Gary Felton to Present the Templeton Lecture in Entomology and Plant Pathology

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Gary Felton

Gary W. Felton, a world-renowned expert in the interactions of plants and the insects that feed upon them, will present the George Templeton Lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The talk is hosted by the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology in the University of Arkansas' Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Felton will present his seminar titled "Gene Editing Reveals Novel Functions of a Caterpillar Salivary Enzyme" at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, in the Agriculture Building (AGRI) room 0115. The event is funded through a generous gift from the family of George E. Templeton II to promote knowledge and understanding of biocontrol of plant pests.

Gary Felton is a professor and head of the Department of Entomology at Penn State University. He is a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America. Felton's research team uses molecular, proteomic, and physiological approaches to examine mechanisms of plant defense and adaptations that herbivorous insects use to avoid them. His program has identified unique ways in which insect herbivores use salivary secretions to suppress the induced responses of their host plants and has been published in journals such as Nature and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Felton was a faculty member at the University of Arkansas from 1990-2000.

The Templeton Lectures are named in honor of George Earl Templeton II, a distinguished plant pathologist at the U of A from 1958 until his retirement in 1996. Templeton was internationally recognized as an expert in rice diseases and fungal toxins, with a special interest in the biological control of weeds using fungal plant pathogens. He was instrumental in establishing UA's Rosen Center for Alternative Pest Control in 1989. Templeton developed the first commercial mycoherbicide "Collego" for use in rice and soybeans. Its development provided a model used worldwide to develop biological herbicides.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among few colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.