Sure, having a lab with the latest tools and technology is great for a researcher like Dr. Changlu Wang. But when you’re focusing on how urban pests like bed bugs and cockroaches behave, Wang said there’s no better place for research than in the field — seeing how they live, act and move. And it’s something he’s basically done his whole life.
“I grew up in a village [outside of Beijing] and had many experiences with insects as pests on crops and fruits,” said Wang, an entomology extension specialist at Rutgers University.
He recalls using a bow and arrow to shoot down cicadas, collecting cicada nymphs to eat, using a broom to catch dragonflies, collecting June beetles to feed to chickens and placing katydids in a cage so he could listen to their song.
“Studying insects is very interesting,” said Wang. “You always can discover new things about them and their natural environment.”
Over his career, Wang has studied a variety of pests, including termites, cockroaches, bed bugs and rodents. But what sets him apart is his dedication to the people his work helps and the research itself — getting out in the field to see how the solutions he’s developing work in urban settings.
“New technologies and materials need to be field tested to see how well they work and whether customers will accept them,” explained Wang. “This knowledge will help manufacturers and users to improve their pest control products or pest control results.”
And his enthusiasm for entomology hasn’t gone unnoticed by his colleagues, said Mark Coffelt, head of technical services for Professional Pest Management (PPM) at Syngenta.
“He’s very conscientious about what he does. And he’s one of the few people out there who’s willing to conduct true applied work. For example, he’ll go out in the field to an apartment complex or public housing and take German cockroach counts before treatment and after treatment to compare results with insecticides or baits,” said Coffelt. “He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty.”
Small-Town Feel
Wang started his college career in Beijing, where he received his bachelor’s degree from Beijing Forestry University, followed by his masters from the Chinese Academy of Forestry.
He came to the United States in 1995 to work on his doctorate at West Virginia University. So why settle in West Virginia? Wang said during one of his first meetings at West Virginia University with the entomology department head and a few other students, he was asked the same question: “Why did you choose West Virginia?”
“I didn’t know how to answer,” he said. “But the truth is only West Virginia University offered me an assistantship. That’s the only reason I [could] come to the U.S., because at the time, if you didn’t have an assistantship, you [couldn’t] come to the U.S.”
And at first the differences between rural West Virginia and China’s capital city were surprising to Wang.
“Before moving to the U.S., I was living in Beijing, and Beijing had close to 10 million people at the time,” he recalled. “When I went to Morgantown, W.Va., there [were] only 50,000 people. I remember people saying, ‘Oh, on the street you rarely see people. You only see cars.’ That’s the opposite of China. In China, you see much more people than cars. West Virginia was very quiet and there were very few people.”
He was also impressed with how convenient it was to find whatever he needed — especially the latest in technology.
“The department store has everything. The lab also has everything. And the library had lots of stuff. You can find all your needs,” he said. “When I applied for my Ph.D., I actually used a typewriter to type my application because computers weren’t relatively common in China at the time.”
After receiving his doctorate in 1998, Wang went to work for the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Stoneville, Miss. — an even smaller town than Morgantown with about 1,000 people. While there for 3½ years, Wang was part of the Formosan Subterranean Termite Research Unit. Formosan termites are prevalent in China, and Wang was able to help the team study the pest’s ecology and biological control agents.
Campus Life
In 2002, Wang was recruited by Dr. Gary Bennett, a professor and director of the Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management at Purdue University, to work at the university as a research scientist and manager.
“I worked with different companies to test products,” Wang said. “Companies would send us products to evaluate either in the lab or in the field to see how well the product works.”
During that time, Wang also worked on generating grants to fund his research, establishing relationships with colleagues at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“He was very assertive in getting out there and generating funding for his programs. He was never late on a deadline, and when any opportunity came up for funding cockroaches or termites, he was assertive in getting funded,” said Bennett, who retired from Purdue University in 2019. “He had the ability to do the kind of research that folks were looking for — industry- and government-funded research.”
Wang always knew he’d like a more permanent position as a faculty member. But there weren’t any openings at Purdue at the time. Wang explored his options and received an offer from a pest management company.
“Gary realized that if I left, it would be hard to find another person,” said Wang. “He persuaded Purdue to create a researcher faculty position. I really appreciated him because he created a position basically for me.”
