Progress 12/15/23 to 12/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience: The scientific community, including pollination biologists, microbial ecologists, entomologists and ecotoxicologists were reached as I presented my work at formal research conferences including both the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America annual Meeting in March of 2024 and the national Entomological Society of America's annual meeting in November of 2024. The scientific community was reached also reached outside conference settings though an invited research presentation at the University of Davis, California in April of 2024 as well as in my public departmental defense seminar in October of 2024. Youth and their parents were reached through my volunteering at the Natural History Museum at the University of Nevada, Reno's. For this event I taught basic bee biology to the public through hands on observance of pinned specimen and oversaw a bee bookmark making in May. Growers,farmers, and non-profit organizers who were reached through my efforts informally discussing the challenges facing pollinators and the implications the use of agricultural chemicals on pollination. Changes/Problems:A major unexpected outcome is the lack of difference in chemical exposure in sites selected to address objective 1, 2, and 4. However, despite the relatively equal environmental exposure of both plants and bees to pesticides across sites, we were still able to detect differences in sensitivity to pesticides wherein some sites were sensitive to exposure while others were robust. We found strong evidence that other factors (i.e. degree of urbanization) can play a role in pesticide sensitivity. These findings are now under review in Royal Society Open Science. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This past summer, Dr. Rachel Vannette and Dr. Danielle Rutkowski trained me in performing qPCR to estimate bacterial abundance. In the span of two weeks, we troubleshooted building a standard curve and had the DNA sequenced. Traveling to UC Davis to gain the in person guidance on a project that required immense attention to detail was a worthwhile learning experience. Without this project, I would not have had a chance to collaborate with these two phenomenal scientists on such a personal level. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In addition to presenting my work at two conferences this year and as a public dissertation defense, I have engaged in informal science communication with growers and landowners about my work. I am in regular communication with the folks at Bee Friendly Reno, Vital Bee Buds, and the Reno Food Systems about my work and the impacts pesticides can have on bees. This group was formed to support the passage of AB162, a ban on the commercial use of neonicotinoid pesticides. As mentioned previously, I have also been engaged in outreach events at the University of Nevada, Natural History Museum as well as Nerd Nite Reno. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Over the next reporting period, I plan to revise the manuscript that is currently under review as needed, and follow necessary next steps for the manuscript that has been accepted to to ensure it is published in a timely manner.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impacts of this project: Bees are crucial pollinators who are being exposed to harmful agricultural chemicals (e.g. pesticides and fungicides) in both nectar and pollen of crops and wildflowers. These chemicals have broad impacts on pollinator health, but their impacts on bee and plant microbiomes remain poorly understood. The microbes found in bees' digestive tract and inside flowers are critical for certain aspects of bee health (such as digestion and protection against parasites) and can even influence the way bees interact with plants. In agricultural ecosystems, plants are often treated with multiple chemicals, and there is a critical knowledge gap regarding how combinations of agrochemicals alter floral and bee microbial communities in ways that are meaningful to either party. I hope this project results in a change of knowledge of the extent to which combinations of agricultural chemicals disrupt systems. This change of knowledge might occur for myself as I broaden my scientific "toolkit", undergraduates who gain experience working on this project, youth who participate in my outreach events, and the general public. Changes in knowledge facilitated by this project may lead to changes in action of new chemical application protocols if pesticides and fungicides give rise to synergistic effects on microbes. Further I hope to be well positioned for postdoctoral work in microbiology and ecotoxicology. Mentees and youth who I work with be informed about the prospects of research as a career. Finally, this project may lead to a change in condition as we develop more ecologically realistic risk assessments of pollinator communities. In addition, this project will progress me toward my academic career goals and provide me experience mentoring students and conducting outreach with youth which will broaden participation in the scientific community. I also hope this project will lead to changes in condition of the general public who may choose to reduce overuse of these chemicals. Major goal: Combine lab and field-based approaches to assess whether pesticides, fungicides, and their combination alter bee and bee-associated microbes from the individual to the