Joe Slowinski

Joe Slowinski was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 16, 1966. His father was a Polish immigrant who worked as a machinist, and his mother was a homemaker. Joe was the youngest of three children.

He attended high school in Chicago, and then went on to study biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduating with a degree in 1989, he worked as a research technician at the Field Museum of Natural History.

In 1991, he enrolled in a graduate program in zoology at the University of Michigan. His studies focused on the ecology and evolution of snakes. He earned his Ph.D. in 1996.

After graduation, he took a position as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. His research there focused on the venom of rattlesnakes.

In 1998, he was hired as an assistant professor of biology at James Madison University in Virginia. He taught classes on ecology, evolution, and animal behavior. He also advised students on their research projects.

In 2001, he was hired by the Wildlife Conservation Society as a herpetologist. He worked at the Bronx Zoo in New York City. His job was to study the snakes of the world and help to conserve them.

He traveled to many countries to study snakes. He worked in the jungles of Myanmar, the deserts of Mongolia, and the rainforests of Ecuador. He also worked in the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Florida.

He made many discoveries during his career. He found new species of snakes and new populations of existing species. He also learned new things about the ecology and evolution of snakes.

He wrote more than 100 scientific papers during his career. He also wrote a book about his work called "Snakes of the World."

He died tragically in a snake-related accident in Myanmar in 2006. He was only 39 years old.