Lab Alumni


Missing or old information? Email me at lsadler@ent.umass.edu to send an update!

Graduate Students

Holly Bernardo MS OEB Feb 2010.
In May 2010, Holly began a 5-year Plant Ecology research technician position at the Tyson Research Center, the field station for Washington University in Saint Louis.

Andy Cavanagh MS Entomology Aug 2008.
Andy is continuing his Extension position with Ruth Hazzard in our department.

Kristen Hladun MS Plant Biology Dec 2006.
Kristen is now working on her PhD with Dr. John Trumble in the Dept of Entomology at UC Riverside.

Amanda Lentz PhD Biology, Virginia Tech July 2007.
She is currently an instructor of Biology at Longwood University.

Postdoctoral researchers

Nina Theis: 2005-2009. Nina was initially supported on a USDA NE IPM grant to Lynn Adler and Ruth Hazzard, and then received her own NSF grant to support her work on the role of floral volatiles for herbivory and pollination in wild gourds. Nina joined the faculty of Elms College in Fall 2009.

Toby Kiers: OEB Darwin Fellow 2005-2006. Toby received a 3 year independent research 'Veni' Grant from Dutch Science Foundation: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO). She is now working with Dr. Marcel G. van der Heijden in the Institute of Ecological Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Independent research undergraduates

Kayla Carrero: Senior Honor's Thesis, 2009-10 with Sandy Gillespie.
"Effects of parasitism on bumble bee pollination service."
Kayla graduated from UMass in May 2010, and is now applying for graduate programs as a Physician's Assistant.

Allie Clifford: Hampshire College Division III Thesis 2009-2010 with Nick Barber and Lynn Adler.
"Pollination, herbivory and reproduction success."
Allie graduated from Hampshire College in Spring 2010 and is currently working as an intern under an ecologist for the BLM through the Chicago botanic garden's conservation and land management program. For the future she is looking for research technician positions with a university lab doing conservation-oriented work.

Lauren Bishop: Summer and Fall 2009 with Nicole Soper Gorden.
"Experimental Handling Effects on Impatiens capensis."

Nick Cline: Summer and Fall 2009 with Holly Bernardo and Lynn Adler.
"Bee biodiversity and pollinator efficiency."

Amanda Eigner: REU 2009.
"Effect of florivory and pollination on reproduction in butternut squash."
Amanda is currently an Environmental Science, Conservation & Geography major at Carthage College.

Nelson Milano: REU 2009.
"Role of aboveground damage on belowground preference of Acalymma vittatum root-feeding larvae."
Nelson is currently a Plant, Soil and Insect Science major at UMass Amherst.

James Duguay: Senior Honor's Thesis, 2008-09 with Sandy Gillespie.
"Landscape and Local Scale Effects on Bee Diversity and Abundance in Western Massachusetts."

Justin Van Goor: Spring 2009 with Nicole Soper Gorden.
"The role of abiotic factors for germination in Impatiens capensis."
Justin is currently a Biology major at UMass Amherst.

Joanne Phillipeux: Spring 2009 with Holly Bernardo.
"Heritability in Solanum carolinense plants."
Joanne is currently a Biology and neuroscience major at UMass Amherst.

Ian Coupal: Fall 2008 with Sandy Gillespie.
"A survey of conopid fly parasitoid prevalence upon wild bee populations in Western Massachusetts."
Ian is currently working for Dana-Farber as a Research Technician in the Griffin lab Medical Oncology Department.

Olivia Simpson: Fall 2008 with Sandy Gillespie.
"Effects of Conopid Fly Parasitism on Flower Constancy of Bombus griseocollis."

Jonathan Lopez-Colon: SPUR 2008 with Nicole Soper Gorden.
"How habitat and abiotics factors affect insect interactions and mating system at in endemic species of Eastern North America Impatiens capensis Meerb. (Jewelweed, Balsaminaceae)."
Jonathan is currently an undergraduate at the Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Jen Fill: Spring 2008 with Holly Baltzer.
"Effects of fungal infection on herbivore feeding preference in Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)."
Since her time in the Adler lab, Jen has travelled the world, including an REU at Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, an internship in an NSF-sponsored program in China, and is now in Australia. Check out her exploits on her blog. Jen will begin a PhD program at the University of South Carolina-Columbia in Fall 2010, where she will study ecosystem integrity and resilience, fire in natural resource management, and trophic interactions.

Jesse Thomas: Fall 2008.
"Test of Extraction Protocol on Carolina jessamine and Stability of the Alkaloid Gelsemine."

Jeselyn Calderon-Ayala: SPUR 2007.
"Growth and pollination in Cucumis sativa: cucurbitacin effects and resource costs on cucumber yield. "
She is currently an undergraduate in the Model Institutions for Excellence at the Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Liz Andrews: Senior Honor's thesis, 2005-06.
"Pollinator and herbivore attraction to the scent of Cucurbita volatiles."
Liz received a Master's degree in Entomology in the same department with Dr. Stephen Rich and is now pursuing her PhD with Dr. Steven Dobson at the University of Kentucky.

Dominique Devaris: Spring 2005.
"Effects of Drought Stress and Herbivory in Nicotiana bigelovii. "

Mike Jarjoura: REU 2005.
"Belowground preference and performance of Acalymma vittatum on Cucumis sativa. "

Megan Gittinger: REU, Virginia Tech 2004, examining correlations between floral traits, defensive traits, and pollinator reliance in the genus Nicotiana. She continued this project at UMass Amherst after her graduation before working internships with the Smithsonian Institute and for Wild Aid Asia in Thailand. She is now pursuing a PhD program with Dr. Todd Palmer at the University of Florida Zoology Program.

Technicians

Monica Messer was the Adler lab technician from April 2005-May 2006, when we sadly ran out of funds. She is currently working as technical assistant in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department.