A Scientific Career

With the

 Agricultural

Research

Service

United States Department of Agriculture

Program Aid 1490
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research

Service (ARS) is one of four agencies in the Research, Education, and

Economics (REE) mission area.

REE is dedicated to the creation of a sustainable, competitive U.S. Food

and fiber system and strong, healthy communities, families, and youth

through integrated research, analysis, and education.

In 1993-94, the research component of the former Human Nutrition

Information Service was incorporated into ARS. And as part of the

overall consolidation of USDA agencies, the National Agricultural

Library (NAL) merged with ARS at the same time

The other three agencies of REE are:

• Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

(CSREES), formed by the merger of the Extension Service (ES) and the

Cooperative State Research Service (CSRS)

• Economic Research Service (ERS) formed by the merger of ERS and

the Office of Energy

• National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

The U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) prohibits

discrimination in all its programs

and activities on the basis of race,

color, national origin, sex,

religion, age, disability, political

beliefs, sexual orientation, and

marital or family status. (Not all

prohibited bases apply to all

programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative

means for communication of

program information (Braille,

large print, audiotape, etc.)

should contact USDA’s TARGET

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice

and TDD).

To file a complaint of

discrimination, write USDA,

Office of Civil Rights, Room 326–

W, Whitten Building, 14th and

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20250–9410 or

call (202) 720–5964 (voice or

TDD). USDA is an equal

opportunity provider and

employer.

Revised June 1999

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Plant pathologist Rick Bennett

examines fungi that may be used for

biological control of pernicious weeds

at the Foreign Disease-Weed Science

Research facility in Frederick, MD.

(K4653-11)

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1

T

he Agricultural

Research Service is the

principal scientific

research agency of the

U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The largest agricultural research

organization in the world, ARS

employs more than 7,600 people

working at diverse locations across

the United States and in several

foreign countries. More than 2,000

of these men and women are

scientists working in research.

But the number of employees does

not determine the quality of a

scientific research organization. It

is the intelligence, creativity, and

energy of individual employees that

are the important factors—factors

Wanted: A Few

Promising Scientists

that ensure that the new scientists

who join us each year will be the

best available.

While ARS hires some scientists as

soon as they receive Ph.D.’s, there

is a special need for those who

have engaged in postdoctoral

research. Candidates come from

varied academic pathways; the

unique perspective each scientist

brings from recent studies is highly

valued. While some candidates

may join us from strictly traditional

academic fields, others come from

specialized research pertaining to

the latest innovations in

biotechnology.

Careers for new scientists span a

variety of disciplines such as

chemistry, entomology, plant

physiology, plant pathology,

animal science, human nutrition,

genetics, microbiology, engineering, soil science, and agronomy.

Research projects are equally

diverse. While more than half of

the career research conducted is

fundamental and long-range, ARS

takes pride in being a problemsolving agency that addresses a

broad range of specific and

immediate concerns.

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Veterinarian Janice Miller checks cultured

cells infected with bovine rhinotracheitis

virus. She is working toward a commercial

vaccine. (K4140-9)

T
2

A

RS conducts research

to develop and transfer

solutions to agricultural problems of high

national priority and provides information access and dissemination to ensure high-quality, safe

food and other agricultural products, assess the nutritional needs of

Americans, sustain a competitive

agricultural economy, enhance the

natural resource base and the environment, and provide economic

opportunities for rural citizens,

communities, and society as a

whole.

Vision: It’s the

Mission

In pursuing these goals, ARS is

aiming at five general outcomes:

1. An agricultural system that is

highly competitive in the global

economy.

2. A safe and secure food and fiber

system.

3. A healthy, well-nourished

population.

4. Greater harmony between

agriculture and the environment.

5. Enhanced economic opportunity and quality of life for

farmers, ranchers, rural citizens,

and communities.

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A new multiplatform graphical Windows

interface is being developed to support

transfer of the WEPP (Water Erosion

Prediction Project) prediction technology to

field users. Computer programmer-analyst

Hailiang Fu (left) and agricultural engineer

Dennis Flanagan discuss the design of the

watershed top view and profile side view

interface screens at the USDA-ARS National

Soil Erosion Research Laboratory in West

Lafayette, Indiana.

