[2014 Crown Leadership Awards] Stephen Kells

From a young age Stephen Kells’ fascination with insects has led to him explore, question and investigate the behavior of the creepy, crawly and flying creatures that share our world.

From an early encounter with earwigs that was both fascinating and frightening to the proclamation to his grade school class that he intended to find a way to control the worldwide scourge of locusts for a class project, Kells has immersed himself in the study of insects.
 

The Early Years

The oldest child of a Canadian Air Force search and rescue pilot and later college professor, Kells was born in Prince Edward Island, lived in Calgary and spent most of his youth in Ontario, an hour north of Toronto.

Well-traveled at a young age, Kells built his first laboratory in a small crawlspace at home in pursuit of his aforementioned goal of finding a solution for controlling locusts, the swarming phase of a certain species of grasshoppers. His first effort – vinegar and baking soda – didn’t work but revealed an innate sense of curiosity that Kells has carried with him throughout his career.

Growing up in rural Ontario exposed Kells to the farming life and while he remained fascinated by insects he eventually entered the University of Guelph to study dairy science. “I soon came to the realization that dairy science was a limited field in terms of career options and was simply all about the cow,” recalls Kells.

While deciding on a major that would not limit his career options or his curious nature, Kells took a summer job at the university’s horticultural research station working on crop protection research. One of Kells’ duties was to take treated crop samples to the university’s residue lab for further testing.

As part the testing process, the lab sought volunteers to be tested for pesticide exposure through the monitoring of weekly blood samples. Kells became a volunteer, but it had nothing to do with the greater good of science; it had all to do with Alice.

Alice, a fellow co-ed, processed the analysis of the blood samples and while neither of them would realize it then, she later would become Kells’ wife and the mother of their three children.

Kells likes to joke that Alice “treated my blood sample as a bio-hazard” but a union was hatched and both went on to complete their master’s degrees at the university and work in laboratories that were side-by-side.

During this time Kells fell for his second love – entomology. A class in insect taxonomy propelled that interest and saw Kells hand in a project where he collected and mounted more than 2,000 insects. “I wanted to make sure I received an A in the class,” quips Kells.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and environmental biology and a master’s degree in entomology, Kells wanted to further his entomological studies. Following a conversation with an advisor as to what field in entomology offered the most career options, he decided that urban entomology was the route and Purdue University was the place.
 

Excellent Training Ground

At Purdue, Kells studied under longtime researcher Dr. Gary Bennett and it was Kells’ energetic and outgoing personality that Bennett remembers. “We first met Steve at an Entomological Society of America meeting and his energy and enthusiasm stood out,” says Bennett. “We were very happy to have him here for his doctorate and post-doctorate work. He hit the ground running as soon as he arrived on campus and never stopped.”

During his time at Purdue Kells was actively involved in planning the university’s annual pest management conference and managing its correspondence courses, while not neglecting his studies.

“Steve was the ideal student,” says Bennett. “You didn’t have to always look over his shoulder and it was evident he had a bright future because of his enthusiasm and love for the subject.”

Following graduation Kells took a different career turn, choosing not to remain in the research world and taking a position with Abell Pest Control in Ontario. Kells served as Abell’s technical director from 1999 to 2004, gaining recognition for his work in developing unique pest management solutions for the company’s diverse client base.

An itch to return to academia and research led Kells to the University of Minnesota in 2004 as an assistant professor and extension entomologist. In Minnesota, Kells has found his stride and is producing valuable work on bed bugs and stored product pests, as well as helping reshape the role extension services play in today’s pest management industry (see sidebar on the right).

PCT visited with Kells for his thoughts on the important role extension plays in the industry.
 

PCT: You have worked for a pest management company and in several university settings. How do they differ and how are they similar?

Kells: They are similar in that you are working with passionate people that want to solve people’s pest problems. It was a huge learning experience entering the industry out of college and I went there with plenty of questions. My time with Abell was a very positive experience and gave me real-world, hands-on knowledge. I credit a great deal of my success today to the time spent in the industry. It helps me understand what is needed by PMPs in the field and where to focus our research and extension efforts.
 

PCT: What drives you as an educator?

Kells: It is the excitement of the work and the people you get to work with. Learning new things and being able to talk with people about their experiences is gratifying. When I was working at Abell, discovery came on a shorter cycle and I always wanted the time to explore a question or problem in more depth. Being an educator gives you that time to ask more questions and seek more input. I look forward to coming in every morning to find the answers.
 

PCT: What role will research play going forward for the industry?

Kells: Research will better explain pest behavior patterns to help the industry identify improved control methods. There is a lot of forward thinking going on in today’s research community and the need for knowledge from industry, consumers and regulators has increased. The research community remains a big part of the process.
 

PCT: What is the biggest issue facing urban pest research today?

Kells: It is the struggle for funding. Funding that has traditionally come through EPA and USDA is not always available to study urban pests and is directed at agriculture pests or vector research. It has been a challenge to identify sustainable funding to look at the insect itself. A good example of where research fell behind and resulted in a negative outcome is bed bugs. Had there been ongoing research the industry could have acted quicker to develop control methods and not wait until the resurgence was full blown and bed bugs were showing up everywhere in major retail establishments and hotels.
 

PCT:What is your favorite insect to work with in a research setting?

Kells: It would have to be bed bugs because there is so much unknown about these pests. We are currently researching their behavior and biology to learn how they move through society which is fascinating. They’re intriguing insects.
 

PCT: How do you define leadership?

Kells: Leadership is the ability to move society or industry to try new things, and be able to understand the underlying problem or issue while being sympathetic when it cannot be changed. It is being able to work with others to reach the best possible outcome for all.