Mentor's Bio:
A botanist whose interests include the interactions of tropical plants and insects, chemistry of the Brazil nut family, systematics and host associations of wood boring beetles, tropical forest ecology and conservation and the evolution of pollination in the Angiosperms. She teaches a variety of botany courses with special emphasis on urban ecology. She received her Ph.D. from Lehman College of CUNY.

Research Topic(s) Summary:
Tropical plant / insect interactions
Chemistry of the Brazil nut family (Lecythidaceae)
Sytematics and host associations of wood boring beetles (Cerambycidae)
Tropical forest ecology and conservation in French Guiana
Evolution of pollination in the Angiosperms

Description of Research:
My research focuses on wood-boring cerambycid beetles that reproduce exclusively in trees belonging to the Brazil nut family (Lecythidaceae). Thus far, this investigation has encompassed extensive field research, plant chemistry, sequencing DNA from the beetle associates, and plenty of time spent pondering the data. My Ph.D. project included a year long beetle rearing experiment in the tropical rain forest of central French Guiana. Experiments were designed to document whether different beetle species were reproducing in 1) five different tree species, 2) branches at ground or canopy stratum, and 3) branches cut during the dry and rainy season. I also wanted to find out something about the plant compounds potentially mediating the interaction between beetle and host plant... read more