landscape-level Objective 1. Data collection for this project was finalized in 2024. Note that we also chose to include impacts of the herbicide glyphosate on gut microbial communitas as well. At the suggestion of Collaborating Mentor Rachel Vannette, we added an examination of difference in bacterial abundance using a qPCR approach in the summer of 2024. Preliminary results were shared at the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society Meeting in March of 2024, formally with collaborators at the University of Davis, California, and at the Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting in November of 2024. I did not find evidence of gut microbiome differences across pesticide treatment, nor a site by treatment interaction. Notably, site of origin impacted bee survival on the herbicide, fungicide, and combination treatment which nevertheless demonstrates health consequences of these chemicals for bees and highlights the importance of considering population of origin when studying pesticide toxicity of wild bees. This work has been submitted for publication and is currently under review in Royal Society Open Science. Objective 2. In the summer of 2023, I visited my collaborator Rachel Vannette's Lab to perform DNA extraction, sequencing, and to test strains sensitivity to an insecticide, fungicide, herbicide, or a combination of all three chemicals. Preliminary results indicate there may be site level differences in specific microbial strain's growth rate and carrying capacity with pesticide exposure. To understand how this might matter for organisms in the field, we looked at the impacts of multiple chemicals (same chemicals as above and same concentrations) on the relative abundance of Schmidhempelia in the gut of wild-caught Bombus vosnesenskii, and here we found the relative abundance of this taxa was marginally higher in insecticide treated bees from suburban areas. This indicates that source population might be as important to consider as concentration of exposure. These findings are under Review in Royal Society Open Science. Objective 3. Data collection for this project was completed in 2021. I found the best predictor of pollinator visitation was flower number, not treatment; although flower number indirectly enhanced visitation to plants treated with the fungicide or the combination of both chemicals, and reduced visitation to insecticide treated plants. No clear patterns emerged in the abundance of floral fungi, which was not strongly affected by either visitation rates or chemical treatments. Finally, seed number and mass were positively related to visitation, which was partially mediated by higher visitation to plants treated with the fungicide alone or in combination with the insecticide. However, in these treated plants, seed number and mass were lower than visitation rates would predict, and we found evidence for direct negative effects of all chemical treatments on seed metrics (although these effects were variable). These findings were accepted for publication in Functional Ecology in March of 2025. Objective 4. Data collection for this project was completed in 2022. Plant tissue was sent to the Agriculture and Food Lab at the University of Guelph for pesticide residue analysis. Although plants were screened for the presence of over 250 agricultural chemicals, the screening showed that these plants contained little-to-no agricultural chemicals. Only 2 fungicides were detected (one at trace levels and one at 0.015 ppb) across the 6 sites. However, I did experimentally manipulate pesticide concentration in a focal plant species and looked at the floral microbial community. This work was accepted for publication in Functional Ecology in March 2025. Major goal: Continue toward my objective of becoming a pollinator biologist working at the intersection of conservation and microbial ecology who is also actively engaged in community education. Objective 1. Using the tools I had gained during my PhD in years prior, I networked with collaborators at conferences and applied to post-doctoral positions which included developing a CV and research statements. I successfully secured a post-doctoral position at the University of Bristol with Jane Memmott, which began at the start of 2025 and builds on the pesticide work I conducted as a part of this project and my PhD. Objective 2. I successfully defended my dissertation in October 2024. I submitted the last two chapters of my dissertation for publication, one of which has been accepted, and the other is currently under review. In addition, I presented my work at two conferences in 2024. Objective 3. To improve my technical skills, I have moved from formal course-based learning to hands on, self-guided bioinformatics. With the guidance of Dr. Rachel Vannette and Dr. Steve Frese, I successfully used the QIIME2 bioinformatics pipeline and analyzed the output files in R Studio. Objective 4. I founded the monthly lecture series Nerd Nite Reno in 2018 and continued to organize and be involved in the event until I moved for my current postdoc at the end of this year. I am proud to say the event is still running under new leadership and just hosted a very popular Women's History Month event in March of 2025 which featured a talk about women in STEM.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Tatarko, A., Richman, S., & Leonard, D. (2025). Impacts of fungicides and insecticides on pollinator visitation and wildflower fitness. Functional Ecology. Accepted.
