JOHN K. WESTBROOK, Research Leader and Meteorologist

Phone: 979-260-9531

Fax: 979-260-9386

j-westbrook@tamu.edu

Current Research

• Emergence of Overwintered Boll Weevils

• Seasonal Distribution of Boll Weevil Captures Relative to Landscape Atmospheric Diffusion of Grandlure Volatiles

• Bat Predation of Bollworms.

• Local Dispersal of Bollworm Moths

Education:

• 1973-75 Sierra College; major, Mathematics; A.A. 1975
• 1975-77 San Jose State University; major, Meteorology; B.S. 1977
• 1977-82 Utah State University; major, Biometeorology; M.S. 1980; Ph.D. 1982
• 1991-92 USDA Graduate School, Systems Engineering Training Program

Research Goals:

• To determine the impact of insect emergence and dispersal in areawide pest infestations
• To develop predictive models of insect emergence and dispersal
• To develop algorithms for applying new operational technologies, such as NEXRAD Doppler weather radars, for the surveillance of migrating insect pests, and
• To design areawide pest management systems for field crop insect species.

Duties:

  Dr. Westbrook conducts meteorological and remote sensing investigations of the build-up and dispersal of insect populations.  He coordinates the operation of several entomological (X-band) radars, atmospheric radiosonde systems, automatic weather stations, and videographic recorders.  He develops insect emergence and dispersal models which are incorporated with field measurements of plant distributions, weather, insect populations, and geophysical characteristics for analysis and display in a geographic information system.  He currently serves as the coordinator of the USDA/ARS Virtual Project on Migration and Dispersal of Heliothis / Helicoverpa.