Entomology's Hickmann hosts Research Symposium at annual Conference

Join Ohio State Entomology on April 15th 2025 at the Entomological Society of America North Central Branch annual conference in Nebraska.

Organized by Postdoctoral Scholar Fred Hickmann and Professor Andy Michel, the symposium theme is "Pasteur’s Quadrant—Promoting Use-Inspired Research in Pest Management." Join them on April 15, 2:15pm-5pm to learn about the groundbreaking basic research forming the foundation of transformative technological advancements in pest management.

Symposium description:
Pasteur’s quadrant concept emphasizes fundamental research that merges discovery and innovation (based on Louis Pasteur’s contributions to germ theory and developing the first vaccines). Throughout this symposium, we will highlight notable instances of groundbreaking basic research that have laid the foundation for transformative technological advancements in pest management.

Background:
In 1997, Donald Stokes authored “Pasteur’s Quadrant: Basic Science and Technological Innovation.” In it, he argued that defining research as either “basic” or “applied” is misleading because both types help drive technological innovation. Stokes described scientific research as having two parts: the search for understanding and practical use. He identified different types of research. Pure basic research focuses on discovery without aiming for practical application. An example is Niels Bohr’s work on atom models, which he called “Bohr’s quadrant.” On the other hand, pure applied research involves inventions without exploring theories. Thomas Edison’s experiments to create products like the light bulb, mostly ignoring theory, represent “Edison’s quadrant.” Stokes pointed out that some research combines both discovery and invention. He called this “Pasteur’s quadrant.” It’s based on the work of Louis Pasteur, who developed germ theory and created the first vaccines.