Big Bees, Little Bees: Insect Body Size in a Changing Climate | Professor Jenny VanWyk
Schedule
Wed, 20 May, 2026 at 06:30 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Abandoned Building Brewery | Easthampton, MA
Advertisement
Big Bees, Little Bees: What We Know About Insect Body Size in a Changing ClimateWednesday, May 20, 2026
Doors open @ 6pm, presentation starts at 6:30pm
Abandoned Building Brewery
142 Pleasant Street, #103a, Easthampton, MA
- Bees are under multiple stressors: what are they, and how do they interact?
- Bees come in all shapes and sizes: how can we build predictive models using a trait based approach?
- When half your PhD site catches on fire, what do you do?
- How does a scientist shave a bee?… and why?
Jennifer VanWyk is an Assistant Professor of Ecology and Global Change at Hampshire College. She is a community ecologist and entomologist. Her research addresses factors that govern community dynamics for native bee populations, including disease transmission, plant-pollinator networks, environmental stressors, and community response to human disturbances. VanWyk received her B.A. in biology with a focus in botany from Vassar College, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in ecology from the University of California, Davis.
VanWyk focuses on how plant and insect traits mediate species interactions, and how these interactions — both mutualistic and antagonistic — affect bee population dynamics and broader ecological outcomes. Her current work on tomatoes, heatwaves, and a protozoan bee parasite, addresses basic ecological questions in an applied agricultural context. VanWyk's work in pollination ecology and bee health has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, and the USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Before joining the faculty at Hampshire College as an agroecologist, she taught ecology, entomology, environmental science, and experimental design at California State University, Chico, Mount Holyoke College, and UMass Amherst.
Bring a friend and join us as we enjoy lively conversations, prizes, and brilliant minds. Light refreshments will be available outside the presentation room, first come, first served.
ABB allows guests to bring outside food into the establishment: please feel free to bring food if you’d like to!
This is an inclusive, family-friendly event for people from all walks of life (ALL are very much welcome: kids, college students, your parents!). We promise, you'll learn something if you come. And hey, you might even win a prize! Remember... Admission is FREE!
Visit scitechcafe.org for all the info.
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Abandoned Building Brewery, Easthampton, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
