[2008 Leadership Profiles] Don Reierson

You won’t find Don Reierson in his office at 11:30 a.m. He’s not in the lab then, either. To catch him at midday, you need to know his running route. And if you can locate him on his daily jog, you’ll find his colleague and friend, Mike Rust, as well.

For about 30 years, Reierson and Rust, two of the biggest names in urban entomology, have run together near their University of California-Riverside offices in lieu of lunch. In fact, this dynamic duo has run about a dozen marathons together, exhibiting the same kind of dedication to their sport as they show toward their academic pursuits.

“Our students and lab assistants know our schedule and work around it,” Reierson says. But aside from their daily run and a couple of weekly seminars, Reierson’s work is quite varied. “Our lab doesn’t have the luxury of focusing on a single project,” he says. “We have lots of balls in the air.”

Reierson’s ability to juggle those balls over the course of a long and illustrious career is one of the many reasons he is being honored with a 2008 Leadership Award. And his own definition of leadership sums up the rest: “To me, an important element of my leadership in research is ensuring that our lab continues to be among the best, most capable, most accomplished and most recognized urban entomology units in the world.”

However, Reierson doesn’t see himself as a sole hero. Rather, he considers himself a facilitator. “We do cutting-edge, world-renowned, important research in urban entomology that benefits PMPs and their customers,” he says. “My leadership role is to help that research continue, and I think I’ve had a significant role in accomplishing that.”

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS. His current professional situation is a far cry from the humble beginnings and early aspirations of this native Californian. Born in Pasadena, Reierson grew up in Southern California and attended UCLA, where he studied to become a teacher. “Growing up, I wasn’t passionate about insects, but I knew I wanted to pursue the life sciences,” says the former Eagle Scout. But Reierson’s plans to teach high-school science were derailed when he answered a 1962 job posting for a student assistant to Dr. Walter Ebeling, known by many as the “father of urban entomology.”

Ebeling’s approach during the job interview was straightforward, and Reierson’s candor in telling Ebeling that he simply needed the job was the right response. Reierson soon found himself tending Ebeling’s investigational cockroach colonies.

Reierson graduated as planned but instead of teaching school, he entered a graduate entomology program at UCLA. Working with professor John Belkin, Reierson studied mosquitoes and other insects important to public health. Shortly after embarking on his academic journey with Belkin, while still working for Ebeling, Reierson faced a crucial decision.

“John Belkin told me that the only way to earn my doctorate was to give up my job with Dr. Ebeling and work full-time as a doctoral student,” he says. “I had just gotten married and simply couldn’t do it financially, so I enrolled in the master’s degree program in entomology at Long Beach State University.” Long Beach was a natural choice for Reierson because his wife concurrently was pursuing her master’s degree in education there. The couple worked — Reierson still full-time in Ebeling’s lab — and went to school part-time to earn their graduate degrees.

As Reierson maintained Ebeling’s insect colonies, it became clear that these species were the same ones that most concerned the pest control industry. Together, Ebeling and Reierson studied basic and practical aspects of cockroach control, including an important series of insecticide efficacy and mode of action trials.

Reierson enjoyed his work with Ebeling for many reasons, including the fact that he could relate to Ebeling’s midwestern sensibilites of hard work, perseverance and integrity. Having spent summers as a boy working on his grandparents’ South Dakota farm, Reierson shared Ebeling’s no-nonsense approach and respected Ebeling’s scientific capability and creativity. “From just about day one, Dr. Ebeling expressed his willingness to consider me a colleague,” Reierson says.

REPLACING A LEGEND. In 1975, Ebeling retired and the UCLA entomology program was split between the Davis and Riverside campuses. Given a choice, Reierson opted to continue his work at Riverside “because at the time I thought it was on the Colorado River. I was pretty naive.”

Shortly after moving his lab to the Riverside campus, a major event occurred in Reierson’s career and life: the hiring of Mike Rust to head up the urban entomology program at Riverside. Rust was recruited from the University of Kansas where he had completed a doctorate in 1975 and in Rust, Reierson would find his next great friend, colleague and scientific collaborator.

“At that time, the pest control industry was booming, and my career was booming because of Mike,” Reierson says. Chronologically Rust’s elder and a more experienced researcher, Reierson soon discovered that the pair had complementary skills, which propelled them both forward. Rust’s early years at Riverside were largely focused on earning tenure, and Reierson became Rust’s helpmate through the process, editing papers and assisting as needed while enjoying the freedom to drive his own research program to new discoveries that would benefit academia and industry.

Repellency was becoming a crucial issue industry-wide, so Reierson and Rust developed the “choice box,” a now-famous device used to study repellents among various insect populations. At the same time, the industry was struggling with chemical resistance, leading the Reierson-Rust research machine to develop a spray strategy to counter the problem. Industry funding for research was generous, and results were beneficial, although Reierson stresses that he never allowed a funding source to influence his research trials or publications.

A VALUED MENTOR. At the same time, Reierson and Rust mentored graduate students in academics and research. Many have gone on to important academic appointments of their own. “There’s great satisfaction in the end product of seeing a mature scientist who is capable in the lab and can relate to PMPs, the industry and academics,” Reierson says. “One of the things I think I contribute to the mix is teaching students how to develop good relationships along with good science.”

