Dr. Hannah K. Levenson

As a community ecologist I am broadly interested in investigating how humans impact the environment and exploring ways we can mitigate those impacts. However, when we interact with the environment it can also have an impact on us by changing our behaviors, how we think, and how we identify ourselves. The main tools I use to explore these interactions are beneficial organisms, particularly pollinators, in agricultural settings.

My dissertation research focused on evaluating the effectiveness of planting pollinator habitat on NCDA&CS Experimental Agricultural Research Stations across the state as a conservation method to support native bee populations. The results from this work provides the most detailed, standardized survey of native bees in NC to date. In addition, I evaluated the potential of this habitat to instigate the spread of pathogens between bee species and measured the effect of the habitat's presence on nearby crop quality and quantity.

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As a postdoctoral research scholar, I investigated the complex interactions between protecting beneficial insects and managing crop pests with the overall goal being to protect environmental health in agroecosystems. To develop Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM) recommendations for berry growers affected by the invasive fruit fly pest, spotted wing drosophila (SWD; Drosophila suzukii), I worked closely with blackberry growers across NC to better understand their management decision making processes and provide real-time updates on data we collect in their fields. I used on-farm research to address these issues. Together with project collaborators from 10+ different states across the US, we are working to make the management of SWD more sustainable.

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Now as a Research Scholar and Principle Investigator of the Specialty Crops Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management Laboratory at NC State University, I am bringing my work in these two paradigms together to translate foundation ecology into applied solutions. My past experiences of using diverse tools (on-farm field studies, experiments, and molecular approaches) to conduct research across a range of landscapes (from agronomic crops to specialty crops to ornamental gardens to solar farms) while implementing biocontrol, IPPM principles, and pollination ecology allows me to easily address stakeholder focused research questions in a multitude of systems.

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Our world is very connected and actions people make in one area can affect the lives of everyone. Thus, I value working on larger geographic scales, especially internationally. Previously I worked as a field assistant in The Bahamas on a project evaluating how patch reef quality and predator presence affect fish communities as a way to explore the impacts of reef degradation and overfishing. I also have designed and led an independent research project with Peace Corps Volunteers measuring disease occurrence in managed honey bee colonies in northern rural Peru and evaluated the potential spread of those diseases to wild and native bees. In the future, I hope to continue to build international connections and collaborations.