Graduate Students

Julianna Tuell

Project: Landscape effects on the abundance and diversity of native bees in blueberry

I am a native of Michigan and joined the Small Fruit Lab in the spring of 2003, just in time to begin work on two blueberry pollination projects. I officially became a doctoral student in the Department of Entomology in the fall of 2003 and began planning my dissertation research on the effects of landscape on the abundance and diversity of wild bees in blueberry. Currently I spend a great deal of time at the Lyman Briggs School as an instructor in the laboratory portion of the Introductory Organismal Biology course. I anticipate completing my degree in the spring of 2007. A copy of my C.V. may be found on my webpage at http://www.msu.edu/~tuelljul/

Nate Walton

Project: Use of native plants to enhance biological control and pollination in Michigan blueberry fields

I have a B.A. from Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo MI, where I majored in biology with a
concentration in environmental studies. I joined the small fruit entomology lab in the fall of 2006.
I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in Entomology with a specialization in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior. I am working on a project utilizing native plants to enhance biological control and pollination in Michigan blueberry fields. I’m investigating the effects of perennial flowering plant borders on the diversity, abundance, and in-crop distribution of natural enemies and native bees. Other research areas of interest include pollinator conservation and the nesting behavior of solitary bees and wasps.