In recognition of his contributions to pest control in U.S. agriculture, Bruce Hammock, a professor of entomology and environmental toxicology at UC Davis, has received the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Award and $15,000 prize. Hammock's research career focuses on three areas in agricultural pest control and pesticides. In developing new methods of pest control, Hammock looks at natural agents, such as viruses, that can act as pesticides. Hammock continues to refine his pioneering work using "immunochemical" methods to detect pesticides, which is easier and less expensive than other detection techniques. Hammock also investigates the regulation of "xenobiotic" metabolism -- gaining knowledge of how harmful molecules metabolize in different cell and tissue types -- to see how potentially hazardous agricultural substances are regulated in the body.