Yesterday I spent the day walking the walk of an ACE aspirant, attending an ACE Prep course hosted by the Virginia Pest Management Association. This was a great way to get a real hands-on feel for the daily needs of a PMP. I've made no secret of the fact that I'm not an entomologist (I don't even play one on TV -- though I have been known to be a little less than forthcoming about my job when I speak for Career Day at my boys' schools).
From what I can see, a PMP has a fascinating job, dealing with biology, math, chemistry, structural knowledge, entomology, history, and even a dash of psychology now and then.
The class was taught by Dr Dini Miller (Virginia Tech) and Jim Fredericks, BCE of the National Pest Management Association. The first section was led by David Townsend of the Virginia Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services. All were outstanding and did an excellent job of preparing the class for their recertification credits as well as prepping 7 of the 20+ students to take the ACE Exam the next morning.
All seven who took the exam passed! My congratulations to our seven newest ACEs: James Bruckelmeyer, Nicole French, Mark Male, Nicholas Castaldo, Jason Ferrell, Mark Davis, and Kristi Crutchfield.
VPMA President Jeff Johnson, ACE has said that he would like to double the number of ACEs in Virginia by the end of his tenure. Based on today's results, it will only take a few more prep courses and he'll more than meet his goal.
