CURRICULUM VITAE

 

DANIEL D. BECK, Professor

Department of Biological Sciences

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington 98926

Phone (509) 963-2886

email: BECKD@CWU.EDU

 

EDUCATION

B.S.   1981  Biology, Chemistry minor, Utah State University, Logan 

M.S.  1986  Biology/Ecology, Utah State University, Logan

Ph.D. 1991  Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Physiology minor, University of Arizona

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Central Washington University, Department of  Biological Sciences

Adjunct Professor, August 1994 - August 1996

Assistant Professor, August 1996 – August 2000

Associate Professor, September 2000 – June 2004

Professor, June 2004 – present

Teaching interests include general biology, physiology, ecology, and field biology.  A special interest is to bridge the gap between the classroom and field by offering hands-on field courses and research opportunities for students in such inspirational places as the Pacific Northwest, the Sonoran Desert, and Mexico.

Courses taught: 

·        Fundamentals of Biology for non-majors, BIOL 101 – Five credit general biology course (with a lab) for non-majors.

·        Basic Biology, BIOL 110 - Lecture and Laboratory for majors - 5 credits

·        General Ecology, BIOL 360 - Lecture and Laboratory/Field course - 5 credits

·        Regional Natural History Series, BIOL\GEOL 377 – 5 Credit Lecture and field research experience for undergraduates. Areas visited = Great Basin, Mojave and Sonoran deserts of Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Baja California Mexico, Tropical Dry Forest of Jalisco, Mexico

·        Field Practicum:  Issues and Techniques in Field Ecology (BIOL 493.22)  -- Intensive introduction to techniques and issues in field biology.

·        Field Practicum:  Biomes of the Pacific Northwest (BIOL 493.21) -- Hands-on introduction to shrub-steppe, forest, and alpine biomes of the Pacific Northwest

·        Herpetology BIOL 451 - Lecture and Lab/field course - 4 credits

·        BISC 589 - Graduate Seminar

·        Several special topic and independent study courses

 

Teaching Associate, 1985-1991,  University of Arizona

 

Instructor, 1989, Audubon Society

 

Substitute Lecturer, 1989, Pima Community College.  Course taught:  Wildlife of North America.

 

Teaching Assistant, 1982-1985, Utah State University

 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Central Washington University, Department of  Biological Sciences

Adjunct Professor, August 1994 - August 1996

Assistant Professor, August 1996 – August 2000

Associate Professor, September 2000 – June 2004

Professor, June 2004 -- present

·        Directing graduate and undergraduate research projects in terrestrial ecology

·        Investigating:

·        ecology, physiology and behavior, (in lab and field) of Northern Pacific rattlesnakes in central Washington.

·        tropical dry forest ecology

·        ecology of the shrub-steppe

·        phylogeography, behavior, and habitat selection in helodermatid lizards

 

Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar, Biology Department, University of New Mexico and Independent Biological Consultant, 1992-1994.--Grants/Contracts with New Mexico Dept. of Game and Fish.

·        Population biology of desert bighorn sheep in southwestern New Mexico.

·        Field investigation of behavior, habitat selection, and reproduction of the Gila monster in New Mexico.

 

Biologist/Project Manager, 1991-1992, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.--Investigations and environmental assessments of the effects of dredged and fill materials on streams, lakes, and wetlands in New Mexico.  I also established guidelines for riparian restoration projects, and prepared a reference plant collection from wetland and riparian areas of New Mexico.  Work performed under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

 

Ph.D. research, 1986-1991, University of Arizona.--Physiological and behavioral consequences of reptilian life in the slow lane: ecology of beaded lizards and rattlesnakes. 

·        Radiotelemetry study of the Mexican beaded lizard in Jalisco, Mexico.      

·        Physiological investigations of metabolism in beaded lizards and rattlesnakes. 

·        Use of strain-gauge transducers to monitor post-feeding gut motility in reptiles

·        Field experiments of energetics, thermoregulation, foraging behavior, and

habitat selection of Sonoran Desert rattlesnakes. 

·        Field study of the Sonoran Desert Toad, Bufo alvarius.

 

Consultant, 1988, National Park Service.--Radiotelemetry study of the western rattlesnake, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah.

 

Master's research, 1982-1985, Utah State University.-- The Gila monster in Utah: bioenergetic and natural history considerations. Research included:

·        Population biology of Desert tortoises in southwestern Utah.

·        Ecology and behavior of the Gila monster in Utah.

·        Field surveys and status review of the Gila monster for Utah Div. Wildlife Resources.

