May 2023

January 2023

Magda Argueta-Guzman led the first published paper arising from our graduate seminar on pollinators and pollination! This paper was a real departure for all of us, but we (and especially Magda!) learned a lot in the process. We looked at terminology used in the scientific literature on managed and unmanaged birds and bees, and make suggestions to avoid using loaded terminology. Congratulations to Maghda and our friend and fearless leader on this project Erin Wilson-Rankin.

June 2, 2022

It is really bittersweet to say goodbye to a bunch of awesome undergrads! The pandemic cut our time together too short, but we will treasure the time you were with us and look forward to what comes next for you. We look forward to all the great things that Noah Kim (bottom row 2nd from right), Kevin Flores (not pictured), Chloe Lam (bottom row, 2nd from left), Aberdeen Fernandez (bottom row first from right), Helen Vo (top row 3rd from right), and Ava Stevenson (top row 1st from left) accomplish! 

May 26, 2022

It has been too long since we updated the website! Big news today - Jessica Maccaro is, as of today, Ph.D. candidate Maccaro! She also received an NSF GRFP this year. Our paper with Marilia Gairasa is online early today in AmNat. Earlier this week a shortfilm highlighting collaborative research that we are part of went live on YouTube. And in the past 2 years (since our last news update!) Lyna Ngor started her Ph.D. with us!

June 29, 2019

We welcome Magda Argueta-Guzman to the lab. Magda is studying plant-pollinator-pathogen networks on the Channel Islands and has a UC-Mexus Ph.D. fellowship. 

We also congratulate Hoang Vuong on his excellent 1st first author paper!

June 3, 2019

Jason is now Dr. Rothman! Jason is the first Ph.D. to graduate from the lab, and we are incredibly proud of his accomplishments. He is now starting at postdoc with the amazing Katrine Whiteson at UCI. Jason will continue to do great things!

May 3, 2019

The graduate students in the McFrederick lab are amazing. Hoang resubmitted his big comparative genomics paper, Jason published his study of how the bumble bee microbiota interacts with selenium, Laura got an NSF GRFP, and Kaleigh got a USDA predoctoral fellowship. Kudos team melittology! 

April 23, 2019

We took advantage of the amazing bloom this spring to get a new lab photo. From left to right: Laura Leger, Kaleigh Russell, Eva Huang, Evan Palmer-Young, Jason Rothman, Hoang Vuong. Flowers are Phacelia minor. Missing Lyna Ngor.

August 2018 

Awesome crew this summer. we hosted two fantastic undergraduate researchers, Rodrigo Burciaga (MSRIP-Mexico) and Lyna Ngor (RISE). Lots of great data and fun with bees! Top row left to right: Kaleigh Russell, Miriam Martinez, Sara Marquez, Lyna Ngor. Bottom row left to right: Laura Leger, Rodrigo Burciaga, Quinn McFrederick, Jason Rothman, Hoang Vuong. Missing Evan Palmer-Young.

September 8, 2016

New UCR melittology microbe lab paper out now in Microbial Ecology. We show that flowers and 7 species of wild megachilid bees share microbes, suggesting that flowers act as hotspots for bacterial transmission.  We also propose the name Lactobacillus micheneri for the most common bacterium that we have found in flowers and wild bees. We chose that name to honor the late, great father of melittology, Charles D. Michener.

August 26, 2016

We had a great crew this summer and got lots of research done. Below from left to right is Quinn McFrederick, Kaleigh Russell, Laura Leger, Kristina Martinez, Sara Marquez, Hoang Vuong, Jason Rothman, and Hamutahl Cohen. Peter Graystock was traveling on photo day.

August 6, 2015

Lots of research going on this summer with many new people in the lab! Both Pearl Le (Research Assistant) and Sarah Miller (REU) continue working in the lab this summer.  Welcome to REU student Citlali Perez, RISE student Duane Kim, and volunteers Natalie Oh and Mark Moore. 

August 5, 2015

Postdoc Peter Graystock's paper on florally transmitted diseases between bee species out at PRSB. This paper will have a big impact. Congratulations Peter!

March 3, 2015

Welcome new postdoc Peter Graystock. The melittology lab is really cranking now. 

January 27, 2015

Welcome new Undergraduate researcher Sarah Miller.

January 12, 2015

Welcome new Undergraduate researcher Pearl Le and Microbiology graduate student Jason Rothman.

December, 2014

Welcome new Microbiology graduate student Hoang Vuong.

September, 2014

Welcome Staff Research Associate Kaleigh Russell.