Education and Professional Activities

I obtained my B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology from Kent State University. After completing my studies I served as a National Park Service Ranger at Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area and Mammoth Cave National Park before pursuing a Ph.D. at The Ohio State University.  At OSU I was involved in an interdisciplinary research program that focused on insect vectors of plant pathogens. My research examined mechanisms of virus transmission and various aspects of leafhopper behavior and ecology.  I then obtained a postdoctoral position in the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky where I studied sex pheromones in moths.  Before arriving at IUS I was a visiting assistant professor at Centre College in Danville, KY where I taught for several years.

I have been an Assistant Professor of Biology at Indiana University Southeast since August of 1998.  I teach introductory biology courses, evolutionary biology, and entomology and pursue my research goals.  I also maintain an adjunct position in the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky.

Some of my consulting activities include work with the British Broadcasting Corporation.  This work appeared as part of the NOVA series Alien Empire.  I also supplied recordings of leafhopper songs to National Public Radio for use in their Radio Explorers program, which aired nationally in 1999.

I am a member of the Entomological Society of America, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Animal Behavior Society, and Evolutionary Society of America.