People

Ge has been beekeeping and studying bees for the past ten years. He received his PhD from Iowa State University and completed his first post-doc project at New Mexico State University.  He is now studying how honey bee health is affected when they are moved from California to Washington State for pollinating specialty crops such as almond, blueberry, apple and canola.

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ge.zhang1@wsu.edu

Ryan is originally from Holland, Michigan, and he completed his PhD at the University of Kentucky in the Gonthier lab studying spotted-wing drosophila in blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry crops. His doctoral work focused on identifying landscape influences on spotted-wing drosophila and management practices that reduce damage to small fruit crops. His work also made him an excellent small fruit grower and a novice organic vegetable grower. He has a passion for landscape ecology and multivariate statistics and his work at WSU applies both to commercial honey bee colony health. In his free time, Ryan hikes in pursuit of plant, insect, and landscape photos and plays video games.

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Instagram: instagram.com/couskues

Taylor is 4^th generation beekeeper and has worked with honey bees for over 10 years. She is a postdoctoral researcher in the Hopkins lab. Her doctoral work focused on the behavioral ecology and genetics of Varroa destructor. While at WSU, she is largely working on studying the impacts of different supplemental diets on honey bee health within stationary and migratory colonies. Taylor also studies difference in Varroa mite population structure across the United States. In her free time Taylor creates social media content about all things women’s history. 

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Rae received their Ph.D. from WSU in 2020, and worked for almost three years as a postdoctoral research associate in the Hopkins Lab. Since then, they have found a love for teaching and supporting other folks’ research, and have been working as the Bee Program Administrator since March 2023. This role allows them to help organize workshops, offer research support, and serve in an outreach and education role.

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rae.olsson@wsu.edu

Jenifer grew up in Othello, WA. She enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, documentaries and photographing wildlife. 
Exploring new places brings her joy. Heer passion for environmental conservation started 5 years ago and she realized that if we all work together, we can provide a sustainable future for generations to come. Jenifer is proud to be part of the honey bee research program as a Front Desk Assistant and looks forward to serving the community. 

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Ben is our apiary manager at the Honey Bee and Pollinator Research, Extension, and Education Facility in Othello, WA. Ben found his passion for honey bee hive health after dabbling in beekeeping as a hobby 10 years ago. Since then, Ben has expanded his knowledge and skills by capturing feral swarms for research in the remote canyons of southern Utah. He has also worked as a field trial monitor assisting the development of an RNAi miticide for varroa control, and most recently, he worked on a project to develop in-hive technology that monitors the conditions within a bee colony. Ben’s ongoing fascination with honey bees inspired him to move to Othello and contribute to our WSU Honey Bee + Pollinators Programs research!

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Kiersten Ritchie is a PhD candidate in Dr. Sheppard’s lab.  She is interested in pollinators, agriculture, and honey bee reproductive biology.  Her research centers around differential sperm use by honey bee queens of different subspecies.  Kiersten received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Washington where she took an entomology course that sparked her passion for honey bees and all insects.

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Riley caught his first swarm during his junior year of high school and was immediately hooked. He completed his B.Sc. from WSU while working as a technical assistant in the honey bee program. He is pursuing a PhD under the direction of Dr. Brandon Hopkins.  His research interests include Varroa and beekeeping management and improving pollinator forage.

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“You cannot work for food when there is no food for work” and “You cannot tell a hungry child you gave him/her food yesterday” (An African Proverb). Igbagbolere believes the pollination service offered by honey bees is a vital tool in contributing to food sustainability. This piques his interest in honey bee health, pests, and pathogens. He received his bachelor’s degree in Crop Production and Protection at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, and he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Entomology with research on varroa mite with the Hopkins lab.

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Taydin’s interest in insects has been lifelong, but his formal entomological education starts in 2023. He is joining the Hopkins lab after spending time working in pediatric medical research. Their work will focus on honey bee health, pest management, and ecology, and they are co-advised by Dr. David Crowder.

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Chris is from Shelton, Washington and is majoring in Biology with a focus in Entomology. His largest area of interest is forensic entomology, with animal sentience a close second. Their passion for entomology can be traced back to their childhood, imagining that Grandma Rita’s garden stones were trapdoor spiders and a beloved, gifted encyclopedia with a dichotomous key.

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Joey Rosario is majoring both in Biology and Fine Arts! She joined the honey bee program to learn more about bees and to see if she likes conducting research. Outside of school, she enjoys both indoor and outdoor activities such as skiing, watching anime, and arts and crafts.

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Olivia is studying zoology at Washington State University in hopes to pursue a fulfilling career exploring and discovering all nature has to offer. Her interest in biology started at a young age with her passion for marine life and has since expanded to include all aspects of biology. This opportunity also allows her to experience the world of hands-on research, which is something she hopes to continue to pursue. Outside of bee work Olivia also enjoys camping, baking, and working on her jeep.

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Sam Weiland is studying Plant Biology at WSU and wishes to pursue a career in mycology. He is involved in research on honeybee interaction with specialized crops and loves working hands-on with the bees. 

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Katy is earning dual degrees in bioengineering and biochemistry at WSU with plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mycology and engineering. Currently, she is researching fungal biocomposites potential application to pollinator conservation.  Katy was inspired after reading about WSU bee lab research with Ganoderma lucidum and is now working to grow nesting habitat for cavity-dwelling pollinators to see if these bee species incur benefit from nesting in a medicinal fungus.

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