Directory

Michael is a PhD student in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning. As a member of the Bee Campus Committee, Michael utilizes GIS tools to map and analyze volunteered geographic pollinator observations on campus. In collaboration with Aliza Fassler, Michael has also been documenting pollinators on campus through a catch and release process that involves photographing each observation with a macro camera. His research interests in his PhD program include conservation paradigms, access to common land, co-housing, and limited development.

Jeremy Andersen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Conservation. His research focuses on the conservation of native forest insects and the biological control of non-native invasive insects. This research integrates evolutionary and ecological research, as well as outreach to reduce the ecological and economic impacts of invasive species while highlighting and describing the diversity of native insects. You can learn more about his lab and work here.

Nicole works for UMass Amherst Extension as a pollinator specialist, focusing primarily on outreach and education related to wild bees and non-bee insects. She created and is the primary facilitator of UMass Amherst’s Pollinator Steward Certification program, and disseminates pollinator-focused outreach via lectures around Massachusetts, social media, and extension publications. Her prior research includes honeybee health, the impacts of wildfire on managed native bees, and the functional traits of wild bees in urban gardens.

Axel Boy works for the UMass Landscape department as a maintenance working foreman and serves as the co-chair of the UMass Bee Campus Committee. Axel has been with UMass for 8 years.  Prior to that he worked for various parks departments in conservation and recreation. He has a strong interest in wildlife conservation and especially how modern landscaping can benefit native species. His goal is to see the landscape department move towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly land management practices. 

As Head of Grounds, Todd plays a vital role in championing our campus trees and pollinator habitats. When he's not giving his famous tree walks, Todd is responsible for overseeing the stewardship of the entire campus landscape including construction and digsafe operations. Todd has been a member of the UMass community for over thirty years. 

Stella Dee is an arborist, a PhD Candidate in Environmental Conservation, and a research associate with UMass Facilities. Her academic work looks at the efficacy of arboricultural strategies for mature tree retention in the built environment, including how pruning affects the invertebrate community associated with a tree. Her work for Facilities includes assisting with maintaining the campus tree ArcGIS inventory as well as building interfaces for Facilities to track IPM treatments and other management interventions.

As co-chair of the Bee Campus Committee, Aliza coordinates meetings, leads outreach events, and documents and studies wild bee species on campus. Aliza is a PhD candidate in the Environmental Conservation Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her PhD research focuses on improving habitats for wild bees as part of sustainable logging practices in the Lower Midwest, and she is passionate about sharing her love for wild bees and other insects!

Dr. Figueroa is a conservation ecologist and entomologist interested in understanding how interacting stressors influence pollinator health and critically assessing the effectiveness of restoration/conservation efforts. Her work is primarily field based, and takes place in temperate and tropical forests, agroecosystems, and urban settings. She uses emerging machine learning bioacoustics methods to monitor bees in a standardized and non-lethal manner.

Grace Gutierrez is a PhD Student in the Figueroa Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research broadly focuses on pollinator conservation, looking at the creation of climate-smart pollinator habitats as well as non-native pollinator species and their impact on native species and the environment. Her favorite bee species is Osmia taurus, a non-native cavity nesting species found here in Massachusetts! In her free time you can find her walking her dog or reading whatever fantasy book has caught her eye recently.