Michael is a 4th year PhD student from PEEC working in the Suarez Lab. His research focuses on the evolution of the worker caste in ants. He studies why some species have workers that vary in size while others don’t.
What have you been working on this past week?
This week I’ve been working on a class project for IB 437 (Physical Principles in Biology) looking at how material properties of ant worker cuticles scale with size. For ants with multiple sized workers, we know that gross morphological structures change size and shape, but we don’t know if the cuticle that makes up those structures also changes. To do this, we’re using a machine in Dr. Anderson’s lab that essentially pushes against an object and measures forces and deformation. Most of the time involved with this project went into creating holders for the tiny piece of cuticle. One again science is saved by the humble hot glue gun.
What have you been reading recently?
A Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. It follows this Navajo monster hunter as she travels the post-climate apocalypse American Southwest killing monsters! What’s not to love! It was recommended to me by the Urbana Free Library which offers custom reading suggestions!
Do you have any pets?
I have 2 cats, Blue and Ruby, and a guinea pig named Cracker. Cracker is a grumpy old guy who enjoys hay, bell peppers, and occasionally taunting the cats. His buddy, Graham, passed last winter but Cracker seems to be enjoying his golden years with a little peace and quiet.
Ruby and Blue are about a year and a half old and despite looking almost identical they have pretty different personalities. Ruby is a star and he knows it; he loves attention and will do whatever it takes to get it. While he can be frisky at times, deep down he’s a sweetheart. Blue is an angel, a snowflake, a little lady. She is very friendly but takes a while to warm up to people. I often keep one of her beds next to my computer, so she can supervise while I work from home. I don’t think anything illustrates their personalities more than my attempts at taking holiday photos of them. These are the best photos of each….
What was your favorite event of the past week?
Last week was a good week so I have 2! I got to meet my two nephews at Thanksgiving. Also I took my parents to collect ants around their neighborhood, which was lots of fun.
A view of your week:
Last week has been a lot of reading so here is a picture of body size scaling featuring a Pope Francis bookmark it got when I visited his home church in Buenos Aires. *Side note the bookstand is awesome and really helps when you are switching between reading and the computer.
