Developing dynamic solutions for devstating pest problems
Arnol Gomez, Graduate Student
Arnol graduated from Zamorano University in 2021 with a Bachelor´s degree in Agronomy and Crop Sciences. His interest in entomology on horticulture crops began with his undergraduate thesis project where he studied the diversity of thrips species on olericulture crops and associated weeds. Before that though, he worked as part of his learning by doing program in Zamorano in the biological control lab, where he had the opportunity to learn about natural enemies and beneficials, entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes used to control various plant pests on integrated pest management production systems. He worked twice as a visiting scholar in the Canas Lab at OSU, where he conducted efficacy trials on ornamental plants and the laboratory rearing and maintenance of insect colonies, thrips field assessments and pepper weevil scouting on pepper fields. Currently he is on his first year of the Entomology Master’s Program at The Ohio State University in Dr. Leach´s Lab where he gets to study and help with the development of Integrated Pest management systems on specialty crops and SLF monitoring. Email: gomez.428@buckeyemail.osu.edu