Current Lab Members
Graduate Students
Matt Boyer began a joint PhD in OEB and Entomology in Fall 2011 after receiving his BS with Honors from the
University of Massachusetts. Matt received Honorable Mention for his NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Application,
and has been awarded a University Lotta Crabtree Fellowship. Matt is the role of blueberry nectar in resistance to
mummyberry fungal infection and interactions with pollinators.
Evan Palmer-Young began a joint PhD in OEB and
Entomology in Fall 2011 after receiving a BS magna cum laude from Cornell University and conducting a
two-year internship with Dr. Jonathan Gershenzon at the Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany.
He was awarded a one-year University Fellowship, three years of support from a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and two years of
support from a USDA NIFA predoctoral fellowship. Evan is studying how floral secondary chemicals affect bumble bee pathogens at varying concentrations and in synergy. You can read more about
Evan's research here.
Laura Doubleday began a joint PhD in OEB and Entomology in Fall 2012 after receiving a BS with highest honors from
Carleton University and then completing a Master's with Chris Eckert at Queen's University. She was awarded a one-year
University Fellowship, and three years of NSERC support from Canada. Laura is studying micro- and macro-evolutionary processes
that affect sexual strategy evolution in Silene.
Luis Aguirre began a PhD in OEB in Fall 2016 after receiving his BS from the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Luis plans to study how plant interactions affect bee disease through changes in floral traits. He has been awarded a
College-wide Lotta Crabtree Fellowship and was awarded a national PGAV Pollinator Research Grant
for $3000 after his first semester.
George LoCascio began a MS in Environmental Conservation in Spring 2017, following his graduation from UMass with a 3.97 GPA.
George has conducted research in Lynn's lab for the past 1.5 years, and will continue this work for his Master's assessing how variation
in sunflower pollen affects bumble bee disease. He received multiple scholarships for his academic work, and has been awarded
a College-wide Lotta Crabtree Fellowship.
Postdoctoral researchers
There are currently no postdoctoral researchers.
Independent research undergraduates
Kristen Michaud: 2016-17 Commonwealth College Honors Thesis
"Manipulating floral traits to assess their role in bee disease transmission"
Julie Davis: 2016-17 Commonwealth College Honors Thesis
"The role of mutualist fungi and nutrients on floral traits and bee disease"
Jeremy Day: Spring 2017 Independent Research, with Laura Figueroa
"How timing of dose shapes the effect of sunflower pollen on bee disease"
Pheobe Deneen: 2016-17 Commonwealth College Honors Thesis
"The effect of rutin as a potential mechanism explaining how sunflower pollen reduces bee disease"
Jess Leslie: 2015-16 Commonwealth College Honors Thesis, with continued preparation for publication
"The role of sunflower pollen in bumble bee health and colony performance"