Staff

		Heath J. Garner Curator of Collections M.A., Museum Science, Texas Tech University B.S., Anthropology, University of Houston I facilitate the daily operations of the NSRL’s collections. My duties include specimen processing, cataloging, and tracking, loan processing, student worker and volunteer training and supervision, documentation keeping, and collections preventative conservation. My interests are directed toward all aspects of natural history collection curation, data management, and the changing technologies in museum collections. I have been with NSRL since June of 2000.
		James C. Cokendolpher Assistant Curator and Research Scientist, Invertebrates Collection Graduate Studies, Systematics,Texas Tech Univ., 1978-1980 M.S., Biology, Midwestern State Univ., 1978 B.S., Biology, Midwestern State Univ., 1976 A.A.S., Chemical Technology, Midwestern State Univ., 1976 My training as a biologist covers both invertebrates and vertebrates as well as botany. I am a world authority on two orders of arachnids and have published papers and books on a variety of arthropods, protozoa, vertebrates, and plants. My interests are broad and therefore my publications have dealt with a variety of topics: archaeology, behavior, conservation, documentation, ecology, exocrine gland chemistry, faunal surveys, history of arachnology, karyology, morphology, natural history, paleontology, parasitology, pathology, phylogenetics, physiology, pollenation, speleology, taxonomy, ultrastructure, human and veterinary medicine. Although, I am most interested in arachnid taxonomy and museum collections, I have keen interests in biospeleology and  insect plant interactions: especially those of the carnivious plants and orchids.  I am also very interested in the ex situ breeding of endangered or "extinct in the wild" plants and animals: especially Nepenthes and Cyprinodon.
		Lisa Bradley Research Associate B.S. Wildlife Science, West Virginia University, 1984 M.S. Wildlife Science, Texas A & M University, 1987 My primary duty is the preparation of manuscripts for publication in the Museum series Occasional Papers, Special Publications, and Museology.  I am responsible for communicating with authors and the Editor through the review and revision process, copy editing, proofreading, and final layout and design.  I also assist in the writing and editing of scientific articles published by NSRL staff, and in the preparation and submission of grant proposals.
		Kathy MacDonald Curatorial Assistant, Genetic Resources Collection and GIS Projects Ph.D. student, Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University M.A., Museum Science, Texas Tech University B.S., Biology, University of Texas of the Permian Basin B.S., Mathematics, University of Texas of the Permian Basin My research interests focus on the behavior and management of captive animals, particularly stereotypic behavior in captive carnivores. I am also interested in the registration and management of zoological and natural history collections. Finally, I have a growing interest in the use of GIS for collection management purposes. My primary duties at the NSRL include management of the genetic resources collection and its inventory and reorganization project as well as supervising students and volunteers assisting with the project. In addition, I am involved with web design. Secondary duties include assisting with loan preparation, specimen tracking in the collection, and data management.
		Juan Pablo Carrera E. Curatorial Assistant, Mammal Collection Ph.D. student, Zoology, Texas Tech University M.A., Museum Science, Texas Tech University, 2007. B. S., Biology, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, 2003. juan.p.carrera@ttu.edu My research interests include Zoology and Museum Sciences. In the zoological field my research is focused mainly on the natural history, biogeography and systematics of the Neotropical mammals, particularly bats. In the Museum, my current research involves the collection management, database management, education, and preservation of natural history specimens. Currently, I am involved in some projects that combine the laboratory and the museum, including the systematics and distribution of some genus of Neotropical bats, the organization of the vital tissue collection, and the curation and organization of the mammal collection at the NSRL.
		Beata "Rachel" Gruszka Curatorial Assistant, Mammal Collection M.A., Student, Museum Science, Texas Tech University M.A., Anthropology, University of Michigan, 2006 B.A., Anthropology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, 2002 I assist in the daily operations of the NSRL's mammal collections.  My duties include inventory of collections as well as assisting in preparing outgoing loans, data managment, and other daily tasks.  I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Museum Science to compliment my Master's in Anthropology.  My interests lie in collections managment of archaeological and anthropological collections.  I find working at the NSRL an exciting opportunity to broaden my horizons in working with different types of collections in a museum setting.
		Kiran Reddy Jinna Graduate Assistant, Invertebrate Collection M.B.A. (Health Organization Management) Student, Texas Tech University M.B., B.S., (M.D. in US), Gandhi Medical College, India, 2008 I am currently pursuing my Master’s in Business Administration at Texas Tech University. I went to medical school for my undergraduate degree in India. I assist in the daily operations of the NSRL’s invertebrate collection. My tasks include cataloguing (Medical Zoology), assisting in preparation, and recording of specimens for the invertebrate collection. I also help in the monitoring of integrated pest management. My interests include different aspects of invertebrate zoology collections.
		Lizette Siles Mendoza Curatorial Assistant, Mammal Collection, NSRL – Museum of Texas Tech University Ph.D. Student, Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University B.S., Biology, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Bolivia, 2002. Associate Researcher - Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny (Bolivia) Member of Asociación Boliviana de Investigadores de Mamíferos liz_siles@yahoo.com liz.siles-mendoza@ttu.edu I received my Bachelor’s degree in Universidad Mayor de San Simon (Cochabamba, Bolivia) where I studied bat ecology in montane caves of Bolivia. After this, I have worked extensively in bat conservation projects across Bolivia and received grants for this purpose from The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation and Whitley Fund for Nature. My research interests focus on the conservation, systematics and distribution of Bolivian bats and one of my aims as a graduate student is to learn molecular techniques that could be used to elucidate the taxonomic status of some Neotropical bats that occur in Bolivia. I have started part of my research on the systematics of bats of the genus Micronycteris. As an associate researcher of a Museum in Bolivia (Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d’Orbigny), I am very interested in collections management, preservation of specimens, and educational activities related to Museum work and wish to continue this line of work when I go back to my country. At the NSRL my duties as Research Assistant involve the processing of incoming specimens, inventory and curation of the mammal collections.

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