Jennifer Albert
M.Sc. candidate
Honours B.Sc. in Biology, York University
e-mail: jalbert@yorku.ca
Research Interests:
For my master's thesis project I am conducting sociobiological research on a primitively eusocial sweat bee species, Halictus farinosus. This work will involve monitoring and excavation of nests and ecological surveys in a Halictid nest aggregation located in North Logan, Utah and will take place in the spring and summer 2010 and 2011. I plan to employ molecular genetic tools in this research such as the use of microsatellites to estimate relatedness between individuals and generations of individuals within the nest. These comparisons will help us estimate how many adult females are involved in producing offspring and to determine how many males the queen has mated with; important questions in Hymenopteran sociobiology. The work will improve our understanding of social interactions and social organization in the eusocial sweat bee Halictus farinosus. Research into primitively eusocial species of bee such as H. farinosus is important in understanding the evolution of altruism which is key to the development of evolutionary theory.
Favourite Recipe:
Cilantro Pesto Pasta
Ingredients:
- a bunch of fresh cilantro
- an equal amount of fresh Basil
- a few tablespoons of sugar
- teaspoon of lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- chilli paste (to taste)
- ground or thinly sliced pork
- pasta of your choice
Directions:
Combine cilantro, basil, sugar lemon, oil and chilis in a blender and blend until well mixed, it should look like a thin pesto. Fry the pork and mix it and the sauce with the cooked pasta. You can garnish with fresh cilantro, it's super easy and delicious!
Funniest Research Story:
You do What????
Nothing funny ever happens in the lab. Although I get alot of funny looks when I tell people that I cut the heads off of bees for a living. I don't know why.