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The April 5, 2006 our monthly meeting that will feature a highly anticipated presentation by Carl Brune, "Herping the Deserts of California"

Carl R. Brune is Associate Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Field herping is one of his favoriate activities, and he has become quite adept at it. Much of Carl's herping time is spent in Ohio, but he has also spent a good deal of time in the deserts of California. His talk will focus on his herping experiences in these unique environments. .

MEET THE SPEAKER: (a brief autobiograhy by Carl R. Brune)

I came into the world and the good hands of my parents Dall and Pat Brune on April 15, 1966. I was followed by two brothers, Chris and Curtis. All three of us were born and raised in Ridgecrest, California, where we attended Burroughs High School. I graduated with the Class of 1984!

I went on to major in physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Not satisfied with a bachelor's degree, I went on to graduate school at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Here I got my PhD in nuclear physics, studying reactions which are thought to take place in the Big Bang.

On July 11, 1993 I married Roxanne. In 1994 we moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina. I was a postdoc and then research faculty at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, while Roxanne (who also got her PhD from Caltech) worked in the pharmaceutical industry. I also had an office at Triangle Universities Nuclear Lab, which is located at Duke University.

On October 31, 1996, we had our son Ryan Tanner (see below).

In 2001 we took a big step and moved to Athens, Ohio. I'm presently an Associate Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at Ohio University, and Roxanne is working in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. You can check out my professional webpage HERE.

Along the way, I've picked up several hobbies including some sports (basketball, volleyball, softball), herpetology, flyfishing, hiking, camping, and fiddling with my 65 Chevelle.

My brothers and I showing off some desert iguanas. Catching the local critters was one of our main activities. I don't think our parents ever really understood, but they were supportive. I have to admit that I never outgrew the habit of chasing critters. My curiosity about lizards and snakes and stuff defintely got me started down the path to becoming a scientist. I was very fortunate my grandma gave me a copy of the Stebbins field guide for Christmas when I was seven.

My brother Chris with a fine pair of desert iguanas.

The Chevelle and I back in the summer of 1968. We were both new then.

My boy Ryan and the Chevelle, fall 1999. I took the helm of the Chevelle back when I was in high school, and haven't looked back. The only car I've ever had (well almost).

My son and I have had a lot of fun lately chasing the critters of southern Ohio. On this day he learned that milksnakes sometimes bite. The look on his face is priceless...

Here's Roxanne canoeing in the Florida mangroves...

For More Information:

http://inpp.ohiou.edu/~brune/brune.html

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