And no one questions the value of Reierson’s science. “When we published our findings, people would read the articles and find them interesting,” Reierson says. “Then they’d call and ask if they could work with us.” Thus, the UC-Riverside urban entomology program grew in size and reputation, although Reierson and Rust still carefully control the number of graduate students they accept because “a lot of time and effort are given to graduate students, and a lot of resources and expectations are invested. The better they do, the better our lab looks, and the better position we’re in to get grant funding.”

In recent years, that all-important grant funding has become harder to find. However, Reierson continues to appreciate industry contributions in the form of equipment and project support. Still, he and Rust spend a portion of their time applying for public and private grants and developing creative ways to collaborate with industry in order to field-test theories that may lead to beneficial new pest control practices.

A TRUSTED SOURCE. The pest control research at UCR involves significant work representing millions of dollars. Reierson explains that each product on the market is accompanied by a marketing pitch that may or may not represent valid scientific fact. Through his work, claims are substantiated or, if not, can be adjusted in order to present a valid and honest picture. In this sense, Reierson compares his work to that of a reporter who simply shares facts with appropriate audiences and must beware of any type of bias or conflict of interest. Integrity is a crucial trait to the Reierson-Rust research program.

Looking down the road, Reierson anticipates that termites and ants will continue to be important pests to the industry. He also thinks that the growth of international markets is showing great potential. Finally, he notes that the “green revolution” will continue to affect the pest control field, and he expects to be working on ways in which chemicals will be more environmentally friendly and compliant with new regulatory statutes. “We’ll be finding ways to minimize pesticide impact while retaining good control and keeping satisfied customers,” he says.

Tearing his eyes away from the crystal ball, Reierson notes that in the near-term he expects to continue along the research path he has forged while potentially participating in more government grant coordination. “I think I can help the industry and regulators understand each other’s needs and responsibilities,” he says. Already, he is interested in the workings of the Pest Management Alliance, a government-industry collaborative designed to minimize pesticides in water runoff and reduce potentially harmful effects to pest control technicians. “My part may be to provide more information on the newest technologies and chemistry,” he says. “I would be a conduit between the PMPs and basic manufacturers while looking at safe, novel technologies.”

As he pursues these and other cutting-edge projects, Reierson expresses high praise for his co-workers and research team. “I simply cannot imagine a better situation,” he says. “I love the people I work with, and this industry is a delight.” He appreciates the receptive and generous attitudes of all those he meets industry-wide. A frequent speaker and presenter, he enjoys becoming acquainted with others in the field.

Yet, it’s not surprising that his most effusive praise is reserved for Walter Ebeling and Mike Rust, the two individuals he says were “crucial to my development.” Having followed the examples set by Ebeling and Rust, Reierson is aware that through his work as a “support scientist” he serves as an example to others. When asked what qualities he values in a leader, Reierson reels off “credibility, honesty, integrity, the ability to show those around you that this direction is one they would want to follow.” And all the qualities Reierson lists are those his colleagues, friends and students have used to describe him (see related story, page 55).

ZEST FOR LIFE. Perhaps part of Reierson’s verve for life is the result of a medical scare he experienced in 1999 when an acoustic neuroma was removed from his brain. The benign tumor left him deaf in one ear, but he considers himself extremely fortunate to have no other lasting effects. The surgery, follow-up treatment and recovery kept Reierson out of his lab for about three months. “Mike would call to see how I was doing and tell me not to come back until I was ready,” he says. “I really got a lot of support from the lab and that made me feel really good.”

Reierson and his wife, Sandra, enjoy their three children and two grandchildren and relish travel, especially to England where they’ve participated in a house exchange with another family for more than 25 years.

Reierson sums up his current position very simply: “I’m happy as a bug!”

Don Reierson at a Glance

• Researcher, department of entomology, University of California-Riverside
• He and Dr. Mike Rust have worked together for more than 30 years
• Has provided the industry with cutting-edge research and has mentored many of the next generation of researchers
• Worked under the legendary Walter Ebeling, a UCLA professor considered by many the “father of urban entomology”
• Student of Urban Public Health at UCLA under the late Dr. John Belkin
• A bachelor's degree in zoology from UCLA and a master's degree from California State University, Long Beach
• Married to wife Sandra since 1965; three children and two grandchildren
• An avid runner

What Others Say

“Don is insanely curious. He’s also very smart and knows the scientific process very well. Whether it’s exploring a biological concept or testing the efficacy of a product, he does it with intense curiosity, characteristic precision and attention to detail.” — Linda Hooper-Bui, associate professor of entomology, Louisiana State University

“From where I sit, I think that chemical manufacturers probably have more respect for Don than any other urban pest researcher in the nation. Due to his research on boric acid, we’ve been using it as a mainstay in our cockroach arsenal for 30 years.” —  Mike Lawton, vice president of commercial services, Western Exterminator Co.

“Don has an excellent ability to plan experiments and to expedite and publish the results, which is exactly the model we want people to use.” — Roger Gold, professor and endowed chairman of urban and structural entomology, Texas A&M University

“There are many, many researchers who never step out of the lab. And there are many field researchers who never step into the lab. Don is really good at integrating studies of mechanisms in the lab with field studies. I call him an integrative scientist.” — Coby Schal, professor of entomology, North Carolina State University

“Don opened up a whole world of applied research and field research with roaches. We quickly became a strong team, balancing the real applied research needs of the industry and university needs for basic research for student and graduate programs.” — Mike Rust, professor of entomology, UC-Riverside