September 22, 2008
AMES, Iowa — Leslie Lewis, who earned a doctorate in entomology at Iowa State University, becomes chair of the Department of Entomology today, Sept. 22.
Lewis will serve a two-year term. He's been a collaborator/professor at Iowa State since 1974. Lewis takes over for Joel Coats, who has been serving as interim department chair.
Lewis retired Sept. 3 from his position of research leader and supervisory research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agriculture Research Service (ARS). He held the post, which is based in Ames, since 1992. He has worked for the ARS since 1964.
He has researched management of insect pests of row crops, including the European corn borer, and the use of insect pathogens to control pests.
Lewis earned his doctorate at Iowa State in 1970. His bachelor's and master's degrees are from the University of Vermont in agriculture and dairy science, respectively, in 1961 and 1963.