People and Opportunities

Faith Chase joined the lab in summer 2025 and is now the 2026 field supervisor. In addition to coordinating research at three field sites, Faith is conducting her own research project investigating a little known species of Nicrophorus to characterize it's phenology, behavior, and natural history. Faith is entering her senior year as an undergraduate at NMU, studying biology concentrated in zoology. 

Veronica 'Ronnie' Jones is a Biology major with a concentration in Zoology. Ronnie joined the lab in summer 2025 and is now conducting her own field research project to investigate foraging behavior. She plans on attending grad school after her undergraduate degree, and is fascinated by complex behavior and ecology. When not in the lab, you can find her mountain biking, climbing, or frolicking in the woods with her dog, miss Oliver Hippo, learning to identify new mushrooms and wild flowers. 

Austin Lyons currently holds an Associate's degree in Liberal Arts and is pursuing a bachelor's degree at NMU. He is majoring in English and Biology with a special interest in genomics and all things micro. Austin joined the lab in summer 2025 has been assisting with laboratory work, including the care of multiple species of Nicrophorus and data entry. 

Alyssa Tumminaro is studying biology with a zoology concentration and may pursue a minor in art and design. Alyssa joined the lab in fall 2025 as a fellow of the Freshman Fellowship program. As part of her fellowship, Alyssa is conducting both field and laboratory work on several different species of Nicrophorus to determine the relationship between competitive traits and resource use. 

Grace Robinson joined the research lab in fall 2025 and has recently joined the 2026 field crew to conduct collect data on beetle phenology at Longyear Forest. She is a Junior studying biology with a concentration in ecology. She is planning on pursuing a masters degree after graduation. 

Maya Gerenraich joined the lab in fall 2025 and she has been working both in the lab and field to investigate Nicrophorus behavior. She is studying Biology with a concentration in Ecology while pursuing a minor in environmental studies. Her interests include wildlife conservation and birds of all shapes and sizes. 

Josie Pardel joined the lab in fall 2025 and is majoring in Biology with a concentration in Ecology and a minor in Outdoor Recreation. Josie is conducting field work in the challenging bog site, as well as assisting with burying beetle care and the implementation of the pollinator overwintering hotel project. Josie is also  President of the Entomology Club. 

Emma Starner is entering her senior year at NMU studying environmental science with a concentration in hydrology and a minor in Spanish. She joined the research lab in fall 2025 and has almost single-handedly entered 6 months worth of Nicrophorus field data and is currently working on developing range maps. 

Corinn Torma is a senior at NMU studying Ecology. She is interested in studying animal behavior and species relationships. Corinn is starting an independent project comparing beetles from the distal ends of the species range. Previously, Corinn worked  at the NMU Golf Course heading a pollinator habitat project.

Lincoln Ramsdell has been a part of the lab on and off since summer 2025. She is currently assisting with the messy but fun bog field work. Pictured here with the first Nicrophorus hebes that we ever captured (very exciting)! 

Annika Maxwell joined the lab summer 2026 and is a third year student at NMU studying Fisheries and Wildlife Management with a concentration in wildlife. While she loves all wildlife my true passion is insects! Her goal for the future is to help conserve our planet's little critters, and teach people how important each species is to the survival of our world. Annika is collecting a variety of morphological data on our beetles and is preparing specimens to be archived in the museum. 

Maddie Keller joined the lab summer 2026 and she is studying Biology with a concentration in Microbiology. She is especially interested in genetics counseling to help translate the complex “DNA language” into something people can understand. She is also interested in epigenetics and how the changing environment affects the natural world and public health.  

Jayme Holder joined the lab in summer 2026 and is a junior at NMU majoring in Secondary-Education Integrated Science with a minor in Biology. She plans to pursue a masters in Biology and Wildlife Conservation and then her PhD. 

Ben Trevillian joined the lab in summer 2026 and is a senior studying Biology with a concentration in physiology. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in the medical field. Ben is assisting with field captures of Nicrophorus at Shiras Tract. 

Trinity Boykins joined the lab in summer 2026 and she is pursuing a bachelors degree with a major in Biology and a concentration in Ecology. Her interests include behavioral ecology, and entomology.  

Katelynn Schaefer joined the lab in summer 2026 and is a a junior studying ecology with a minor in chemistry. Katelynn is currently helping to conduct field research at Shiras Tract. Following graduation, she is thinking about going into a master's program. She enjoys studying ecology and conservation biology. Please note that Katelynn is not a beetle.

Hermione Morales graduated in spring 2026 with a degree in Biology with a concentration in Ecology and she hopes to specialize in population ecology. Hermione is wrapping up her work on the diapause behavior of Nicrophorus. Congrats, Hermione! 

Karleene Maschke graduated in spring 2026 with a degree in Biology with a concentration in Ecology and a minor in English. Karlee is spending her post-graduation summer as an intern for the  with the US Forest Service at Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Karlee plans to attend graduate school in 2028. Congrats, Karlee! Pictured above are some phoretic mites that Karlee was studying!

Samantha Beebe graduated in spring 2026 with a major in Biology and a concentration in zoology. She plans to continue on for a Masters and then PhD in animal behavior, and is currently preparing her MacNair scholar research into a manuscript. Congratulations, Sammi! 

Mollie Haremza graduated in spring 2026 with a degree in Biology and a concentration in Ecology, with a minor in Outdoor Recreation. Mollie resigns her post a the founders and president of the NMU Entomology club. Mollie plans to attend graduate school in the near future to further pursue her interests in insects and behavior. Go Mollie! 

Keaton Chamberlin graduated in spring 2026 with a major in Biology and a concentration in Ecology. After receiving his bachelors degree, he plans to pursue a Masters degree. Congratulations, Keaton! 

Evan Widdis graduated in 2025 with a degree in biology with a concentration in zoology and plans to pursue a PhD. Congrats, Evan! 

Chantel Gurak graduated in 2025 with her degree in Biology and a minor in History, and plans to pursue her interests in space exploration now that she has graduated. Congrats, Chantel!