Sharing an excitement for ecology and environmental sciences with undergraduate and K-12 students is a favorite part of my work.
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Undergraduate Mentoring
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For the past several years, I have mentored National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates students at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.
  • In summer 2018, Jennifer Schlauch used aerial netting of bees to examine whether bee assemblages differed among ecosystem types and sampling dates at the Sevilleta. She found evidence for both seasonal and among-ecosystem variation, confirming patterns from long-term passive trapping data. Jen currently works at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Read more about Jen's work here.
  • In summer 2019, Benjamin Turnley examined bee body size variation over space and time at the Sevilleta. His work revealed that average bee body size has increased over time and was higher under dry conditions, suggesting that larger-bodied bees may be favored under future climate scenarios. Ben is now pursuing a Master of Science in Biology at the University of New Mexico.
  • In summer 2020, Ianellie Munguia studied differences among bee species in the timing of their foraging activity during the day. She found that small-bodied bees had shorter daily foraging windows relative to larger bees. Ianellie received her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2021.
  • In summer 2021, Eduardo Barragan studied variation in diet breadth within and among bee species, and its consequences for bee population persistence. He documented that generalist bee species have increased in abundance most strongly over time at the Sevilleta. Eddie is currently an undergraduate student at California State Polytechnic Institute at Pomona.
I also currently supervise the fantastic undergraduates who are responsible for processing the bee specimens collected as part of the Sevilleta Long-Term Ecological Research Program's bee abundance dataset. I previously co-mentored students in the undergraduate program at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory on projects related to plant-fungal interactions. I have also co-mentored undergraduate senior honors thesis students at the University of New Mexico.
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Undergraduate Teaching
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I have had the privilege of teaching biology undergraduate students in the following capacities:
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of New Mexico 
    • Virology (BIOL 450), Fall 2020
    • Biology of Infectious Organisms (BIOL 490), Spring 2020
    • Plant and Animal Form and Function Laboratory (BIOL 304L), Spring 2019
    • Principles of Ecology (BIOL 310), Spring 2016. Guest lectured on conservation biology.
  • Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Vermont
    • Ecology and Evolution (BCOR 102), Fall 2016 and Fall 2017
    • ​Principles of Biology (BIOL 002), Spring 2017
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K-12 Education
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I previously worked as an educator with the wonderful Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP), a non-profit community science and environmental education organization based in Albuquerque, NM. I've also worked as an educator with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, which fostered my love of the natural world from childhood.

I currently share my love of science with K-12 students by leading programs and giving presentations on bees and local ecology at venues including middle schools and science summer programs. Please see my CV or contact me for more information!