It’s important to communicate the importance of science to our communities and engage young scientists in research opportunities. Our team is very excited to talk about the importance of wasps in their native habitats. Did you know that they’re predators and pollinators, so they help provide a balance in their ecosystems? And that they have remarkable similarities to human societies?

Here are a few key examples of our outreach: 

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Meet the PI Interview: Floria was interviewed as a plenary speaker for the Animal Behaviour Live 2025 conference. 

The BioHacker Podcast: Floria discusses how our twisted-wings parasites (Strepsiptera) are master manipulators of their wasp hosts in the Bugs Need Heroes podcast series

RJ and Natasha present their work at Nerd Nite: Rochester!

Flo gave a talk about zombie wasps at the Highlands of Pittsford 

Natasha and Fede give a #wasplove live demonstration while doing field work! 

Flo's research with undergraduate students is featured by the University of Rochester's News Center. Learn about her research with Zombie Wasps!

Flo is the final episode of the first season of the Animal Behavior Podcast. The podcasts are "Casual conversations between hosts (Matthew & Amy) and leading researchers in the field of animal behavior, merging science and stories." Here is a link to Flo's interview: "Insect Colonies, Flexible Societies, and Diversity in STEM”. 

Our lab recently participated in an outreach initiative for incarcerated students. Team wasp undergraduate researchers explain their projects and how behavior data is collected. This project was supported by the Rochester Education Justice Initiativeand led by Dr. Anusha Nagathan. Link to short video here: Social evolution in wasps.

 We often give presentations to local schools. Here, Flo gives a presentation to Biology students at Pinecrest High School in Miami, Florid.

The Smithsonian Channel, in collaboration with Day's Edge Productions, created and broadcasted a documentary on Trop Bio Lab's long-term work in the Solomon Islands. The documentary is available on Paramount Plus' streaming services: Islands of Creation

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT 

Floria was the special speaker for URochester's Experience Rochester Live in Washington DC.     

Floria's work featured in the Department of Biology's Newsletter

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