Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. – Amy Poehler
Current Team
Professor of Forest Entomology
Brian Aukema
Brian moved the lab to the University of Minnesota in 2010 after a few years as a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service at the University of Northern British Columbia. He has degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in forest entomology (MS, PhD) and biometry (environmental statistics, MS). In 2011, he was awarded a University McKnight Land-Grant Professorship. As a transplanted Canadian, his favourite type of stick is a hockey stick.
PhD Student
Jessica Rootes
Following a six-year stint in the US Air Force as a linguist working in intelligence, Jess arrived to study the dynamics of eastern spruce budworm in Minnesota and on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. She remains the only lab member past and present with a course on her transcripts entitled "Predictive Battlespace Awareness." Jess is an accomplished photographer and also enjoys all things crafty.
PhD Student
Sayesha Khanna
Sayesha joined us Fall 2023 after completing her Masters as India's representative to the Erasmus Mundus joint MS program in Plant Health sponsored by the European Union. She gained a strong background in Integrated Pest Management from studies in Spain, Italy, France, and the Netherlands and was elected valedictorian of her graduate cohort. She is working on adapting management of spongy moth with Btk to Minnesota's climate.
Master's Student
Ella Maddi
Ella came to Minnesota from the great pine state of Maine where she attended Colby College for undergrad and spent the past few years working in quality control at breweries. She is excited to be a part of the Aukema lab and is nvestigating the endemic niche of mountain pine beetles. Outside of playing with bugs, Ella enjoys frolicking through the woods with her dog and eating her way through the wonderful Twin Cities food scene.
Master's Student
Ian Grossenbacher-Mcglamery
After three summers of work with us, and a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Minnesota, the right project came along and Ian joined the team as a Masters student. Ian's experience across a variety of projects continues to be invaluable to the team, as is his love of all things boggy. He is an avid runner and skier and has a strong beard game.
Master's Student
Emma Hans
A graduate of The Ohio State University, Emma came to the lab after a postbaccalaureate fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and a stint in a fisheries ecology lab. Emma is studying the ecology, development, and natural enemies of satin moth. In her spare time, she enjoys birdwatching and crafting.
Research Technician
Clarissa Moore
After an undergraduate degree at Wellesley College in Boston that included semesters in the Caribbean and South Africa, Clarissa returned home to MN. She is leading the project studying the cold tolerance of the elongate hemlock scale. Clarissa enjoys road trips and outdoor adventures, where she often pauses to identify plants that no one asked about.
Voice of Wisdom / Best Lab Assistant Ever
Val Cervenka
Val retired from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 2023 and decided to... come volunteer with us for a few hours every week!? How did we get so lucky! She helps process field samples, provides artistic advice, proofreads paragraphs, dispenses career guidance, identifies insects, embellishes stories, and much, much more.
Alumni
Graduate Students
Emily Althoff (PhD 2024): Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, University of Missouri and Lincoln University
Rose Picklo (MS 2024): Forest pest technician, Montana Dept Natural Resources and Conservation, Missoula, MT
C. Grace Graham (MS 2024): Forester with Forest Health team, Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection
August Kramer (MS 2023): Forest Health Specialist, Central Region, Minnesota DNR
Jacob Wittman (MS 2018, PhD 2022): Data analyst with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dorah Mwangola (PhD 2022): Diagnostician with Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories national office
A. Grace Haynes (MS 2021): Extention Aide, New York state hemlock initiative
Spencer Stout (MS 2021): Educational specialist at Coe College, IA
Zachary Smith (MS 2020): County forester in Colorado
Marie Hallinen (MS 2019): Peace Corps in Senegal, then took position with EPA in Seattle, WA
Rachel Nicoll (MS 2018): Forest Health Specialist, Northwest Region, Minnesota DNR
Samuel (Fahrner) Ward (MS 2014, PhD 2018): Assistant professor at Ohio State University
Dylan Tussey (MS 2017): Postdoc at UC-Riverside
Andrea Hefty (PhD 2016): Entomologist with US Forest Service State and Private St. Paul field office
Derek Rosenberger (PhD 2016): Associate Professor of Biology at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
Marissa Streifel (MS 2016): Entomologist with US Forest Service State and Private St. Paul field office
Fraser McKee (MSc 2009, PhD 2015): Wildfire management specialist, province of Alberta
Ewing Teen (MSc 2012): Research associate at the University of Northern British Columbia
Laura Machial (MSc 2011): First Nations' technical services liaison and biologist, Edmonton, Alberta
Jordan Koopmans (MSc 2011): Medical doctor, family practice, British Columbia
Honey-Marie de la Giroday (MSc 2009): Worked as technician with Canadian Forest Service, now a nurse
Matthew Klingenberg (MSc, 2008); Worked as regional forest health officer, since moved to healthcare
Postdocs
Talia Michaud (2024): Program assistant with Partnership Resources
Julia Leone (2022-23): Pollinator biologist with Friends of the Mississippi River
Devin Goodsman (2016-18): Research scientist with Northern Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service
Kevin Chase (2016-18): Research entomologist in United Kingdom with Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Kishan Sambaraju (2008-2011): Research scientist with Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service
Undergraduates
So much of our work is made possible by our awesome technicians and summer workers who contribute to our teams every year. Some are with us only for a few months, while others return for two or even three years. After almost 20 years as a lab, it continues to be rewarding to see the diversity of careers that have been launched. Our students have gone on to positions in graduate schools (and now faculty), arboriculture, early childhood education, medical schools, state and federal agencies, and much, much more.
