Oregon State University entomologist Silvia Rondon has received the Award for Excellence in Integrated Pest Management from the Entomological Society of America (ESA). The award recognizes outstanding contributions that have a direct relation to integrated pest management (IPM).
Rondon is a professor and extension entomology specialist at OSU Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Her areas of expertise are pest management, insect distribution, population dynamics, insects-plant interactions, biological control and chemical control. Rondon works on various cropping systems including onions, potatoes and carrots. She is currently working toward improving management of Lygus bugs, leafhoppers and other pests affecting irrigated crops.
Rondon earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in entomology at the Agraria University in Lima, Peru, and her Ph.D. in crop sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She then worked as a postdoctoral associate in the horticulture department at the University of Florida before joining OSU in 2005.
Rondon received her award at the ESA annual meeting in November in St. Louis. She is particularly honored to be recognized because her mentor who brought her to the U.S. is a past recipient of the award, and Rondon is one of two women to ever have earned the award.
