 Kenneth
J. Stein obtained his Ph.D. in entomology
(behavior, ecology, and overwintering physiology of
baldfaced hornets) from Virginia Polytechnic Institute
& State University in 1990. Within weeks after his
graduation, he was called up for "Operation Desert
Storm" with Preventive Medicine Unit # 7, in Naples,
Italy. While getting "mobilized" for Naval
Reserve duty was an unusual graduation present from Uncle
Sam, it was a godsend for Ken's career insofar as it
provided him with the opportunity to conduct
multidisciplinary studies in Europe, Africa, and the
Middle East. In 1993, Ken accepted a position as a
research scientist at the Navy Medical Research Unit #3,
in Cairo, Egypt. Ken worked on several projects including
snake distribution studies, feeding behavior in ticks,
and disease transmission by sandflies. During his time
overseas, Ken couldn't help observing that many plants
were used for a variety of purposes: washing and
bleaching of clothes, folk remedies, medicines, and of
course, food. It was then that he began to combine this
newfound interest in plant uses with another
passion--photography. At present, Ken is a professional
photographer and has a collection of over 300 plant
images. Many of the plants he has photographed have had
historical use and/or alleged medicinal value. Ken is
currently employed by the Department of Fisheries and
Wildlife Sciences at VPI & SU. He has several
responsibilities including, web system development,
designing and implementing invertebrate surveys for
environmental impact studies, and, grant writing. In
addition Ken routinely provides presentations on diverse
topics such as "Plants Used by the Ancient
Egyptians" and "Medicinal Plants of the
Appalachians". He remains active with the Navy
Reserves where he serves as a Lieutenant Commander. Visit
Dr. Stein's "Virtual Herbarium" at http://www.vt.edu:10021/forestry/wildlife/stein/plants.html. |