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Tatarko, A., Vannette, R., Frese, S., & Leonard, D. (2025). A wild bumble bee shows intraspecific differences in sensitivity to multiple pesticides. Royal Society Open Science. Under Review
|
Progress 12/15/22 to 12/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience: The scientific community, including pollination biologists, microbial ecologists, entomologists and ecotoxicologists were reached as I presented my work at the Ecological Society of America's annual meeting in August 2023. Microbiologists at the University of Nevada, Reno were reached through my efforts organizing a weekly microbiome reading and discussion group. Youth and their parents were reached through my volunteering at the University of Nevada, Reno's STEM and Technology Day. For this event I designed a booth to teach the difference between pest and non-pest insects and to educate the public about the over-use of pesticides. The general public was reached through the Pollination-Themed Nerd Nite, Reno event I organized to bring attention to the diversity of locally abundant pollinators. The Nevada Legislature was reached through my efforts to pass AB162, a statewide ban on non-commercial use of neonicotinoid pesticides. In my capacity as an individual citizen, I had one-on-one meetings with legislators, encouraged dialogue between legislators and constituents, created educational infographics, and formally addressed the State Senate. Growers,farmers, and non-profit organizers who were reached through my efforts informally discussing the challenges facing pollinators and the implications the use of agricultural chemicals on pollination. Changes/Problems:Anunexpected outcome from this project thusfar is the lack of difference in chemical exposure in sites selected to address objective 1, 2, and 4. However, despite the relatively equal environmental exposure of both plants and bees to pesticides across sites, we were still able to detect differences in sensitivity to pesticides wherein some sites were sensitive to exposure while others were robust. This appears to be true for both gut microbial communities and individual floral microbial isolates. These preliminary results indicate that other factors (outside of site-level agricultural chemical context) can play a role in pesticide sensitivity. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This spring, Dr. Rachel Vannette and Dr. Jacob Cecala of UC Davis trained me in performing microbial growth assays. In the span of a week, we extracted DNA from microbial isolates, had the DNA sequenced, and performed microbial growth assays. Traveling to UC Davis to gain the in person guidance on a project that required immense attention to detail was a worthwhile learning experience. Without this project, I would not have had a chance to collaborate with these two phenomenal scientists on such a personal level. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In addition to presenting my work at a conference this year (Ecological Society of America's annual meeting), I have engaged in informal science communication with growers and landowners about my work. I am in regular communication with the folks at Bee Friendly Reno, Vital Bee Buds, and the Reno Food Systems about my work and the impacts pesticides can have on bees. As mentioned previously, I have also been engaged in outreach events like STEM and Technology Day as well as Nerd Nite Reno. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?With the majority of my data collection completed, during the next reporting period, I plan to spend the spring focused data analysis and writing each of these projects up for publication for the scientific community. To do this, I plan to meet weekly with my advisor Dr. Anne Leonard for manuscript and analysis feedback. I also plan to keep in regular communication (at least monthly) with Dr. Rachel Vannette. Finally, I also plan to submit plant tissue samples to be analyzed for chemical content, a crucial part of the puzzle for Goal 1.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impacts of this project: Bees are crucial pollinators who are being exposed to harmful agricultural chemicals (e.g. pesticides and fungicides) in both nectar and pollen of crops and wildflowers. These chemicals have broad impacts on pollinator health, but their impacts on bee and plant microbiomes remain poorly understood. The microbes found in bees' digestive tract and inside flowers are critical for certain aspects of bee health (such as digestion and protection against parasites) and can even influence the way bees interact with plants. In agricultural ecosystems, plants are often treated with multiple chemicals, and there is a critical knowledge gap regarding how combinations of agrochemicals alter floral and bee microbial communities in ways that are meaningful to either party. I hope this project results in a change of knowledge of the extent to which combinations of agricultural chemicals disrupt systems. This change of knowledge might occur for myself as I broaden my scientific "toolkit", undergraduates who gain experience working on this project, youth who participate in my outreach events, and the general public. Changes in knowledge facilitated by this project may lead to changes in action of new chemical application protocols if pesticides and fungicides give rise to synergistic effects on microbes. Further I hope to be well positioned for postdoctoral work in microbiology and ecotoxicology. Mentees and youth who I work with be informed about the prospects of research as a career. Finally, this project may lead to a change in condition as we develop more ecologically realistic risk assessments