This month we begin a new feature of the INside -- ongoing employee recognition. Each month we'll introduce you to an employee who has participated in scholarly activities, been involved in the community or received an award for personal or educational excellence. In this issue you'll find stories about six current and two retired employees. Employee Achievements Biology instructor goes on a bug hunt They went looking forthe _ feeding on them.” perfect bug. Douglas College instructor Rob As the greenhouse industry McGregor and expands in BC, so do the Agriculture and Agri-Food breeding grounds for insect Canada Research Scientist pests. Dave Gillespie wanted to find an insect that could “Greenhouses used to be put an end to greenhouse on average a quarter of a pests by doing what comes _ hectare,” says McGregor. naturally—huntingdown — “Now we're talking about dinner. facilities that are an average of six-and-a-half hectares, “T started doing this kind and some of them are of research because I was much bigger. One of the concerned about problems they're environmental encountering is the contamination from constant introduction of pesticides,” says McGregor, new insect pests. Some are a Biology instructor who introduced from other also works on Gillespie's continents or elsewhere in North America. Others are local native species that research team. “Instead of spraying chemical pesticides, farmers buy develop an appreciation for insects and release them the Mediterranean climate into the greenhouse to of the greenhouses.” control the pests by Historically, predatory insects used in greenhouses targeted specific pests. But insect prospectors McGregor and Gillespie went looking fora generalist. McGregor says, “The research and development involved to get a highly specialized biological control agent to market takes a long time. We wanted something that would feed on many different types of pests. And it had to be native to BC so there would be no threat if it escaped.” In 1998, in Summerland, BC, they found it — the perfect bug. “This insect looked so promising we dropped all of the other predators we were working on. It’s a generalist, omnivorous predator.” The lucky bug’s name is Dicyphus hesperus. Not only does it feed on whitefly, one of BC’s most prevalent greenhouse pests, but it also eats other pests like spider mites, aphids and cabbage looper eggs, as well as plants. McGregor says the one danger with using omnivorous bugs is that they also feed on plants, which could damage the crops. Their research has shown that Dicyphus prefers feeding on tomato leaves rather than tomatoes, although it can cause some fruit damage. The bug was released to market a few years ago to five or six different companies that sell insects, but McGregor and other Biology instructor Rob McGregor says his enthusiasm for research rubs off on his students. members of Gillespie's crew _ interested in something are still learning more people pick up on that. I about its capabilities. also bring unique information into the For McGregor, doing classroom from my research research helps him bring — things that are much his enthusiasm to the more up to date than the classroom at Douglas average textbook. Doing College. “It’s the infectious research makes me excited enthusiasm hypothesis,” he — about teaching biology.” says. “When youre really Munro shoots for the stars Did you know that Douglas College plays host each year to future basketball Olympians? The Adidas Best in the West SuperCamp takes place July 22-31 at the Pinetree Community Centre. It features 200 of the top male and female high school basketball players from across Western Canada. The SuperCamp, which is one of only two NCAA-sanctioned events in Canada, is organized by David Munro of the Sports Institute and Steve Anderson of Southridge School in Surrey. “In just seven years, no fewer than 150 players have gone on to play college or university basketball in Canada and the US,” says Munro. “Nearly 20 are currently participating in Canadian basketball national teams, national development teams or regional training camps. And all that started right here in Coquitlam, at Douglas College. We are excited to play host each summer to tomorrow’s Olympic basketball heroes.” Five-year quest a success Luc Lang, Applications Services Manager in the Centre for Education and Information Technology (CEIT), received his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in May. “When I joined Douglas College on March 8 I was a PMP certificant, which means I had been accepted to write the PMP exam after presenting my credentials to the Project Management Institute (PMI),” he says. Luc’s credentials include a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Regina, more than 35 contact hours of formal project management training and over 4,500 hours of verifiable experience in the five project management process groups: initiating, planning, execution, control and close. On May 15, Luc says that his “five-year-long quest to obtain the designation was achieved when I passed the four-hour exam and became a certified PMP.” He plans to use what he has learned as he works on and manages information technology projects at the College. Hawkeye leads the pack Chemistry instructor Randy Alex received a 2004 Volunteer Award from the City of Port Coquitlam in April in the category of Youth Programs. Randy is a dedicated leader of the PoCo Beaver Colony, and has been active in the Scouting program for the past six years. Known as “Hawkeye” to the Beavers, Randy was nominated by a group of parents who say that “an entire community of citizens aged zero to 40-plus has been motivated and encouraged by Randy’s friendly leadership style.” Congratulations, Randy! What have you been up to? Have you presented a paper? Finished your degree? Received an award? If you have, let us know! We want to showcase the people who work at (or are retired from) Douglas College, whether it is for educational achievement, community involvement or scholarly activity. Let us know about your accomplishments or those ofa colleague. Call Tracey Denofreo at 604-527- 5325 or e-mail her at denofreot@douglas.bc.ca. We look forward to hearing from you! Ain't no flies on Marylou When Marylou Morris retired from the College in 1999 and moved to Horsefly, BC the following year, she didn’t spend too much time just enjoying the scenery. She joined the Community Club, became active in the Old Fashioned Christmas, spent time as an actor and co- producer with the Follies, and became editor of a local newsletter, The Horsefly Buzz. Her energy and enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed: she was named citizen of the year for 2004. Marylou received her award on Saturday, May 1. eee a All in the family May was an exciting month for Patricia (Tricia) Rachfall, Therapeutic Recreation instructor and her mother, Betty Emery, a retired instructor who taught for 18 years at Douglas College in a variety of programs including Community Service Worker, Gerontology, Child and Youth Care Worker, Basic Occupational Education, Home Support Worker and Therapeutic Recreation. (In fact, when Tricia went through the Therapeutic Recreation program she had her mom as an instructor!) ‘Tricia obtained her MEd in Adult Education from UBC, where her project focused on recruitment, career decision making and retention for the Therapeutic Recreation program at Douglas College. With this in mind, she developed a script for a video about therapeutic recreation. “The intent was to develop a script that would build on applicant’s needs to make an appropriate career decision, thereby increasing the chance of student success and ultimately persistence in the program,” she says. Betty received one of the first British Columbia Community Achievement Awards given to British Columbians for their spirit, dedication, imagination and contribution to their communities. Betty created ElderCollege at North Island College. ElderCollege provides a diverse learning and social environment for the community's growing senior population, and now has 600 members and offers 25 courses each semester. Hull graduates in leadership Jillian Hull of Student Development graduated in April from the Academy for Leadership and Development. The Academy is a program created in conjunction with the Chair Academy, a division of the Maricopa Community College District in Mesa, Arizona. The year-long program includes on-site training, a practicum experience anda mentor program, all of which Jillian completed successfully. Congratulations!