News at the Herp Range:

February 2, 2007

More have flown from the Koo Koo nest. Big congratulations to Elisa Bonaccorso and Juan Guayasamin, they were last spotted early Christmas, following the single brightest star in the sky...

Edgar Lehr has made several returns to KS where he is now an official German Cowboy, wrangling Eleutherodactylus and all other critters from Peru.. or maybe he is back for beef jerky?

Harold Heatwole and Michael Tyler, Eds. (2007), published Amphibian Biology Volume 7: Systematics, dedicated to our very own William Duellman for his incredible work on speciation, taxonomy and systematics of neotropical herps (from which the classic publication on Hylid Frogs of Middle America was produced). On that same note, Amphibian Biology Volume 5: Osteology, edited by Harold Heatwole and Margaret Davies, was dedicated to our Linda Trueb.

A National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Biotic Surveys and Inventories (BS&I) grant is currently funding work for KUNHM for studying the Mammals, 'Herps', birds and their parasites in Mongolia, China and the Philippines.

Robert Powell from Avila University in Kansas City donated his herp ~7,000 specimen collection comprised geographically covering Hispaniola, Texas and Missouri.

The search for a new Collection Manager is still in effect, so tell your friends!

September 28, 2007

Edgar Lehr, Raul Diaz, John E. Simmons, and Andrew Campbell have left the herpetology Division nest pursuing career endeavours elsewhere (see dearly departed section). Joining the division is Jamie Oaks, our very own crocodile hunter, who received his masters from Louisiana State University. More updates on the way (including a soon to be posted search for collection manager... stay tuned)

April, 2006

 

 

KU and NHM (Division of Herpetology) alumnus David M. Hillis was awarded the highest achievement award by the College of Libaral Arts and Sceinces at University of Kansas in recognition of his pioneering work in Molecular Systematics and Phylogenetics. As a graduate student, Hillis developed one of the first (if not the first) molecular labs on campus. He received a PhD from KU in 1985. It was really awesome to have him for a few days. Congratulations! For more information see : KU News

Bottom Row (L-R): Rafe Brown, William Duellman, Linda Trueb

Middle Row (L-R): Elisa Bonaccorso, Raul Diaz, Omar Torres-Carvajal

Top Row (L-R): Jeet Sukumaran, Edgar Lehr, Charles Linkem, Cameron Siler, Andrew Campbell, John Simmons, David McLeod, Juan Guayasamin

High Res Image of Herp Group

February 11, 2006

* Captains Log... the tide continues to turn..... yet another fledgling has left the herpetology division with his PhD. Dr. Eli Greenbaum is now pursuing a postdoctoral position with Aaron Bauer at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. His work will be with Gekkonids from the old world, Africa, Europe, You name it, he is going there (along with his new set of feet).

 

* Dr. Omar Torres-Carvajal is now pursuing a postdoc at the Smithsonian under the tootilage of Dr. Kevin de Queiroz. I think they both have lots of skeletons in their closets (yes, that was a pun.... they are studying osteology of iguanians)

 

* Cool classes through Herpetologists this semester:

- Scientific Illustration - Linda Trueb

- Describing Species - Linda Trueb and Rafe Brown

- Seminar: Phylogeography - Rafe Brown

- Introduction to Systematics - David McLeod

- Jeetoreferencing - Jeet Sukumaran

 

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December 2005

* The unthinkable, unimaginable, incredible has happened.... Omar Torres-Carvajal has successfully completed his PhD along with an awesome defense, he is an official doctor and is ready to feed the brains of future generations. Good job buddy. This achievement is only succeeded by the invention of the breadmaker.

 

As of July 31, 2005

  • We not only welcome a new assistant curator to the division of Herpetology, but also a new assistant professor in EEB, Dr. Rafe M. Brown WELCOME HOME!
  • Worldwide there have been recurring reports of overpopulation….in our case its not a bad thing. We not only have 4 new graduate students in the division (Raul E. Diaz, Cameron Siler, Charles Linkem, Jeet Sukumaran), but we also have a new Postdoc (Edgar Lehr, from Germany).
  • Facelifts are not only common in Beverly Hills amongst the movie stars, but our very own Division received one this summer with the development of a Phylogenetic Analyses lab in the newly developed Herpetology Library. We also have a nice setup for doing computer graphic work. We will soon have a photo gallery showing our nice facilities.
  • The Histology Lab will soon be back up and running as well, check back!
  • Who stole the cookies out of the cookie Jar??? Well now we can find out the answer to this and many phylogenetic/evolutionary questions by working up in the updated molecular/sequencing lab.
  • Free to good home? We just received 7,000+ wet specimens from the collections in Miami
  • And not to mention the new website, it still has that new website smell!