Benjamin Grady, University of Kentucky – John Osmun Scholarship Recipient
With the beginning of the Fall 2025 academic semester, I entered my fourth year of graduate school. In those first three years, I was able to complete two sets of experiments, finish a draft of my first review paper, go to eight different academic/industry conferences, and hone my extension skills at numerous local and regional talks. Throughout this time period, I was consistently supported by not only Pi Chi Omega scholarships but also by the Pi Chi Omega community. The connections that I have made through Pi Chi Omega have helped me to understand what my career goals are and to get closer to achieving them.
Prior to Fall 2025, my primary research was focused on determining how contamination of insecticidal baits affected their efficacy against German cockroaches. After publishing this paper, I have shifted my focus to working on bed bug behavior. Specifically, I am interested in how bed bugs interact with insecticides and how this behavior impacts the efficacy of common control products. While I have continued to pursue scientific publications for this research, I have also submitted an article for publication on my research to PCT Magazine, and I plan to submit more pending further research. I hope to be able to communicate this research not only to the scientific community but also to the broader pest management community, so that it can be helpful to those actually working in the field to eliminate infestations.
I have also been extremely interested in the invasive Turkestan cockroach, or Blatta lateralis. This interest has allowed me to identify several areas of interest that necessitate further research on this cockroach, and I have begun planning my own research projects based on the areas that I identified. This project, as well as the other projects that I have completed, was supported by my Pi Chi Omega scholarship, as it allowed me to travel to locations where these cockroaches were being found and collect them.
In 2023 and 2025, I attended NPMA’s PestWorld conference and had the opportunity to go to Pi Chi Omega’s “Raise the Bar” event. Both times, this event allowed me to make connections with people in the industry that I would not have otherwise been able to talk to easily. Events like these are one of the main reasons why Pi Chi Omega is so invaluable; they show students like me that the most important and influential people in the industry are just as approachable as anyone else. They allow the industry to consistently bring in new perspectives and have helped me feel confident about finding the right job for me after I finish graduate school. I have also been able to attend the Entomological Society of America’s national meeting for the last three years, as well as the National Conference on Urban Entomology, where I have met many other Pi Chi Omega members who have helped me with my research and given me valuable insight into the industry.
Lastly, since enrolling in graduate school, I have been able to give over twenty extension talks to various audiences, most including members of the pest management industry. In 2025, I was given the opportunity to give an hour-long talk at the University of Kentucky’s Pest Control Short Course, which allowed me to get creative and provide information to PMPs that they may not otherwise know. I believe that these presentations are the most important way that I have contributed to Pi Chi Omega’s stated mission: to connect and enrich the urban pest management industry. By supporting me as a speaker, a scientist, and a student, Pi Chi Omega has helped me to develop into a better member of the pest management industry, and I hope to continue developing and supporting the industry throughout my career. Thank you so much for supporting me!