I am interested in herbivore-plant interactions, especially between Lepidopterans and their food-plants. I seek to qualify how these relationships will change in response to disturbances such as exotic species invasion and climate change. I am eager to engage with community scientists in data collection and environmental education.
2021 – present
University of California, Davis
Ph.D. Entomology, in progress
Advisor: Dr. Emily Meineke
2017 – 2021
Colby College, Waterville, ME
B.A. Biology (honors) & Environmental Science
Magna cum laude with distinction in both majors
Thesis: “Reduced performance of ash-specialist caterpillars on non-native, cultivated Oleaceous plants”
Spring 2020
Round River Conservation Studies, Maun, Botswana
Round River Conservation Studies (RRCS) is an environmental organization operating at the nexus of conservation and education. We explored the complex relationship between conservation, people, and wildlife, mostly in Mababe, Botswana. We worked with local experts to design and maintain wildlife monitoring systems to be used to substantiate economic and environmental decisions. This program helped me to develop fluency in field work, responses to human-wildlife conflict, and communication with local stakeholders.
Fall 2022
UC Davis Department of Environmental Science & Policy, Davis, CA
General Ecology Teaching Assistant
Spring 2022
UC Davis Department of Evolution & Ecology, Davis, CA
Introduction to Ecology Teaching Assistant
Winter 2022, 2023, 2024
UC Davis Department of Entomology & Nematology, Davis, CA
Natural History of Insects Guest Lecturer
Lecture: “Insects & Climate Change”
Fall 2018
Colby College Mathematics Department, Waterville, ME
Series and Multi-variable Calculus Teaching Assistant
2022 – present
Picnic Day Co-Chair
University of California, Davis
2022 – present
Entomology Seminar Series Committee Member
University of California, Davis
2018 – 2021
Education Staff & Undergraduate Researcher
The Caterpillar Lab, Marlborough, NH
The Caterpillar Lab (TCL) is an environmental education organization focused on inviting people—kids and adults alike—to share in stories of ecology, evolution, and natural history. I have presented at over 30 locations including elementary school classrooms, botanic gardens, and children’s museums, |with a goal to ignite in us a curiosity of the world we live in, from the smallest leaf-miners to the tallest trees.
2019 – 2020
Student Assistant
Colby College Olin Science Library, Waterville, ME
External
2023
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship ($147,000)
2022
CNPS Student Research Grant Award ($595)
Internal
2023
Jastro-Shields Graduate Student Research Award ($2,650)
2022
McBeth Memorial Scholarship
Henry A. Jastro Research Scholarship (combined, $2,650)
2020
Colby College Students’ Special Project Grant ($500)
2017 – 2021
Colby College National Merit Scholarship ($8,000)
2021
Colby College Off-Campus Study Photo Contest (1st place)
Entry title, description: “Cricket Cricket,” a macro-photograph of a setotojane katydid
2017 – 2021
Colby College National Merit Scholar
Dean’s Honors (in every qualifying semester)
Full text publication access link (view “attachments”).
1. Horne, Grace M., Rea Manderino, and Samuel P. Jaffe. (2023) Specialist herbivore performance on introduced plants during native host decline. Environmental Entomology.
7. Horne, Grace M.*, John de Benedictis, Matthew L. Forister, and Emily K. Meineke. (2023) Long-term datasets reveal climatic nuance in moth responses to global change. Biology of Butterflies Conference.
6. Horne, Grace M.* (2023) Climate change and our backyard fauna: a tale of the moths of Davis, CA. Atria Covell Gardens.
5. Meineke, Emily K., Alison Colwell*, Grace M. Horne, and David Eng. (2022) Harnessing the Power of Inadvertent Collecting: Bias assessments in support of use of herbarium specimens for entomology research. California Native Plant Society Conference.
4. Horne, Grace M.*, John de Benedictis, Matthew L. Forister, and Emily K. Meineke. (2022) Two new datasets reveal long-term moth community shifts in a biodiversity hotspot. Ecological Society of American Annual Meeting.
3. Horne, Grace M.* (2021) Reduced performance of ash-specialist caterpillars on non-native, cultivated Oleaceous plants. Colby Liberal Arts Symposium.
2. Horne, Grace M.* (2020) Will non-native Oleaceae family plants preserve and support native ash-feeding Sphingid populations in post-emerald ash borer forests? Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.
1. Horne, Grace M.* (2019) Canid infectious disease transmission via domestic dogs to Lycaon pictus. Colby Liberal Arts Symposium.
* presenting author
2023
Using GitHub with R(Studio), Williams Lab @ UCD, February 17
2022
Using GitHub with R(Studio), Meineke Lab @ UCD, October 28
Bold type indicates an institution serving a majority low-income population
2024
Biodiversity Museum Day, February 10
2023
Bohart Museum Open House: “Beetles!,” January 22
Museum Biodiversity Day, February 18
UC Davis Picnic Day: Entomology Exhibit, April 15†
Bohart Museum @ Sacramento Earth Day, April 23
City Nature Challenge BioBlitz @ Davis Arboretum, April 29†
City Nature Challenge @ SMUD Museum of Science, April 29
Go Wild Yolo Library @ Capay Open Space Park, June 10
2022
STEM Squad Event @ Winters Middle School, February 24
STEM Squad Event @ Winters Middle School, April 14
UC Davis Picnic Day: Entomology Exhibit, April 23†
Davis, CA Loopalooza: Bohart Museum Station, May 1
STEM Squad X Google Event @ Holy Rosary School, May 13
Bohart Museum Open House: “Bugs in Ag,” May 28
Bohart Museum Open House: “Insects, Art, & Culture,” October 15
Go Wild Yolo Library @ Capay Open Space Park, October 22
2021
Discovery Museum Residency, June 7 - 21
Troy, NH Girl Scouts of America Program, June 28
Berkshire Botanical Garden Residency, July 3 - 4
Royalston, MA Library Program, July 15
Bedrock Gardens Program, July 18
Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Program, July 28 - August 3
Vermont Institute of Natural Science Program, August 7
2020*
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Residency, August 29
2019
Lincoln-Eliot School Program, May 29
Horace Mann School Program, May 30
Randall Library Program, May 31
Keene Farmer’s Market Booth, June 1
Framingham Public Library Program, June 2
NH Audubon Pollinator Party, June 15
Brattleboro Farmer’s Market Booth, June 22
Wildwood Camp Program, June 25
Aldworth Manor Program, June 27
North Branch Nature Center Program, June 30
Bradford Conservation Commission Program, July 9
Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Program, July 11
Warren Public Library Program, July 13
Brattleboro, VT Museum Program, July 29
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Residency, July 22 - 27
Franklin Pierce University Camp Program, July 30
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill Program, August 3
2018
North Branch Nature Center BioBlitz, July 21 – 22
Arnold Arboretum Program, July 28
Boston Museum of Science Exhibit, July 11
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill Program, July 25 – 26
Discovery Museum Residency, July 28 – August 3
* Senior thesis data collection, COVID-19 pandemic
† Independently designed and presented
2022 – present
Ecological Society of America
Entomological Society of America
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Scientific Reports
Cell Biology
Conservation Biology
Environmental & Natural Resource Economics
GIS & Spatial Analysis
Introduction to R
Series & Multivariable Calculus
Taxonomy of Flowering Plants
Woody Plants
Problems in Environmental Science
Evolutionary Analysis
Community Ecology
Forest Ecosystems
Introduction to Entomology
Insect Physiology
Scientific Illustration in Illustrator & Photoshop
Trait-Based Ecology
Insect Ecology
Bayesian Statistics