Robert Hale Nelson (1903–1996) was an American entomologist, federal agriculture- and insecticide researcher, and leader within the

Entomological Society of America The Entomological Society of America (ESA) was founded in 1889 and today has more than 7,000 members, including educators, extension personnel, consultants, students, researchers, and scientists from agricultural departments, health agencies, ...

Biography

Nelson was born June 13, 1903, on a farm in

Bristow, Nebraska Bristow is a village in Boyd County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 70 at the 2020 census, up from 65 in 2010. History Bristow was laid out as a town in 1902 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Benjamin ...

. He received a B.S. in 1929 and a

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

the following year from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. Upon finishing his M.S. Nelson, in 1931, Nelson was hired by the USDA's Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine. His entire career was spent at various positions in the USDA, in 1946, being put in charge of

insecticide Insecticides are pesticides used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. The major use of insecticides is in agriculture, but they are also used in home and garden settings, i ...

and

acaricide Acaricides are pesticides that kill members of the arachnid subclass '' Acari'', which includes ticks and mites. Acaricides are used both in medicine and agriculture, although the desired selective toxicity differs between the two fields. Termi ...

screening. Moved in 1953 to USDA's

Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...

division, specifically ARS's Entomological Research Branch. During this time Nelson also took further graduate level courses at

Iowa State College Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

and

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

. Starting in 1947, he simultaneously served on the Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association's Insecticide Scientific Committee. Nelson held various positions within the ESA, most notably as Executive Secretary from March 14, 1955 January 16, 1969. Retired from USDA, but still active within the ESA's administration, Nelson became its president for 1971. Upon truly retiring in 1972, he and his wife moved to

Lanham, Maryland Lanham is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, it has a population of 11,282. The New Carrollton station (the terminus of the Washington Metro's O ...

, and in 1987, he was honored with the ESA Eastern Branch's L.O. Howard Distinguished Achievement Award. Later they moved to

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Mechanicsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. As of the ...

, where he died November 8, 1991.

Legacy

The ESA holds an annual

symposium In Ancient Greece, the symposium (, ''sympósion'', from συμπίνειν, ''sympínein'', 'to drink together') was the part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, o ...

series in his honor, the Robert H. Nelson Symposium, founded by Professor Marvin Harris.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Robert 1903 births 1996 deaths American entomologists United States Department of Agriculture Entomological Society of America University of Nebraska alumni 20th-century American biochemists 20th-century American zoologists