Researcher biographies
Gordon W. Frankie, Principal Investigator
Gordon Frankie is a professor emeritus and research entomologist in the department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management in the College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley. His specialty is behavioral ecology of solitary bees in wildland and urban environments of California and Costa Rica. He used to teach various conservation and environmental problem-solving classes at UC Berkeley. For more information on Dr. Frankie's research:
https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people/gordon-frankie
https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people/gordon-frankie
Rollin Coville, Lead Photographer
Rollin received his Ph.D. degree in Entomology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1978. He recently retired from AT&T where he served as a systems analyst and programmer. For more than 25 years his primary outside interest has been photographing insects and spiders. He also has a strong interest in the biology and behavior of Hymenoptera and has published papers on Trypoxylon wasps and Centris bees.
Amanda Niemela, Project Taxonomist
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Amanda graduated from UC Berkeley in the spring of 2023 with a degree in Genetics and Plant Biology from the College of Natural Resources. Amanda joined the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab in the fall of 2021 because of her passion for conservation biology, interest in plant-pollinator interactions, and because of her enthusiasm for science advocacy. In her free time, she teaches debate and public speaking to high school students and enjoys exploring nature with her friends and family.
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Jerid Vega, research assistant
Jerid graduated with a degree in Molecular Environmental Biology from UC Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources in the spring of 2023. Jerid joined the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab out of an interest in gardening and attracting wildlife to gardens. Alongside assisting Dr. Gordon Frankie with several research topics, Jerid also works at the UC Berkeley Essig Museum of Entomology. Jerid is primarily interested in conservation biology and studying the predators and parasites of native bees.
Previous Lab Affiliates
Dr. Robbin Thorp, Project Taxonomist (1933-2019)
Dr. Thorp was Professor Emeritus of Entomology at the University of California, Davis. He retired in 1994 after 30 years of teaching, research, and mentoring graduate students. He continued to conduct research on pollination biology and ecology, systematics, biodiversity and conservation of bees, especially bumble bees. He had special interests in native bees of the vernal pool ecosystem. For more information on life history and pollination by these bees, see: www.vernalpools.org/Thorp/.
To read more about Dr. Thorp’s incredible career and his vast achievements and contributions to science, please see Kathy Keatley Garvey's piece honoring Dr. Thorp here.
To read more about Dr. Thorp’s incredible career and his vast achievements and contributions to science, please see Kathy Keatley Garvey's piece honoring Dr. Thorp here.
Sara Witt
Sara has a B.S. in Conservation and Resource Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree at Cal Poly Pomona. She first worked with the Urban Bee Lab while a student at Berkeley as part of the undergraduate research assistant program, and later as the lab manager. Sara also works as an ecologist for the non-profit organization Grassroots Ecology, which involves volunteers in habitat restoration and community science in parks and along creeks in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. She also enjoys volunteering as a docent, leading hikes and assisting with bioblitzes at preserves and parks in the Bay Area.
Sarah caso
Sarah graduated from UC Berkeley in the spring of 2024 with a degree in Environmental Science, focusing on bee ecology. Her thesis was on the impact of urbanization on the reproductive health of the native bee Osmia lignaria, also known as the blue orchard bee. She also conducts research on the impact of heat on Osmia sp. development and foraging site fidelity of Melissodes sp. and Diadasia sp. Sarah joined the Urban Bee Lab in the fall of 2020 out of a desire to help with the conservation of helpful native insects and plants after having previously worked with the management of invasive plants and insects. She is passionate about environmental education, and loves to give presentations for the lab on bee diversity and conservation.
Marissa Chase
Marissa graduated from Cal with a degree in Molecular Environmental Biology (Insect Biology concentration) and a minor in Forestry. She hopes to continue researching native bees and the development and shift of their floral preferences spatially and temporally. Marissa enjoys collecting and identifying insects and spiders for her personal collection, backpacking/hiking, learning to play guitar, and eating (mainly Takis)/cooking.
Ivonne Verduzco
Ivonne has B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Developmental Genetics from the University of California, Berkeley. She joined the lab her freshman year of university and stayed involved throughout her undergraduate career.
