Professor University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs are designed and developed to manage pests integrating multiple tactics based on predicted economical, ecological, and sociological consequences in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. Multiple tactics include cultural, mechanical, physical, biological, host plant resistance, legal/regulatory, genetic, attractants/repellents, chemical, etc. In undergraduate and graduate IPM courses, these tactics are often presented and illustrated as part of IPM programs for cotton, corn, soybean, or another agricultural system. However, the same tactics and IPM philosophy can be demonstrated by incorporating movie clips into IPM courses. In fact, IPM is a common staple of many movie genres, especially horror and science fiction. How many of us recall the movies “Jaws”, “Independence Day”, “Frankenstein”, “Creature from the Black Lagoon”, and “Jurassic Park?” These movies have a central “pest” (i.e, creature or monster) that has to be managed (in some cases, it has to be eradicated). Although “pests” are common in these types of movies, they also exist in other movie genres, such as action, comedy, drama, mystery, and romance. This poster will illustrate how these movie genres can be used to demonstrate IPM principles, practices and strategies that educate, excite and entertain students while enhancing student learning in a non-traditional format. Consider your favorite movie – do you see IPM in it? I would guess that if you concentrate hard enough, you will see some aspect of IPM. Why not incorporate that same approach into teaching the next generation about IPM in a manner that they embrace – ENTERTAINMENT?
