Undergraduate Research

Luke Hearon

Major: Entomology

Research Advisor: Reed Johnson

Future Plans:  Masters Degree in Entomology

Research:

• Establishing a correlation between soybean presence and soybean foraging by honey bees
• Examined pollen content of honey samples to determine the primary contributing nectar sources
• Calculated the total area and proximity of soybean around each sampled hive
• Established a correlation between soybean presence and soybean foraging by honey bees
• Presented at the CFAES Undergraduate Research Forum

Favorite Entomology Course:

• ENTOMOLOGY 2220 – Beekeeping (Dr. Reed Johnson)

Rachel McLaughlin

Major: Entomology, Honors

Research Advisors: Drs. Mary Gardiner and Frances Sivakoff

Future Plans:  PhD program at Penn State studying black cherry pollinators

Research:

Effects of cadmium contamination in soil on pollination services and pollinator behavior

• Grew sunflowers in different concentrations of Cd-contaminated soil
• Used video recorder to document the visiting pollinators
• Counted and weighed all developed seeds to quantify pollination services
• Presented at Denman Research Forum, Ohio Academy of Science Meeting, and  Entomological Society of America North Central Branch Meeting

Awards & Honors:

• 2^nd Place: 2018 Entomological Society of America North Central Branch Meeting, B.S. Student Ten-Minute Paper Competition
• 3^rd Place: 2018 CFAES Undergraduate Research Forum
• Will C. Hauk Endowment Research Grant

Additional Highlights:

• Participated in education abroad programs to Nicaragua and England

Emily Walker

Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The College of Wooster

Research Advisor:  Reed Johnson

Future Plans:  PhD in Biochemistry

Research:

Effects of pesticide combinations on honey bee mortality

• Sprayed honey bees with different combinations of pesticides and assessedmortality after 72 hours
• Determined if pesticide combinations were significantly toxic at field applicationrates
• Future work with this project: Characterize the synergistic toxicity in honey bees
• Presented at the Ohio Valley Regional Chapter of the Society of Environmental  Toxicology and Chemistry 2018 Annual Meeting

Awards & Honors:

• Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award sponsored by CRC Press LLC
• Theron L. Peterson and Dorothy R. Peterson Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement
• Whitmore-Williams Science Scholarship

Sreelakshmi Suresh

Major: B.S. in Evolution and Ecology, Minored in French

Research Advisor: Reed Johnson

Future Plans: Masters Degree in Environmental Science

Research:

• Analyzing the waggle dance behavior of honey bees to examine foraging patterns
• Establishing a correlation between soybean presence and soybean foraging by honey bees
• Examining the effects landscapes contaminated with neonicotinoid pesticides on foraging
• Presented at the 2017 Denman Undergraduate Research Conference, 2017 American Bee Research Conference, 2016 Entomological Society of America North Central Branch Meeting, and 2016 OSU Fall Forum.

Awards and Honors:

• 3rd Place: 2016 Entomological Society of America North Central Branch Meeting, Undergraduate and M.S. Student Poster Presentation Competition
• 2016 Helen Sells Clarkson Memorial Scholarship
• 2016 Edward G. Mayers Scholarship
• 2015 Keith and Linda Monda International Experience Scholarship

Additional Highlights:

• Currently living in Japan teaching English
• Formerly a student research assistant at the OSU Herbarium at The Museum of Biological Diversity, assisting in curation of materials and maintain a digital database of specimens
• Participated in an education abroad programs to Costa Rica