 

OTHER SKILLS

Computer          - Graphics, Data Analysis/Statistics, Word Processing

Language          - Fluency in Spanish

Technical          - Photography; Woodworking, Cabinetmaking, Carpentry

 

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology

Washington Native Plant Society

Ecological Society of America

Society for Ecological Restoration

Herpetologist's League

Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles

Associate editor of Herpetological Review 1997-2000

Editorial Board Member, Journal of Herpetology

 

AWARDS, GRANTS, AND FELLOWSHIPS

2004 – Conservation Strategy for the Gila Monster in Utah -- $9,400 awarded by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

2002 - TIAA-CREF Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring Undergraduate Research

1992-2000 - New Mexico Share With Wildlife Fund Grant ($40,196) for research on Heloderma suspectum

1996 - Kennedy Award (for paper in Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 29)

1992-1994 - Desert Bighorn Sheep Contract ($25,500), NM Dept. of Game and Fish

1992 - Outstanding Performance Award, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

1991 - Kennedy Award (for top student paper in Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 24)

1990 - University of Arizona, summer graduate fellowship

1986, 1987 - American Museum of Natural History, Theodore Roosevelt Fund Award (for Beaded Lizard research in Mexico)

1983 - Utah Audubon Field Research Award

1982 - Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Volunteer Service Award

1982 - Sigma Xi, Grant-in-Aid (for Master's research)

 

PUBLICATIONS

Beck, D. D. 2005. Biology of Gila Monsters and Beaded lizards (Book).  University of California Press, Berkeley.  in press -- scheduled for release Spring 2005. see http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10325.html

Beaman K. R., D. D. Beck, and B. M. McGurty. 2004. The Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum) and Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum): a bibliography of the family Helodermatidae. Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service No ___.  in press.

Beck, D. D. 2004.  Venomous Lizards of the Desert.  Natural History 113(6): 32-37.

McLuckie A., D. Beck, P. Miller, R. Fridell, and E. Boeke. June 2004. Draft Conservation Strategy for Gila Monsters  (Heloderma suspectum cinctum) in Southwestern Utah. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, S.L.C., Utah.

Beck, D. D. and Wiewandt, T. 2004. Gila Monsters in Our Midst: Living With an Ancient Native of St. George.  Educational Pamphlet published jointly by Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA, and the Utah Department of Natural Resources, S.L.C., UT.

Beck, D. D. 2004. Overview of the family Helodermatidae (for varanophiles).  Pp 516 – 520 In: E. R. Pianka and D. King (eds.) Varanoid Lizards of the World. Indiana University Press. 

Beck, D. D. 2004. Heloderma horridum. Pp 521-527 In: E. R. Pianka and D. King: Varanoid lizards of the World. Indiana University Press.

Beck, D. D. 2004. Heloderma suspectum. Pp 528-534 In: E. R. Pianka and D. King: Varanoid lizards of the World. Indiana University Press.

Beck, D.D. and R.D. Jennings. 2003.  Habitat use by Gila monsters: the importance of shelters.  Herpetological Monographs 17:112-130.

Beck, D. D. 2003. Gila monsters and Mexican beaded lizards (Helodermatidae). Pp 353-358 In: M. Hutchins, J. B. Murphy and N. Schlager (eds.) Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition, Vol. 7, Reptiles.  Gale Group, Farmington Hills, MI.

Gienger, C.M., D.D. Beck, N.C. Sabari and D.L. Stumbaugh. 2002.  Dry season habitat use by lizards in a tropical deciduous forest of western Mexico.  Journal of Herpetology 36(3):487-490.

Beck, DD. 2002. Heloderma horridum (Wiegmann 1829), Escorpión. Pp. 285-291. In: F. A. Noguera, J.H.V. Rivera, A.N. García-Aldrete, and M.Q. Avendaño (eds.). Historia Natural de Chamela.  Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Mexico City.

Goldberg, S.R. and D.D. Beck.  2001.  Heloderma horridum (Mexican beaded lizard).  Reproduction.  Herpetological. Review 32(4):255-256.

Beck, D.D. 1996. Effect of feeding on thermoregulation by rattlesnakes: a field experiment. Physiological Zoology 69:1442-1445.

Ramirez-Bautista, A. and D.D. Beck. 1996. El Escorpión:  lagartija venenosa de México.  Información Científica y Technológica, (CONACYT) 18(232):24-28. 

Beck, D.D. 1995. Ecology and energetics of three sympatric rattlesnake species in the Sonoran desert. Journal of Herpetology 29(2): 211-223.

Beck, D.D., M.R. Dohm, T. Garland Jr., A. Ramirez-Bautista, and C.H. Lowe. 1995. Locomotor performance and activity energetics of helodermatid lizards. Copeia 1995(3):577-585.

Beck, D.D. and C.H. Lowe. 1994.  Metabolism of helodermatid lizards: allometric and ecological relationships. Journal of Comparative Physiology B. 164:124-129.

Beck, D.D. 1994. Bighorn at Red Rock: counting sheep without much sleep. New Mexico Wildlife 39(2)22-24.

