June 2019 - 27

VGN
seven
Q&A WITH
IAN GRETTENBERGER
Ian Grettenberger joined University of
California Cooperative Extension and the
Department of Entomology and Nematology
at UC Davis in January as a field and
vegetable crops assistant specialist.
Grettenberger earned a doctorate
degree in entomology from Penn State
University and a bachelor's degree in biology
from Western Washington University.
Grettenberger was then a postdoctoral
research scholar working on the bagrada bug
at UC Davis, working first with Larry Godfrey
and then Frank Zalom. Grettenberger's
work focuses on advancing integrated pest
management in field and vegetable crops,
plant-insect interactions and applied insect
ecology. Grettenberger is based at UC Davis
in Briggs Hall.
1What are the best words of advice you've ever
received?
I think the best words of advice I've received are to take time to slow
down and reflect and process. Many of us, be it academic researchers
or more broadly, don't often take time to learn from our mistakes and
successes. This is something that applies to most of our careers. This
process is something I'm still learning how to do effectively, but it is a
journey.
2 What are your goals for the next 12 months?
My goals for the next 12 months are primarily geared toward getting
my research program in field and vegetable crops rolling in a directed
manner. This will involve starting some research projects and continuing
projects that had been conducted by my predecessor. Perhaps more
importantly, this time will also involve spending time connecting with
people, hearing about needs and just learning.
4 What would you like to
be your lasting legacy?
3What do you
do to relax?
My favorite way to relax
is to go running. I'd be
ideally running on trails,
but that isn't always
possible when living
in California's Central
Valley.
At a broad level, there are two items I'd
like to be part of my lasting legacy, at least
as it relates to my career. For one, I want
my research and Extension to have a lasting
influence on arthropod pest management in
the crops I work in. I want my work to have
helped advance pest management and
want my work to lead to the development of
tools that are effective, cost-conscious, and
sustainable through time. It feels like a nobrainer,
but I believe it is a key component. I
also want my legacy and that of my lab to be
one of training people working in agriculture
and pest management. These folks could
themselves be working in Extension, working
as pest control advisors, working in industry,
or any one of a number of other careers that
support our agricultural system.
5What are the top three things on your
bucket/must-do list?
I can't say I often think in terms of a bucket list! Two things that come
to mind are another international vacation (it's been a while) and an
" adventure run " in the Sierra Mountains with some friends.
6What work would
?
KNOW SOMEONE WHO SHOULD
BE FEATURED?
Email Gary Pullano at
vgnedit@vegetablegrowersnews.com,
or call 616-520-2144.
you have pursued
if you had not been in
the fruit and vegetable
industry?
I have been driven to pursue a
career in entomology and pest
management, so I think it is safe
to say that if I hadn't ended up
working with vegetables (and some
fruit), I would have still have been
working in some manner on pest
management, albeit perhaps in
other crops.
7What is the one
truth you've
learned about the
fruit and vegetable
industry?
This is no secret, but I have learned,
and have constantly been reminded,
that a lot goes into producing fruits
and vegetables. There are many
labor requirements, many logistics
issues related to harvest and
shipping, and frequent pest issues
that have to be managed. It takes a
lot of people and technology to get
food from the fields to our homes.
VGN | JUNE 2019 | 27
June 2019

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