Students

Graduate Students

• Katya "Tia" Busenitz
  Hometown: Asheville, NC
  Degree: Pre-medical Biology, WCU
  Lab Focus: Honey bee physiology
  Email: tbusenitz2@huskers.unl.edu
  
  
• Shelby Kittle
  Degree: Entomology
  Lab Focus: 
  Email: shelby.kittle@huskers.unl.edu
  
  
  
  
  

Undergraduate Students

• Grace Carter
  Hometown: Spring, TX
  Current Major: Child, Youth and Family Studies with a minor in Education
  Lab Focus:
• I joined the bee lab as an undergraduate technician in January 2021. I have always loved bees and used to keep hives with my dad when I was younger. We plan to keep bees again when we move, so I thought this was a perfect opportunity to have a fun job and learn more about keeping bees!
• I plan to attend nursing school after graduating from UNL. My ultimate goal is to one day become a midwife!

• Andres Hayes
  Hometown: Cordoba, Argentina/Kearney, Nebraska
  Degree: Fisheries and wildlife with a focus in conservation biology
  Lab Focus:
• In 2018 I was working on various conservation initiatives in the Zambezi Delta of Mozambique (Southern Africa) when I was tasked with beginning and managing a community beekeeping project.  I had no prior knowledge of bees but quickly realized how interesting and important they are and I became fascinated by them. 
• I started working as an undergrad technician at the UNL Bee Lab in February 2022 and look forward to learning more about both honey and native bees.  As well as the research that is done to further our knowledge and in turn our conservation and management tactics.
• Apart from learning about bees and wildlife conservation, I am interested in agriculture, motorcycles, traveling, and sports.
  
  
  
• Jaevyn Hoyt
  Hometown: Lincoln, NE
  Degree: Emerging media arts major with an Entomology minor
  Lab Focus: 

  I love to create with whatever I get my hands on! Quickly finding the affordances of a medium and thinking of ways to use them to solve the problems at hand is one of my many talents. I'm interested in finding ways to discuss important issues by creating narratives in a variety of mediums.

• Claire Gillespie
  Hometown: Papillion, NE
  Degree: Plant and Landscape Systems and Horticulture
  Lab Focus: 
  

• Madison King
  Hometown: San Diego, CA
  Degree: Current UNL student studying biology with a minor in poultry science
  Lab Focus: 
• Joined the lab as an undergraduate technician May 2019.
• Working toward developing a UCARE research project and discovering more about bees.
• In the future, I plan to work as a public health veterinarian for the Army.<>

• Paige Myers
  Hometown: Lincoln, NE
  Degree: Current UNL student majoring in Chemistry, working on minors in Mathematics and Insect Science
  Lab Focus: 
• I joined the bee lab as an undergraduate technician in October 2021.
• I'm fascinated with bees, especially native species, and in the future I want to work in the conservation of bumblebees and other native species.

• Clara O'Brien
  Hometown: Chestertown, MD
  Degree: Current UNL student majoring in Insect Science
  Lab Focus:

• Backyard Beekeeper for 6 years starting in 2016, managed feral and Russian bee hives

• I joined the bee lab as an undergraduate technician in September 2022
• I am fascinated with wild bees and honey bees and want to gain experience in wild bee conservation and honey bee management

Alumni

Rogan Tokach
Hometown: Abilene, KS
Degree: B.S. in Agronomy, KSU
Lab Focus: Honey bee conservation, ecology & education
Rogan is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Entomology at Auburn University. 

Courtney Wallner
Hometown: Lake in the Hills, Illinois
Major: Majored in Insect Science and Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Years: 2017-2021

Courtney is currently attending veterinary school and hopes to further incorporate honey bee/arthropod medicine into veterinary medicine. She has a specific interest in conservation and habitat restoration, for both vertebrates and invertebrates.

Edith Ikuze
Hometown: Kigali, Rwanda
Years: 2020-2021
Edith is currently a graduate student seeking an MS in Entomology with the Plant-Insect Interactions Lab. She earned her bachelor's degree from UNL in Integrated Science with minors in Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Insect Science in May 2022.