Danny Shpeley

Danny Shpeley, Assistant Curator, E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

"Danny has expertise and wide-ranging knowledge in all things entomological, and he is the "go-to-guy" for insect identification, whether it is an academic research inquiry or from the general public on a backyard bug."- Felix Sperling, Curator, E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Danny Shpeley, Assistant Curator of the E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum, started his career in the Department of Biological Sciences in 1974. An accomplished entomologist, Danny's work involves researching and classifying specimens from around the world and preparing them for preservation. He is internationally recognized as an expert on ground beetles, having published dozens of major peer-reviewed studies on their taxonomy.

His contributions to the collection are vast, but perhaps most notable is his contribution to the virtual museum, creating better access to data for hundreds of thousands of specimens as well as through the development of species pages, all available through international biodiversity initiatives. This highly-regarded online database has received international recognition as one of the best of its kind and would be a shadow of its current incarnation without Danny's leadership.

Danny has a campus-wide reputation for approachability, and his wealth of knowledge is widely respected across the academic and medical communities. He received the Nat Rutter Outstanding Technician of the Year Award in 2006 from the U of A chapter of the Sigma Xi Research Society.

Adapted from nomination and support letters by Janine Andrews, Executive Director, University of Alberta Museums, and Felix Sperling, Curator, E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum