Monitoring California Native Bees
Gordon Frankie, Professor
Environmental Science, Policy and Management
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2025.
Under the direction of Dr. Gordon Frankie, the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab is
monitoring diversity and abundance of California native bee species (1600 species
state-wide) and their plant preferences at various locations throughout the state. In
addition to studies in California, the Lab also investigates native bee diversity and
their interactions with plants in select sites in Costa Rica.
In close collaboration with the UC Berkeley Essig Museum of Entomology,
undergraduate researchers are needed to help curate and database the Lab’s
collection of over 136,000 bee specimens from long-term studies in California and
Costa Rica. Additionally, undergraduate researchers are expected to regularly engage
in educational outreach to inform the public on the importance of habitat gardening
and native bee conservation.
Role: Undergraduate researchers will assist in insect curation work primarily consisting of
labeling and databasing pinned specimens. Students will also be called upon to
participate in various forms of public outreach.
Qualifications: 1. A strong interest in both entomology and insect-plant interactions, especially
pertaining to pollinators.
2. Strong verbal and written communication skills with a desire to participate in
outreach.
3. Close attention to detail and ability to focus on repetitive tasks for long periods
of time.
4. Excellent dexterity, eyesight and focus for care of handling small specimens and
accurate data entry.
5. Experience in working with a spreadsheet.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Emma Coflin, Staff Researcher
Hours: 3-5 hrs
Related website: http://helpabee.org
Environmental Issues