Friends of IPM Awards
The mission of the Southern IPM Center is to champion the development and adoption of integrated pest management (IPM), the science of managing pests while protecting people, the environment and economy. Each Regional Center engages broadly with stakeholders to identify and address regional pest priorities in agriculture, communities and natural areas.
Since 2003, the Southern IPM Center (SIPMC) has worked with USDA, Land Grant universities, Extension, and many other partners in promoting and facilitating the development and implementation of IPM in many settings across the region.
Many of these partners have contributed to the region’s well-being for years or even decades.
The IPM Hall of Fame Award, 2026
The Southern IPM Hall of Fame award recognizes individuals who have contributed to any important aspect of Southern IPM over many years with a documented history of career achievements in IPM.
Along with authorship of educational materials, research papers, manuals, books, and presentations of IPM material, Hall of Fame award candidates have greatly impacted IPM in the Southern region over the lifetime of their career.
This year, three exceptional Entomologists were inducted into the Southern IPM Center’s IPM Hall of Fame.
Lance S. Osborne, University of Florida
Dr. Lance S. Osborne is an Entomology professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida. He specializes in integrated pest management, particularly biological control methods for pests of ornamental plants, including thrips, whiteflies, mealybugs, and mites.
Dr. Osborne received his Bachelor of Science in Entomology from the University of California at Davis before completing his Ph.D. in Entomology at the same institution.
For more than 44 years, Dr. Osborne has worked as an IPM faculty member at the University of Florida’s Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC), focusing on ornamental plant pest management. He conducted applied research that combined chemical, biological, and integrated control systems for greenhouse and ornamental crops. Dr. Osborne became a pioneer in banker plant systems, using plants to sustain predator populations in greenhouses for long-term biological control. In addition, Dr. Osborne helped advance the use of the pantropical predatory thrips (Franklinothrips vespiformis) and Amblyseius swirskii for controlling whiteflies and multiple thrips species in greenhouses.
Dr. Osborne collaborated extensively with fellow scientist, Dr. Cindy Mackenzie, a USDA-ARS Research Entomologist, to advance IPM programs targeting major ornamental crop pests, including whiteflies, thrips, scales, and mealybugs. Together, their teams received five Florida Entomological Society Collaborative Research Team awards for groundbreaking work on Bemisia whiteflies, chili and pepper thrips (Thrips parvispinus), ficus whiteflies, and hibiscus mealybugs.
Through the Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative, they also supervised and mentored 15 postdoctoral research associates and numerous graduate students while producing extensive public IPM resources, including EDIS and Featured Creatures publications, websites, and more than 50 refereed journal articles. Dr. Osborne credits Dr. Mackenzie as an essential contributor to the success of his program, describing her as an exceptionally productive and talented scientist.
Dr. Cindy McKenzie looking at a Thrips Banker Plant in a commercial nursery.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Osborne has authored six book chapters, 117 refereed publications, and 26 non-refereed publications. Additionally, he has created an extensive library of Extension materials, including field guides, fact sheets, card decks, PowerPoint slide sets, and impressive insect photography.
A zealous advocate for integrated pest management principles, Dr. Osborne has delivered more than 122 oral and poster presentations during the last five years. He regularly speaks at professional society meetings, grower meetings, schools, field days, and workshops. Dr. Osborne is also frequently invited to present on IPM and biological control, both nationally and internationally, because of his expertise.
Dr. Osborne is a gifted Extension Specialist, educator, and mentor who has invested considerable time in effectively transferring his knowledge to Extension agents, ornamental plant producers, and students. He also actively participates in weekly plant pest diagnostic clinics. Dr. Osborne also lectures in undergraduate and graduate courses about biological control and greenhouse and nursery crop culture.
The immature stage of the predatory Franklinothrips. It feeds on whiteflies, mites, and thrips.
The adult stage of the predatory Franklinothrips. It feeds on whiteflies, mites, and thrips. In this photo, they are feeding on brine shrimp cysts.
Dr. Lance S. Osborne is a lifelong leader in ornamental crop IPM, biological control, and Extension education in Florida and the southern region. Through his research, he revolutionized greenhouse pest management through banker plant systems and biological control innovations that reduced reliance on conventional pesticides. Widely respected for mentoring students, guiding professionals, and serving as a trusted technical authority in the ornamental industry, Dr. Lance Osborne is incredibly deserving of the IPM Hall of Fame award.