These are the people that make the LSAM what it is!

Dr. Stephen Baca - Assistant Professor and Director of the LSAM

Contact Information

Email: SBaca@agcenter.lsu.edu

Phone Number: 225-578-1813

As the Director of the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum (LSAM), I seek to steward the collection as a posterity-focused resource for the AgCenter’s research and extension efforts and the global entomological community. My research focuses on the biodiversity and evolution of aquatic beetles and other insects across time and spatial scales. Targeted field surveys and museum collections are essential to my work and provide future generations with a foundational resource for understanding the biodiversity of increasingly threatened aquatic environments. Our work incorporates identification, field techniques, and advanced skillsets that support the mission of the LSU Ag Center and the Department of Entomology to provide Louisiana with practical knowledge and tools for solving insect-related challenges. My vision for LSAM is to grow our representation of aquatic insects of both Louisiana and abroad for current and future research, develop new and existing resources for LSU Ag Center stakeholders, and support long-term sustainability of the LSAM. For more information on my research, please visit https://www.BacaEnto.org

Victoria Moseley Bayless – LSAM Curator

• Maintains and organizes department collections, including ancillary collections (e.g., photographs, field notes, teaching & library materials)
• Supervises and assists technicians, student interns and volunteers.
• Develops and maintains all Museum collections, including computer database record-keeping, photography, and archiving records.
• Manages use of and access to LSAM collections
• Advances the LSAM’s strategic plan for digital assets management.
• Communicates and interacts with both intra- and extramural public engagement activities.
• Maintains a working knowledge of systematics and develops taxonomic expertise concerning insects and arachnids in general.
• Oversees the preparation, identification, labeling and integration of new specimens into the collection.
• Maintains departmental collection policy and protocol documents which may include initial creation of documents and regular updating.
• May participate in field expeditions aimed at generating relevant collections for the LSAM.
• Assists visiting scientists, other visitors and the general public with inquiries and arranges and/or leads tours of the LSAM.
• Assists with writing grant proposals that pertain to the LSAM.
• Oversees the purchasing of equipment, lab facilities and supplies for collections, and the maintenance of related records.
• Serves as the insect diagnostician for the state

Contact Information

Email: vbayless@agcenter.lsu.edu

Phone number: 225-578-1838

Dr. Chris Carlton – Professor Emeritus

Chris Carlton is engaged in a number of taxonomic projects involving the beetle family Staphylinidae. He is also assisting with curation of the staphylinid collection in the LSAM, which contains the largest number of specimens of any family in the collection. His work as an entomology diagnostician for the department provides new specimens and requires frequent comparisons with museum specimens for identifications and diagnostic assessments.

Contact Information

Email: ccarlton@agcenter.lsu.edu

Photo gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/12666884@N00/albums