(K7569-11)

6A

In meeting these goals, ARS provides producers, consumers, action

agencies, industry, and others in

the research community with a

wealth of information concerning

agricultural science.
3

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We’re growing our own printer’s ink these

days. Chemist Sevim Erhan tests experimental soybean-based inks on a “Little Joe”

printing press. (K3997-5)
4

A Of the 100 studies recently

selected for the ARS Research

Associate Program (see page 16)

many fall under the heading of

biotechnology, and most involve

molecular biology. ARS is also

cosponsor, with the University of

California and the California State

Experiment Station, of the Plant

Gene Expression Center based at

Albany, California.

Here’s just a sampling of the recent

developments or discoveries by

ARS scientists:

• Embryos and fertilized eggs that

can be transplanted from cows

of superior genetic quality to

surrogate mothers.

• Low-cost procedures for transferring livestock ova to a surrogate mother to produce twins,

triplets, or even quadruplets

from a single egg.

• New rice plants, developed

through tissue culture, with

more and better quality protein,

as well as a method for

increasing the protein content of

rice flour from 8 percent to

25 percent.

• Dwarf fruit trees that produce

higher yield per acre and are

easier to harvest.

Yesterday, Today, and

Tomorrow

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Range scientist Patricia Bartling reviews

land-use data to be fed into a computer

model. The program helps protect aquifers

from pollution by predicting potential

leaching of nitrate nitrogen. (K4012-17)

lthough the Agricultural Research Service

of today is the largest

such organization in

the world, its beginnings, in the

early 1950’s, were modest. At that

time, scientific research in USDA

was carried out separately at

several facilities around the

country. These were consolidated

to create the original USDA

research agency—ARS.

Many landmark discoveries and

observations by scientific pioneers

in agriculture became avenues that

continue to lead in productive and

fascinating directions. Today’s

ARS scientists often find themselves

in the vanguard of technological

excitement that cuts across

traditional boundaries.

Let’s start with biotechnology, a

term that applies to 10-12 percent

of our programs. ARS researchers

use such state-of-the-art techniques

as cell and tissue culture, protoplast fusion, embryo manipulation

and transfer, and recombinant gene

transfer. Many of these projects

implement genetic engineering, a

development recently termed by a

panel of experts as “one of the four

major science revolutions of this

century, on a par with unlocking

the atom, escaping Earth’s gravity,

and the computer revolution.”

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• Through molecular biology, new

vaccines to prevent diseases in

animals and poultry, such as a

recent inoculum to curb footand-mouth disease in livestock.

• The use of monoclonal antibodies to detect both animal and

plant diseases and to study

proteins that may form the basis

for new animal vaccines.

• Importation of more insects to

combat pest insects, including

stingless wasps from Europe to

protect alfalfa from the alfalfa

blotch leafminer.

• Chemicals from insects, plants,

and other natural sources that

control or disrupt the growth

and reproduction of insect pests.

• Increasing use of sex pheromones and other semiochemicals to trap and eradicate

a growing variety of insect pests.

• Many new findings in human

nutrition, including the fact that

too much salt and not enough

potassium in U.S. diets are

increasing Americans’ chances

of developing hypertension.

• Solution of many problems

associated with no-till farming,

to help extend the applicability

of this promising system for

conserving soil and water.

• Computer models that use the

knowledge of experts in many

scientific fields to monitor and

solve a growing number of management and technological

problems.

• Predetermination of sex by a cell

sorter and laser beam offer the

livestock industry faster progress

in genetics, increased efficiency,

and greater production

flexibility.

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In determining regional and whole-body

bone and soft tissue composition, Henry

Lukaski gets a little help from a study

volunteer. (K4763-13)
6

A gricultural research

continues to push the

envelope. Not only

does it increase the return on investment for producers;

ARS work on value-added products

also helps enhance America‘s market position abroad—through better

fabrics, new ways to improve dairy

products, biodegradable food

wraps, and inks made from soybean oil instead of petroleum, to

name just a few advancements

resulting from ARS research.

ARS

has a

proud

tradition of

humanitarian

contributions,

beginning with the

breakthrough that took

penicillin out of the

laboratory and into

mass production;

it‘s been saving

lives ever since.

