News

It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of Ralph Peter Eckerlin, PhD of Annandale, VA on February 9, 2024. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Mary Peay Eckerlin, his daughters, Laura Inlow of Manhattan Beach, CA (Dan) and Linda Wiersch of Mooresville, N.C. (John), and his grandsons, Kevin (Jordan) and Connor Inlow.
Ralph was born in February of 1938 in New York. He obtained his BA in Biological Sciences from Rutgers University in 1960, and an MS in Zoology from the University of Miami in 1962. His doctoral studies at the University of Connecticut were put on hold for several years so he could raise his family after the early death of his first wife, Joyce, but he completed his PhD in Parasitology and Zoology in 1975.
In 1971, Ralph joined the faculty at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) where he taught general biology, human anatomy and physiology, health science, and invertebrate zoology for 41 years, remaining on as Professor Emeritus after his 2012 retirement. He led annual study trips for NVCC students to share his passion and contagious enthusiasm for biology. His students at all levels praised his unique ability to make difficult concepts understandable and to have fun doing it. In 1979 he married his present wife, Mary. Ralph was awarded the Virginia State Council of Higher Education’s Outstanding Faculty Award in 2009. He was an Adjunct professor at George Washington University from 1980 to 2004, teaching his true passion, Parasitology, at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
In addition to being a gifted teacher, Ralph was a prolific researcher and writer, collecting and describing at least six new species, including tapeworms and fleas, in the U.S., Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala. He authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications in various scientific journals, a biology laboratory manual, multiple book chapters, and edited a volume on Appalachian Biogeography for the Virginia Museum of Natural History. He was a world-renown flea specialist. He is the co-author of an exhaustive compendium, The Siphonaptera (fleas) of North America, soon to be published in the Annals of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Ralph was active in at least 14 professional societies, holding offices in most. He served as president of the Entomological Society of Washington, Helminthological Society of Washington, Virginia Academy of Science, Virginia National History Society, and the Tropical Medicine Society of Washington. He became a member of the prestigious Washington Biologists’ Field Club in 2000, serving as president from 2017 to 2021. After retirement, he was a Research Assistant at the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History. In the ultimate scientific honor, a flea and a shrew have been named after him.
Ralph was most proud of his family, and fully appreciated Mary’s unwavering love and support. Their annual Groundhog’s Day party featuring “Punxsutawney Ralph,” a stuffed groundhog hoisting a Schaeffer beer, was legendary. He loved jokes and limericks, trips to the Chincoteague house, his cats, and a good cocktail. He touched many lives personally and professionally.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Wildlife Federation.
A memorial will be held at a later date.

Richard L. Zusi passed away on January 15, 2024. Dick was elected to the Washington Biologists’ Field Club in 1965 and resigned in 1979, remaining active in the Smithsonian’s Ornithology Department until he relocated to Oregon around 2010. His great sense of humor, his quiet considerate manner, and his well-adjusted ego made him a popular person among his colleagues. He will be sincerely missed.

WBFC Biography

Call for Research Proposals (click for downloadable pdf)

 Purpose: The Washington Biologists’ Field Club (WBFC), organized in 1900, annually provides competitive grants to support field research on the natural history of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States. The WBFC welcomes proposals that consider aspects of natural history, systematics, biodiversity, ecology, or environmental issues. This year, studies focusing on organisms occurring on Plummers Island, Maryland, and within the Potomac River drainage will be given high priority for funding, but field-based research projects conducted throughout the Mid-Atlantic will also be considered for funding. The WBFC is particularly interested in studies increasing knowledge of the biodiversity, conservation, and natural history of poorly-known taxa. Awards that were funded in 2022 supported studies of small mammal population biology, bird movement, migration, and habitat use, microplastics in the food chain, rare plant conservation, plant-insect interactions, host-parasitoid interactions, and ant ecology. 

Eligibility: Applications are accepted from individuals qualified to perform the proposed research. Applicants who are not members of the WBFC are required to obtain a letter of sponsorship from a WBFC member. A list of sponsors is available at the club’s web site (https://wbfc.science/; click on the “Research” link). The sponsoring member need not be involved in the applicant’s research or the publication of results, but must be familiar with applicant’s scientific abilities, credentials, and proposed research. The sponsor will serve as liaison between the grant recipient and the WBFC Research Committee during the term of the award. 

Financial information: WBFC provides awards of up to $5,000 for selected studies. Proposals requesting smaller amounts ($50–$3,000) are strongly encouraged, because these permit WBFC to support a greater number and diversity of studies. Awardees are reimbursed for qualified expenses upon submission of receipts. Funds may be used for travel to study sites, actual field expenses, research assistance, and cost of specialized equipment and tests. Principal Investigator’s salary, publication costs, and overhead or administrative costs are not supported. Awards for projects that include funds for field or research assistants must have those funds or the entire award run through their institution’s sponsored research office. The WBFC does not directly reimburse stipends or salary. Equipment purchased with WBFC funds becomes the property of the institution with which the researcher is affiliated at the time the proposal is funded. 

Duration: Grants are officially awarded for one year, but applicants will have until January 1, 2025, to spend 2023 award funds. After that date, unspent funds revert to the WBFC. 

Application procedure: An application consists of (1) a description of the project, including title, name and affiliation of applicant, and a concise (≤ 1000 words) referenced explanation of the project that includes its scientific significance and relevance to the Mid-Atlantic Region; (2) a clear, itemized budget listing anticipated expenses and explanations of expenses; (3) a time table that includes the anticipated spending schedule and completion date; (4) a curriculum vitae of the applicant, including educational background and a list of publications; and (5) a letter of support from a sponsoring member. Items #1–4 should be sent as a single electronic file (pdf). The letter of support may be sent separately. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the letter of support arrives before the deadline. Items #4 & 5 are not required for applications from WBFC members. Incomplete proposals will not be considered. 

Responsibilities: A status report summarizing project activities is required by 1 February 2024, and a final report must be submitted to the WBFC Research Committee chair before 1 February 2025. Publications from studies supported by WBFC should acknowledge WBFC support, and PDFs of publications should be provided to the Chair of the Research Committee. It is the responsibility of the grantee to obtain Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees approvals and all appropriate research permits. Voucher specimens should be deposited in an appropriate institution. 

Submission: Applications and letters of support should be submitted by email to: 

John Lill, Chair, WBFC Research Committee 

lillj@gwu.edu 

The deadline for submissions is January 20, 2023. 

You should receive an e-mail acknowledging that your application has been received. The committee anticipates reviewing applications immediately following the deadline, and applicants should receive notification of the status of their proposals by the end of February 2023.