I’m Sumikshya K.C., from Solukhumbu, Nepal, the homeland of Mount Everest. I completed my Bachelor’s in Agriculture from Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 2019. I started my career as a field enumerator in a USAID project at CIMMYT Nepal. Later, I joined as an Agriculture Instructor at Shree Garma Secondary School, Solukhumbu. It’s been a fantastic experience tutoring students and conducting lab and field research. Continuing with my passion, I co-authored a book named ‘A Textbook of Agricultural Entomology’, a reference book for students pursuing plant science at the intermediate level in Nepal. Furthermore, I am working on publishing a Short Communication Paper titled ‘Diversity of Butterflies at Garma, Solukhumbu’ and a few other articles.

Having a strong affinity towards insects, especially, insect pollinators (bees and butterflies), I wanted to pursue MS in Entomology with specialization in wild bees. I began searching the US universities with the similar program and research projects and found UW-Madison best fit for me. Eventually, I found research project going on in Professor Claudio Gratton’s lab aligning with my research interests and got exciting opportunity to work under his supervision. Hence, I am eager to join the Wi-Bee Project and Professor Dr Claudio Gratton’s lab. As a research enthusiast, I’m motivated to learn new things and work as a part of a team and contribute to the team’s goal. I enjoy taking photographs and reading novels in my spare time.

I have a keen interest in studying insects, specifically insect pollinators like wild bees and their conservation. I will be working on Professor Dr Claudio Gratton’s lab and his project called Wi-Bee 2.0. It is a research-extension project focused on developing a citizen science application to determine the abundance and diversity of wild bees at Wisconsin. I am interested in research on safeguarding the habitats of these native pollinators and developing effective crop pollination management tools. It is necessary to explore the impacts on the population dynamics of native pollinators due to changing environments and restore their habitat and resources.