Missions

James H. Oliver, Jr.

Institute of Arthropodology and Parasitology

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I.A.P. Missions

The IAP draws national and international attention to Georgia Southern University's resident expertise as a scientific resource. It serves as a forum for lectures, provides stimulation and coordination of various research projects, and acts as a magnet for distinguished visiting scholars.

The IAP's major research thrust deals with local, national, and worldwide questions concerning major arthropod pests, vectors of disease agents, and other parasites. By promoting scholarships and research on campus, the Institute "energizes" faculty and students in the exciting pursuit of new knowledge. In addition to the pedagogic effect, the research of IAP members is yielding information of value to experts beyond the academic community, especially to biomedical and agricultural scientists.

Regionally, IAP field and laboratory investigations are zeroing in on arthropods, parasites, and diseases affecting humans, livestock, game and other animals in the Southeast, with field pest surveys frequently leading to more in-depth studies. Their results have extensive practical and long-term value in land and wildlife management, domestic livestock practices, public health, and recreational pursuits. Research projects of the IAP are multifaceted and broad, covering reproductive biology, genetics, parasite-host relationships, physiology, morphology, systematics, identification guides, plant pathology, control programs, behavior, ecology, distribution and diffusion of diseases, arthropod-transmitted diseases, electron microscopy, and paleobiology. Organisms being investigated include fungi and higher plants, lobsters, crabs, oysters, mange mites, coastal sand gnats, ticks, fleas, lice, poultry mites, mites which are intermediate hosts of tapeworms, mosquitoes, midges, deer flies, horseflies, nematodes, flukes, and several species of native wild mammals.