Idaho State University announces leadership change at Idaho Museum of Natural History

Idaho State University has announced a leadership change at the Idaho Museum of Natural History: Herbert Maschner, ISU anthropology research professor and current museum anthropology curator and division director, will replace outgoing director Ernest “Skip” Lohse.

"Dr. Lohse has done a wonderful job of bringing the Idaho Museum of Natural History to a new level of quality and scholarship, making the Museum much more research orientated," said Gary Olson, ISU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. "Dr. Maschner will build on these efforts and help the IMNH become a first-rate research museum."

The change will go in effect the week of June 27.

During his tenure, Lohse oversaw the restructuring of the Idaho Museum of Natural History to increase its focus on research. The restructuring involved creating three new divisions – anthropology, earth sciences and life sciences – each managed by a new division head.  The new division heads focus on research and securing research funding, and also supervise collections. Museum reorganization included hiring collection managers for each division, whose primary responsibilities are to inventory, maintain and manage the Museum’s numerous collections.

Since the beginning of Lohse’s tenure, the museum has increased its grant funding, working on more than $200,000 in grants and contracts. Additionally the Museum has submitted proposals for more than $2 million of competitive grants and a $500,000 federal appropriations request.

Maschner said he will build on the Museum’s momentum.

"I will continue to work on increasing our research profile and our public outreach and exhibitions, solidifying our position as a premier science museum in Idaho," Maschner said.

Maschner has brought in more than $5 million of grant funding since beginning at Idaho State University 11 years ago, and is best known professionally for his interdisciplinary research. He has more than 90 publications, including 10 books. Aside from his role as an anthropology professor at ISU, he is a senior scientist and affiliate professor for ISU's Idaho Accelerator Center and is director of the ISU Center for Archaeology, Materials, and Applied Spectroscopy (CAMAS).  He is also associate editor of the Journal of World Prehistory, and an executive director of the Foundation for Archaeological Research and Environmental Studies (FARES).   In 2006 he was named ISU’s Distinguished Researcher. His research interests include regional analysis, global systems, complex systems analysis, quantitative methods, analytical laboratory techniques (stable isotopes and elemental analyses), Darwinian Theory, historical and marine ecology, and computer-based methods of analysis including GIS.

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