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Nicole Quinn

PhD Candidate, Entomology

 

I am currently a PhD candidate at Virginia Tech, based at the Alson H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Winchester, VA. I graduated from Gettysburg College (2012) with a BSc in Biology and from Michigan State University (2015) with an MS in Entomology. For my MS project, I studied habitat management for beneficial insects in squash and cucumbers.  In 2016, I began my PhD at Virginia Tech with Dr. Chris Bergh and co-advisor, Dr. Tracy Leskey (USDA).

I am interested in the biological control of invasive species of agricultural importance. My research focuses on brown marmorated stink bug and its natural enemies in orchards and wild host plants. Much of my work focuses on the samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus), a highly effective Asian parasitoid of brown marmorated stink bug eggs that was recently detected in our area. My research aims to develop effective monitoring techniques for this wasp and to gain a more complete understanding of its foraging ecology and phenology.

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