M. Deane Bowers Curator of Entomology Curriculum Vitae Research in my laboratory focuses on various aspects of plant-insect interactions and is a combination of chemistry, ecology, behavior and physiology of both plants and insects. In this context I am involved in a variety of projects, investigating questions about 1) the potential defensive role of plant natural products in protecting (or not protecting) plants from herbivory; 2) the evolution of unpalatability in insects; 3) the interaction of herbivorous insects and their predators; 4) the ecology and evolution of butterflies; 5) the response of plant allelochemicals to the changing environment, especially ultraviolet radiation, herbivory, and seasonal variation. Students in the lab work on a variety of different projects. These range from studies of the foraging behavior of caterpillars to examination of the ontogeny of chemical defense in butterflies to field and laboratory experiments on the role of herbivory in seedling survival and growth. Virginia Scott Collection Manager Curriculum Vitae I completed my Master's degree in entomology at Michigan State University where I worked on the nesting biology of Hyleaus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae). After graduating I worked for several years as a research technician studying Megachile (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Although I am still interested in the nesting biology of solitary bees, I am currently working to expand and update the entomology collection. [Return to Top] Cesar Nufio Adjoint Curator Curriculum Vitae I am currently an adjoint curator in the Entomology Section of the Museum and have taught several courses in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department. Before arriving to Colorado, I coordinated graduate level field courses in Costa Rica for The Organization for Tropical Studies. By training, I am a behavioral ecologist and my previous research focused on understanding the reproductive decisions made by insects and their impacts on the reproductive success of female and their offspring. Currently, I am working on curating and databasing the Gordon Alexander Orthoptera Collection. With the information generated from this collection, we hope to begin a resurvey project to examine how climate change may insects along the Front Range and Rocky Mountain Region of Colorado. [Return to Top] Andy Hicks Museum Associate I am currently working on several leafhopper projects. My research broadly includes investigating the host-plant relationships and biogeography of Auchenorrhyncha (leafhoppers and related insects) and I am working to make this information available on the web (preliminary examples can been found a http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~hicks/Home.html). I am also working on the production of a master internet database, a single authoritative electronic library listing all of the world's species of leafhoppers. Funded by the Systematic Entomological Laboratory, this compendium of every known species will establish universal agreement of how leafhopper are named and how many exist. This project could also aid efforts to better understand their disease transmission potential and lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural world. In addition, I am actively curating University of Colorado's collection of Auchenorrhyncha (leafhoppers and related families) and adding to it with field collections and identification of undetermined specimens. [Return to Top] Student Research Projects Kasey Barton Graduate Student, EEB Research Assistant, Entomology, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History Curriculum Vitae Website I am interested in the interactions between seedlings and their insect herbivores. Although seedlings experience high levels of herbivory and herbivore-mediated mortality, we have little information about their defense strategies. Some people have proposed that seedlings should allocate resources to chemical defenses while others have proposed that growth is more important for seedlings. I am investigating defense strategies and chemical defense patterns in seedlings of Plantago (Plantaginaceae) species through a combination of greenhouse and field experiments. Mary Jamieson Graduate Student, EEB Curriculum Vitae Broadly, I am interested in the fields of community ecology and conservation biology. More specifically, I am interested in research related to plant-insect interactions and how these interactions are affected by anthropogenic environmental change factors, such as the invasion of non-native plants, increased nitrogen deposition, and habitat fragmentation. Currently, my research focuses on examining the response of insect communities to invasive plant species and how potential changes in insect community structure and function may affect native plant species. The invasion of non-native species may represent a significant threat to native biodiversity. Understanding the nature of community change and the functional role of impacted species is a critical step in assessing the magnitude of this threat. [Return to Top] Marisa Pankowski Graduate Student, Museum and Field Studies I am a graduate student in the Museum and Field Studies program. I am interested in working in a museum as a Collections Manager of an Entomology collection. [Return to Top] Carolina Quintero Graduate Student, EBIO Research assistant, Entomology, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History Curriculum Vitae I am interested in comprehending the role of plant chemical defenses as mediators of plant-herbivore and herbivore-predator interactions. My approach will combine: a) the detection of indirect competition between herbivores, sharing a common host plant, via alteration of plant defenses, b) the role of ontogeny on plant defense strategies and its consequence for herbivore performance, and c) the role of herbivore-induced-indirect effects as mediators of community organization. This past summer, I had performed a greenhouse experiment with Plantago (Plantaginaceae) and two herbivores caterpillars of the buckeye butterflies (Junonia coenia, Nymphalidae) and woollybear moths (Spilosoma virginica, Arctiidae), in order to identify plant chemical defense strategy under diverse damage pressure and the identification of its effects on herbivore performance. [Return to Top] Natalie Robinson Graduate Student, EBIO I received my B.S. from UC Berkeley, and am now working toward my Master's in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC-Boulder. I am working in the Bowers lab, studying plant/insect interactions. I am interested in such interactions from the standpoint of conservation and environmental health. [Return to Top] Jessica Vargas Graduate Student, EBIO Research Assistant, Entomology, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History Curriculum Vitae I consider myself an aspiring ecologist with an interest in multi-level interactions, chiefly between plants, insects and their natural enemies. My current research projects focus on host/parasitoid interactions. I am studying how parasitoids alter their host's behavior and what effect this may have on other trophic levels. I am also investigating how hosts defend themselves against parasitoids and how this defense can vary in a single host species and between different host species. [Return to Top] Previous researchers affiliated with the Entomology Section Steve Armstead: Senior ranger with City of Boulder Mountain Parks David Bettman: Received his masters in 2005. Karolyn Darrow: Scientific assistant to Director of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution Lee Dyer: Associate Professor at Tulane University Marie Ann de la Fuente: Co-Director of Bijagual Ecological Reserve Kailen Mooney: a post-doc in the Dr. Anurag Agrawal's lab, Cornell Jeff Oliver: Graduate student at University of Arizona Kathleen Prudic: Graduate student at University of Arizona [Return to Top]