Hannah Thomas

EDUCATION

Current: MSc, Penn State University, 2025-present

Coadvisors: Christina Grozinger and Harland Patch

Rachel Carson Applied Conservation Fellowship

BSc, Chatham College, Sustainability Studies, 2025

EXPERIENCE

Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Research Experience for Undergraduates, 2024 

USGS Cooperative Summer Research Fellowship Program, North Dakota, 2023

Ecological Field Technician, Chatham University, 2022

Ecological Field Technician, Audobon Society, 2022

Volunteer, Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

RESEARCH INTERESTS 

I am interested integrating pollinator behavior and ecology to developed effective conservation strategies that can be applied to urban, rural and natural landscapes. For my graduate studies, I am developing FloraCount as a tool to help plant breeders, citizen scientists, gardeners and researchers identify plants that are highly attractive to pollinators, I am using FloraCount for my own research to better understand the local habitat, landscape, and weather features that influence pollinator abundance and diversity. FloraCount is an AI-enabled mobile phone based app that helps users collect and analyze data on floral area and visitation patterns. For more information, see: https://pollinators.psu.edu/resources-tools/floracount

AWARDS

Rachel Carson Applied Conservation Fellowship from Penn State’s Center for Pollinator Research and Department of Entomology