Professor Corrie S. Moreau is the Martha N. and John C. Moser Endowed Professor of Arthropod Biosystematics and Biodiversity in the Department of Entomology and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.  Prof. Moreau is also the Director and Head Curator of the Cornell University Insect Collection with over 7 million specimens and the CALS Senior Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion.  Dr. Moreau earned her Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University and was a Miller Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.  Before this she completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees at San Francisco State University.  She has published more than 120 scientific papers and won numerous scholarly awards including be named a Woman of Impact by the National Geographic Society in 2018.
 
Her talk is titled: Ants, microbiomes, and how I became a rainforest explorer
 
Prof. Moreau has explored rainforests around the worlds on the hunt for the most diverse and ecologically successful group of social animals on the planet… Ants!  During these travels she has discovered new species, observed important interspecies interactions, and even accidentally “smuggled” home unexpected guests.  In this talk she will share the research she does on the evolution of ant-plant mutualisms questioning who exactly in charge. Prof. Moreau will also share some of her research on the microbiome, which is the collection of microbes living in and on organisms that may hurt or help the host.  Specifically, she has investigated the diversity and function of the bacteria in the gut of ants to understand how these gut microbiomes help their social animal hosts to become vegetarian and build tough armor.  Join us to learn about the amazing world of rainforest research, ant-plant mutualisms, and the importance of the gut-microbiome for the little things that run the world.

DATE: Tuesday, January 14, 2025

TIME: 6:30 pm

LOCATION: University of Michigan, Pierpont Commons, East Room, 2101 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109

COST: $20.00