Pheylan Anderson

Hometown

Anoka, Minnesota

Why Insects?

Insects are just so diverse and fascinating! I am continually amazed by how many different species you can find from just sampling a plant or tree and placing it in a rearing chamber in the lab, or by sweeping a small section of vegetation, or just by carefully watching a plant or section of soil. Every part of the environment is so full of insect life, and the potential topics to study are endless.

Why University of Minnesota?

I went to the University of Minnesota for my undergrad, and enjoyed it here a lot. My favorite thing about the University in general is how it is really a part of the metro area. I like how big the campuses are, and how you feel absorbed into the campus atmosphere but are still so close to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. Plus, I have been working around the Department of Entomology here for a while, and know there are lots of great folks to work with, so it is an easy choice!

Aspirations

I hope to continue being involved with entomology in some way after graduate school. I am keeping my options open so I can learn about different fields and grow with the opportunities I have in grad school, but I think I would enjoy working with invasive species monitoring and management or with ecology of insects and conservation.

Favorite Insect

Favorites are always so hard! I think my general favorite would be walking sticks. I don’t have a particular species I would call my favorite, but I have always thought they are just so cool, and would love to meet and hold one of the really big ones someday.

Other interests/hobbies

I enjoy a variety of outdoorsy activities (hiking, camping, photography, geocaching, travel in general) but also enjoy riding longboards (you may see me riding my electric longboard all over campus!), playing video games (Rocket League anyone?), and studying Mandarin Chinese.

Coffee or tea?

I want to answer both, but I think I will pick a nice strong oolong tea.