| EDDIE DUNBAR |
 |
Photos:
- Cal Day 1995
- Berkeleyan article
- Cal Ag article
- LHS Sagehen
- Oakland Schools
- Scouting
Eddie Dunbar
became an entomologist because University of California, Berkeley grad student
Regina Burke took him under her wings at age 10. He was introduced to Donald
L. Dahlsten, then professor, and most recently Associate Dean of the College
of Natural Resources. Dunbar was accepted into the Entomology program at
Berkeley in 1981, but never graduated. Still, his flair for putting bugs
in your face got the attention of Vernard Lewis, Ph.D., UC Cooperative Extension,
and he was hired onto the Universitys ubiquitous Insect Hotline.
Dunbars winning attitude and showmanship landed the Hotline on the
front page of the Daily Cal and other high profile publications. In 1996
Felix Sperling, Professor, approached Dunbar about writing a proposal to
Berkeleys Interactive University. Sperling, Lewis and Dahlsten became
Dunbars faculty advisory committee for the successful proposal, later
nicknamed CityBugs. CityBugs recruited students from McClymonds
High School, Oakland, to study entomology at Berkeley while also connecting
them to University resources through technology. As CityBugs project
leader, students and Oakland teachers were rallied to publish Insects
of the San Francisco Bay Area, a web-based field guide, now in disrepair.
Still Dunbar got CityBugs high accolades for innovative use of technology.
After CityBugs Dunbar commenced a second web-based entomology outreach program.
A NSF Leadership Institute for Teaching Elementary Science grant at Mills
Colleges Department of Education provided Dunbar seed money to begin
Exploring California Insects, a web-based outreach program that
provided professional development for teachers and ongoing science curriculum
development. Currently, Dunbar is pursuing a Masters degree in Education,
with emphasis in digital science curriculum development. He and wife, Julie,
are parents of deHira Williams and E. Paul Dunbar (Paulie). Dunbar
also is active as an Insect Study merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts
of America and is an ordained a minister at Oaklands historic Beth
Eden Baptist Church.