Before arriving at UMaine, I attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME and received a B.A. in Biology. I later attended Columbia University for my M.A. in Conservation Biology where I worked with Dr. Alonso Aguirre (formerly of EcoHealth Alliance).

 

Although my master's work focused on the health of loggerhead sea turtles in the Pacific, I've been able to transfer my interests in pathology and disease ecology to my Ph.D. work with Maine's bumble bees. Maine has 17 historically recorded species of bumble bees but, in the past few decades, we've had shifts in species abundances. A few species have become much more common than they once were while others have declined significantly. One species, the rusty-patched bumble bee, may even be extirpated from Maine.

 

I've been investigating two of the proposed reasons behind these declines: parasites/pathogens and exposure to systemic insecticides. Additionally, I've been involved with the Maine Bumble Bee Atlas, a citizen science project run by the State of Maine that seeks to use trained volunteers to track bumble bee species around the state. 

 

Lowbush blueberries are one of Maine's most important exports and bumble bees are instrumental in their pollination for successful fruit production. Therefore, it is vital to protect our native pollinators, particularly in a time when our managed pollinator, the honeybee, is facing such grave declines. Although I've traveled and have lived in different cities since graduating college, I'm very happy to return to Maine to begin my professional career.