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  Ted R . Schultz Principal Investigator I am driven by strong interests in the evolution and systematics of ants, especially the fungus-growing ants (Myrmicinae: Attini), the historical ecology and evolution of the fungus-growing behavior, the theory and methodology of phylogenetic analysis, including Bayesian statistical approaches and the reconstruction of ancestral character states, and quantitative methods for assessing ant biodiversity. more...             Eugenia M. Okonski Museum Specialist I keep the Smithsonian AntLab organized and running by carrying out a broad range of research- and collections-related activities. These include curating the ant collection, databasing our traditional and cryo-stored collections, preparing museum specimens, maintaining living colonies of fungus-growing ants, creating extended-focus images of ant specimens, handling loan transactions, and hosting visitors.   LAB Technicians at MSC: Paul Armstrong received his Ph.D. in Zoology in 2001 from the University of Hawaii, where he worked on the conservation genetics of the Hawaiian monk seal.  Paul has extensive experience in all aspects of molecular systematics, including designing and setting up George Roderick's lab at UC Berkeley.  We are fortunate to have him working in the AntLab as a molecular systematics technician. Hong Zhao received a Master's degree in Botany in 2001 from the Southwest Agricultural University in Chongqing, China.  As part of the Lepidoptera AToL project, Hong worked for two years in the laboratory of Dr. Jerry Regier at the University of Maryland, where she acquired formidable skills in molecular systematics methods.  Sean Brady and Ted Schultz are fortunate to have Hong working as a molecular systematics technician on a number of ongoing projects. Emeritus AntLab Technicians:   Nor Farida Dahlan Matt Kweskin     Postdocs         Rachelle M. M. Adams Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, January 2009-December 2010 "Phylogeny of the Solenopsidini." My research interests encompass the integration of three fields, chemical ecology, behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. At the Smithsonian, my project focuses on the evolution of social parasitism and reproductive strategies in ants. more...     Natasha J. Mehdiabadi Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, September 2007 -September 2009 "Phylogenetic & Behavioral Tests of Symbiont Choice in the Attine Ant-Fungus Symbiosis." My research program on the evolution of cooperation spans multiple levels of analysis (field work to molecular work), a range of symbiotic interactions (from parasitism to mutualism), and a diversity of systems (social insects and microbes). more...     Shelah I. Morita NSF International Research Fellow, Tabanid PEET Project In general, I am interested in the role species interactions play in shaping organismal evolution and diversity. My research focuses on the ecological systematics of horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) and how the evolution of floral associated morphology may be linked to their diversity. more... http://pangonid.net/index.html     Scott E. Solomon NSF International Research Fellow and Smithsonian Postdoctoral Research Fellow, June 2007 -December 2010 "Evolutionary history of the higher attine symbiosis." I am generally interested in how evolutionary and ecological processes produce patterns in geographical space, a field known as biogeography. I use ants as a model system, which are useful because they are widespread and abundant, and because ant species diversity is considered to be a good indicator of diversity in other groups. more....   Grad Students                 Jeffrey Sosa-Calvo Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow, Maryland Center for Systematic Entomology (MCSE) (A joint program between the University of Maryland and the NMNH Department of Entomology) My main interests are the systematics, behavior, and evolutionary biology of insects, especially ants (Formicidae) and parasitic wasps (Scoliidae). As part of my graduate studies I am focused on conducting the systematic revision of the primitive non-leaf-cutting fungus-growing ant genus Myrmicocrypta, and the construction of coevolutionary hypotheses including the ants and their symbionts (fungal cultivars, Escovopsis weed molds, & Pseudonocardia, antibiotic producing bacterial mutualism). more...                   Research Associates         Leeanne E. Alonso, Vice President & Director, Rapid Assessment Program, Conservation International My current research focuses on assessing ant diversity and protecting ants and their habitats. I co-edited, with Ted Schultz and others, Ants: Standard Methods for Measuring and Monitoring Biodiversity, which has become the standard for sampling and monitoring ants. I am involved in teaching the annual “Ant Course” and my newest project is writing a field guide to the Ants of Eastern North America with the aim of getting people to appreciate how much ants do for us every day!      John S. LaPolla Assistant Professor of Biology, Towson University http://www.towson.edu/biology/TU%20Biology%20-%20LaPolla.htm My research emphasizes revisionary systematics, biotic surveys, and phylogenetics of ants. Much of my systematics related work has focused on the second largest subfamily of ants, the Formicinae, which contains some of the most behaviorally and ecologically interesting ant species. I am also interested in developing and testing techniques for sampling ants in different habitats around the world. I have conducted various biotic surveys across the Guiana Shield region of South America with the aim of better under-standing patterns of species diversity across this fascinating area.                   Interns                                       Lia Corbett           Jessica Louton             Michelle Martineau Assisting with the implementation and design of an ant workshop for local public schools.           