Joseph Staples
Office
Contact Information
- Ph. D, Biological Science, Illinois State University.
- M.S. Environmental Forest Biology & Chemical Ecology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse.
- B.S. Environmental Forest Biology SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse.
Joe joined the Department of Environmental Science (DES) as a part-time adjunct faculty member in 2006 and came onboard as a full-time lecturer in 2010. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Environmental Forest Biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University and his Ph.D. in Biology from Illinois State University. He conducts research in the areas of environmental entomology & physiology, chemical ecology, and integrated pest management often in collaboration with other researchers at USM as well as local and national organizations. He is also involved in research with other DES members in the areas of air quality & applied energy.
Joe is a graduate of the former Scholar Educator Program at Illinois State University and has taught more than thirty different courses in biology and environmental science.
Courses Taught at USM
ESP 101-Fundamentals of Environmental Science
ESP 102-Fundamentals of Environmental Science Lab
ESP 110-Introduction to Nature Tourism
ESP 125-Environmental Ecology
ESP 125-Environmental Ecology Lab
ESP 280-Research & Analytical Methods
ESP 412-Field Ecosystems Ecology
ESP 413-Forest Ecology
EYE 102-Sustainability Culture and the Environment
LCC 130-The Biology of Human Health
LCC 230-Environmental Science, Policy, & Sustainability
SCI 130-Natural Science Topics
SCI 105K-Biological Principles I
SCI 106K-Biological Principles I Laboratory
Research Interests
Joe’s current projects include the pheromone biology of the introduced forest pest known as the Pine False Webworm, Acantholyda erythrocephala; water balance and parasitism in pupal stages of the introduced pine sawfly, Diprion similis; assessing heavy metal uptake in aquatic insects as a mechanism for lateral transport of pollutants in natural systems; and along with students in DES, is developing best practices methods for digital curation of insects and other biological specimens. Joe is also co-investigator on the Maine Indoor Air Quality and the Long Creek research programs where he and his colleagues in DES, along with their students, are developing methods and/or technologies for sampling and analysis of air, water, and sediments. He is also working with USM’s Campus Ventures program in collaboration with the Maine Center for Enterprise Development in Portland on a new illumination system for microscopes. The work involves students in USM’s Departments of Environmental Science, Engineering, and Technology .
Recent Publications
Staples J. K., Bartelt R. J., Cosse. A. A., Whitman D. W. (2009) Sex Pheromone of the Pine False Webworm Acantholyda erythrocephala (Hymenoptera: Pamphiliidae) Journal of Chemical Ecology. 35:1448-60.
Staples J. K., B. S. Krall, R. J. Bartelt, and D. W. Whitman. (2002) Chemical Defense in the Plant Bug Lopidea robiniae (Uhler). Journal of Chemical Ecology. 28: 601-615
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