Dustin graduated from Holy Cross Lutheran School in 1993. After finishing high school at Valley Center, he went on a 14-year academic journey covering 3 states and 4 schools. By the end, Dustin had 3 degrees (B.S – Southwestern College, M.S. – Kansas State University, Ph.D. – University of Nebraska-Lincoln), but by far the greatest reward was finding his wife of 10 years, Autumn, and having his two children: Noah (7) and Hannah (2). His studies have spanned topics in ecology, but have mostly focused on behavioral ecology, investigating the function of courtship displays during mating interactions in spiders. Dustin has published 12 articles in a variety of scientific journals and continues to do research at McPherson College, where he has been a faculty member in the natural sciences department for the past two years. One of Dustin’s passions is community service and outreach, where he likes to share his excitement and intrigue of science and spiders with the public, specifically children. Currently, Dustin and his family live in McPherson, KS where they attend the McPherson Church of the Brethren. They enjoy being very active, which includes camping and attending a number of sporting events.