While he enjoyed the newly created position as research assistant professor at Purdue, two years later he received an offer for a tenure position at Rutgers University, where he’s been since 2008.
In his current role as extension specialist, his main goal is to help the public through his applied research. He provides training and demonstrations, answering any questions people may have — from New Jersey residents to pest control service technicians.
“We need to translate the science into practice to let people know what’s happening,” Wang said. “We need something that is easy to understand so companies can use that knowledge to explain to it to the customer.”
Field Work
Wang’s approach to his research is the definition of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Early in his career, he saw the benefits firsthand of working in urban or low-income areas to determine how best to apply pest management techniques while thinking about the communities he served.
While at Purdue, he spent time conducting research at public housing, developing and studying how certain pest management treatments work. Forming a close bond with residents was crucial for the success of his research.
“You have to understand the community’s culture and that they may face challenges financially, emotionally or physically,” explained Wang. “They have different attitudes about pests. Some people do not want people to come in. Some people do not want to listen to advice.”
And that practice of applied research is something Wang has carried on at Rutgers, said Shannon Sked, a former student of Wang’s who is now an entomologist and director at Western Fumigation in New Jersey. The two of them worked together on monitoring how house mice can be controlled using different kinds of bait.
“Dr. Wang is consistently looking for how the research he’s engaged with will impact the industry from a practical application perspective,” said Sked. “He’s offered great insight through his efforts, which have supported the pest control industry, and more importantly, those that the pest control industry serves.”
Sked said he’s personally learned a lot from working alongside Wang — especially how Wang is always looking for ways he can tailor the experimental design to answer very pragmatic questions for the entomology field while never losing sight of how research may help residents.
“What was unique to watch was the way that he did this while marrying his work to the greater scientific questions in entomology,” said Sked. “It was a fine balance, and Dr. Wang did that exceptionally well while I studied under him. I’ve been able to take that same perspective into my role now in private industry — and I’m able to better support my customers due to that experience.”
It all goes back to building trust, said Wang. And it also requires patience and authenticity when working with a community for the first time.
“We are helping them solve issues. Normally, at the beginning it’s difficult. But after they are familiar with you, they will welcome you,” Wang said. “It takes some time. Whenever you try to reach a new community, you have to be patient with the staff and residents.”
And while he does spend some time in a research lab, Wang said working in low-income areas is the best way to get the most data — and most importantly, to make a difference in how people live.
“If you want to do pest control research, low-income housing is an ideal place to do the research or product testing because it reduces the pests and reduces the health risks for those people,” Wang said.
Making an Impact
Wang has authored numerous books and journal articles on his research of urban pest management, pest behaviors and the potential for insecticide resistance. He also holds two U.S. patents on technology to help with the management of bed bugs.
“Only 5 to 7 percent of all inventions result in commercialization,” Wang explained. “I feel very proud that my patents in the U.S. resulted in affordable products that are being used by professionals and the public.”
Currently, Wang is on a six-month sabbatical from Rutgers University.
“[Rutgers University] gives you an opportunity for you to rethink what you want to do in the future,” said Wang. “You can learn some new skills or visit some new places and discuss some new things that you want to do. It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
During this time, Wang plans to spend time visiting his mother and sister, who live four hours south of Beijing.
But for those who think he’s slowing down, think again. Wang is also the symposium organizer for the third International Conference on Insect Pest Management, scheduled in Nanjing, China, in October.
And he’s excited about his current research project, which focuses on house mice and how IPM can be used to reduce mouse allergens in apartments.
“We also want to look at the prevalence of the ectoparasites associated with the house mice,” explained Wang. “We want to show that effective pest control can reduce the indoor health risks, the risks of allergens and whether ectoparasites carry pathogens.”
While accolades and praise are great, for Wang it all goes back to finding solutions and making a difference — and doing it all with a positive attitude.
“He has a real great passion for using science to improve conditions in underserved communities,” said Rick Cooper, the owner of R Cooper Consulting, who received his doctorate from Rutgers University and worked with Wang. “He is just a good person. He’s one of the kindest, gentlest, most soft-spoken people that I know. He’s highly motivated and is extremely determined.”
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