Kent McFarland, Director
A co-founder of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and director or the Vermont Atlas of Life, Kent McFarland is a conservation biologist, photographer, writer and naturalist. Kent has been on the State Advisory Group for Invertebrates for the Vermont Endangered Species Committee since 2002. In 2016, Kent was presented with the Sally Laughlin Award for the Conservation of Endangered and Threatened Species by the State of Vermont Endangered Species Committee. He is also a GBIF Biodiversity Open Data Ambassador, a corps of professionals advocating best practices in open sharing and transparent use of biodiversity data. Profile »
Jason Loomis, Senior Software Developer
Jason enjoys the challenge of designing and building physical and virtual objects that work well and will last. He holds a BA in Physics from the University of Vermont, and has over twenty years of experience as a software developer, both as consultant and employee. Jason is putting all his skills to work helping VAL with open-source software infrastructure initially developed by the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), which is now a critical component of the Global Biodiversity Information Infrastructure (GBIF) international network. Stay tuned to be dazzled by some amazing tools here at the Vermont Atlas of Life! Profile »
Mike Hallworth, Data Scientist
Mike is a wildlife ecologist and VAL data scientists. His research has a strong applied conservation component that aims to 1) reveal the mechanisms that drive behavior, life-history and demographics of wildlife populations, 2) identify where migratory individuals and populations are throughout the year to better inform conservation and 3) determine when and where wildlife populations are limited. Through the combined use of field research and sophisticated modeling techniques, Mike’s research has helped inform conservation efforts across geographic and political boundaries. Profile »
Nathaniel Sharp, Field Biologist and Data Technician
Nathaniel is a long-time birder, naturalist, and citizen scientist who, after serving with VCE through ECO AmeriCorps as a Citizen Science Outreach Naturalist, joined VCE as a data technician in order to organize and manage big-data projects such as the Vermont Atlas of Life, VCE's long-term bird-banding and monitoring operations, and other citizen-science databases. He holds a BS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Vermont, and is most likely to be found birding throughout Vermont or identifying observations on iNaturalist. Profile »
Julia Pupko, Community Science Outreach Naturalist
Julia fell in love with the natural world at a very young age and has developed a wide range of skills in the environmental field, spanning research, consulting, and monitoring forest health. Julia found her passion for community-based conservation initiatives while completing her undergraduate degree in Environmental Sciences at the University of Vermont, and is excited to apply her knowledge and learn more during her ECO AmeriCorps service at VCE. Julia spends her time painting, birding, and researching new aspects of the natural world that she is unfamiliar with. Profile »
Spencer Hardy, VTBEES Project Coordinator
Spencer is the current coordinator for the Vermont Bee Atlas, an ambitious project of the Vermont Atlas of Life to catalog all of the wild bee species in the state. While in the field chasing bees, Spencer enjoys cataloging under appreciated taxa like deer flies, fungi, and crayfish. Profile »
