November 19,1999

Cannibal Mosquitoes: Use of Microscopy in a Research Project
Wallace A. Steffan
Executive Director
Burpee Museum of Natural History
Rockford, IL

In this slide / lecture presentation, Dr. Steffan will discuss an NIH funded project on the mosquito genus Toxorhynchites and how microscopy was one of the tools used for this research. He will show slides of Toxorhynchites, taken by means of standard light microscopy and electron microscopy, and discuss how these results were used in his research. Also included will be some slides on field work in Papua, New Guinea and Malaysia.

Bio Sketch

Dr. Steffan received both his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley Although currently the Executive Director of the Burpee Museum of Natural History, Dr. Steffan has served as director and curator of numerous museums. As an entomologist, he was Professor of Biology at the University of Alaska, and was Assistant-Chairman and Curator, Department of Entomology, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii. Teaching activities included development and teaching of undergraduate and graduate level courses in basic museology, and history and functions of museums. Having received numerous grants, including those from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, NIH, and NSF for the study of mosquitoes, Dr. Steffan has also developed a computerized data base on the endangered species of Hawaii.