Elzie McCord, Jr.
From a “Focus on Ecologists” maintained by the ESA Education Office about 2009-2011.
| Full Name | Elzie McCord, Jr. |
| Degree | PhD |
| Job Position | Associate Professor of Biology |
| Organization | New College of Florida |
| Department | Division of Natural Sciences |
| Professional Affiliation | Academic |
| Research Discipline | Entomology |
| Research Habitat | Not applicable |
| Research Organism | Terrestrial invertebrates |
| Describe what you do and briefly describe the activities that your job encompasses | I teach Introduction to Entomology, Insect-Plant Interactions, Toxicology, and Botany. My reserach interest are plant allelopathy, insecticide resistance, and environmental contamination. The tools of my trade are: Gas-chromatography (FID, ECD, and Mass-spectrometry), High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, spectrophotometry, nets, microscopes, dissection tools, and taxonomic keys. |
| What do you love most about your job? | The observation of nature with the tools to decipher and understand intricate interactions. Environmental contamination detection and quantitation can show surface and ground water contaminations by natural and human-made molecules and their metabolites. Also, by contributing to environmental information, the threat to environmental organisms and humans can be assessed. |
| For each degree you’ve obtained, list the degree, field, and institution. | B.S. Biology/Chemistry, Savannah State College [University] M.S. Entomology, University of Florida Ph.D. Entomology/Insect Toxicology, University of Florida |
| Briefly describe your job path. | I served as Assistant in Extension Entomology for 18 mos; an interim position. 24 years – DuPont AG Products – Variety of Positions (Biologist, Sr. Biologist, Sr. Chemist, Sr. Product Development Representative). 8 years – Courtesy Assistant and Associate Professor, University of Florida, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. 8 years at New College of Florida (Assistant and Associate Professor of Biology). |
| What challenges did you need to overcome? | Downsized after 24 years of service – Out-of-work for 11 months before securing a Post-Doc at UF, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center and Assistant Professor of Biology – New Colleg of Florida. Survived Prostate Cancer while teaching at New College of Florida. Missed no days, sailed each weekend and taught a semester over-load. |
| What’s one thing you hope to do in the future? | Create an REU program for the underrepresented at New College of Florida. |
| How do you describe your job when you meet people at a party? | I am the Quincy and CSI of the insect world. I try to kill insects and determine why they died. |
| What is your family background and what did they think of your career choice? | My mother and father were blue collar workers and questioned my ability to find a job with such an unconventional career track… at least to them. |
| Who or what inspired you to become a scientist (or other profession)? | Ms. Lue Vester Smith, High School Science Teacher. Dr. J. B. Villella, Professor, Savannah State College [University]. He taught me about the insects that I played with, killed in cotton and tabacco fields and fished with. |
| Who currently inspires you? | Dr. S. J. Yu, Retired, Major Professor, University of Florida. He just wrote the book, “The toxicology and biochemisty of Insecticides”. |
| What is the most valuable advice a mentor gave you or that you would offer to someone who’d like to do the same job as you? | Be compassionate about your chosen field and never stop learning because no one can know all. |
| What would you like people to remember about your life as a scientist (or other profession)? | That I inspired students to learn all they could about insects, plants, their interactions, and environmental stewardship. |
| How do you feel your work has contributed to society? | The training of compassionate, compotent future scientists that are custodians of the environment. |