The purpose of the IR-4 Education and Training Committee is to coordinate information exchange, develop materials to aid in training necessary for the generation of data to support the registration of pest management technologies, and organize the National Education Conference (NEC) every three years.
Responsibilities
The E&TC will provide oversight for technical and GLP training matters. Specific responsibilities include providing general curriculum guidelines for training, assisting in the development of educational materials and serving as spokespersons for their respective components.
- National Education Conference (NEC)
- Other Training and Networking
- IR-4 Advisories
- IR-4 National SOPs
The committee should meet, at a minimum, twice a year, either in person or via teleconference.
Education & Training Committee Composition, Membership, and Rotation Guidelines (PDF)
Current Members (As of September 2023)
Christina Dineen, Chemist and Study Director, IR-4 Headquarters (Chair)
Liwei Gu, Regional Field Director, University of Florida
Dan Heider, Field Research Director, University of Wisconsin
Leona Horst, Field Research Director, USDA-ARS
Megan James Hickman, Assistant Regional Field Coordinator, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Johanna Mazlo, National Quality Assurance Unit Manager, IR-4 Headquarters
Alex McFall, Western Region Analytical Lab, University of California Davis
Philip Moore, Study Director, IR-4 Headquarters
Scott Muir, Quality Assurance Auditor, IR-4 Headquarters
Faradeh Rehfield, USDA-ARS
Chanz Robbins, Field Research Director, New Mexico State University
Wilfredo Robles Vazquez, Field Research Director, University of Puerto Rico
Kristen Searer-Jones, Assistant Regional Field Coordinator, University of Florida
Nicole Soldan, Regional Field Coordinator, Michigan State University
Mika Tolson, Assistant Regional Field Coordinator, University of California Davis
National Education Conference
There will be a national training session every three years (called the National Education Conference, or NEC). The exchange of information and networking at the national level is recognized as a valuable contribution to the IR-4 Project. To make suggestions for NEC (or other IR-4 hosted) training topics, please fill out this Google Form or contact an E&TC member.
Other Training and Networking
As training is a continual process, during the years when there is no national training session, one or more regions are expected to host regional training sessions. Regional training sessions may be organized by one region, or as a cooperative effort involving more than one region. Regional training sessions will focus on regional personnel and new hires, but will be opened to researchers from all the other regions and USDA/ARS, especially for those new to the program.
Other training should be available as appropriate. Training of laboratory and QA personnel will be conducted on an as needed/requested bases. E&TC members may be called upon to serve as resources for development of regional training sessions. The E&TC is also responsible for gathering, preparing, and disseminating educational materials and/or instructional aids as needed.
IR-4 Advisories
The purpose of IR-4 Advisories is to serve as a tool to communicate resolution of questions/issues raised by anyone in the IR-4 Project, for which the resolution could be valuable for many within IR-4.
Have a question/issue that you would like to discuss with the E&TC that could be addressed with an Advisory? Fill out this Google Form to start the discussion or to make a suggestion regarding current Advisories.
The E&TC Chair serves as the “gatekeeper” during the Advisory review process. The approved review procedure is as follows:
- Issues/questions from anyone in IR-4 are directed to the chairperson of the E&TC who evaluates/determines (with others as needed) whether formulating an IR-4 Advisory is the most appropriate means to communicate a resolution, and then drafts an Advisory (may be delegated, as needed to the requestor, or those most familiar with the topic).
- The draft advisory is sent to members of the E&TC for a two-week review/comment period. The E&TC chair or advisory author incorporates revisions and distributes the revised draft Advisory to Regional Field Coordinators, Study Directors, Quality Assurance, Lab Research Directors, E&TC members, etc., for another two-week review/comment period.
- New suggested revisions are incorporated and the Advisory is distributed for a final two-week review/comment period by the IR-4 PMC. If at any time during this approximate six-week review/comment process there is significant negative feedback on the draft Advisory, the E&TC Chair will organize a meeting with the group of persons most pertinent for resolving the concerns about the Advisory, and will determine, by consensus of the group, if the draft Advisory should continue through the review process, what changes are needed in the document, or if the draft should be terminated.
- Upon favorable review by PMC, the Advisory is “published” and becomes part of IR-4 policy. The IR-4 Advisories are posted on the IR-4 website and distributed electronically to PMC members, Study Directors, Regional Field Coordinators, Lab Research Directors, Field Research Directors, QA, etc. – throughout the whole IR-4 system.
IR-4 National SOPs
As a subcommittee of the E&TC, the National Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Committee evaluates incoming requests for National SOPs, assists with writing when necessary, and reviews current IR-4 National SOPs on a 2-year cycle (or as needed) to incorporate any necessary changes. The review procedure for IR-4 National SOPs follows a similar procedure as the one listed above for IR-4 Advisories, with a review/comment period by the National SOP Committee before going to the full E&TC.
IR-4 National SOPs can be found in IR-4’s eQA/eDOCs system. For access to eQA, please contact your Regional Field/Laboratory Coordinator and the National Quality Assurance Unit Manager, Johanna Mazlo.
Have a national process that you would like to discuss with the committee that could be addressed with a National SOP? Fill out this Google Form to start the discussion or to make a suggestion regarding current National SOPs.
Current National SOP Committee Members (as of December 2023)
Christina Dineen, Chemist and Study Director, IR-4 Headquarters (Chair)
Alex McFall, Western Region Analytical Lab, University of California Davis
Mika Tolson, Assistant Regional Field Coordinator, University of California Davis
Leona Horst, Field Research Director, USDA-ARS
Martin Beran, Quality Assurance Auditor, University of California Davis