Bio

BIOGRAPHY & BIBLIOGRAPHY

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And visit my “Bug Art” site to view and learn more about my art work with insects.

Steven R Kutcher had an early interest in insects and remembers collecting fireflies in New York at age four. He moved to California one year later and is currently a consulting entomologist living in the city of Arcadia. He is also a teacher, lecturer, artist, photographer, writer, radio personality, and environmentalist.

Around Homer, Alaska (2001)

Steven works as a consultant for private industry, government districts, the entertainment industry, and is currently a part-time biology instructor at West Los Angeles College. He is active in educational entomology and outdoor education.

Over 100 articles have been written about him including articles in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Detroit News, and Science World. He has appeared on many TV and radio programs including The Tonight Show, Late Night With David Letterman, Sunday Today, NBC; The Garry Shandling Show (nominated for an Emmy), The Scoop GB (episode won BFTA) and many international interviews. In 1990 The National Geographic did a short documentary on his work in education and the film industry. Many interviews about him have been completed since that time.

Steven Kutcher received a BS in entomology at U.C. Davis and an MA in biology (specializing in entomology, insect behavior and ecology) at California State University in Long Beach. His Thesis work focused on factors influencing aggregation in insects.

In 1974 he taught entomology and insect ecology at Long Beach State. Since then he has taught biology for non-majors and other courses at five different community colleges. In 1978 he initiated and taught a class in cultural entomology. The relationship between insects and man is a continuing study.

His entomological work has included: summer work for two mosquito abatement districts, fly studies for the Los Angeles Co. Sanitation District, consultation on stored grain products for private industry, initiating a lecture series presenting entomology programs to many organizations, and starting the annual Insect Fair at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum. In Los Angeles there are now three Insect Fairs a year and in the past fifteen years over 100,000 have attended them.

Since 1976 he has worked as an entomology consultant on many movies, over 100 feature films, and commercials. His knowledge of arachnids and their behavior led him to supervise the spider project for the movie “Arachnophobia.” He worked with mosquitoes and amber insects on the movie “Jurassic Park.” and painted spiders on  “Spiderman” (see film credits).

Some of the most difficult challenges for the entertainment industry included developing techniques to make a cockroach run across the floor for a foot and flip over on its back, make a spider crawl over to and climb into a slipper from four feet away, have a butterfly fly free flight in front of a logo, to make bees swarm indoors; release 1000 butterflies at a wedding, and to make a live wasp fly into an actor’s mouth. In May 1995 he went to Australia and worked on a movie entitled “Race The Sun.” In that movie he had a cockroach come out of a shoe, on cue, and walk up a bag of Cheetos and then onto a surfing magazine with a picture of a surfboard and stop on the surfboard.

For two years he appeared on a comedy talk radio show on KUSC and has since appeared on television and radio doing comedy and being interviewed. One highlight was doing comedy with Gary Shandling and Carol Burnett on the Larry Sanders show (Episode 6) on HBO. The show was nominated for an Emmy. He has also been taught comedy by Bill Cosby and had Robin Williams as his audience.

His innovative involvement with insects has included entering a bathtub on TV and having it filled up with mealworms. He has also taken care of 3000 African grasshoppers for 6 months, kept 6000 large darkling beetles in his living room, and put bugs on naked women for movies. He has enjoyed working with insects and many famous people, as well as, working with very young children and enjoying the joy insects bring into their lives. He is currently presenting lectures on subjects related to entomology to the Pest Control industry, universities, and other groups.

Photo Courtesy Baxter Scruggs

Steven Kutcher has taught at five different community colleges.  He teaches biology at West Los Angeles College, Culver City (current) for over 30 years.  He is involved in outdoor education and environmental awareness and has taught at the Audubon Camp in Wyoming, Ecology Weekend workshops for the Sierra Club, and for many other group programs and docent training sessions.

Some of his main concerns revolve around, the loss of habitat, biodiversity, and the need for conservation. He feels that the lack of knowledge about our natural resources, poor planning and management, and well meaning, but misguided individuals are destroying the natural resources our country. He has written and spoken to governmental agencies to make them aware of the value of environmental and entomological knowledge.

Steven Kutcher initiated a traveling entomology program for primary and secondary school which has included presentations of over 500 programs on topics ranging from introductions to entomology to understanding insect habitat requirements.  He discusses experimental entomology and shows his entomology inventions..

The message inherent in all his work is that insects and related creatures are fascinating, fun, and must be studied because they are essential to maintaining a healthy planet.

Books:  Acknowledgements or Material Published

Articles In Print About Steven R Kutcher

Interviews & Articles On-Line About Steven R Kutcher

 

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