DR. ROBERT L. RABB
Dr. Robert Rabb was a member of the Entomology faculty for 30 years before his retirement in 1983. He had a major impact on the development of Integrated Pest Management and in shaping the Department of Entomology at NC State. Bob always worked to make sure that our department was forward looking and was a welcoming place for people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Well before Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Dr. Rabb was carefully assessing biological and cultural approaches for managing insect pests. Bob's "respect for all insects" gave him a unique perspective on modern agriculture and gave him the incentive to push for a move away from the chemically intensive pest control approaches of the 1950's and 1960's.
Dr. Rabb's practical experience in agriculture coupled with his scholarly use of ecological principles enabled him and his colleagues to gain support from The Rockefeller Foundation and The National Science Foundation in convening a research conference entitled "Concepts in Pest Management". This milestone conference, held at NC State, was the turning point in the careers of many entomologists who were struggling with the challenges of implementing Integrated Pest Management.
To honor Dr. Rabb's contributions to our understanding of the environment, The R. L. Rabb Lecture Series in Environmental Sciences was inaugurated in 2004 with a lecture by Dr. E. O. Wilson. Click HERE for additional information about this year's lecture.
- Fred Gould