Anastasia Baluk Garavaglia
Undergraduate Museum Intern
I am an undergraduate majoring in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. From a young age, I have been deeply curious about wildlife, spending countless hours outdoors and even bringing nature into my home by raising
caterpillars, ladybugs, and tadpoles. What began as a personal passion has now opened the door to the exciting possibility of working at the Kawahara Lab with Dr. Bert Foquet, where I am rearing caterpillars to study the evolution of silk glands through CT scans.
Andrew Hong
Undergraduate volunteer
Nothing gets me excited like Lepidoptera. I’ve raised, pinned, and studied hundreds of them, especially the giant silkmoths. When I was three, my parents took me to the Butterfly Rainforest which triggered a passion that continues to this day. I now rear caterpillars in this lab and carry out silk gland dissections to get a better understanding of these winged beauties.
Skyla Sheehy
Undergraduate volunteer
My initial venture into insects involved volunteering in a butterfly house. Teaching young children about Lepidoptera sparked my curiosity and inspired me to continue my experience with entomology. Coming full circle, I now rear caterpillars in the Kawahara lab to study the evolution of silk glands. I’m excited to expand my involvement with this project and continue to grow more comfortable around these fascinating creatures!
Olivia Van Der Vlugt
Undergraduate volunteer
I’m an undergraduate Entomology and Nematology student on the pre-professional track. I’m currently interested in medical entomology, particularly how insects and insect-byproducts can be used as medicine and medical equipment. In the Kawahara Lab, I help Dr. Bert Foquet rear caterpillars and collect their silk for further testing.
For questions about undergraduate research opportunities in the Kawahara Lab, please contact Akito Kawahara (kawahara@flmnh.ufl.edu) and David Plotkin (dplotkin@ufl.edu)