Joining UC IPM’s IT/Production Team is Bobby Tooyserkani, Computer Resources Specialist and Programmer. Tooyserkani will provide computer technical support, is the primary contact and support programmer for the weather, models and degree-days section of the IPM website, and will work on other programming projects as well.
Tooyserkani worked for Corporate Tax Incentives (CTI), where he developed programs to help with the automation of data import. Tooyserkani attended Sacramento State where he received a B.S. in Management Information Systems.
UC IPM welcomes Vincent Strode as the new staff research assistant. As part of the partnership with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Strode joined the Invasive Shot Hole Borer project team. Strode coordinates with city and county organizations, and more recently the Orange County UC Master Gardeners, to place traps to monitor for the invasive shot hole borer. The results from his trapping are communicated to Orange County Public Works and the Orange County Fire Authority so they can treat or remove the infested trees. Formerly Strode worked with Mark Hoddle on Asian citrus psyllid monitoring and biological control as well as brown marmorated stink bug monitoring. Strode has a B.S. in Entomology from UC Riverside.
The overall goal of the Invasive Shot Hole Borer project is to develop an IPM program that uses cultural, physical, mechanical, and pesticide practices to control invasive shot hole borers. The effectiveness of this program will be compared to two other management strategies that are currently being used by land managers in Southern California.
Matt Baur accepted the position of director of the Western IPM Center beginning in July. Baur has a Ph.D. in entomology, was an extension entomologist for agronomic crops in Louisiana, and worked for DuPont-Pioneer. Baur joined the Western IPM Center as associate director in 2014 and has been acting director for the past year.
Apurba Barman joined UC IPM as the low desert IPM advisor in January. Barman is located at Imperial County Cooperative Extension in Holtville. Barman will focus on various pest management issues on important crops of the low desert region such as alfalfa, sugarbeet, lettuce, and other vegetables. Barman comes to UC IPM from the University of Georgia, where he managed whitefly monitoring and management programs across different cropping systems. Barman has two master's degrees, one from Assam Agricultural University in India and another from Texas Tech University. Barman’s doctorate degree is from Texas A&M University in College Station. He brings years of research experience working with many insect pests in diverse cropping systems.
Sandipa Gautam is the new area citrus IPM advisor stationed at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center in Exeter since July 2021. Gautam’s research program will study strategies for IPM of citrus in the San Joaquin Valley. Gautam covers Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Kern counties. Gautam comes to UC IPM from the Kearney Research and Extension Center where she was a research entomologist working on citrus pests, especially pests of export significance. Gautam has a master’s degree and doctorate degree from Oklahoma State University focusing on stored products pests.
Amber Vinchesi-Vahl was welcomed as part of UC IPM’s affiliated advisor program. Vinchesi-Vahl is the area vegetable crops advisor for Colusa, Sutter, and Yuba counties. Vinchesi-Vahl is experienced in entomology, IPM, and biological control; pathogens and nematodes; and plant management systems. She has master’s and doctorate degrees from Washington State University. UC Cooperative Extension academics who work in pest management are invited by the director to affiliate with UC IPM on 5-year terms to broaden the Program’s support and outreach network throughout California.
