Author Biographies

Dr. Chris Brown is an associate professor in the Department of Biology at TTU, and he teaches general biology, zoology, animal behavior, and entomology. His research interests include the ecology and taxonomy of spiders and scorpions. Every spring, Chris travels to Arizona to study scorpions in their natural environment.

Danny Bryan is a professor in the Department of Biology at Cumberland University, and he has taught a wide diversity of classes including general biology, field botany, microbiology, and vertebrate ecology. Danny is completing his Ph.D. in Environmental Science at TTU, and he is studying rattlesnakes in central Tennessee.

Dr. Dan Combs is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Biology at TTU. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, and he is active in wildlife-related issues at several levels. He has studied and kept turtles for many years.

Dr. C.B. Coburn has been a Professor of Biology at TTU for over 30 years. He is the Director of Tennessee Tech field station at Tech Aqua and has conducted Conservation Education Now for TTU students during the summer. He has also taught summer programs and workshops for teachers on how to use conservation across the curriculum. For over 15 years he has been an International Environmental consultant. Coburn is also a Putnam County Master Gardener.

Dr. Evan Hart is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at TTU. He teaches courses in hydrogeology, water resources, and climatology.  His current research projects involve the effect of land use change on sinkhole flooding in Cookeville and the nature and age of soils found within sinkholes. 

Dr. Larry Knox is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Earth Sciences at TTU. His research focuses on fossils of invertebrates and other organisms, and he has studied fossils and artifacts found in mounds in Tennessee and elsewhere. He teaches a wide variety of geology courses.

Dr. Wayne Leimer is a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at TTU. He teaches courses in physical geology, mineralogy, and applied geochemistry. Wayne’s research interests include clay mineralogy, oil shale, and asbestos hazards.

Bonnie Newby has been serving as the Caney Fork Water Association's Educational Director since August 2008. The CFWA works to build a clean, sustainable environment for future generations through education, conservation, and coordination. Her presentation will include information on the uses and benefits of rain barrels and also examine how the CFWA can help preserve the conservation values of our community.

Mike Richardson is a TTU graduate, retired Naval Reservist, and retired District Conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.  He and his wife trail ride with their own horses, and go on horse related vacations with outfitters.  They have been on horse packing treks into the Colorado Rockies and the Peruvian Andes.  In the fall of 2009 they will be going on another such trip either to the Patagonia region of Argentina and Chile, or to the Canadian Rockies. His presentation includes a talk and slide show describing a trip to Cusco, Peru, with a 4-day horse trek into the Andes culminating in a visit to famed Machu Picchu.

Dr. Tom Roberts is a professor and wildlife biologist in the Department of Biology at TTU. He teaches habitat management, wild bird ecology, wild mammal ecology, and wetlands ecology. Tom’s research interests focus on the use of wetlands by wild animals, and he has studied a wide assortment of varmints.

Dr. Steve Robinson is a professor and the chairperson of the Department of Physics at TTU. Along with many different physics classes, Steve teaches astronomy, and he has a fascination with the night sky.

Barbara Stedman is a native Floridian, now transplanted to Tennessee for 27 years. She is a dedicated gardener, canoer, and birder.  Her credits include conducting bird inventories in seven national park service units, including the Obed Wild and Scenic River, and she is co-author of a short book describing the birds of that site. 

Jamie Summers is a ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and he is involved in many aspects of management and recreational use of lands surrounding reservoirs in central Tennessee. Jamie received his B.S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science at TTU.

Mark Thurman is a biologist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Mark surveys and monitors wildlife populations, and he has spent many hours in the field surveying salamanders, frogs, and reptiles. He received his M.S. degree in Biology at TTU.

Dan Twyman is an assistant laboratory coordinator in the Department of Biology at TTU, and he is a “jack of all trades”. He is involved in many different biological pursuits from growing mushrooms to studying plants to caring for animals. Dan completed his M.S. degree at TTU, and his research involved studying an endangered dove on the island of Grenada during a period when a major hurricane devastated the country.