Rate My Professor Scott Salom

Scott Salom is Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Entomology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. He earned a B.S. in 1981 from Iowa State University, an M.S. in 1985 from the University of Arkansas, and a Ph.D. in 1989 from the University of British Columbia. Salom's research specializes in forest entomology and biological control, focusing on integrated pest management of non-native invasive forest insect and weed pests. His principal areas include the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), for which he studies, rears, releases, and evaluates imported predators such as Leucopis spp. silver flies and Laricobius spp. beetles; and the tree-of-heaven (TOH), involving evaluation of native fungi as bioherbicides, site restoration post-removal, and imported weevils from China. He directs a USDA APHIS-certified Beneficial Insects Quarantine Laboratory and leads multiple funded projects, including mass rearing of HWA predators (USDA Forest Service, 2021-2026), impact assessments (2019-2024), bioherbicide testing (Virginia Agricultural Council, 2022-2024), and Verticillium nonalfalfae registration (BioProdex Inc., 2021-2025).

Salom has mentored over 25 graduate students to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, many of whom hold positions in academia, government agencies, and industry; notable alumni include Gabriella Zilahi-Balogh (Ph.D. 2001, Virginia Tech faculty) and Scott M. Salom's advisees recognized with awards. He co-teaches FREC 4514 Forest and Tree Pest Management and teaches ENT 5264 Biological Control of Arthropod Pests and Weeds. His awards include the 2023 Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor from Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2022 Co-recipient Team Award for the Invasive Species Working Group from the Office of the Provost, 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Arkansas Entomology, 2009 A.D. Hopkins Award from the Southern Forest Insect Work Conference, 2008 Award for Excellence in Applied Research and in Integrated Pest Management from Virginia Tech CALS and Eastern Branch Entomological Society of America, respectively, and 2004 Research Award of Merit from Virginia Tech Gamma Sigma Delta. Key publications encompass 'Classical biological control for the protection of natural ecosystems' (Biological Control, 2010), 'Host specificity of Laricobius nigrinus Fender (Coleoptera: Derodontidae)' (Biological Control, 2002), 'Biology and control of hemlock woolly adelgid' (FHTET-2014-05, 2014), and 'Establishment of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Predator, Laricobius nigrinus' (Environmental Entomology, 2010). Salom belongs to the Entomological Society of America, International Organization for Biological Control, International Union of Forestry Research Organizations, Society of American Foresters, and Southern Forest Insect Work Conference.