Entomologist receives 2019 Purdue Agriculture Research Award

Ian Kaplan, a professor of entomology, has been selected to receive the 2019 Purdue University Agriculture Research Award. Presented annually since 1982, the award is the highest honor awarded to mid-career faculty members in the College of Agriculture in recognition of research and accomplishments. 

Through their research, recipients have made significant contributions to agriculture, natural resources and the quality of life of Indiana citizens. Recent recipients include Maria Sepúlveda in 2018 and Mary Catherine Aime in 2017. 

“Ian is a world-renowned expert recognized for his contributions to understanding interactions between pests, predators, parasitoids and pollinators, drawing on technical aspects of insect behavior, plant chemistry, and community ecology,” said Bernie Engel, associate dean of research and graduate education. “His work allows addressing the important issue of how to control pest insects in ways which minimize impact on the environment while producing the food, fiber and other products we need. 

“Purdue has been a good fit for me and for my research. It influenced me quite a bit in terms of from when I first got here, to what I’m doing now,” Kaplan said. “The intersection of insects, agriculture and ecology is where my lab does our work.”

The award includes a $10,000 honorarium in support of Kaplan’s research program. He will be honored during an award seminar at 3 p.m. on Sept. 30 at the Deans Auditorium (Room 241) in Pfendler Hall. Kaplan will be making a presentation titled “Do Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World? My Career as an Opportunistic Academic.” 

Featured Stories

The Ecology of Natural Disturbances class stands in front of the Smoky Mountains.
Disturbance Ecology Comes to Life on Spring Break Trip

Every other year, the FNR 53600/53601 Ecology of Natural Disturbances class takes a spring break...

Read More
The state fair midway, featuring crowds of people and a ferris wheel.
Meet Purdue Animal Sciences' 2026 Indiana State Fair Animal Ambassadors

Meet the Purdue Animal Sciences students educating visitors at Animal Town.

Read More
4 students stand in front of marshall porterfield, all in different space and NASA shirts, one carrying a plastic jug with a white fungus growing over a mycoponics tube inside. Grow tents line the background on each side.
Mushrooms in space: Purdue researchers invent mycoponics to cultivate fungi for Earth, the moon and beyond

Porterfield founded MycoGravity — the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology...

Read More
The bell tower reflecting in a mirrored sign that displays Purdue University’s fight song lyrics.
2026 Hovde Award nominees sought

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Each year, Purdue University recognizes a faculty or staff member...

Read More
Dr. Eva Haviarova receives her SWST fellow certificate in Korea; Haviarova stands with research posters about her work at the SWST conference.
Haviarova Named International Society of Wood Science and Technology Fellow

Eva Haviarova, professor of wood science, has been named a fellow of the International Society of...

Read More
Ag Barometer
After 3 months of decline, farmer sentiment rebounds in July

After three consecutive months of decline, farmer sentiment rebounded as the Purdue...

Read More