Staff
Heath J. Garner
Curator of Collections
Heath J. Garner has a M.A. in Museum Science from Texas Tech University and a B.S. in Anthropology from the University of Houston. Heath facilitates the daily operations of the NSRL's collections. His duties include specimen processing, cataloging, and tracking, loan processing, student worker and volunteer training and supervision, documentation keeping, and collections preventative conservation. His interests are directed toward all aspects of natural history collection curation, data management, and the changing technologies in museum collections. He has been with NSRL since June of 2000.
Lisa Bradley
Production Editor, Publications and Research Associate
Lisa Bradley holds a M.S. in Wildlife Science from Texas A&M University and a B.S. in Wildlife Science from West Virginia University. Her primary duty is the preparation of manuscripts for publication in the Museum series Occasional Papers and Special Publications. She is responsible for communicating with authors and the editor through the review and revision process, copy editing, proofreading, and final layout and design. She also assists in the writing and editing of scientific articles published by NSRL staff, in the preparation and submission of grant proposals, and in the development of NSRL-related exhibits for the Museum.
Kathy MacDonald
Collections Manager, Robert J. Baker Genetic Resources Collection
Kathy MacDonald has a M.A. in Museum Science from Texas Tech University, and a B.S. in Biology, a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, and an A.A.S. in Veterinary Technology.
Her primary duties at the NSRL include management of the Robert J. Baker Genetic Resources Collection and the training and supervision of its students and volunteers. On a daily basis she is involved with organization and processing of incoming samples as well as subsampling and processing of loans from the RJB-GRC. Other duties include assisting with specimen tracking in the collections, contributing to database management and design, performing information requests, and advocating for best museum practices. She began work at the NSRL as a student in 2002.
Jennifer C. Girón
Acting Collections Manager and Research Aide, Invertebrate Zoology Collection
Jennifer has a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Kansas, a M.Sc. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, and a B.Sc. in Biology, with emphasis in Entomology from the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia.
She is in charge of the Invertebrate Zoology Collection. Her duties include processing loan requests and incoming accessions, organizing and curating the collection, and training students and volunteers in curatorial tasks. In the long term, her goal is to have an accessible, active, and curated collection that serves the TTU community, while enhancing research in the broad scientific community.
Most of Jennifer's research has focused on Neotropical broad-nosed weevils (Curculionidae: Entiminae) and water scavenger beetles in the subfamily Acidocerinae (Hydrophilidae). She is also passionate about collections and biodiversity informatics.
For more information about Jennifer, visit her personal website.
Heidi Amarilla-Stevens
Research Aide
Heidi Amarilla-Stevens has a M.A. in Museum Science from Texas Tech University and a B.S. in Biology from the Universidad Nacional de Asunción in Paraguay.
Her duties at the NSRL include research to improve curatorial practices as they relate to conservation of natural history collections along with their genetic resource material. Other duties include assisting in all aspects of the specimen curation process, as well as preparing loans, students training and collection care.
Heidi's research interest centers on the care and utilization of natural history collections. There is a tension between the urgent need to preserve natural history specimens for future generations, and the imperative need to access these same resources for current research. Preservation and utilization of these finite resources drives her interest into curatorial management of natural history collections.
