Commentaries

How Science Saved Us from Screwworm Flies

By John Richard Schrock

Published December 1, 2014 at 6:00 AM CST

Typical screwworm fly, a parasite all but eradicated from the U.S. and Mexico, thanks to a couple of smart scientists. (Photo by USDA)

Most of us are familiar with ways in which science has benefited mankind. Think about the eradication of polio, or landing men on the Moon. But scientific advancements have also benefited the animal kingdom. Commentator John Richard Schrock tells us how science tackled a tiny pest... that was causing a BIG problem.

Commentator John Richard Schrock is a professor of biology education at Emporia State University, where he trains future biology teachers.

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John Richard Schrock

Schrock attended Indiana State University in Terre Haute, where tuition was $8 a semester hour in 1964, completing a bachelor's degree in biology teaching and a master's in science education. He began teaching in Kentucky before he graduated from I.S.U., and completed his degrees during summers. Schrock taught five years in Alexandria, Kentucky middle and high schools and two years at the I.S.U. Laboratory School before going overseas to teach at Hong Kong International School for three years. Schrock completed his Ph.D. in entomology working on insect ecology and systematics at the University of Kansas and, upon graduation, worked for the Association of Systematics Collections for three years. When the A.S.C. moved to Washington, DC, Schrock took the position at Emporia State University, directing biology teacher training. He was on the state biology committee and closely involved in the Kansas evolution debates of 1999. He writes a weekly Kansas newspaper column on education, produces public radio commentaries, and appears monthly on Kansas television.

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