At the foundation of the worldwide

Green Revolution was ARScollected germplasm containing

genes for hardier, more productive

wheat. Result: Yields in lessAgricultural research more than

pays for itself. Nearly every estimate of the rate of return on investment in agricultural research over

the past three decades is between

35 and 45 percent a year, and the

production figures for the last 5

years show an annual return higher

than 45 percent. The transfer of

ARS-generated technology into the

private sector adds clout to American competitiveness in world

markets. One example: The

water-locking commercial success

known as Superslurper, with uses

as diverse as fuel filters and disposable diapers, was devised by ARS

as a new use for surplus corn.

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Research With a Payoff

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A peek at the interior of a heifer via

ultrasound scanner reveals a close-up of

reproductive structures. (K4322-20)
7

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Chemical engineer Patricia Slininger is

developing the necessary technology to

mass-produce Pseudomonas fluorescens, a

biocontrol agent against take-all, a wheat

disease. (K4210-15)

• More crops will be able to fix

their own nitrogen in the soil.

• The rate of efficiency of photosynthesis will be increased from

the present 1 percent to 10

percent through enhancement of

a plant’s energy conversion

systems.

• Through genetics, plant growth

will be modified to obtain higher

ratios of edible to nonedible

parts, longer seedfilling times,

improved structural strength,

and higher yields of economically important plant

constituents.

• The nutritive value of many

crops, including small grains,

will be improved.

• Plant growth will be regulated

to allow harvest of fruits and

vegetables of uniform ripeness.

• Sex ratios of animal offspring

will be controlled; males or

females will be produced as

desired.

• Livestock will be protected

against injury from insects,

parasites, and disease.

• Membrane research will lead to

improved crop nutrition, better

developed nations increased so

dramatically that whole populations

have become self-sufficient in

agriculture.

And the future of scientific inquiry

in agriculture promises to be even

more challenging and exciting. We

foresee the day when:

• Better ways will be found to

curb postharvest losses of grain,

which in developing countries

keep as much as 40 percent of

harvested crops from reaching

consumers’ tables.

• Crops will be much less susceptible to insect damage and

disease.

• Insect, weed, and disease

control will be carried out effectively without polluting the

environment or otherwise

endangering human health.

• High crop yields can be

sustained without damage to

basic natural resources like soil

and water.

conversion of solar energy, and

targeted delivery of drugs.

• The effects of trace minerals,

vitamins, and other nutrients on

human health and well-being

will be more fully understood.

• New foods, from either

unexploited plant species or

new byproducts, will reduce our

dependence on some 18 basic

crops, including 5 that provide

about 60 percent of human

caloric intake.

The Agricultural Research Service is

seeking new scientists with the intelligence, daring, and vision to explore the global challenges facing

tomorrow's agriculture.
8

&A

Q

&A

Q

Questions and Answers

About Jobs With ARS

How can I learn about job openings in ARS?

Announcements of ARS job openings can be accessed

on the ARS World Wide Web site. The address is

http://wwww.ars.usda.gov. Announcements are available at

college placement offices and Federal Job Information Centers. Professional societies and faculty members associated with ARS may also have

information on vacancies, and position announcements are posted at ARS

laboratories and research facilities nationwide—many are located on or

near college campuses. You may also obtain job information by writing to

USDA Agricultural Research Service, Human Resources Division, 5601

Sunnyside Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705-5103.

USDA research positions in the life sciences are advertised in vacancy

listings. You must apply specifically for an announced vacancy. After your

basic qualifications have been reviewed, your undergraduate and graduate work, references, and other materials are evaluated by scientists in

your field against the requirements of the job. Those applicants identified

as best qualified for the position are referred to the selecting official or supervisor of the position for final consideration and selection.

What are the starting salaries?

Research scientists in ARS usually start at the GS-11 or GS-12

level (salaries ranging from the thirties to fifties depending on

qualifications). In addition, Federal employment provides an

attractive benefits package that includes paid holidays, flexible work

schedules, vacation and sick leave, health and life insurance coverage,

and a retirement plan.

Since ARS is a Federal employer, how do I apply for

a position?

