Thesis: “Reliability and the waggle dance: Honest honey bees dance more and
attract more followers than dishonest bees”. First author manuscript in progress.
2008-2012: B.A., Oberlin College, Biology, minor in Environmental Studies
Collective decision making and age polyethism in ants
Ant tracking software
2011-2012: Research Student
Oberlin College, Department of Biology
Laboratory of Dr. Mary Garvin
Identification of bees from reclaimed and active coal mining sites
Construction of native plants and pollinator teaching garden
Winter 2012: Research Assistant
University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology
Laboratory of Dr. Daniel Janzen
Biodiversity inventory project
Spring 2011: Field Work Researcher
Australian Department of the Environment and Primary Industries
Field work and agricultural surveys for the Asian Honeybee Containment Program
Winter 2010: Collections Intern
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Department of Invertebrate Zoology
Advisor: Dr. John Rawlins
Illustration, collections, and data management
Oxman KL, Feinerman O, Shafir S. Reliability and the waggle dance: Honest honey bees dance more and attract more followers than dishonest bees. Manuscript in preparation.
Hendriksma HP, Oxman KL, Shafir S (2014) Amino acid and carbohydrate tradeoffs by honey bee nectar foragers and their implications for plant-pollinator interactions. Journal of Insect Physiology. 69, 56-64.
2020: Funding for Research and Partnership Building - from the Office of Global Engagement & Education Abroad ($1500)
2019: Drexel CoAS - BEES Graduate Student Travel Award ($500)
2016: Lily Tepper Memorial Award of Excellence for Graduate Students ($2700)
2016: Gabriel Triwaks Memorial Award for Research with Honey Bees
Winter 2019: Teaching Assistant
Drexel University
"BIO 124: Evolution and Organismal Biology (Laboratory)"
Fall 2019: Teaching Assistant
Drexel University
"ENVS 101: Intro to Environmental Science (Field Methods)"
Spring 2017: Teaching Assistant
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"Apiculture: Beekeeping and Apiary Management" (B.Sc. seniors)
2014-2015: Lead Educator
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Youth Science Center
“Form & Function in Honey Bee Architecture" – intro to the scientific method
Designed and led seven-month workshop (gifted middle schoolers)
2019 - Present: Fairmount Park Conservancy
Volunteer Ambassador
2018 - Present:
Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild
Philadelphia Honey Festival, and Science Festival - educational demos and observation hive (volunteer)
2018:
Judith Creed Homes for Adult Independence
life skills workshop (volunteer)
2012-2013:
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Department of Education,
Exhibit Manager Live Butterflies
2012-2013:
Philadelphia Zoo, Department of Education
Conservation Educator
2012 & 2013:
Camp Galil
Ropes Course and Camping Trip Manager
Winter 2011:
WWOOF NZ: The Animal Sanctuary & Wilderland Sustainable Living
Wildlife Rehabilitation Volunteer and Permaculture Intern
2020-present:
International Union for the Study of Social Insects
2019-present:
Animal Behavior Society
2019-present:
Israel Zoological Society
2019-present:
Fairmount Park conservency
2017-present:
Philadelphia Beekeeper’s Guild
2017-present:
Entomological Society of America
2014-2017:
Entomological Society of Israel
Feb 2020 (postponed): Social Insects of the Northeast Region Meeting (SINNERS)
(Accepted talk), Brooklyn, NY
“Human awareness of social arthropod behavior: Visual models”
Jan 2020: Annual Biology Department Symposium
(Accepted talk), Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY
“Seasonal variation in honey bee foraging behavior across Philadelphia's urban landscape”
Dec 2019: The 56th Meeting of the Zoological Society of Israel
(Accepted talk), Jerusalem, Israel
“Decoded honey bee dances reveal seasonal transition from broadly distributed to spatially discrete foraging in Philadelphia’s urban landscape”
Oct 2019: Protecting Pollinators in Urban Landscapes Conference
(Invited talk), Cincinnati, OH.
"Section: Pollinators in the urban environment: coping with a complex landscape”
Nov 2018: Entomological Society of America, Canada, and British Columbia Joint Meeting
(Poster presentation), Vancouver, BC.
“Reliability and the waggle dance: Honest bees dance more and attract more followers than dishonest bees”
2018: Hebrew University of Jerusalem Beekeepers Association, Spring Conference
(Invited talk), Rehovot, Israel.
“Reliability and the waggle dance”
2017: The 35th Annual Entomological Society of Israel Meeting
(accepted talk), Jerusalem, Israel
“Inconsistencies of the waggle dance: How do recruits react to a lying dancer?”
Undergraduate students:
Daouda Njie (Drexel University '22), Study of brain anatomy with the assistance of visual illustrations (Hemilepistus reaumuri)
Margaret Denbleyker (Lafayette College ’21), during Geffen Lab animal behavior internship at UPenn
Shiran Yona (Hebrew U ’17), honey bee behavior
Maor Zavitan (Hebrew U ’17), honey bee behavior
Li-Byarlay H., Boncristiani H., Howell G., Strand M.K., Tarpy D., Rueppell O. Insights from temporal transcriptomic and epigenomic dissections of honeybee pupal development under a viral infection. Manuscript in preparation.
Rehan S.M., Berens A.J., Toth A.L. 2014. At the brink of eusociality: transcriptomic correlates of worker behavior in a small carpenter bee. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 14, 260.
Rehan S.M., Rotella A., Onuferko T.M., Richards M.H. 2013. Colony disturbance and solitary nest initiation by workers in the obligately eusocial sweat bee, Halictus ligatus. Insectes Sociaux. 60, 389-392.
MATLAB, HTML, CSS, 3D Modeling (Google SketchUp), Systems Modeling (STELLA), digital graphic design (Sketch, iPad Illustrations)
