People

Isabella Garrison

(Spring 2024 - Present)

Isabella is examining the ant species diversity on the Salisbury University Campus. More specifically she will determine the community dynamics of ants among three surface types (impervious, lawn, and litter).

Summer 2024 Isabella was supported by a Research Grant through the Office of Graduate Studies.

(Fall 2023: Undergraduate research) Isabella worked with Kendall to examine mammal-dung beetle associations in Wicomico Co. 

Holly Greenberg

(Spring 2025-Present)

Holly is working with Isabella to examine ant species diversity on campus.

Emerson Vichot

(Spring 2025)

Emerson is working with Isabella to examine ant species diversity on campus.

Sarah Larose

(Fall 2024-present)

Sarah is helping Isabella examine ant species diversity and richness on the Salisbury University campus. She has also been working with arboreal ants to curate for identification.

Natasha Herlinger 

(Summer 2024 - Spring 2025)

Natasha is working on a Taxonomic Guide to aid in identifying Forensic Flies.

Kate Riley

(Summer 2024)

Nat and Kate explored the forensically relevant flies in Wicomico County.

Summer 2024, Natasha was supported by a research grant from the Office of Graduate Studies.

Denise Manole, M.S.

(Spring 2019 – December 2020)

Ants of Assateague Island and an Examination of their Trophic Level Using Stable Isotopes.

Brett Mann, M.S.

(January 2015-December 2016)

"Biodiversity of Leaf Litter and Arboreal Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) In a Temperate Mid-Atlantic Forest"

Mallory Hagadorn, M.S.

(January 2013-May 2016)

"Maryland Dung beetles and their gut endosymbionts". She was supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Mallory completed her PhD at Utah State University working with Karen Kapheim. 

She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Kentucky.

linkedin.com/in/mallory-hagadorn-phd-709751270

Elizabeth Rentz, M.S.

(January 2011 - May 2013)

"Species diversity and succession of dung beetles attracted to horse dung on Assateague Island".

Summer 2011 Elizabeth was supported by a Guerrieri Undergraduate Summer Research Endowment ($2500).

Kendall Beauchamp

(Spring 2023 - Fall 2024)

Kendall is examining the mammal-dung beetle associations using choice tests. In the summer of 2023, Kendall was supported by a Guerrieri Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship.

Maya Feick

(Spring 2024)

Maya is examining the ant biodiversity and their behavior on herbaceous plants on the campus of Salisbury University.

Summer 2024, Maya was supported by a research grant through the Office of Graduate Studies.

Left: Diva Shrestha is helping Maya collect ants.

Philip Becnel

(Fall 2021 - Spring 2024)

Spring 2023, Philip examined the scarab beetles in the Salisbury city park.

Spring 2022, Philip worked on a project titled "Scarabs on an Urban Campus," where they sampled all Scarabaeoidea present on the campus of Salisbury University. They received a Green Fund for materials and a Guerrieri Summer Fellowship to support his research.

Philip updated and revised the Quick Guide for the Identification of Maryland Scarabaeoidea

Dave Palatini

(Fall 2023)

Dave worked with Philip to collect and examine the scarabs at the city park. 

Joshua Fletcher

(Fall 2022)

Joshua worked to create a quick guide for the identification of ants on Maryland's Eastern Shore. 

Min Oo

(Spring 2022)

Min worked on a MD Pollinators of Concern Website. He documented the threatened and endangered bees and wasps of Maryland. This is a collaboration between the Salisbury Zoological Park, Salisbury University, and the MD Department of Natural Resources.

Connor Morningred

(Spring 2021 - Fall 2021)

Connor worked on a habitat assessment for the state endangered King's Hairstreak, Satyrium kingi. His work will contribute to the lab's research of insect pollinators of concern. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsoqiascgpg

Brittany Grubb

(Spring 2021 - Fall 2021)

Brittany and Connor worked on the habitat assessment for the state endangered King's Hairstreak, Satyrium kingi.

Willow Mensah

(Spring 2021 - Fall 2021)

Willow worked on the species descriptions and taxonomic keys to the Trogidae of Maryland. Her work contributed to the The Scarabaeoid Beetles of Maryland (Coleoptera).

Fall 2021 Willow mined biodiversity data for the Scarabs of Maryland.

Courtney Rogall

(Spring 2020 - Fall 2020)

Courtney worked on a website for Maryland Pollinators of Concern. Her main focus was Butterflies. This work was published on the Salisbury Zoological Website.

