On The Road Again, Where Was The PIO?

It has been a whirlwind month for me and the PIO. I think I have been in hotel or guest beds more than my own, but it’s all worth it. Aside from my own vacation I have truly been On The Road Again, find out Where Was the PIO?

APMS

Immediately after getting back from much needed time with family over the 4^th of July, it was off to St. Petersburg for APMS. This is the Aquatic Plant Management Society and was my primary society for almost 20 years. Those that don’t know my career started in the field managing aquatic species as an applicator. I then did my master’s and PhD in invasive aquatic plant management, then worked in the industry for a while. Needless to say, this was my home for a long time. The new job has kept me from attending for a few years. It was amazing to see many good friends again. I was asked to give a presentation about PULAs and BLTs, something you all know about! It was also great to see so many UF graduate students do AMAZING presentations and posters. I am sure that the CAIP blog will have a write up all about it. GO GATORS! This society truly is doing cutting edge research and bringing a very diverse group together to help improve our waterbodies.

AAPSE

A quick turnaround saw me flying out to Wyoming (yes, I avoided the travel chaos) for AAPSE, my new professional home. This is the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators a society dedicated to protecting human health and the environment through education. Yours truly help co-lead two panels all about translating training materials into languages other than English. We heard directly from EPA on several issues, watched spectacular line dancing, crowned a rock paper scissor champion (alas, scissors put me out round 1), and discussed the best ways to keep people safe. These are my people by the way, with their dedication to theming, great jokes, and having fun while doing serious work. Believe it or not we even discussed how AI can help/hurt our endeavors. It was a wonderful roundup of the best in the business.

HOME

After seemingly being out of the office more than I have been in it lately, I am looking forward to a few weeks being in the office. This will let me take what I have learned and put some great new publications together, write more terrible blogs, catch up on a mountain of email, and work for the best pesticide applicators in the world, right here in Florida. It will be a while before I am On the Road Again. Where is the PIO? Right here at home in Florida!