Tim Hatten: President

Tim received a Ph.D. and M.S. in Entomology from the Universityof Idaho and Washington State University, respectively. His research focused on 1) the response of pest and natural enemies to management practices in agroecosystems, and 2) the epigeal beetle fauna of the highly fragmented Palouse Prairie and surrounding matrix habitats. After receiving his B.S. in Natural Resources Management from the University of Arizona, Tim spent two years in Niger, West Africa with the US Peace Corps doing village development projects for the Djarma tribe. He then worked for 10 years with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, six of these years acting as liaison to the US EPA's Agriculture Initiative. With the Agriculture Initiative, Tim worked in interdisciplinary teams developing private/public partnerships to solve agricultural pollution problems. Tim's leisure time is spent reading science fiction novels, collecting insects, and participating in all kinds of outdoor play. Tim is very involved in prairie conservation issues and is on the board of the Palouse Prairie Foundation.

Jill Maxwell: Web Developer

Jill has more than 20 years experience as a writer, editor, and web developer. She has a Masters of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, in Community Development and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  Jill also enjoys x-county skiing, reading and community radio.

Russ Biggam: Taxonomist

Russ Biggam joined IE in June, 2009. He received a BA in Entomology and a minor in Biology from the University of Idaho (UI) in 1971. Since graduating Russ worked in both aquatic and terrestrial entomology labs for a number of UI professors including Drs. Brusven, Eigenbrode, Johanson, Swartzlander and McCaffrey. His primary responsibilities included sorting, identifying and cataloging aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates at all levels of taxonomic resolution. Over many of these years Russ also worked as a lab assistant in the aquatic entomology lab providing assistance to professors and students alike with specimen sampling, collection, preservation, sorting, identification and data input. See the publications list for some of Russ’s publications. In Russ’ spare time he collects stamps, DVDs and videos and builds models.

Roderick “Rod” Sprague IV: Taxonomist

Rod recently finished his Bachelors in Entomology at the University of Idaho. He has developed a thorough grounding in curatorial technique and direct exposure to the taxonomy of numerous insects and other arthropods while working for more than 15 years in the University of Idaho’s W. F. Barr Entomological Museum. Rod’s biological interests include other fields such as herpetology, botany and mycology, including identifying and eating native edible mushrooms. Rod is an electronics hobbyist. He has built numerous odd devices and is the sound engineer at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse (UUCP). He also is interested in astronomy, space flight and physics. He plays the pennywhistle, recorder and saxophone ands sings in the UUCP choir.

Wade Hoiland: Taxonomist

Wade earned his BS in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Science and his M.S. in Zoology from the University of Idaho. His thesis focused on the effects of heavy metals from mining tailings on aquatic communities in the Coeur d’Alene River system. Since graduation he has worked as the aquatic ecology lab manager at the Illinois Natural History Survey working for Dr. Steven Kohler and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Dr. Seth Reice. His main duties were invertebrate sampling and identification including identification of the family Chironomidae to genus and species. He also assisted in research including fish sampling and identification. In addition, he trained and managed other lab workers, graduate students and work-study students. After leaving North Carolina, Wade moved back close to home in Pullman, Washington and worked for 5.5 years as a production taxonomist at EcoAnalysts in Moscow, Idaho specializing in Chironomidae taxonomy. He is certified in the taxonomy of Eastern and Western Chironomidae. When not identifying invertebrates, Wade is an avid backpacker and loves the outdoors.

Rhea Hatten: Technician

Rhea is a sophmore at the University of Alaska- Southeast in Juneau, AK. She enjoys taking entomological photos and being outdoors. Some of Rhea's photos may be found on this website. She is fascinated with science and hopes to pursue a career in biology someday .

Katie Campbell: Technician

Katie Campbell is a sophmore in college and is aiming for a degree in fine arts and hopes to someday be functioning as a full time artist. Currently she is having a splendid time working with clay but plans to try out wood carving at the soonest possible opportunity. When not making art and a mess or working, running, skiing and reading are all preferred pursuits. She is currently and slowly working her way through the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and hopes to be finished before she graduates. She also enjoys employing sarcasm and is trying to kick the habit of writing about herself in third person.

Shay Hatten: Technician

Shay is currently a senior at Moscow Junior High School. In his spare time he enjoys watching movies and reading Stephen King novels.

Contractors 

Chris Looney: Ecologist/Taxonomist

Chris received his Ph.D. in Environmental Science at the University of Idaho, where he studied the conservation ecology of the endangered Palouse Prairie. On the Palouse, his foci were the arthropod diversity associated with prairie remnants and native plants that persist in the modified landscape. He has also made significant contributions to mapping the existing Palouse Prairie remnants. Chris received a M.S. in Entomology from Washington State University. His thesis work was centered on cataloguing the insect diversity of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Chris' research interests center around conserving biological diversity of all taxa in places where humans live and work. Prior to entering the PhD program at UI, Chris spent two years with NOAA Fisheries in Boise, ID, working in interagency teams to mitigate threats to federally listed salmon species.