Pesticide Toxicology Laboratory

Navigation

Research Group

Joel R. Coats

Distinguished Professor

Principal Investigator

Research and teaching in the areas of: environmental toxicology and chemistry of pesticides, insecticidal proteins, and veterinary antibiotics; insect toxicology, natural insecticides and insect repellents, modes of action, and quantitative structure activity relationships. Joel has been named fellow for the American

Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Entomological Society of America (ESA), and the American Chemical Society (ACS) Agrochemical division. In 2006, Joel recieved the international award for research in agrochemicals (ACS-agrochemical).

Laboratory Assistants

aaa

Aaron Gross

U.S. EPA-STAR Fellow

Ph.D. Student (pre-Candidate)

Aaron received his B.S. degrees in Biochemistry and Biomedical Science, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN (2007). He received his M.S. in Toxicology from Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, IA (2010), and was a runner-up for the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools 2011 Distinguished Thesis Award. His M.S. thesis investigated the activity of terpenoids against an American cockroach octopamine receptor. Aaron is continuing his education at Iowa State University to obtain a Ph.D. in Toxicology with minors in Entomology and Neuroscience under the direction of Dr. Joel Coats and Dr. Michael Kimber. His research will focus on the use of natural and biorational products as agents for control of the southern cattle tick, a devastating pest that is rapidly re-emerging in the United States. Other research projects include the use of natural terpenoids and their ability to interact with the insect’s immune system, to act as synergists, and their ability to repell mosquitoes.

PUBLICATIONS

Aaron's Contact Information

adgross@iastate.edu

(515) 294-9823

Rachel Binning

Ph.D. Candidate

Target Insect Scientist

Pioneer Hi-Breed International Inc.

Vurtice (Vic) Albright III

Vic Albright

Ph.D Student (pre-Candidate)

Vic graduated with a B.S. in Biology (minor in chemistry) from Tri-State University (2008). He recently graduated from Iowa State with a M.S. in Toxicology. His Master’s research in the Pesticide Toxicology laboratory focused on using switchgrass as a phytoremediation strategy to remove atrazine from surface water runoff in agricultural fields. Vic’s most recent project involved using radiotracer-labeled atrazine to track which metabolites of atrazine are formed in the switchgrass plant after uptake. For his Ph.D. research, Vic will focus on the presence of Cry proteins from transgenic maize in the environment. The first step of this research tangent will be to develop and optimize ELISA methods for detection of Cry proteins in a variety of environmental matrices.

Publications

Vic's Contact Information

valbrigh@iastate.edu

(515) 294-8667

Visiting Scholars

Rodolfo Vargas Castilhos

Visiting Doctoral student from Brazil

Rodolfo graduated in Agronomy from Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil (2008). He received his M.S. in Crop Protection with emphasis in Entomology from Universidade Federal de Pelotas (2010). Currently he is a Doctoral student in Crop Protection. His most recent project is related to selectivity of pesticides to the green lacewing Chrysoperla externa, an important predator which can act as control agent of a wide range of phytophagous insects in many crops. His research in the Pesticide Toxicology Laboratory will focus on assess the effect of monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids on C. externa by topical application, ingestion, and repellency assays.

Kornwika Suwansirsilp

Visiting scholar from Thailand

Kornwika received her B.S. degree in Biology, Science from Silpakorn University, Nakorn Pathom, Thailand. Then she worked at Medical Entomology section, Department of Medical Sciences, NIH, Thailand and Vector Borne Disease Control Center, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand before she go back to continue her education again at Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand in Entomology, Agriculture. Her M.S. thesis is focus on ability of plant derived - essential oils to interact with mosquitoes.