Studying the diversity of leaf-litter Pheidole in Guyana; DNA barcoding and producing digital auto-montage images of specimens.             Assisting with the implementation and design of an ant workshop for local public schools. Alumni     Rachelle Adams     Research assistant, January 1998 to December 2000 Current position: Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Smithsonian Institution, Department of Entomology AntLab.   Thomas Artiss       Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Smithsonian Institution Graduate Research Fellow. (Summer 1998.)  "Molecular phylogenetics of the dragonfly genus Libellula." Current position: Instructor (Biology, Forensic Science), Lakeside School, Seattle, WA.   Lynn Atkinson       Smithsonian Institution Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Dec 1997 - Dec 1998) "A phylogenetic study of the termite genus Nasutitermes."  Current position: University of Connecticut   Philip Barden       NMNH/NSF Research Training Program Intern (May - August 2008)    "Diversity of leaf-litter Pheidole in Guyana: DNA barcoding and Auto-Montage digital images." Current position: Undergraduate, Arizona State University   Sean Brady       NSF/SI Postdoctoral Fellow (Sept 2003 - July 2009) "Molecular phylogenetics of fungus-growing ants."  NSF/SI Assembling the Tree of Life Postdoctoral Researcher and co-PI.  "AToL: Collaborative research on ant phylogeny: a comprehensive evolutionary tree for the world's premiere social organisms."  Current position: Research Entomologist, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. http://entomology.si.edu/StaffPages/BradyS.htm   Tam Dang       Intern (summer 2008)   Jonathan Chen       NMNH/NSF Research Training Program Intern (May - August 2004) Undergraduate, Oberlin College. "The origin of yeast cultivation in the fungus-growing ant genus Cyphomyrmex."   Stephanie Johnson       NMNH/NSF Research Training Program Intern (May - August 2003) Undergraduate, Cornell University "Cyphomyrmex longiscapus: One fungus-growing ant species or many?"   Matthew Kweskin       Research Assistant (6 months in 1997) Current position: Biological Science Technician, Smithsonian Institution, Department of Entomology AntLab   John S. LaPolla       Smithsonian Institution Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Sept 2004 - Aug 2006)  "Ant Biodiversity of the Guyana Shield." Current Position: Assistant Professor, Towson University, Towson, MD. http://www.towson.edu/biology/TU%20Biology%20-%20LaPolla.htm   Christopher Marshall       Smithsonian Institution Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Feb 2001 - Jan 2002) "The Phylogeny of the Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera: Polyphaga): An analysis based on the nuclear protein coding gene, Elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1a)."  Current position: Collections Manager, Oregon State Arthropod Collection, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. http://osac.science.oregonstate.edu/people/OSUentomology_MarshallChristopher   Jeremy A. Miller        Smithsonian Institution Postdoctoral Research Fellow (July 2004 June 2005)  "Molecular phylogenetics of widow spiders (genus Latrodectus)."  Current position: Permanent Researcher, Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum (Naturalis), Leiden, The Netherlands. http://science.naturalis.nl/research/people/cv/miller   Laura Victoria Florez Patino       NMNH/NSF Research Training Program Intern (May - August 2007) Undergraduate,  Universidad de Los Andes Bogotá, Colombia "Morphology and DNA barcoding of the ant genus Pheidole: Are they congruent?"   Angel Benito Perez       Smithsonian Institution/Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Partnership Intern (July 2003 - July 2005) Undergraduate,  University of Puerto Rico.   Molly Rightmyer       Smithsonian Institution Molecular Evolution Postdoctoral Fellow (June 2007 -May 2009) "Phylogeny and coevolution in the cleptoparasitic bee genus Nomada (Hymenoptera: Apidae)."  Current position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, USDA Agriculture Research Service, Pollinating Insect Lab, Logan, Utah.   Maria A.M. Sallum       Postdoctoral Fellow, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (Mar 1998 - Feb 2000) "Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Anopheles Megan (Diptera: Culicidae)." Current position: Departamento de Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil   Eli Sarnat       Research Assistant (Summer 2000)   Riitta Savolainen     NSF of Finland Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Jan 1997 - Nov 1997) "Evidence from mitochondrial gene sequences on the origin and diversification of the ant genus Formica." Current position: Professor, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland. http://www.helsinki.fi/bioscience/ecology/savolainen.htm   Elisabeth Schlegel       Intern (Summer 2008)   Sarah A. Solomon       NMNH/NSF Research Training Program Intern (May - August 1999) Undergraduate,  Appalachian State University “The discrimination of two cryptic fungus-growing ant species within the Cyphomyrmex longiscapus species complex.”   Kyle Vick       Graduate student.  Department of Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland at College Park. (Winter 2001 to January 2005.)  "Investigations of ant vision and visually mediated navigation." Current position: Assistant Professor of Psychology, Shawnee State University, Portsmouth, Ohio.   Corey Washington        Assistant Professor, Dept. Philosophy, University of Maryland "Visual navigation in leaf-cutter ants."  (Host scientist) (Dec 2001 - July 2003) Current position: Graduate student, Columbia University Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, New York.

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