Beck, D.D. 1993. A retrospective of "the Gila monster and its allies." Invited essay in: The Gila monster and its allies, the relationships, habits, and behavior of the lizards of the family helodermatidae, by C.M. Bogert and R. Martin del Campo, 1956.  Reprinted by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.

Beck, D.D. and C.H. Lowe. 1992. The helodermatid lizards. In: Endangered Species and Wildlife Conservation in Mexico. G. Ceballos and D. Navarro, eds. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.

Beck, D.D. and A. Ramirez-Bautista. 1991. Combat behavior of the beaded lizard, Heloderma h. horridum, in Jalisco, Mexico. Journal of Herpetology 25(4):481-484.

Beck, D.D. and C.H. Lowe. 1991. Ecology of the beaded lizard, Heloderma horridum in a tropical dry forest in Jalisco, Mexico. Journal of Herpetology 25(4):395-406.

Beck, D.D. 1990.  Ecology and behavior of the Gila monster in southwestern Utah. Journal of Herpetology 24(1):54-68.

Beck, D.D.  1989.  Ecology and energetics of helodermatid lizards: the gracefulness of being sluggish.  Sonoran Herpetologist 2(3):17-22.

Beck, D.D. 1985. Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum), banding/ coloration. Herpetological Review 16:53.

Beck, D.D. 1985.  Current status and distribution of the Gila monster, Heloderma suspectum, in southwestern Utah.  Report to the UT Div. of Wildlife Res, Nongame Sec. 78p.

Beck, D.D. and E.M. Coombs. 1984.  Current status of the Paradise Canyon Desert tortoise population.  Proceedings of the 1984 Desert Tortoise Council Symposium. pp. 43-50.

Fusari, M., D.D. Beck, K.H. Berry, M. Coffeen, J. Diemer, and J.A. St. Amant. 1984.  A panel discussion on relocation and related issues and implications for management of the desert tortoise. Proceedings of the 1984 Desert Tortoise Council Symposium. pp 136-146.

 

MANUSCRIPTS IN PREPARATION

Gienger, C.M., and D.D. Beck.  Heads or tails?  Sexual dimorphism in helodermatid lizards. submitted to Journal of Herpetology; in revision

Beck, D.D. Ambush-hunting site selection by rattlesnakes in the Sonoran Desert. intended for Journal of Herpetology.

Gienger, C.M., and D.D. Beck.  Hibernacula of the Northern Pacific rattlesnake. (for NW

Science or herpetology journal)

Crisafulli, C., J. McBee, and D. Beck.  Effects of Fish on Amphibian Populations within

the Disturbance Zone of Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. (intended for Conservation Biology)

 

SAMPLE OF INVITED PRESENTATIONS AND RESEARCH PAPERS PRESENTED

Monsters in our Midst:  Overview of Natural History and Conservation Biology of Gila Monsters”  Invited address to the task force on developing a conservation strategy for the Gila Monster in Utah, St. George, UT, February  2004.

Monsters, Vipers, and the Value of Biodiversity. Presentation to CWU Resource Management REM seminar series, January, 2004.

The Tortoise and the Gila Monster:  Common Place; Common Destiny?  Invited address to the 28th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the Desert Tortoise Council, Las Vegas, Nevada. February 22, 2003.

What Good is a Venomous Lizard?:  New Ideas Emerging from Studies of Ancient Monsters.  Natural Science Seminar presented to the CWU community on December 6, 2002.

Puzzles and Paradoxes of Gila Monsters and Beaded Lizards. Invited Banquet Address for: Current Research on Herpetofauna of the Sonoran Desert II. April 5-7th 2002. Tucson, Arizona.

D. D. Beck and R.D Jennings.  Seasonal patterns of shelter use and fidelity by Gila monsters in New Mexico. Ecological Society of America, annual meeting, Spokane, WA, August 1999.

C. M. Gienger and D.D. Beck. Hibernacula structure of the northern Pacific rattlesnake in central Washington.  Poster presented at Ecological Society of America, annual meeting, Spokane, WA, August 1999.

D. D. Beck and R.D Jennings.  Refuge-site selection and fidelity by Gila monsters in the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico.  Herpetologist's League & Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Annual Meetings 16-22 July, 1998. University of Guelph, Ontario.

D.D. Beck. Investigating ecological implications of behavior in the field:  a case study with rattlesnakes, NW Association for Behavior Analysis, CWU Campus, Nov. 1-2, 1996.

 

REFERENCES

Dr. David Darda,  Chair, Department of Biological Sciences, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington 98926  (509)963-2731.

 

Dr. James A. MacMahon, Dean, College of Science, Utah State University, Logan,

            Utah 84322  (801)750-2478.

 

Dr. Randy Jennings, Professor, Western New Mexico University.  Silver City, NM.  505-538-6519