You may send a resumé, curriculum vitae, or Optional Application for Federal Employment (OF-612). A copy of your transcripts

must be attached. Be sure your application includes: the vacancy

announcement number, title, and grade(s); your citizenship; and highest

educational level achieved with type and year of degree. If you submit a

resumé, the following information must be included: Full name, ZIP

Code mailing address, telephone number, Social Security number,

country of citizenship, veterans' preference (if any), reinstatement

eligibility, and highest Federal civilian grade held. Note education (name

of high school, college, etc., type and year of degree), work experience

(give job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address

and phone number, hours per week, and salary), and other qualifications

that may be considered (training courses, job-related skills, certificates

and licenses, honors, awards, etc.).

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Must I be a U.S. citizen to work for ARS?

U.S. citizenship is required for employment as a career scientist

with ARS.

How does ARS make selections?

The selection of new scientists is based on education and

research backgrounds and the specific needs of the agency.

ARS professional scientific positions generally require a doctoral

degree (or substantial progress toward a doctoral degree) in one

of the physical or biological sciences. Written tests are not part of the

selection process.

What opportunities exist for my professional

development?

Because USDA must respond promptly to the changing technological needs of U.S. and world agriculture, ARS scientists must

keep up-to-date on the most significant advances in their respective fields

of research. To maintain the highest level of scientific expertise, ARS

provides its scientists with as many opportunities for professional

development as possible.

ARS encourages its researchers to attend scientific meetings, symposia,

conferences, and conventions throughout the United States and around

the world. Travel and participation expenses are usually paid by the

Government. The proximity of most ARS facilities to college and university campuses also serves as an inducement to continuing education.

Research-related graduate and postgraduate courses can often be taken at

Government expense during official time or off-duty hours.

Professional development can also include supervisory, managerial, and

administrative training, and several courses from Government and

non-Government sources are available for this purpose.

How does ARS reward excellence in job performance?

ARS strongly believes that recognition of a job well done is the

best motivation to encourage and sustain outstanding performance. Scientists can receive monetary awards for outstanding

performance. In addition to these individual awards, ARS has several special award programs that recognize scientific excellence.

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A field experiment with corn, sorghum, and

sunflowers generates information to be fed

into computer plant-growth models.

(K3222-1)

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How will my research position be evaluated for

promotions?

In ARS, research scientists’ positions are evaluated for promotion

at set intervals by panels. The panels consist of a management

representative, a personnel representative, and five research scientists. Two

of the research scientists on the panel must be in the same or similar work

area as the researcher being evaluated. The information submitted to the

panel for review is prepared by the scientist and includes summaries of the

scientist’s most important accomplishments and selected publications.

What are the attitude and policy of ARS toward its

scientists publishing their research findings?

Technology transfer and the timely dissemination of new

knowledge are essential to the overall mission of ARS. The

research process is considered incomplete until the results are reported

and made available to the scientific community at large. ARS scientists are

encouraged to present their findings in refereed journals, in agency and

department publications, and at scientific meetings. Personal recognition

and full professional credit are always given for authorship.

Am I allowed to benefit financially from patents

based on my research with ARS?

ARS has always been one of the leading Federal agencies to

provide incentives to reward its researchers for patenting

research results to enhance commercial development. For example, ARS

provides that inventors share 25 percent of all income received from

patent licensing activities. Annual Technology Transfer Awards are given

to outstanding researchers where the research has been successfully

transferred to the public. Patents are recognized by ARS as potentially

having equal value to articles in refereed journals as documentation of

research accomplishments, particularly where the patented research is

transferred to the public.

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Technician Shawn Thomas collects wild

geranium heads to check the effectiveness

of biocontrols in a field. (K3664-7)

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Distinguished Scientist of the Year

This honor, the highest conferred by the Agricultural Research Service,

is awarded annually for scientific achievement and leadership.

Autar K. Mattoo, Beltsville, Maryland

Donald W. Reeves, Auburn, Alabama

Ronald Fayer, Beltsville, Maryland

Patrick V. Vail, Fresno, California

Lawrence A. Johnson, Beltsville, Maryland

Forrest H. Neilsen, Grand Forks, North Dakota

Virginia H. Holsinger, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania

Vernon G. Pursel, Beltsville, Maryland

John R. Gorham, Pullman, Washington

Norman F. Cheville, Ames, Iowa

Chester C. McWhorter, Stoneville, Mississippi

Janice M. Miller, Ames, Iowa

Thomas J. Sexton, Beltsville, Maryland

Richard F. Wilson, Raleigh, North Carolina

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Ready for the greenhouse, new varieties of

seedless grapes are transplanted from

growth chamber containers to soil pots.

