ABOUT THE CURATOR

Dr. Walter Meshaka, Senior Curator

AT THE MUSEUM
Dr. Walter E. Meshaka, Jr., Ph.D., senior curator of the section of Zoology and Botany of the State Museum of Pennsylvania. As curator of the Commonwealth’s holdings of animals and plants, I oversee acquisitions, curation, and maintenance of collections, as well as conduct museum-based research and various outreach endeavors with the goal of enriching the understanding of Pennsylvania’s natural legacy.

CURRENT PROJECTS
At present, I am conducting long-term mark-recapture studies on snakes in western Pennsylvania and green frogs in central Pennsylvania. Combined with examination of museum specimens, I can more effectively understand regional differences in such life history parameters as growth and activity. I am also interested in the community ecology of paper wasps in Pennsylvania. This two-step study involves first understanding which species of often superficially similar species exist in Pennsylvania and secondly comparing the community structure or make-up of the various species in relationship to habitat and each other.

EDUCATION
B.S. Zoology, University of South Florida, 1985.
M.S. Biology, Arkansas State University, 1987.
Ph.D. Biology, Florida International University, 1994.

CONTACT DR. WALTER MESHAKA
wmeshaka@state.pa.us

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