USDA-ARS Eavesdropping Cranberry Pests

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

USDA-ARS-MWA-

10/2/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis.

A research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), located in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in‑house research agency with a mission to find solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. ARS will deliver cutting-edge, scientific tools and innovative solutions for American farmers, producers, industry, and communities to support the nourishment and well‑being of all people; sustain our nation’s agroecosystems and natural resources;

and ensure the economic competitiveness and excellence of our agriculture. The vision of the agency is to provide global leadership in agricultural discoveries through scientific excellence.

The project will focus on inducible defenses in the cranberry plant. Various cranberry cultivars will be screened, and the magnitude of pest suppression will be assayed. In the process, eavesdropping devices will be deployed to measure below‑ground feeding by larval insects. This project will involve live plants (cranberries), insects (cranberry flea beetles, black‑headed fireworm), and specialized instrumentation. You will need to be comfortable observing, handling, and caring for plants and insects, while also setting up eavesdropping devices and analyzing data derived from the instrumentation.

Learning outcomes will center on plant propagation, aspects of insect biology, analysis of substrate‑borne vibrations, and presentation of research findings.

• Understand how inducible plant defenses function in cranberry and how they may reduce damage from insect pests.
• Develop experience screening cranberry cultivars to compare defense responses and levels of pest suppression.
• Complete cranberry propagation, plant care, and experimental maintenance.
• Detail key aspects of cranberry flea beetle and black‑headed fireworm biology, behavior, and plant–insect interactions.
• Build comfort and proficiency handling, observing, and caring for live plants and insect colonies in a research setting.
• Deploy and operate eavesdropping devices to detect below‑ground larval feeding activity.
• Collect, process, and interpret substrate‑borne vibration data generated by specialized instrumentation.
• Develop experimental-design, data-analysis, and scientific-communication skills through the presentation of research findings.

The mentor for this opportunity is Shawn Steffan (shawn.steffan). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

September 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of ARS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

The appointment is full time.

This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and ARS. Participants do not become employees of USDA, ARS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment‑related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program.

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