of pollinator communities. In addition, this project will progress me toward my academic career goals and provide me experience mentoring students and conducting outreach with youth which will broaden participation in the scientific community. I also hope this project will lead to changes in condition of the general public who may choose to reduce overuse of these chemicals. Major goal: Combine lab and field-based approaches to assess whether pesticides, fungicides, and their combination alter bee and bee-associated microbes from the individual to the landscape-level Objective 1. Data collection for this project was completed in 2022. DNA extractions were completed in spring of 2023 and samples were sequenced in Fall of 2023. Bioinformatics has been performed and preliminary analysis has been completed. Preliminary analysis has shown there may be site level differences in how the bee gut microbiome responds to pesticide exposure. These preliminary results were presented to the Ecological Society of America in August of this year, and I am progressing toward publishing these findings. Objective 2. Data collection for this project was completed in 2022. In the summer of 2023, I visited my collaborator Rachel Vannette's Lab to perform DNA extraction, sequencing, and to test strains sensitivity to a pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, or a combination of all three chemicals. Preliminary analysis has shown there may be site level differences in how specific microbial strains respond to pesticide exposure. I am progressing toward publishing these findings. Objective 3. Data collection for this project was completed in 2021. I found that plants that contained fungicides, and plants that contained the fungicide/insecticide combination were visited more often than those without. However, plant fitness did not reflect how many visits a plant received. In addition, floral fungal abundances were lower than you would expect in fungicide treated plants based on visitation alone. Given the many interrelated and variables and indirect effects captured in this dataset, we are in the process of reanalyzing this dataset with a path analysis approach. I am progressing toward publishing these findings with this new approach this coming year. Objective 4. Data collection for this project was completed in 2022. Plant tissue was sent to the Agriculture and Food Lab at the University of Guelph for pesticide residue analysis. Although plants were screened for the presence of over 250 agricultural chemicals, the screening showed that these plants contained little-to-no agricultural chemicals. Only 2 fungicides were detected (one at trace levels and one at 0.015 ppb) across the 6 sites. Despite this "pristine" environmental background, I still found evidence that isolates from different sites may differ in their sensitivity to agricultural chemical exposure. I am working on analysis and writing this project up for publication as well. Major goal: Continue toward my objective of becoming a pollinator biologist working at the intersection of conservation and microbial ecology who is also actively engaged in community education. Objective 1. To progress in my professional development, I organize a weekly Gut Microbiome Reading group. This brings together an interdisciplinary group of graduate students and faculty to discuss papers, present work, and work through analysis. As a part of this group, I invited Dr. Steve Frese (current UNR faculty who came from an industry background) to give a talk on careers in industry. Objective 2. I published first chapter of my dissertation in 2023 and am progressing toward publishing my other dissertation chapters. In addition, I have presented my work at the Ecological Society of America's annual meeting in August of 2023. Objective 3. To improve my technical skills, I have moved from formal course-based learning to hands on, self-guided bioinformatics. With the guidance of Dr. Steve Frese, I have been able to perform some basic functions in the QIIME2 pipeline, and interact with the output files in R Studio. Objective 4. I continue to communicate to non-scientist through organizing and the Nerd Nite lecture series each month. In April of 2023, we hosted a Pollinator Nerd Nite, where we had three local experts share their knowledge on bees and butterflies. There were live specimens at the event and over 100 people attended. It was one of the best-attended events we have had since I began Nerd Nite in 2019.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Tatarko, A.R., Leonard, A.S. & Mathew, D. A neonicotinoid pesticide alters Drosophila olfactory processing. Sci Rep 13, 10606 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37589-w
|
Progress 12/15/21 to 12/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience: The scientific community, including pollination biologists, microbial ecologists, entomologists and ecotoxicologists were reached through my efforts organizing a symposium with the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society Meeting in which I also presented my work; and my efforts presenting my work at the International Congress of Entomology. Underrepresented youth and science educators were reached through my efforts designing and running a two-day outreachcourse demonstrating the prevalance of microbes and their importance in pollination ecology. Growers,farmers, and non-profit organizers who were reached through my efforts informally discussing the challenges facing pollinators and the implications the use of agricultural chemicals on pollination. Changes/Problems:Major Goal 1, Objective 1 seeks to "Determine how a common pesticide and a common fungicide alter gut microbial composition of an agriculturally important wild bumblebee (Bombus vosnesenskii)." To do this, I had planned to feed wild caught bumblebees a diet of pesticide, fungicides and their combination to determine if the diet would perturb the microbiome. However, a recent paper in Ecological Entomology by Rutkowski et al 2022, asked a similar question and found that feeding wildBombus vosnesenskiican reduce fungal abundance in the gut. This led me to wonder if populations ofB. vosnesenkiimight differ in their sensitivity to pesticides. I chose to expand my original plans to include two additional populations ofB. vosnesenkiithat differed in agrichemical context (suburban, rural, alpine). In addition, because this study was performed in Nevada which has a history of high herbicide use, we chose to also include glyphosate exposure as a treatment. