ARTHROPOD ECOLOGY LAB

I am fascinated by plants and their defensive mechanisms. My research interests are focused on plant-arthropod interactions.  Specifically, I am passionate about plant defensive mechanisms (chemical, physical, and biological) and how they varied between and within plants. I aim to investigate the effects of these defenses on arthropods communities. 

My primary research interest lies in the captivating field of plant-insect interactions, focusing on the biotic and abiotic stresses that shape these relationships and their essential ecosystem services. Climate change, particularly drought, is significantly altering these complex coevolutionary relationships. Drought can modify how plants impact herbivores and their natural enemies by inducing shifts in phytochemicals associated with direct and indirect defenses. Soil moisture conditions and below-ground microbial interactions also influence above-ground microbial and arthropod communities, with important implications for plant health and sustainable agriculture. In my research, I explore how drought stress and plant defenses, both individually and combined, affect plant-herbivore-predator dynamics and microbiome interactions within the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) system. Before joining Penn State, I earned my Master’s in Entomology at the University of Idaho, where I studied the host-finding behavior of Curculionid weevils using olfactory and visual cues of invasive weeds and their confamilial plant species. This work has fueled my passion for understanding ecological interactions and finding solutions to environmental issues.

 I’m passionate about learning more about insect behavior with an interest in chemical ecology. My research background includes obtaining an M.Sc in Entomology from the University of Florida where I worked under the advising of Dr. Xavier Martini at the North Florida Research & Education Center. During my master’s, I looked at the behavioral interactions of the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri with the red imported fire ants Solenopsis invicata and the entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps javanica. In addition to that, I have worked briefly on a project looking at the effect of soil moisture on the annual bluegrass weevil Listronotus maculicollis host preference in the golf turfgrass system. I obtained a full-ride scholarship to pursue my PhD at Penn State from the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education and had the privilege of joining the Kersch-Becker laboratory to investigate the effect of plant defense diversity on potato aphids Macrosiphum euphorbiae populations and predation. I’m also exploring the striped cucumber beetle Acalymma vittatum and squash system.

I am a first year PhD student in the Entomology program, and I'm interested in studying how plant domestication and intercropping affects the arthropod community of squash systems. Prior to coming to PA, I was a lab manager at Oregon State University where I studied the evolution of complex traits in Drosophila. In my spare time, I enjoy singing in choirs, climbing rocks, and hanging out with my two cats.

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I am an undergraduate researcher assisting PhD students with lab and field experiments. In particular, I help out with experiments involving multitrophic interactions between tomatoes, aphids, and ladybugs. My favorite task in the lab is caring for insect colonies. For my own research I am interested in plant-insect interactions, and fiber crop production. I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in Plant Science in the Horticulture option. In my free time I enjoy doing portrait photography, and spending time with my two dogs. 

I am pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a concentration in Ecology, a Marine Science minor, and working toward certifications in Earth Sustainability and Social Justice. As a first-generation college student on a full-ride scholarship through the Millennium Scholars Program, I am committed to promoting equity and advancing diversity in STEM. My research interests span marine biology, entomology, light pollution, trophic interactions, and climate change, with a strong emphasis on invertebrate biology. I am passionate about research, and I aspire to earn a PhD in marine biology. Since 2015, I have co-raised thousands of Monarch butterflies with my mother as part of a conservation initiative that sparked my interest in science and environmental stewardship. I joined the Kersch-Becker Lab in May 2024, where I support graduate student projects and lead independent research. My current work investigates the legacy effects of heat waves on Monarch butterfly development, reproduction, and overall fitness. I will examine how heat-stress influences larval growth, adult morphology, and reproductive output. I am particularly interested in how parental environmental conditions affect offspring performance across generations, and whether sex-specific responses can be detected in these outcomes.