Quentin D. Wheeler | |
---|---|
President SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry | |
In office January 2014 –June 30, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Cornelius B. Murphy,Jr. |
Succeeded by | David C. Amberg |
Vice-President and Dean ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | |
In office 2007 –2011 | |
Interim Dean ASU Division Of Natural Sciences | |
In office 2006–2007 | |
Personal details | |
Alma mater | Ohio State University (B.S.),(M.S.),(Ph.D.) |
Fields | Entomology Taxonomy Phylogenetics |
Quentin Duane Wheeler (born January 31,1954) [1] is an American entomologist,taxonomist,author and newspaper columnist,and is the founding director of the International Institute for Species Exploration. He was the fourth President of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry,in Syracuse,New York until his retirement. [2] Other positions have included:professor of entomology at Cornell University and Arizona State University;Keeper and Head of Entomology at the Natural History Museum in London;and Director of the Division of Environmental Biology at the National Science Foundation.
Wheeler holds bachelor (1976),master's (1977) and Ph.D. (1980) degrees in entomology from Ohio State University. [3] [4] His Ph.D. dissertation is titled,"Comparative morphology,cladistics,and a revised classification of the genera Lymexylidae (Coleoptera),including descriptions of two new genera". [5]
Wheeler was a faculty member for 24 years at Cornell University,where he earned the rank of tenured full professor. He was chair of entomology and director of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium at Cornell. Wheeler also previously served as the Keeper and Head of Entomology at the Natural History Museum in London from 2004–2006,and was director of the Division of Environmental Biology at the National Science Foundation from 2001-2004.
Wheeler joined Arizona State University in 2006. He was the Virginia M. Ullman Professor of Natural History and the Environment,and founding executive director of the International Institute for Species Exploration. [6] Wheeler served as interim dean of the Division of Natural Sciences in 2006,and in 2007 was appointed to the position of vice president and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,a position he held until 2011. He was President of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry from January 2014 through June 2018. [7] [8] [9] [10]
Wheeler's research career has focused on the role of species exploration and natural history collections in the exploration and conservation of biodiversity;theory and practice of phylogenetic systematics and cybertaxonomy;the evolution and classification of insects,especially beetles;and public science education. He has received a number of academic honors,including fellowships from the American Association for the Advancement of Science,Linnean Society of London and Royal Entomological Society. [11] He has had three species of beetles named in his honor,such as Tonerus wheeleri, [12] Eleodes wheeleri, [13] and Agathisium wheeleri. [14]
He is the author of approximately 150 scientific articles and six books,including What on Earth? –100 of Our Planet's Most Amazing New Species. He has named more than 100 new species and writes a periodic column on new species for The Guardian newspaper in London. [3]
Among Wheeler's most highly cited articles are: [15]
Wheeler's most widely held books include: [16]
In biology, taxonomy is the scientific study of naming, defining (circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa and these groups are given a taxonomic rank; groups of a given rank can be aggregated to form a more inclusive group of higher rank, thus creating a taxonomic hierarchy. The principal ranks in modern use are domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus is regarded as the founder of the current system of taxonomy, as he developed a ranked system known as Linnaean taxonomy for categorizing organisms and binomial nomenclature for naming organisms.
The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is a public research university in Syracuse, New York focused on the environment and natural resources. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. ESF is immediately adjacent to Syracuse University, within which it was founded, and with which it maintains a special relationship. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
Amphizoa is a genus of aquatic beetles in the suborder Adephaga, placed in its own monogeneric family, Amphizoidae. There are five known species of Amphizoa, three in western North America and two in the eastern Palearctic. They are sometimes referred to by the common name troutstream beetles.
Agathidium is a genus of beetles in the family Leiodidae.
Agathidium vaderi is a species of round fungus beetle in the family Leiodidae. It is found in North America. The beetle was named after the fictional character Darth Vader by Cornell University entomologists due to its shiny helmetlike head that resembles that of the Star Wars villain.
The State University of New York Upstate Medical University is a public medical school in Syracuse, New York. Founded in 1834, Upstate is the 15th oldest medical school in the United States and is the only medical school in Central New York. The university is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
Joanne M. "Joanie" Mahoney is the fifth president of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), in Syracuse, New York. Prior to this, she served as the County Executive of Onondaga County, New York. The first woman to hold, and be elected to, that position, she served from January 1, 2008, through November 1, 2018.
Eleodes is a genus of darkling beetles, in the family Tenebrionidae. They are endemic to western North America ranging from southern Canada to central Mexico with many species found along the Mexico-United States border. Some species have been introduced to Colombia. The name pinacate is Mexican Spanish, derived from the Nahuatl (Aztec) name for the insect, pinacatl, which translates as "black beetle".
The New York State College of Forestry, the first professional school of forestry in North America, opened its doors at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, in the autumn of 1898., It was advocated for by Governor Frank S. Black, but after just a few years of operation, it was defunded in 1903, by Governor Benjamin B. Odell in response to public outcry over the College's controversial forestry practices in the Adirondacks.
Silvanidae, "silvan flat bark beetles", is a family of beetles in the superfamily Cucujoidea, consisting of 68 described genera and about 500 described species. The family is represented on all continents except Antarctica, and is most diverse at both the generic and species levels in the Old World tropics.
Cornelius ("Neil") B. Murphy Jr. is Professor of Environmental and Sustainable Systems at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF). From 2000 to 2013, he was the third President of SUNY-ESF. Previously, he was president and chief executive officer of O'Brien & Gere, a large environmental engineering consulting firm based in Syracuse, New York. He has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Syracuse University, and a B.A. in Chemistry from Saint Michael's College.
Ross S. Whaley was the second president of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, in Syracuse, New York, from 1984 to 1999. An economist by training, Whaley had previously been director of forest economics research at the United States Forest Service. Other prior institutional affiliations included faculty and administrative positions at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Colorado State University, and Utah State University. Whaley served as president of the Society of American Foresters in 1991. Following his tenure as President of SUNY-ESF, Whaley served as chair of the Adirondack Park Agency from 2003 to 2007.
The SUNY-ESF Ranger School, on the east branch of the Oswegatchie River near Wanakena, New York, offers A.A.S. degrees in forest and natural resources management. Established in 1912, the school is affiliated with the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF). The Ranger School commemorated its centennial in 2012-13.
The International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) was a research institute located in Syracuse, New York. Its mission was to improve taxonomical exploration and the cataloging of new species of flora and fauna. Between 2008 and 2018, IISE published a yearly "Top 10" of the most unusual or unique biota newly identified in the previous year, with the aim of drawing attention to the work done in taxonomy across the world over the previous year.
Gelae is a genus of round fungus beetles belonging to the family Leiodidae. The beetles are found in different parts of Central and North America. They are small and rounded, feeding on slime moulds. They were originally placed in the genus Agathidium following the discovery of the first species, G. cognatum, in 1878. The taxonomic position was revised with description of new species in 2004 by American entomologists Kelly B. Miller and Quentin D. Wheeler. Upon creation of the new genus, the five new species are Gelae baen, G. belae, G. donut, G. fish, and G. rol.
Miroidea is a superfamily of true bugs in the order Hemiptera. There are about 7 families and more than 15,000 described species in Miroidea.
Gracilimiris is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae. There are at least three described species in Gracilimiris.
Anisotoma amica is a species of round fungus beetle in the family Leiodidae. It is found in North America.
Amphidorini is a tribe of darkling beetles in the family Tenebrionidae. There are six genera in Amphidorini.