Brien Ostby
Research Assistant
Brien Ostby is a research assistant in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, a position he has held since 1985. During that time he worked closely with Dr. Ed Buckner, helping with field work and serving as a teaching assistant for classes taught by Dr. Buckner. While in the capacity of teaching assistant Brien's main duty was to organize and teach the outdoor labs for the dendrology course. Since Dr. Buckner's retirement in the summer of 1997 Brien has been working with Dr. John Rennie.
Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Brien came to the University of Tennessee in 1966, earned a degree in Wildlife Management and has remained in the area. Among his many employment experiences has been serving as a seasonal Tennessee state naturalist as well as a national park seasonal naturalist on the Blue Ridge Parkway. He has also taught winter backpacking courses at Maryville College and worked with the Youth Conservation Corp as an environmental educator. From 1974 to 1977 Brien worked as a teacher at Tremont Environmental Education Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Outside of work Brien enjoys woodworking, timber-framing, native plant propagation, hiking, historic architecture, and landscaping. He has been married to his wife Dee Ann since 1978 and resides with her and their only child, Daisy, a blue heeler.
