Erika Wright

Erika graduated from Mississippi State University in May 2023 with a M.S. in Entomology and previously graduated from Virginia Tech in 2021 with a B.S. in Environmental Resources Management and Urban Forestry. She developed an interest in urban ecology and pest management in the two summers she spent at the Bartlett Tree Research Laboratory in Charlotte, NC as a research intern, working closely with the lab entomologists. During her master’s, she studied the population dynamics and dispersal mechanisms of an invasive pest of a widely planted ornamental tree, crapemyrtle bark scale, and gained an appreciation for working with tiny insects and the immense damage they can cause. Erika’s current research focuses on the potential for biodiversity conservation and climate resilience of vacant lands in legacy cities across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States.