About Nicola
Education
PhD, Entomology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCONN, 2008
BS, Biology: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, Integrative Biology, UT Austin, 1999
Experience
Associate Professor, Life Sciences, Mesa Community College, Arizona, 2010 - present
Lecturer, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona, 2008 - 2010 (full time), 2017 - present (adjunct)
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Bert Hölldobler, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona, 2010-2013
Doctoral Research, Eldridge Adams, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCONN, 2001-2008
Lab Research, Kerry Russell, Yale University, 2000 - 2001
Lab Research, Larry Gilbert, UT Austin, 1999 - 2000
Activities
2022 Nominated as Keynote Speaker UCONN Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Symposium (n/a due to prior engagements)
2022 Mesa Community College Life Science Speaker series: The sum of small choices: how we can understand more about Sonoran desert harvesting ants
2022 Invited Speaker UCONN EEB: The sum of small choices: how multiple approaches guide the exploration of group foraging in Sonoran desert harvesting ants
2021 Maricopa Online Innovation Fellow and Fellowship Coordinator for the community of practice (MCCCD)
2021 Summer Project: What do ants think about? Review of cognitive neuropsychology of ants (MCC)
2020 US Ants Barcoding Project
2020 BCEENET fellow (Biological Collections In Ecology and Evolution Network)
2020 United Nations Sustainable Development OER Fellowship (MCCCD + Montgomery College + Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Canada)
2019 Summer Project: Spider Diversity on an Urban Desert Campus (MCC)
2019 Texas Ecolabs: Ecology of seed harvesting ants Phase 2 (Private grant)
2018 Summer Project: Burying beetle game: creating PBL publication (MCC)
2017 Summer Project: Seed harvesting ants: food for endangered Texas horned lizards (MCC)
2017 Texas Ecolabs: Ecology of seed harvesting ants Phase 1 (Private grant)
2016 Summer Project: Orientation in ants (MCC)
2015 Summer Project: Techniques in Curating Museum Collections (MCC)
2015 Maricopa Institute for Learning Research Fellowship (MCCCD)
2014 Summer Project: Microbiome of two Australian ant species (MCC)
2010-2013 Postdoc fellowship with Hölldobler lab, Arizona State University
2012 Nomination for College of Liberal Arts and Science Teaching Award (ASU)
2009 Nomination for College of Liberal Arts and Science Teaching Award (ASU)
2007 First Place for the President’s Prize (Entomological Society of America)
2007 Doctoral Fellowship from UCONN Graduate School (UCONN)
2007 Fellowship from the Center For Environmental Sciences and Engineering (UCONN)
2007 Demi Fellowship from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB)
2004 University of Connecticut Penner Endowment, EEB Summer Fellowships
2005 University of Connecticut Penner Endowment, EEB Summer Fellowships
2006 University of Connecticut Penner Endowment, EEB Summer Fellowships