Mentoring Philosophy |
Mentorship is the perfect opportunity to combine rewarding teaching experiences with my enthusiasm for science. Mentoring is so important because many undergraduates in STEM do not understand how science is done. I help my mentees learn the process of science by having them do science. I strive to be a good mentor because I believe it is important that mentees leave their research experience with an appreciation for insects, ecology, and science, even if they do not continue in a research specific career. It is my responsibility to share my love of science as well as to teach my mentees how to be conscientious and reliable members of the scientific community.
|
Undergraduate Mentees' Independent Research
|
Ebony TaylorEbony joined the lab in the summer of 2017 as a McNair Scholar. Her go-getter attitude has made her extremely successful while at the University of Florida (UF). She was an entomology and nematology major and her independent project focused on the effects of female presence on male reproduction. She went on to receive the NSF Costa Rica REU in 2018 (see below for more info), and she continued to do research in the Entomology department at UF. She has presented her research at the Society for Integrated and Comparative Biology conference, the McNair Scholar's conference, and UF's Undergraduate Research Symposium. Ebony has accepted a position as a master's student at University of Wisconsin in the Entomology department that will start in the fall of 2022.
Daniela GomezDani was an anthropology major at the University of Florida. She joined the lab when she took the CURE 2017 course (see Teaching). She enjoyed the research so much that she stayed with the lab until she graduated in the Spring of 2019. Dani ran two independent projects while in the laboratory: the effects of female quality on male testes size and the effect of reproductive trade-offs in Leptoglossus gonagra. She was awarded the McNair scholars award to conduct this research, she won the Charles H. Turner award to attend the Animal Behavior Society Conference to present her research, and has presented her research in many different conferences. Dani moved on to a graduate program and recently received her M.S. from Boise State in Anthropology.
Skyler BrandfonSkyler is a biology major and joined the lab in the summer of 2018. Skyler's dedication, commitment, and determination made her incredibly successful in our lab. Her project focused on the effects of diet on female longevity and fecundity. She presented her research at the Society for Integrated and Comparative Biology conference in Tampa, FL. Skyler began medical school at NOVA Southeastern University in Fall 2020.
S. Haley LengaHaley was a biology major and joined the lab as an undergraduate research assistant in the fall of 2017. She enjoyed working in the laboratory so much that she applied and was awarded UF's Undergraduate Scholars Program research grant (2018-2019). She focused her research on the effects of weapon damage on male reproductive success (see publication below). She presented this research at the Society for Integrated and Comparative Biology conference in Tampa, FL and UF's Undergraduate Research Symposium in the spring of 2019. Haley began dental school at the University of Florida in the fall 2019.
Maxwell WoolridgeMax is a biology major and joined the lab in the summer of 2018. He was the lead undergraduate researcher for the nutritional impacts on female receptivity. His can-do attitude made him the perfect student to tackle the large task of running insect behavior trials (over 340)! He presented the results of his independent project at the University of Florida's Undergraduate Research Symposium in Spring 2019. Max is planning a career as a medical doctor and will reap the benefits from learning the scientific process in our lab.
Stella FedeleStella was a biology major and joined the laboratory in the fall of 2018. She quickly became independent and was able to completely take over part of a multi-year project focusing on the reproductive trade-offs of Euthochtha galeator. Her dedication to this project was clear when she presented her work at UF's Undergraduate Research Symposium in Spring 2019. Stella began medical school in Spring 2020!
Ian GallagherIan was a biology major and became an undergraduate research assistant in the summer of 2021. He investigated whether females use social information to make mating decisions - a term called non-independent mate choice. He presented the results of this experiment at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's research symposium in the spring of 2022. Ian plans to pursue a graduate degree in neuroscience.
Sage DeLongSage is a biology major at UW Milwaukee. She became an undergraduate research assistant in the summer of 2022. She conducted an experiment on the vibrational communication system of red milkweed beetles when they mate and fight. She presented her findings on these amazing beetles at the 2023 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) in Austin, TX as well as two symposiums at UWM. She won best presentation at the UWM symposium! Sage is attending University of Illinois-Chicago for graduate school in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior starting in fall of 2024.
Ariel RodriguezAriel is a biology major at UW Milwaukee. He became an undergraduate research assistant in the summer of 2022. He examined the prolonged copulation duration in the two-marked treehoppers and tested the mate guarding and sperm loading hypotheses in this monandrous species. Ariel presented his research at two UWM symposia as well as the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Eau Claire, WI. He won best student presentation at the UWM symposium!
Kirsten LindemannKirsten is a biology major at UW Milwaukee. She started working in the lab as an undergraduate research assistant working on maternal effects in Enchenopa treehoppers. She then began working with red milkweed beetles in the spring of 2023. She investigated the sexual dimorphism and allometry of red milkweed beetles and presented her work at Riveredge Nature Center's student symposium. Kirsten plans to use the skills in research and science communication she has acquired in a biomedical career upon graduation.
|
Undergraduate student mentees
"Diversity benefits everyone. Without it we are all disadvantaged."
- Gilberto R. Sambrano , 2001
Costa Rica REU - Home mentor (2018)
The Organization of Tropical Studies hosts a National Science Foundation's LSAMP program REU at La Selva and Las Cruces Biological Field Stations for underrepresented minority students in STEM. This 8-week program provides students with the opportunity to carry out field research with their research mentor and home institution support from their home mentor. I provided two of my students with support as their 'home mentor' by first visiting the field station and meeting their research mentors, then providing Skype chat sessions and reviewing their poster and talks on their research at the end of the program.
Interested in applying for the Costa Rica REU? Click here!