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I am a PhD student in the Mola Lab and the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology at Colorado State University. Broadly, I am interested in how nutrition can be used as a pollinator conservation strategy. My current research project investigates species-specific macronutrient profiles and foraging preferences of bumblebees in the Front Range of Colorado. My first chapter investigated how nutrition influenced bumblebee responses to neonicotinoid pesticides. I grew up in Ormond Beach, a small beach town in Florida, and I finished my BS in Biology at Florida State University in 2024.
Before beginning my PhD at CSU, I spent two summers at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Gothic, Colorado. My first summer in 2023, I was an REU student in the CaraDonna Lab investigating thermal tolerance limits in bumblebee species. In the summer of 2024, I was a technician on The Phenology Project, a long-term study which has been monitoring the distribution, abundance, and phenology of flowering plants since the 1970s.
In my free time, I enjoy hiking, camping, running, cycling, climbing, playing the violin, reading, working out, and traveling with friends!
My favorite bee is Bombus bifarius.
Photos from the field and lab:
An actively emerging male bumblebee peaking through a brood clump.
A super cool (and sad, of course) interaction of a crab spider who caught a bumblebee!
A photo of myself standing next to my natal Bombus impatiens colonies that I created my microcolonies from!
Bombus appositus foraging on Delphinium barbeyi.
Field joy after completing bumblebee surveys at 6 sites in one day.
From left to right: me, Keirs, Grayce, and Allie.
Hello from a male Bombus huntii!
One of my many microcolonies from my 2025 experiment!
A fullscale Bombus impatiens colony!
A day in the field catching bumblebee queens! From left to right: myself, Keirs, Madi, and Laura.
An evening in the field helping lab mate Nicki Bailey with her experiment.
A Bombus fraternus caught in the field.
Taking ITD and mass measurements of one of many emerged males from my microcolony experiment!
A Bombus huntii queen that we brought back to the lab to rear.
A sunny day in Wyoming searching for queens!
A male Bombus huntii foraging!
Photos from the field with undergraduates Keirs (left) and Madi (right)! Huge shoutout to these two for all their hard work!
Photos from my time at the
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL):
Taking saliva samples from a hummingbird with ecologist Dr. David Inouye.
First summer at RMBL in the CaraDonna Lab! From left to right: Myself, Ceci, Paul, and Brayden.
Flower counts at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory.
Running thermal tolerance trials on bumblebees in the field! From left to right: Jackie, Brayden, and myself.
The last day of summer fieldwork calls for an impromptu peak!
From left to right: me, Jackie, and Brayden.
My first summer catching bees with Jackie Fitzgerald!
Lupines galore!
Lots of floral abundance in Crested Butte, CO!
My partner Jacob and myself on a backpacking trip in the mountain range that RMBL is located in.
Went on many a hike every weekend while living and working at RMBL.
People are incredibly important to me!
Below are a few faces that mean a great deal to me:
My partner Jacob and me in South Haven, Michigan!
Enjoying my first homemade Shakshouka breakfast with dear friends.
Had a great time with my best friend Skye when she visited Colorado for the first time!
Visiting friends in Tallahasee, Florida (Go Noles)!
From left to right: Angie, Annie, Lily, Skye, Tim, Elena, me, Jacob.
One of my best friends Sara and I on a run around CSU's campus!
A big shoutout to my amazing lab group! Science is the most fun with all of y'all!
(Not a comprehensive photo of everyone, but a fun memory nonetheless)
Grateful to have friends who will come to my orchestra concerts! From left to right: Max, Ashley, Amelia, myself, Jacob.
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