2017 Show Speaker Bios
Steven Chamberlain is a specialist in the minerals of New York State. In the ten years since he retired from a 35-year career as a professor of neuroscience, he has concentrated on mineralogical research, writing books on New York State minerals, and preparing and donating his collection of NYS minerals to the New York State Museum. He has already donated more than 17,000 NYS specimens to the museum and has many more to go, but he is now certain the light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train. He is also the Scientific Editor of The Hosta Journal for the American Hosta Society. He has registered more than 75 new cultivars from the breeding program in his garden and continues to strive to find new unusual garden-worthy hostas for gardeners.
Michael Walter recently retired after working 31 years in education as an administrator and teacher. He is the owner of Geologic Desires, offering quality mineral specimens from all over the world. He holds a B.A. degree in geology and a Master’s degree in education from the State University of New York at Potsdam. A lifelong field collector of minerals, concentrating on localities in St. Lawrence County, Mike has published numerous articles in Rock & Gem and Rocks & Minerals Magazines, Mineral News and has authored the books, Field Collecting Minerals in the Empire State and The Collector’s Guide to Herkimer Diamonds, sold by Schiffer Publishing Company. Recently, with a team of five other eminent geologists and mineralogists he was a co-author for the book titled, Collector's Guide to the Black Tourmaline of Pierrepont, New York, also with Schiffer Publishing. Hundreds of his personally collected specimens are housed in the New York State Museum in Albany, as well as other museums and important collections both domestic and abroad.
Steven Chamberlain is a specialist in the minerals of New York State. In the ten years since he retired from a 35-year career as a professor of neuroscience, he has concentrated on mineralogical research, writing books on New York State minerals, and preparing and donating his collection of NYS minerals to the New York State Museum. He has already donated more than 17,000 NYS specimens to the museum and has many more to go, but he is now certain the light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train. He is also the Scientific Editor of The Hosta Journal for the American Hosta Society. He has registered more than 75 new cultivars from the breeding program in his garden and continues to strive to find new unusual garden-worthy hostas for gardeners.
Michael Walter recently retired after working 31 years in education as an administrator and teacher. He is the owner of Geologic Desires, offering quality mineral specimens from all over the world. He holds a B.A. degree in geology and a Master’s degree in education from the State University of New York at Potsdam. A lifelong field collector of minerals, concentrating on localities in St. Lawrence County, Mike has published numerous articles in Rock & Gem and Rocks & Minerals Magazines, Mineral News and has authored the books, Field Collecting Minerals in the Empire State and The Collector’s Guide to Herkimer Diamonds, sold by Schiffer Publishing Company. Recently, with a team of five other eminent geologists and mineralogists he was a co-author for the book titled, Collector's Guide to the Black Tourmaline of Pierrepont, New York, also with Schiffer Publishing. Hundreds of his personally collected specimens are housed in the New York State Museum in Albany, as well as other museums and important collections both domestic and abroad.