Current lab members
James Crall (PI)
Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology,UW-Madison
Affiliate Faculty, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
email: james.crall [at] wisc.edu
CV
Olivia Bernauer
USDA-NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow
website
Olivia is a USDA NIFA postdoctoral fellow studying the direct effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on floral nutrition, and subsequent impacts on bumble bee behavior and health. She recently completed her PhD at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University in Australia. Before her PhD, Olivia completed her masters at the University of Maryland, College Park. Olivia got her start working with pollinators during her undergraduate education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied the impacts of a common fungicide to bumble bee colony health and development. Her research interests include pollination biology, social insect biology, foraging behavior, and plant-pollinator interactions.
Matt Smith
Postdoctoral Fellow, UW-Madison
also Research Scientist, Google X
Acacia Tang
Staff Researcher
Acacia is a researcher in the Crall lab working on several projects. During their time as a master’s student, they studied the relationship between the gut microbiome and the social network of bumblebees. In addition to carrying out lab experiments, they also developed a python algorithm to track bees with the use of BEEtag and OpenCV.
August Easton-Calabria
Graduate Student
I study collective behavior and colony development in bumblebees, and seek to understand colonies’ behavioral responses to both environmental and human-borne stressors, such as temperature extremes and pesticide exposure. Furthermore, I am curious as to how variation in traits of individuals within colonies can drive variation in colony-level performance at particularly stressful periods of development. I use emerging imaging technology to build behavioral devices to study colonies both in controlled laboratory settings and out in the field. I have spent a lot of time and effort rearing colonies from wild queens for my research, and have grown very fond of the art of (bumble)bee keeping
Anupreksha Jain
Graduate Student
I am a graduate student in the lab interested in exploring plant-pollinator interactions, how they may be affected by anthropogenic global change, and the implications for biodiversity conservation and sustainable food production. I am originally from India, but earned my BS in Biological Sciences at Cornell University, where I worked with Dr. Andre Kessler on the ecological and evolutionary consequences of herbivore-induced plant defenses. Outside of research, I love talking about my housing co-op, hanging out with my housemates, cooking and eating with them… you get the idea.
Grace Melone
Graduate Student
I’m an ecophysiologist and bee biologist interested in the effects of climate-change driven stressors on social and solitary bee biology and ecology. I primarily study extreme events like heatwaves, and I am interested in applying knowledge from thermal biology to conservation in agroecosystems. I’m passionate about science communication and increasing diversity in ecology. Outside of research I like taking long walks, cooking, reading feminist theory, and knitting (poorly).
Madalyn Laskowski
Undergraduate researcher
My name is Madalyn Laskowski and I am a Junior obtaining my undergraduate degree in biology. I’ve worked in the Crall Lab for about a year and a half, and my main research interest is the effect that neonicotinoids have on Bombus Impatiens' nest building abilities and the overall health of the colony
Julia Prouse
Undergraduate researcher
I'm a freshman at UW-Madison majoring in biochemistry and applied economics. I'm interested in the individuality in behavior and learning in bumblebees, and how it impacts colony roles and adaptability to stressors.
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Julia Wiessing
Undergraduate researcher
I am an undergraduate student studying entomology and life science communication at UW-Madison. I'm interested in bumble-bee behaviour, pollinator interactions and scientific outreach.
Former lab members
