Ebony Taylor
M.S. Entomology '24 - Schoville Lab

Education:
M.S. Entomology – University of Wisconsin-Madison (2024)
B.S. Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida (2019)
About me:
I grew up in Miami and am the proud product of many cultures. The Afro-Caribbean and Latin cultures of south Florida exposed me to multiple spoken languages, traditions, and customs. On Saturday mornings, my Jamaican father played Reggae music and we ate guava cheese pastries at the local bakery. During the holidays, my friends and I shared and embraced one another’s cultures as we sang songs and performed dances reflecting our different backgrounds. Similar to the cultural diversity I observed as a child, I was also struck by the diversity of my natural environment. As a kid, I observed bumbling bumble bees and crept up on crawling caterpillars. Their behaviors reminded me of myself, a curious creature always on the move. It was during this time of my life that I decided to become an entomologist, or as I referred to it, a “bug doctor”.
My current hobbies are reminiscences of my childhood. I gravitate towards the arts (painting or ceramic making), inhaling sweets (boba tea and chocolate floral desserts), grounding myself in nature (the beach or hiking), and satisfying my unwavering inquiries (science museums, stargazing, and traveling).
Why UW-Madison? I believe if you want to understand almost anything in the world, you must comprehend its mental state and its make-up. As such, I am diving into insects’ genetics with Dr. Sean Schoville’s lab, and I’m excited to begin this hands-on learning experience.