Staff and Contact Information

Dr. Edwin C. Masteller
Emeritus Professor of Biology, Penn State Behrend and
Curator, Natural History Collection at TREC
Phone:  814-217-9016
Email:  e11@psu.edu

Dr. Masteller received a B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa in 1958, a M.S. from the University of South Dakota in 1961, and a Ph.D. in Entomology from Iowa State University in 1967.  Dr. Masteller taught courses in general biology, botany, zoology, invertebrate zoology and limnology at Penn State Behrend for 27 years.  He was president of the North American Benthological Society in 1985 and received the Penn State Behrend Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Research.  Numerous students completed undergraduate research projects under Ed’s supervision and presented papers at national meetings; five of these students have completed their Ph.D.  In 1974-75 Ed was awarded a senior research Fulbright Grant in Germany.  Since that time, Ed’s research has focused on aquatic insects and invertebrates.  During the 1990's Ed surveyed the Trichoptera and Plecoptera of Pennsylvania.  This research can be accessed at Ed’s web site http://paaquaticfliesrus.bd.psu.edu, where the distribution records of 324 species of caddisflies and 135 species of stoneflies are displayed on maps.  Ed was also responsible for identifying several new species of insects in Puerto Rico.  The mussels of Presque Isle have been an ongoing area of research along with the burrowing mayflies of the Pennsylvania area of Lake Erie.

Since 2005, Ed has served as the volunteer Curatorial Coordinator for the Natural History Collection at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center and was instrumental in the design of the two collection areas that include 48 Entomological Cabinets, 12 Herbarium Cabinets and 8 vertebrate, rock and fossil Cabinets.  All specimens in the collections have their collection data stored in an Access Database that will be soon be available to the public.  Also, a website is in development, which will include collection protocols for specimens to be included in the collection and the species in the collection.  Ed supervises several volunteers that assist in the collection and processing of specimens. Currently, there are over 3,000 insects, 600 plants, 60 species of fish, and 20 species of amphibians and reptiles in the collection that are available on a limited basis for study depending on the background of the individual.  Many of the species are voucher specimens that Ed hopes to maintain for future generations.