Tim Luttermoser

I grew up near Cleveland, Ohio, constantly either visiting the Cleveland Museum of Natural History or out exploring under rocks and rotten logs in the Metroparks. This very naturally led into an undergraduate degree in Biology (minors in Philosophy and Environmental Studies) at Hiram College, an MS in Entomology at Purdue, and ultimately a Ph.D. in Entomology at Cornell University. I’ve worked in a wide variety of systems, from native pollinators in mountain meadows to aggressive behavior in an urban pest ant to sustainable agriculture and pest management in western Kenya.

At Simpson, I teach Entomology, Biostatistics, Landscape Ecology (GIS), Principles of Ecology, Principles of Biology; and co-teach Life Sciences for Elementary Teachers. I’m very excited to work with students on research relating to insects and arthropods, both in natural and agricultural settings. Outside the classroom and the lab I enjoy music, biking, and board games.

Ph.D. Entomology, Cornell University, 2023
M.S. Entomology, Purdue University, 2016
B.A. Biology, Hiram College, 2012

Alexandridis, N., Feit, B., Kihara, J., Luttermoser, T., May, W., Midega, C., Öborn, I., Poveda, K., Sileshi, G.W., Zewdie, B., Clough, Y., & Jonsson, M. (2023). Climate change and ecological intensification of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa – A systems approach to predict maize yield under push-pull technology. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 352, 108511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2023.108511

Salzberg, A., Luttermoser, T., Kessler, A., Midega, C.A.O., Khan, Z., & Poveda, K. (2023). The effects of landscape complexity and local management on a generalist predator in Kenyan maize push‐pull systems. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 171(7), 546–554. https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.13256

Luttermoser, T., Khan, Z.R., Midega, C.A.O., Nyagol, D., Jonsson, M., & Poveda, K. (2023). Are pests adapting to the push-pull system? Ecologically intensified farms in Kenya maintain successful pest control over time. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 347, 108345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2023.108345

Devine, N.G., Luttermoser, T., & Poveda, K. (2022). Body size, richness, and abundance of Staphylinidae unaffected by landscape composition and cropping system in a push–pull maize system in Kenya. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, 3(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43170-022-00119-1

Mutyambai, D.M., Bass, E., Luttermoser, T., Poveda, K., Midega, C.A.O., Khan, Z.R., & Kessler, A. (2019). More Than “Push” and “Pull”? Plant-Soil Feedbacks of Maize Companion Cropping Increase Chemical Plant Defenses Against Herbivores. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7, 217. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00217

Karp, D.S., Chaplin-Kramer, R., Meehan, T.D., (157 total authors, including T. Luttermoser) (2018). Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding landscape composition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(33). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1800042115