Uncovering the mysteries of the Milky Way galaxy and the decline of mason bee population

The Center for Undergraduate Excellence at U.Va. recently announced the 2019 recipients of the Double Hoo Research Grants. Designed to foster collaboration between undergraduate and graduate students, the grants provide up to $6,000 for joint research projects. Two of the 15 graduate students selected this year to receive a Double Hoo Research Grant are Jefferson Fellows—Kate LeCroy and Hannah Lewis.

Kate, the Kenneth L. Bazzle Jefferson Fellow, is a two-time recipient of the grant and is partnering with a third-year undergraduate student to study the diversity, health, and behavior of native and exotic mason bee species in Virginia, in an effort to find why common mason bees are facing population decline.

Hannah, the Olive B. and Franklin C. Mac Krell Jefferson Fellow, is partnering with a student to research the influence of the galactic environment on the properties of planets that revolve around stars outside our solar system, and their diverse hosts, throughout the Milky Way galaxy.