He is a native of Indiana, and received his bachelor's degree in entomology from Purdue University in 1977 and his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in 1981.
hiː ɪz ɐ nˈeɪɾɪv ʌv ˌɪndiːˈænə, ænd ɹᵻsˈiːvd hɪz bˈætʃəlɚz dᵻɡɹˈiː ɪn ɛntəmˈɑːlədʒi fɹʌm pˈɜːduː jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti sˈɛvən ænd hɪz pˌiːˈeɪtʃ.dˈiː. fɹʌm nˈɔːɹθ kˌæɹəlˈaɪnə stˈeɪt jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi wˈʌn.