2. Where did you grow up?
Answer: I grew up in Orlando, FL.
3. Previous education/schools/institutions?
Answer: Prior to starting my PhD at Cornell, I received my B.A. in Biology from New College of Florida.
4. What got you interested in entomology?
Answer: I have been fascinated by insects for literally as long as I can remember- as a three year old, I used to ask my mom to go to a particular park I called “Bug World” because I was so enamored of the butterflies and beetles there! But from a scientific perspective, I became interested in entomology during my third year of undergrad, when I got the opportunity to conduct conservation genetics research on endangered butterflies with my undergraduate advisor at New College, Dr. Emily Heffernan.
5. What are you working on now in the Cornell University Insect Collection?
Answer: My PhD research focuses on worker polymorphisms in Neotropical turtle ants in the genus Cephalotes, using a variety of evolutionary, genetic, and developmental approaches to better understand how these ants turn one genome into two radically different adult worker morphs. In the CUIC, I have worked to database our ant collection, along with depositing new specimens and working to identify undetermined Cephalotes material.
6. What is your favorite thing about working in the collection?
Answer: The absolutely endless inspiration! If I’m having a bad day with my research, spending time in the collection opening drawers and perusing the insect biodiversity housed in our collection never fails to reinvigorate me.
7. What is the most creative curatorial or field collecting technique you have used or invented?
Answer: The experience that jumps to mind is from this past summer, during a trip to visit family in Utah. I was on a hike with my mom and started noticing quite a number of ants- but I hadn’t brought any collecting vials! Unfortunately for the environment, but luckily for me, there were also quite a number of discarded water bottles from a nearby construction site, so I was able to repurpose several of them and collect a few ants. Now, I always try to keep a few ethanol-filled vials in my wallet!
8. Where do you see yourself in 25 years?
Answer: I see myself as the curator of an entomology collection, spending my time stewarding the collection, conducting research to understand insect biodiversity, and contributing to the entomological community through mentorship, service, and outreach. I hope that, alongside all of the responsibilities that come with that kind of role, I’m still able to find the time to get out and collect in the field!
9. What is a random factoid about you that most people do not know?
Answer: Instead of pursuing evolutionary biology, I almost became a doctor after college! I took the MCAT and got accepted to medical school and everything, but looking back, I am so grateful that I chose to follow my love of science to graduate school instead.
10. If you could have a super power what would it be and what you do with it?
Answer: This is probably the answer that many evolutionary biologists give, but I would definitely pick time travel! So much of our research aims to infer aspects of the biological past, but since we can’t go back in time, we can (almost) never fully test our hypotheses. Specimens in natural history collections are as close as we can come, but I’d love hop around in time to truly understand what life on Earth was like in the past!