(K3681-3)

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Materials engineer Patricia Bel-Berger and

chemists Bill Goynes (center) and Eugene

Blanchard examine scanning electron

micrographs (SEM's) that show the structure

of a white-speck nep at the USDA-ARS

Southern Regional Research Center, in New

Orleans, LA.

(K7590-2)
12

Beltsville 

Area

South Atlantic Area

WA

Northern Plains Area

ID ND

CA

OR

NV

UT

AZ

NM

Southern Plains Area

(Includes PR and VI)

Philadelphia

MT

WY

Fort Collins

College Station

TX

CO

SD North Atlantic Area

OK

KS

AR

NE

MN

IA

MO

LA

Peoria

WI

IL

MS

TN

KY

AL

Mid South

Area

Athens

IN

GA

FL

SC

OH

NC

VA

WV

MI

PA NJ

ME

NH

VT NY

MA

CT RI

DE

MD

Stoneville

HI

AK

PR

VI

Albany

Pacific West Area

(Includes AK and HI)

Midwest Area

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Agricultural Research Service

Locations Throughout the

United States

Area Headquarters

Research Centers

ERRC, Philadelphia, PA

NCAUR, Peoria, IL

SRRC, New Orleans, LA

WRRC, Albany, CA

BARC, Beltsville, MD

NADC, Ames, IA

PIADC, Plum Island, NY

Richard B. Russell Research Center, Athens, GA

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE

Jamie Whitten Delta States Research Center, Stoneville, MS

Human Nutrition Research Centers

Beltsville, MD

Boston, MA

Grand Forks, ND

Houston, TX

San Francisco, CA

Research Locations

Does not include the 41 U.S. and international worksites.
13

T he Agricultural Research

Service is a satisfying,

exciting, and professionally rewarding place

for a scientist to work.

It’s satisfying because our research

solves important problems. ARS

scientists provide new approaches

and new technologies needed by

consumers, producers, and industry.

We design these approaches in a

manner that is safe to our environment. We seek ways to produce

more and better food and fiber... to

control insect pests and weeds

safely... to get food to consumers in

better condition... to improve

human nutrition... to help protect

soil, water, and air... and to find

new uses for agricultural

commodities.

It’s exciting because so much of our

research is on the leading edge of

science... in highly visible programs

with broad public support. Current

research involves biotechnology,

including molecular biology,

genetic engineering, and membrane

research... application of theories of

artificial intelligence to computer

technology... innovative approaches

to pest control through insect neurochemistry and use of pheromones.

Each ARS scientist is employed

because of his or her unique training and abilities as a researcher.

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Private industry joins hands with Federal

research. Randy Deaton, left, from

Monsanto Co., helps ARS geneticist Doug

Wilson assess damage to a cotton plant from

marauding beet armyworms. (K4374-1)

Why Join the

Agricultural Research

Service?

It’s professionally rewarding

because each ARS scientist is a

dedicated full-time researcher.

Our researchers work in modern,

well-equipped laboratories and

enjoy a free and open association

with colleagues within the agency,

universities, and industry. Paid

attendance at professional meetings and symposia and assistance

in securing agency patents also

help make a career with ARS

rewarding and satisfying.
14

Personal Development and

Career Advancement

ARS career employees enjoy

opportunities for individual development. The agency provides

training and in some cases tuition

assistance so employees can

pursue advanced education or

participate in programs that promote self-improvement, training,

and career advancement.

Equal Employment

Opportunity

ARS is determined to recruit and

advance qualified employees from

all cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Human relations and

sensitivity training help our

people work smoothly with peers

from different backgrounds.

Employees are considered for

employment, promotion, and

other worklife opportunities based

on their own merits without regard

to race, color, sex, marital status,

religion, age, nondisqualifying

disability, national origin, political

affiliation, or any other nonmerit

consideration.

