Wyatt Zabinski

Wyatt is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas. He holds a BS in Biology from Southern Oregon University and an MS in Biology from Sam Houston State University. Wyatt’s research focuses on the systematics and biogeography of mining bees in the genus Andrena, along with their endoparasites from the rare insect order Strepsiptera. His work aims to uncover new insights into these bees’ evolutionary relationships, particularly from the sky islands mountains of southwestern United States and Mexico. A list of Wyatt’s publications can be found here.

Email: zabinski@ku.edu

Natalie Herbison

Natalie is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas. She earned her BS in Ecology and Organismal Biology from KU in the spring of 2024. With a strong interest in the ecophysiology and systematics of bees, she has conducted fieldwork across the U.S., Greece, and Peru. In the fall of 2023, Natalie participated in The Bee Course, an intensive workshop held in Arizona. Currently, she is a research assistant contributing to the NSF-funded Big Bee project, where she helps develop and process high-resolution 2D and 3D images of North American bees. Read more about her journey here.

Email: n.herbison@ku.edu

Annie Catlett

Annie is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas. Annie is from San Antonio, Texas, and earned her BS in Biology from Texas Tech University in the spring of 2024. As an undergraduate, she contributed to research on bee biodiversity in both riparian and terrestrial habitats and investigated gene flow in flowering plant populations across Texas. Her research interests center on the ecology and evolution of plant-pollinator networks, with a particular focus on how these interactions are influenced by climate change and environmental variation.

Email: anniecatlett@gmail.com

Isabella Manning

Isabella is a scholar in the University of Kansas’ BioGEM NSF-RaMP program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder in the spring of 2024. Her undergraduate research focused on plant-pollinator interaction networks across time and space in montane landscapes. Isabella is interested in how wild bees are responding to environmental changes including increases in extreme heat and drought. She will be investigating how bee body size is linked to thermal tolerance using a novel approach of photogrammetry and 3D modeling. A list of Isabella’s publications can be found here.

Email: isabella.manning@ku.edu

Liam Wrixon

Liam is a scholar in the University of Kansas’ BioGEM Post-baccalaureate Research Program, supported by the National Science Foundation. In the spring of 2024, he earned his BS in Environmental Science from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. As a K-INBRE (Kansas Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) scholar, Liam researched the genetic relationships of aquatic beetles in South America. During his 2023 REU experience, he studied the behavior of bees and ants in Greece. Currently, his research focuses on the thermal ecology of pollinators. Learn more about Liam’s journey here.

Email: liamwrixon@ku.edu

Lauren Cabrera

Lauren is an undergraduate student majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Kansas. As part of the NSF-funded Big Bee project, she contributes to the development and processing of high-resolution 2D and 3D images of North American bees. In addition, Lauren serves as the Creative Director at KU’s Center for Community Outreach, where she blends her scientific interests with her passion for community engagement.

Email: lauren.cabrera@ku.edu

Avery Wessels

Avery is an undergraduate researcher majoring in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology at the University of Kansas. As a scholar in KU’s ASTER program, supported by the National Science Foundation, she investigates the sublethal effects of environmental stressors on bees’ behavior and life history traits, contributing to our understanding of pollinator health and resilience.

Email: averywessels@ku.edu