Hollie Leavitt

Hollie Leavitt graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and an emphasis in entomology. During her time at BYU, she worked as an assistant curator of insects at the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum and in the Molecular Systematics Lab where she extracted and amplified mayfly DNA to determine the evolutionary relationship of ephemeroptera to other insect orders. As a graduate student at Boise State University, Hollie earned a Master’s Degree in biology studying insect ecology. Her project involved determining the important pollinators of a rare plant endemic to southwestern Idaho, Lepidium papilliferum, and studying how herbivory affects reproduction in this plant. At CWI, Hollie teaches Human Anatomy & Physiology and Environmental Science courses.  She is the curator of the CWI arthropod collection and works in monarch butterfly conservation and research during the summers.  Aside from science, which she considers to be a career, a hobby, and a passion, Hollie enjoys reading, playing volleyball, and traveling the world!