Retirement Plan

Federal retirement benefits feature

a portable, Social Security-based

annuity program supported by

Government and worker contributions. Employees may supplement

their future retirement income by

participating in the Thrift Savings

Plan, which offers the advantages

of an individual retirement

account. The Government

contributes proportionately to

Thrift Savings accounts based on

how much money the worker has

contributed. Under the plan’s

supervision, employees may

choose how their funds are

invested.

Flexible Work Schedules

Employees’ schedules are often

individualized. They may be

designed to meet both job

demands and employees‘ personal

needs. Workers stationed in

offices or laboratories can usually

vary their daily work hours, take

variable days off, or choose other

flexible schedules.

Quality of Worklife

The combination of generous benefits and progressive personnel

policies gives ARS employees an

unusually high quality of worklife.

The agency strives to develop strategies that anticipate employee

needs and contribute to their wellbeing. For example, ARS provides:

• Free, confidential counseling

services to employees with

personal, family, or financial

problems.

• A leave donation program so

employees can help coworkers

who are stricken with major

illnesses or personal

emergencies.

• Opportunities for employees to

participate actively in

policymaking through task

groups and team-building

experiences.

• Flexible work schedules that

allow workers to vary their daily

work hours and/or days off.

• Employment and accommodations for workers with

disabilities.

• Information about daycare

facilities available at many

locations.

• Fitness centers and credit

unions at many locations.

• Paid holidays, vacation, and

sick leave.

Workstyle

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Plant molecular biologist Athanasios

Theologis hunts for genes related to plant

aging. Electrophoresis allows him to

separate and match nucleotide sequences of

DNA fragments. (K3489-1)

Science Hall of Fame

The ARS Science Hall of Fame

honors the lifetime achievements

of outstanding scientists who are

either retired or eligible to retire.

Current members include:

Howard L. Bachrach

Fred W. Blaisdell

Myron K. Brakke

Glenn W. Burton

Theodore C. Byerly

Francis E. Clark

Douglas R. Dewey

Gordon E. Dickerson

Theodor O. Diener

Herbert J. Dutton

Edgar E. Hartwig

Charles Jackson Hearn

Ralph E. Hodgson

Robert W. Holley

Virgil A. Johnson

Edward F. Knipling

Hamish N. Munro

Karl H. Norris

Wilson A. Reeves

Ernest R. Sears

George F. Sprague

John F. Sullivan

Jose Vicente-Chandler

Orville A. Vogel

Cecil H. Wadleigh

John H. Weinberger

Walter H. Wischmeier
16

E ven after earning their

doctoral degrees, many

scientists are still uncertain about their professional future and remain at

academic institutions to continue

their studies while exploring career

possibilities. With this in mind,

ARS offers new Ph.D.’s a chance to

compete in its Postdoctoral

Research Associate Program. This

program provides for short-term,

noncareer appointments to salaried

positions on specific research

projects. Applicants must have

completed requirements for a Ph.D.

degree before their employment;

ARS prefers candidates with no

more than 3 years of postdoctoral

experience. The agency usually

hires research associates at the

GS-11 grade level. They earn

vacation and sick leave at the same

rate as all new employees in the

Federal Government. Associates

with appointments of more than 1

year are also eligible for health and

life insurance benefits.

Since 1980, more than 750 candidates have signed up for the 2-year

ARS Postdoctoral Research Associate Program. And during the past

5 years, over 100 of them have

earned employment as permanent,

full-time ARS scientists. The program offers a unique opportunity

for recent recipients of the doctoral

degree to conduct critically needed

basic research in association with

some of the most prominent scientists in their field. It also enables

them to receive advanced and

highly specialized training and

experience that may not be available anywhere else.

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Food technologist Alley Watada (left) and

horticulturist Ling Qi, who is visiting from

China, prepare shredded carrots and other

fresh-cut produce for automated

measurement of respiration rate and

ethylene production a the USDA-ARS

Horticultural Crops Quality Laboratory in

Beltsville, MD.

(K7514-7)

18A

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The ARS Postdoctoral

Research Associate

Program
A summer student in 1984, Everett

Foreman (left) became an engineer,

returned to ARS, and now enjoys

mentoring others. Here he shows

Florida A&M’s Cornelius Dunmore

how to use a portable sound level

meter. (K7360-16)

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