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project drove me to organize a symposium at the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society Annual Meeting in April of 2022. With the help of Dr. Jacob Cecala, we solicited talks from scientists conducting original research projects on plant-pollinator interactions and the factors that influence the nature of these interactions. Our symposia brought together graduate students, postdocs, and faculty to identify patterns across contrasting systems. From the symposium, I gained new collaborators and refined ideas for future research projects. I also presented work from this project at my first international conference this past summer at the International Congress of Entomology in Helsinki, Finland. This conference introduced me to novel methods, presented unique networking opportunities, and introduced me to diverse ecological communities. In terms of training activities, I am currently learning to manage my data using Python and Unix in Dr. Tom Parchman's "Data Science for Biology". I will use the skills acquired in that class to process and analyze microbial sequences. On challenge I have encountered in my department while pursuing this project, is the lack of expertise in the bee microbiome. To address this, I began organizing a Gut Microbiome Group which meets once a week to discuss papers and present research projects. As a part of this group, we spent 3 weeks walking through a 16s QIIME Pipeline tutorial which used bee gut microbial data I had collected in 2020. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In addition to presenting my work at both regional and international conferences this year (The Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society Meeting in Santa Rosa, California, and the International Congress of Entomology Meeting in Helsinki, Finland.), I have engaged in informal science communication with growers and landowners about my work. I also designed and organized a two-day outreach event through the Daugherty Summer Science Experience, a free program that brings students and teachers from Title I schools and rural schools to the University of Nevada, Reno to participate in a week-long STEM outreach event. The program specifically seeks to target students who "show interest in science but may lack access to more scientific learning opportunities". As a part of my outreach activity, many of the middle schoolers got their first experience designing their own science experiments, collecting data, and interpreting results. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, I plan to spend the spring focused on final data collection, namely sequencing and completing data collection for Goal 1, Objective 1, 2, and 4. I have been regularly communicating with Rachel Vannette and fellow collaborator Jacob Cecala (who is currently a Postdoc in the Vannette Lab) regarding experimental protocols, data collection, and sample processing for objective 2 and 4,. I plan to visit their lab this spring to experimentally test if microbial strains from different agrichemical context vary in their sensitivity to the addition of a pesticide, a fungicide, and herbicide, or the combination of all three chemicals. I will also perform 16s and fungal ITS sequencing on floral rinses to estimate if and how microbial communities differ along the chemical exposure gradient form which they were collected. While performing this DNA extraction, I plan to also perform DNA extraction on the Bombus guts I dissected for Objective 1. Finally, I also plan to submit plant tissue samples to be analyzed for chemical content, a crucial part of the puzzle for Goal 1. In the summer and fall, I will wrap up any lingering lab work however I plan to dedicate much of my energy to data analysis and writing the study results for publication. Data analysis is nearly finalized for Goal 1, Objective 3 and manuscript preparation has begun for this project. I have conducted preliminary analyses for Objective 1 and plan to present this work at the Ecological Society Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon this Fall. I also plan to begin analyzing results for objectives 2 and 4 in the fall, with the hope of finalizing that analyses by the end of the year. Finally, I also plan to lead another two-day Daugherty Summer Science Experience outreach event, and I plan to continue organizing the Gut Microbiome Group during the spring and fall semesters.