Education and Experience:

Ph.D. — Entomology. UW-Madison. Project TBD, plan to focus on taxonomy of the family Aphididae, either a specific genus or grouping that needs revision.

M.Sc. — Entomology. UW-Madison. Seasonal flight dynamics of aphid species in occurrence with potato virus Y infection in commercial potato fields of Wisconsin. (Expect graduation in May 2013)

 Laboratory Assisstant – UC-Davis County Extension: Kern County. Agricultural research, field trials, and biology of pests in the central valley crops of California.

B.Sc. — Natural Sciences : Entomology. UW-Madison. May 2008.

Research Interests:

 As a student in the entomology department I have taken almost every entomology class I could, including taxonomy of immature and mature insects, advanced taxonomy of coleoptera, insect pest management, biological control, insect behavior, medical entomology, physiology of insects, and ecology of insects. I found my favorite subject was taxonomy. I did not focus on one particular group until I began graduate school and was asked to work on a project involving aphid taxonomy for my master’s. As I began to identify the aphids found in commercial potato fields of Wisconsin I realized it is a challenging group to work with and not many people are willing to tackle that challenge. As I finish the thesis for my M.Sc. I plan to continue on with a Ph.D. working on aphids as well. I have not determined a specific project at this time, but will work on a specific project goal once my M.Sc. is complete.