Q&A with Barb Nead-Nylander

• Technical expert, research and development for Douglas Products
• Ph.D. and master’s degrees in entomology from North Dakota State University; bachelor’s degree in entomology from Purdue University
• Member of Entomological Society of America
• Husband, Brian, is a paramedic and provides dive rescue training for police, fire and military

What do you do for Douglas Products?

My position comprises two main efforts: technical support to our sales group and distributors, and research and development to maintain and expand our registrations for sulfuryl fluoride and phosphine.

Providing technical support is critical to ensure our products are used properly and appropriate steps are taken to ensure safety of workers and bystanders. I get involved when issues arise that our sales organization and product distributors are unable to resolve. It provides me an opportunity to better understand where training efforts need to be focused when developing stewardship training for the various geographies.

Maintaining and expanding registrations for our Vikane^® and ProFume^® gas fumigant brands and PH3 requires an ongoing investment in research. Dr. Ellen Thoms, global technical leader for the pest management division of Douglas Products, and I often collaborate to establish protocols for the research needed. I am heavily involved in the biology side of field work, either directly or to oversee this work.

Before you joined Douglas Products?

I worked for Dow and Dow AgroSciences for 21 years. I began as a field development scientist working in crops. Later, I was a field research scientist supporting the Sentricon System and Vikane and ProFume. In between, I served as the technology transfer leader for insecticides, fungicides and biotechnology. This involved providing training for people both within and outside the organization.

I gained training expertise working in human resources managing North and South American training programs and overseeing the global use of the virtual classroom where students around the world could interact just as they would in a physical classroom. Working in HR for a time showed me that investing in training to help people be better at their current or future jobs can have an equal or greater positive impact on morale than just another bump in the paycheck.

Travel?

Most of my work is in the United States. However, my responsibilities are global, so in the past year I worked in several locations outside of the U.S.

Most enjoyable aspect of the job?

Really, I enjoy field research, providing training and interacting with our sales group, distributors and customers. Fortunately, I get to do all three for Douglas Products. Fumigation requires research, stewardship and other training and working with customers. My work helps keep fumigation as a vital tool in pest management. Fumigation is necessary because when push comes to shove and a pest population needs to be taken out, the options are limited. Fumigation remains the only proven way to eliminate pests in structures or commodities.

What do you do to relax?

I enjoy scuba diving. For 20 years, my husband, Brian, taught scuba diving and owned a dive store in Moorhead, Minnesota. So, our vacations often centered on diving. We especially enjoyed diving in the tropics where the water is so clear and warm compared with, say, Lake Superior, where we would often dive on shipwrecks. I also like skiing, art, gardening and reading science fiction and mystery novels.

What might surprise people?

I enjoy competitive singing. I’ve been a member of two Sweet Adelines International chapters where I was part of a four-part acapella barbershop harmony group.