Montana State’s Bob Peterson named a fellow of the Entomological Society of America

BOZEMAN - In recognition of a long and distinguished career, Montana State University professor Bob Peterson was named a fellow of the Entomological Society of America last month.

Peterson, who has been a faculty member at MSU since 2002, has served as head of the College of Agriculture's Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences since 2022. His research focuses on agricultural and biological risk assessment, but his academic experience is even more diverse: he established and served as the director of MSU's professional master's program in environmental sciences - work that earned him two awards for excellence in online teaching - and his expertise in entomology has led to the creation of numerous resources for interested members of the public to learn about insects and their environments.

"Being selected as a fellow of the Entomological Society of America is a tremendous honor," Peterson said. "As a kid with a fascination for insects, I could have never imagined having such a fulfilling career as an entomologist and being recognized for it by others."

Peterson is one of nine entomologists nationally to be named ESA fellows for 2025. The status of fellow acknowledges outstanding contributions to the field of entomology through research, teaching and public engagement, among other vehicles. For his selection, Peterson is acknowledged particularly for his contributions to research. The newest fellows will be recognized at the organization's annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, in November.

In selecting Peterson as a fellow, the ESA recognized his prolific body of research, which includes more than 145 peer-reviewed articles, 15 book chapters and two books. The organization highlighted his "diverse, yet interrelated, research program with important and broad advances for entomology," which includes a seminal 2006 study examining the risks of insecticides used to manage mosquitoes on human health. Over his time with the ESA and with MSU, Peterson has mentored dozens of graduate students and early-career faculty, in addition to teaching thousands of students in his environmental risk assessment course and other academic classes.

"We are exceptionally proud of Dr. Peterson's distinguished recognition. He has been a wonderful faculty member, administrator and entomologist who has been dedicated to the land-grant mission throughout his career," said Darrin Boss, associate director of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and the College of Agriculture's associate dean for research. "His research and mentorship of the students of MSU is truly commendable and his programming always has the needs of Montana's agricultural and natural resource industries at its forefront."

The recent honor from the ESA is not the first recognition of Peterson's engagement and leadership in the field of entomology. In 2019, he served as the ESA president, overseeing the organization's new initiatives and guiding its mission of advocating for insect science. He received the College of Agriculture's Distinguished Faculty Award in 2021 and was one of two individuals nationwide to be named an honorary member of the ESA in 2023.

The ESA has nearly 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry and government. The largest organization in the world for the field, it is a non-partisan scientific and educational resource for all insect-related topics.