understanding of how these species interact with native ecosystems. This knowledge allows them to develop targeted pest management strategies that help Alabama growers protect their crops, improve yields and potentially reduce input costs.
Similarly, another Auburn graduate student was also bestowed the Friends of IPM Doctoral Student Award. Rogan Tokach, a doctoral candidate in entomology, expressed his excitement to win a regional award that highlights his groundbreaking research projects. Tokach discussed how his projects aim to give researchers a better understanding of how to protect beekeepers from present and future pest issues.
“My research through the Bee Lab focuses on the parasitic mites in bee colonies, which is the number one cause of colony death,” Tokach said. “The Bee Lab research allows us to teach beekeepers how use timely treatments to mitigate mite pressures like for the Varroa destructor. I was even able to travel to Thailand twice to conduct a preventative pest survey for Tropilaelaps mercedesae, a mite that is not in the United States yet.”
David Held, professor and chair of the Department Entomology & Plant Pathology, is proud of the faculty and students for cultivating success while remaining grounded in applied research.
“Southern IPM is the hub for IPM work within our region and they cover research and outreach activities conducted across state lines. Scott Graham, Caitlyn Lawton and Rogan Tokach were recognized regionally, giving them and their research work exposure to other universities and industry professionals,” Held said.
Held explained that the department’s greatest strength lies in the collaborative efforts of its faculty, Extension professionals and students, as well as the diversity of their research projects.
“We have good old-fashioned entomology and plant pathology with the Extension specialists and faculty in our department,” he said. “We are rooted in applied entomology and plant pathology. Our faculty have a perspective on what tools will be utilized in the field, giving them the ability to provide practical solutions.”
This type of action-oriented and preventative research demonstrates how the Auburn Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology is tackling critical challenges. The faculty and students in this department receive national and regional accolades due to their commitment to advancing agricultural science, proactive approaches and hands-on outreach efforts.