Lien Miller

(Spring 2020-Fall 2020)

Lien worked with M.S. student Denise Manole to identify ants of Assateague Island, and to examine their food preference and trophic levels using stable isotopes.

Kara Adomopolis

(Fall 2019)

Scientific Illustrations

Abigail Wilson

(Summer 2019 - Fall 2019)

Abigail worked on the Ants of Assateague Island with graduate student Denise Manole.

Denise Manole

(Spring 2018 - Fall 2018)

Denise is worked on Scarabaeoidea beetles collected in two old Growth Forests of Garrett County MD.  This research is in collaboration with Gwen Brewer of the MD DNR.

Denise created species descriptions and taxonomic keys to the Dynastinae of Maryland.

Brittany Knight

(Spring 2016-Fall 2017)

Brittany worked on scientific illustrations for the Scarabaeidae Subfamily Cetoniinae.

Kristina Jourdanis

(Fall 2017)

Kristina worked on species descriptions for the Cetoniinae.

Caitlin Nicodemi

(Spring 2016)

Caitlin worked on species descriptions, taxonomic keys, and illustrations for the Scarabaeidae Subfamily Cetoniinae.

Emily Rossbach

(Spring 2015-Fall 2015)

Emily worked on the taxonomic keys and species descriptions for the Scarabs of Maryland.

Emily worked as a Laboratory Technician at Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory.

Emily Rowe

(Spring 2015-Fall 2016)

Emily worked with Brett Mann to examine the Species Diversity of Ants in E.A. Vaughan WMA in lower Worcester County.

Emily currently works at the Red Shedman Farm Brewery.

Michael Molina

(Spring 2015-Fall 2015)

Mike worked with Patrick Simons to examine dung beetle communities in seven forests on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Patrick Simons

(Spring 2014-Fall 2015)

"Species composition of dung beetles across seven forests of Maryland's Eastern Shore"

Kaitlyn Mitchell

(Summer 2013-Spring 2015)

Kaitlyn worked with Mallory (M.S. student) to examine Dung beetles on Organic and Conventionally Managed Cow Farms.  She also worked to determine the gut Microbiome of dung beetles.

Katie Ballentine

(Spring 2014-Fall 2014)

Katie worked on the Scarabaeoidea Museum Collection here at SU. She was our museum curator - labeling and identifying specimens, documenting their presence in different Maryland Counties using Google Drive spreadsheets, and preparing specimens for donation to the National Museum of Natural History.

Julie Schmidt 

(Fall 2013)

Julie worked on a project in collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources.  She curated and identified Scarabaeoid beetles collected from Old Growth and Second Growth Upland Forests in Garrett County Maryland.

Joseph Restein

(Spring 2013 - Fall 2103)

Joe worked with Mallory Hagadorn and Kaitlyn Mitchell to create an efficient scaling system to assess dung beetle abundance on dairy cow farms throughout Maryland.

Simone Nemes

(Spring 2012 - Spring 2013)

Simone worked on "Illustrated keys to the to the dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) of Maryland."

Simone went on to get a degree at the Rhode Island School of Design. 

Jennifer Shaughney

(Summer 2012 - Fall 2012)

Summer 2012 Jenny conducted a bioinventory of Scarabs in seven counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Jenny currently works for the Nebraska Game and Parks as an outdoor educator at Schramm Education Center in Gretna, Nebraska.

David Ortiz

(Spring 2012)

David worked on a project that began during summer 2011 (see Stephen below).  "Change in Species Composition of Dung Beetles Across Seven Forests of Marylands Eastern Shore".

Stephen Kelly

(Summer 2011)

"Species composition of dung beetles across seven forests of Maryland's Eastern Shore".

Jason Smith

(Spring 2011 - Fall 2011)

Jason worked on a Department of Natural Resources project.  He curated and identified Scarabaeoid beetles collected from Old Growth and Second Growth Upland Forests in Garrett County Maryland. 

Nelson Dyer (Photo by Kathy Pusey)

(Fall 2010 - Fall 2011)

"Notes on the Diversity and Foraging Heights of Carrion Beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Nassawango Creek Preserve, Maryland". 

Ryan Johnston

(Spring 2010 - Spring 2011)

Ryan conducted a bioinventory of the Scarabaeoidea of Wicomico and Worchester Counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Lauren Brenneman

(Fall 2008 - Spring 2010)

Lauren's examined the dung beetle diversity in Wicomico and Worcester Counties.

Michelle Meininger

(Fall 2008 - Fall 2009)

Michelle volunteered with the pinning, and labeling of insects from French Guiana.  She also helped with the sorting of local dung beetles.