USDA-APHIS-PPQ-CPHST
University Courses in Regulatory Plant Science
Sat, November 07, 2009
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Training the Next Generation – bringing Regulatory Plant Science into the Classroom

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) is the regulatory program charged with safeguarding agriculture and natural resources from the risks associated with the entry, establishment, and spread of exotic plant pests. PPQ’s charge includes developing the policies and regulations that are applied for the import and export of plants and plant products.

The Center for Plant Health Science and Technology (CPHST) is the scientific arm of PPQ. CPHST provides the analyses, methods, protocols, and equipment used by PPQ to detect, identify, and mitigate the impact of plant pests. Most academic programs do not include in-depth discussions or analyses of the issues and challenges related to regulatory activities for plant protection.

To address this deficiency in academic training, CPHST’s Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Laboratory in Raleigh, NC is collaborating with the Departments of Plant Pathology and Entomology of North Carolina State University (NCSU) in the development of a curriculum in Regulatory Plant Science. Some of the curriculum objectives include:

  • advancing the understanding of, and compliance with, Federal regulations;
  • increasing understanding and knowledge about invasive species and exotic plant pests and diseases while exploring regulatory issues; and
  • training students in the application of the latest tools, strategies, and technologies used in regulatory plant protection.

By partnering with NCSU, PERAL has taken advantage of established curricular infrastructures while providing unique expertise to the university. The core of this curriculum, soon to be a Minor in Regulatory Plant Science, centers on courses already in existence at NCSU such as General Entomology (ENT425), Principles of Plant Pathology (PP315) and Weed Science (CS414).
CPHST-PERAL has developed an upper-level undergraduate and graduate 3-credit course titled “Challenges in Plant Resource Protection” and a 1-credit course on the “Fundamentals of Pest Risk Analysis”. These courses provide theoretical and applied training to students in the regulatory aspects of plant protection using real-world case studies, scenarios and issues, and develop their problem solving abilities in critical areas such as risk management. Challenges in Plant Resource Protection was offered for the first time during the 2005 Spring Semester. To date, 26 students have taken this class and 30 more are enrolled in it in 2007. In addition, 9 students completed the Fundamentals of (Pest) Risk Analysis course during the 2006 Fall Semester.

New in 2007 is our association with additional University partners. At present, Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, FL and the Plant Medicine Program at University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville, FL have joined-in as participants in a more global effort towards capacity building in the area of Regulatory Plant Science. Beginning in mid-January the “Challenges in Plant Resource Protection” 3-credit course will be taught simultaneously to students at NCSU, FAMU and UF through IP-based videoconferencing facilitated by NCSU. Thirty students are currently enrolled in the course – 6 at NCSU, 15 at FAMU and 9 at UF.

In order to continue building the Regulatory Plant Science curriculum, guidelines for seminars and more structured internships in Regulatory Plant Science are being developed by scientists at CPHST-PERAL for possible implementation in late 2007