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Plenary
Marianne Alleyne
Assistant Professor
Department of Entomology
University of Illinois
Urbana, Illinois
Tracy Leskey
Research Leader/Director, Research Entomologist
ARS
USDA
Kearneysville, West Virginia
The subject of this year's lecture will be Ronald J. Prokopy, Ph.D. (1935−2004), an entomologist, behavioral ecologist, and professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass), who was renowned for his research on fruit flies, particularly the apple maggot fly (Rhagoletis pomonella), and his extensive research into integrated pest management methods in apple orchards.
When Prokopy began his career in the mid-1960s, apple growers in the northeastern U.S. managed apple maggot fly with bi-weekly insecticide sprays throughout the growing season. He dedicated much of his life's work to understanding the fly's biology and behavior and proving the utility of multiple alternative management methods, including attract-and-kill traps. He tested and applied many of these methods in his own orchard, and as an extension agent he shared his discoveries and experience through "Twilight Talks" with fellow growers across Massachusetts.
Prokopy authored or co-authored more than 275 peer-reviewed research articles over the course of his career, and previous honors from ESA include the Eastern Branch J.E. Bussart Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Agriculture (1982), the Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension (1994), and the Founder's Memorial Award and Lecture (1998, honoring John Stodart Kennedy, Ph.D.).
Leskey earned her doctoral degree in Prokopy's lab at UMass and has become a leader in the development of integrated pest management (IPM) methods of fruit pests during her 23 years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearnesyville, West Virginia. Her research has encompassed numerous pest insects and a evaluated a range of management tactics including biological control, attract-and-kill, trap-based detection, surveillance via unmanned aerial vehicles, and more. Often this work has responded rapidly to new invasive species about which little was previously known, such as the brown marmorated stink bug, spotted-wing drosophila, and spotted lanternfly.
She earned a bachelor's degree (1990) in biology at Wilson College, a master's degree in ecology (1995) at Pennsylvania State University, and a Ph.D. (2000) in entomology at UMass. In addition to her role at USDA-ARS, Leskey also serves as adjunct faculty at West Virginia University and Virginia Tech and internship supervisor at Shepherd University.
Leskey has been an ESA member since 1993 and has served in multiple volunteer roles including Eastern Branch representative to the ESA Governing Board (2018−21), Eastern Branch president (2015−16), chair of the Insect Behavior and Ecology Section (2004−05), and subject editor for Environmental Entomology (2008−2018). She has also been named both Early Career Scientist of the Year (2007) and Senior Scientist of the Year (2021) at USDA-ARS.