I am interested in how sperm competition influences male reproductive traits, with a special emphasis on the flexibility of those traits. My Ph.D. dissertation focused on how environmental factors alter allocation to reproductive tissue and thereby influence mating dynamics. Using the walnut-infesting tephritid fly, R. juglandis, I showed that testes growth in males is adjusted in relation to social environment, with males growing larger testes when operational sex ratio is more male-biased and sperm competition correspondingly more intense. In another study conducted in collaboration with Diane O'Brien (Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks), I used stable isotopes to assess the extent to which testes growth was derived from nutrients obtained as larvae versus as adults.

In addition to my research focus, I have a strong commitment to the application of scientific knowledge to secondary education. While a Ph.D. student at UA, I helped found a course called Insect Discovery which trains students to use insect biology in education outreach.

I defended my dissertation in April 2007 and now live in Alaska, where I am currently Director of Education at the Museum of the North in Fairbanks.