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impacts of this project: Bees are crucial pollinators who are being exposed to harmful agricultural chemicals (e.g. pesticides and fungicides) in both nectar and pollen of crops and wildflowers. These chemicals have broad impacts on pollinator health, but their impacts on bee and plant microbiomes remain poorly understood. The microbes found in bees' digestive tract and inside flowers are critical for certain aspects of bee health (such as digestion and protection against parasites) and can even influence the way bees interact with plants. In agricultural ecosystems, plants are often treated with multiple chemicals, and there is a critical knowledge gap regarding how combinations of agrochemicals alter floral and bee microbial communities in ways that are meaningful to either party. I hope this project results in a change of knowledge of the extent to which combinations of agricultural chemicals disrupt systems. This change of knowledge might occur for myself as I broaden my scientific "toolkit", undergraduates who gain experience working on this project, youth who participate in my outreach events, and the general public. Changes in knowledge facilitated by this project may lead to changes in action of new chemical application protocols if pesticides and fungicides give rise to synergistic effects on microbes. Further I hope to be well positioned for postdoctoral work in microbiology and ecotoxicology. Mentees and youth who I work with be informed about the prospects of research as a career. Finally, this project may lead to a change in condition as we develop more ecologically realistic risk assessments of pollinator communities. In addition, this project will progress me toward my academic career goals and provide me experience mentoring students and conducting outreach with youth which will broaden participation in the scientific community. I also hope this project will lead to changes in condition of the general public who may choose to reduce overuse of these chemicals. Major goal: Combine lab and field-based approaches to assess whether pesticides, fungicides, and their combination alter bee and bee-associated microbes from the individual to the landscape-level Objective 1. In the summer of 2022, I caught Bombus vosnesenskii workers from three different populations and fed them a diet of pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, or a combination of all three chemicals. I plan to perform the DNA extraction and sequence preparation this spring. Objective 2. In the summer of 2022, I isolated floral microbes from six different populations of Ericameria nauseosa, and plan to visit my collaborator Rachel Vannette's Lab this spring to perform DNA extraction, sequencing, and to test strains sensitivity to a pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, or a combination of all three chemicals. Objective 3. I analyzed data for an experiment in which I set up an array of Penstemon palmeri in an open meadow. I had treated these plants with a pesticide, a fungicide or their combination. Then, I observed pollinator visitation and collected flowers from these plants to estimate floral microbial community composition. My analysisfound that plants which contained fungicides were visited more often than those without. In addition, I found the microbial communities were largely similar across treatments, mainly driven by a large abundance of one fungal type, perhaps due to pollinator aided dispersal of microbes. I have been fortunate enough to present the findings of this study at both the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society Meeting in Santa Rosa, and at the International Congress of Entomology meeting in Helsinki, Finland. Objective 4. In the summer of 2022, I collected floral bacteria and fungi from six different populations of Ericameria nauseosa, which vary in agrichemical context. I also observed pollinator visitation at each site. I plan to visit my collaborator Rachel Vannette's Lab this spring to perform DNA extraction and sequencing of these microbial communities to ask if agrichemical context influences floral microbial communities composition. Major goal: Continue toward my objective of becoming a pollinator biologist working at the intersection of conservation and microbial ecology who is also actively engaged in community education. Objective 1. To progress in my professional development, I organized my first symposium, titled "Plant-Insect Interactions in a Changing World" for this year's meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society. This symposium brought together graduate students, postdocs and faculty all working to understand the role of third-parties and outside environmental factors such as climate change in shaping plant-pollinator interactions. The symposium provided networking opportunities and strengthened my existing collaboration with Rachel Vannette's Lab. Objective 2. I am currently preparing two manuscript and plan to submit the first chapter of my dissertation for publication by the end of the year. In addition, I have presented my work at both a regional and international conference this year: The Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society Meeting in Santa Rosa, California, and the International Congress of Entomology Meeting in Helsinki, Finland. Objective 3. To develop the technical skillset, I am currently enrolled in Tom Parchman's "Data Science for Biology", where I have been learning to work with my data using Python and Unix. In addition, I began organizing a Gut Microbiome Group which meets once a week to discuss papers and projects. As a part of this group, we spent 3 weeks walking through a 16s QIIME Pipeline tutorial which used data I collected in 2020. Objective 4. I continue to communicate to non-scientist through organizing and hosting the Nerd Nite lecture series each month. A perhaps bigger accomplishment was developing and organizing a two-day outreach event this summer for underrepresented middle schoolers through the Daugherty Summer Science Experience, which I hope to lead again next summer.
Publications
|
|