Cameron Lait

Cameron completed a BSc in biology (major in animal and plant physiology, minor in biochemistry and microbiology) at the University of Victoria and PhD (renewable resources and plant biochemistry) at the University of Alberta. Additional graduate research projects included finding the causes of ornamental tree mortality in urban landscapes and measuring the effects of oil sand mine tailing effluent on boreal forest trees used for reclamation projects in northern Alberta. 

Upon graduation, Cameron completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Simon Fraser University, collaborating with forest industry and government stake holders to determine the cause of excessive seed losses in British Columbia tree seed orchards. The western conifer seed bug was identified as a major pest of concern.

Next, Cameron worked as a research scientist at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Florida and (later) Penn State University with Dr. James Tumlinson. Research was related to plant-insect interactions and finding ways to exploit chemical defenses of plants as an environmentally safe alternative to pesticide use. 

World events in 2001 prompted an eventual return home to Canada and a new venture into industry as a research and development scientist with Pherotech International. R&D work included field testing of semiochemical-based lures and traps for the control / monitoring of economically important forest and agricultural insect pests. Other field research included trials testing synthetic pheromones as a management tool to improve honeybee colony survival, vigour and productivity.

Cameron’s post-graduate research findings are published in scientific journals that span multiple disciplines including natural resource sciences, plant health protection, forestry, agriculture, entomology, biochemistry and plant physiology. Prior to joining KPU School of Horticulture, Cameron was a multi-program inspector with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (BC Coastal Division – Plant Health) based at the Vancouver Harbour District Office. Main duties included inspections of imported agricultural and horticultural commodities to verify compliance with the Plant Protection Act and Regulations and inspections of exported commodities for phytosanitary certification. Spring and summer months were spent doing invasive alien insect trapping surveys and inspection of marine vessels entering western Canada for the presence of Asian spongy moth.