Raymond C. Bushland (October5, 1910January29, 1995) was an American

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

. He was awarded the 1992

World Food Prize The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world. Conceived by Nobel Peace Prize laureate No ...

with his colleague Edward F. Knipling for their combined efforts in the development of the

sterile insect technique The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a method of biological pest control, biological insect control, whereby overwhelming numbers of infertility, sterile insects are released into the wild. The released insects are preferably male, as this is mo ...

(SIT).

Early life and education

Bushland grew up in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

and studied zoology and entomology at the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is t ...

, earning a master's degree in 1934. He received a PhD from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

in 1953.

Career

He then worked as an entomologist in the research department of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Dallas and from 1937 in

Menard, Texas Menard is a city in and the county seat of Menard County, Texas, United States. Its population was 1,348 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Geography Menard is located along the banks of the San Saba River at the junction of U.S. Hi ...

, where he met Knipling and did research with him on the New World screwworm ''

Cochliomyia hominivorax ''Cochliomyia hominivorax'', the New World screwworm fly, or simply screwworm or screw-worm, is a species of parasitic fly that is well known for the way in which its larvae (maggots) eat the living tissue of warm-blooded animals. It is prese ...

''. Their larvae were at the time a major parasite of cattle and caused great losses in US agriculture. The two developed the sterile insect technique after World War II. They tested their method on

Sanibel Island Sanibel is an island and city in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,382 at the 2020 census, down from 6,469 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The island, al ...

and nearly eradicated the New World screwworm there with SIT. The method was also successfully tested on Curacao in 1954 and controlled the parasite in parts of the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1958, the fly was eradicated in Florida and throughout the American Southwest by the early 1960s. It was eradicated from the entirety of the US in 1982. In the 1980s, the technique was used successfully in Central America, with Panama erecting a barrier against new infections from South America. It was later used successfully on other flies, such as the

tsetse fly Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies) are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Gloss ...

. Bushland also conducted research into combating lice that spread

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

in New Guinea and the Philippines during World War II. In 1963, Bushland became the director of the USDA Metabolism and Radiation Research Laboratory in

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...

. He retired in 1974. Bushland died, aged 84, in Kerrville, Texas, on January 29, 1995.

Awards and honors

Bushland received the 1949 US Typhus Commission Award for his work on

. In 1967, he received the USDA's Distinguished Service Award for his work on the sterile insect technique. In 1992, he was awarded the World Food Prize with Knipling. In 1999, the Knipling-Bushland Southwest Animal Research Foundation was established at Texas A&M University. In 2016, he and Knipling were posthumously awarded the

Golden Goose Award The Golden Goose Award is a United States award in recognition of scientists whose federally funded basic research has led to innovations or inventions with significant impact on humanity or society. Created by Congressman Jim Cooper of Tennessee ...

References

{{reflist American entomologists 20th-century American zoologists Agriculture and food award winners 1910 births 1995 deaths Place of birth missing People from South Dakota University of South Dakota alumni Kansas State University alumni United States Department of Agriculture people Winners of the World Food Prize