Insect pollinator nutritional & behavioral ecology
Over the weekend, you may have seen charged headlines about the “murder hornet.” In response, I received many panicked messages asking whether the Asian giant hornet is a cause for concern. Check out my recent Tufts Pollinator Initiative (TPI) blog post to learn about why this hornet could be a problem for managed honey bees, […]
As a kid, I thought that all scientists dressed in a white coat and goggles, ready to mix chemicals and use fancy equipment in a lab. I didn’t realize that in playing outdoors, catching insects, and asking questions, I was doing science. Now as a field biologist, I am constantly inspired by the natural curiosity […]
For the last few years, I have had the honor of working with staff at the Discovery Museum in Acton, MA to develop and present my “All About Bees” program. Museum visitors get to taste honey, observe insects under a microscope, and make their own beeswax candles. To read more about last year’s program and […]
“If you ask questions, make predictions, and search for answers, you are a scientist. ‘Science’ isn’t a person in a lab coat using fancy equipment and mixing chemicals, it’s a process that can be done in a lab, in a classroom, at home, out in the field.” For the past couple years, I have been […]
Miles (5 yo) asked: Why do flowers smell nice? I got to chat with Washington State University’s Dr. Universe to help answer that question! Check out the answer here!
I have the pleasure to be a part of the new group, the Tufts Pollinator Initiative (TPI). Our group was recently funded by the Tufts Green Fund to make Tufts University a better place for pollinators! To learn about our initiative, check out TPI’s first blog post (written by yours truly) here!
2018 was a busy year for me: I successfully defended my PhD, I got married, and I started a new job studying a new study system! Read about my (and other’s!) 2018 research highlight and favorite conference/field experience on the Insectes Souciaux blog here.
Back in June, The Xereces Society held a #PicturePerfectPollinator photo contest. In honor of National Pollinator Week, I entered a photo accompanied by a pollinator fact each day. Just recently, it came to my attention that my photo of a male Puget blue butterfly getting a snack from oxeye daisy was selected as an honorable […]
Insectes Sociaux: What is your favourite social insect and why? “This question is so hard. As a beekeeper and someone who recently got their PhD studying honey bees, I feel like I should say honey bees. I do love honey bees, but my favourite social insect might be…” I was recently interviewed byInsectes Sociaux, a […]
Just south of Olympia, WA, my new field site is a lively 180-acre prairie. There are queen bumble bees searching for nests, barn swallows doing acrobatics, and some of the strangest flowers I have ever seen. I half expect the Alice-in-Wonderland-esque flowers to break into song. This week, I had the opportunity to write my […]
Providence Pollinator Lab 