The mission of 502insects.org is to provide a research platform through which we can continue to increase our knowledge about insects associated with indoor and outdoor legal Cannabis sp. production.
Bethany earned her Ph.D. in Entomology from Michigan State University in 1999 and M.S. in 1988. Research has included ecological community composition in restored wetlands, pine plantations, industrial hemp fields, and now, medical and recreational Cannabis sp. production sites. After teaching junior high general science in Chicago, she completed a 15-year tour in the trenches of academia at Washington State University where she taught Forensic Ecology with an emphasis on insects associated with mammalian decomposition, Human Biology, and Nutrition. She is also a certified teacher with classroom and field experience with in-service and pre-service teachers and learners of all ages. In addition to her research and teaching responsibilities, Bethany has served as a consultant, training asset, and expert witness as an entomologist in dozens of homicide or ‘found body’ investigations throughout the Pacific North West. It is the combination of academic training, active field research, and outreach that has prepared Bethany to embrace the needs of our I-502 producers and to promote scientific literacy and legitimacy within our canna-community.
Contact Bethany at Drbug@502insects.org.
Aaron graduated Summa Cum Laude (4.O GPA – 1/70 in graduating class) from Washington State University in 2017 with a degree in Organic Agriculture and minors in Soil Science and Horticulture. He also has extensive experience with greenhouse management and crop production including medical Cannabis sp. and industrial hemp. He is currently completing his M.S. in Crop Science and works tirelessly to expand what we know about efficacy and economic viability of organic pesticides in carefully strategized Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. He is the recipient of many awards and scholarships for his work including the prestigious “Crimson Award” for competitive undergraduate research, “Outstanding Senior in Agriculture”, and the “Emeritus Society Undergraduate Research Award”. Aaron is committed to applying scholarship and science to meet the needs of growers through careful analysis of the entire system for Cannabis sp. production from soil and medium quality, vegetative propagation/seed germination, phenotype selection, fertigation, and Integrated Pest Management. It is his unwavering passion for answers, coupled with a core belief in the merits of alternative medical therapies that drives his ambition.
Contact Aaron at Aaron.502insects.org.