Hello there! My name is Maya, and I'm an aspiring entomologist. My main interests are in insect behavior, evolution, ecology, and conservation.

I graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in 2022 with a major in Animal Behavior and a minor in Environmental Studies. I received departmental honors for an independent research project I worked on with Dr. Aaron Howard where I studied the ways in which spatial learning and memory in bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) impact and are related to the avoidance of certain plants that have been impacted by florivory. After graduating, I worked as a Biological Science Aid for the Pest Management Research Unit (PMRU) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Northern Plains Agriculture Research Laboratory (NPARL) located in Sidney, MT. I was a part of several research projects with Dr. Natalie West, Dr. Tatyana Rand, and Dr. Joshua Campbell focusing on conservation, managing pest species, and classical biological control in sustainable agroecosystems. After that position, I became an entomology intern for the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program in Ghent, New York. Through this job, I continued to gain experience on various insect sampling techniques, insect identification both under the microscope and in the field, proper pinning and labeling techniques for collected specimens, and public outreach. I then worked as a Monarch Field Naturalist with the Cape May Bird Observatory through New Jersey Audubon where I monitored monarch butterflies and other butterfly and odonata migration. Today, I am a field technician with Monarch Joint Venture researching habitat suitability, milkweed presence, and monarch butterfly population dynamics throughout California BLM lands. Through these experiences, my knowledge of and enthusiasm for insects has continued to grow.

Beyond insects, I love learning about all flora and fauna! I'm always thrilled to see a new species and learn its role in the ecosystem.

Stay curious out there!

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