Yijie Shen (he/him) got his bachelor degree in entomology from Purdue University, where he focused on beetle taxonomy and pest management.

At the E3B Bug Lab, Yijie is developing a research project focused on marine coastal ground beetles (Carabidae) in New York City in collaboration with and support of RISE Rockaway and NYC Parks. His master’s research integrates open-access biodiversity data from GBIF with standardized pitfall trapping across reclaimed and reference coastal habitats to evaluate whether public biodiversity records can reliably detect population trends.

Yijie is also the owner of an exotic pet invertebrate business, where he provides unique and visually striking invertebrates while educating customers about responsible care and conservation awareness. Beyond entomology, he enjoys movies, video games, badminton, tennis, playing piano, and reading.

Yijie is also the owner of an exotic pet invertebrate business, where he provides unique and visually striking invertebrates while educating customers about responsible care and conservation awareness. Beyond entomology, he enjoys movies, video games, badminton, tennis, playing piano, and reading.

Contact email: ys4015@columbia.edu

 

 

 

Ke Coco Deng (she/her) recieved a scholarship through Great Hollow Nature Preserve and is researching the spotted lanternfly, focusing on vibratory communication, microhabitat use, and how environmental context influences signal transmission. Her work integrates behavioral ecology with applied questions about management, including how understanding communication systems may inform control strategies for this introduced species.

Prior to joining the lab, Coco graduated from Bard College at Simon’s Rock, where she completed a thesis on vertebrate pollination on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. She has worked in a variety of ecological field settings, including researching Hawaiian honeycreepers with the Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project and monitoring seabird colonies with Project Puffin. These experiences shaped her interest in species interactions, conservation biology, and the intersection of behavioral ecology and management.

Yuhyun Kim

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LAB ALUMNI 

Xiaoyan “Yan” Zhang 2024-2026

Caroline Gaskin 2024-2026

Alice Wang 2023-2025

Mads Moore 2023-2025

Altrim Mamuti 2022-2024

Xingya Zhao 2022-2024

Katherine Poulos 2022-2024

Garrett Rees 2022

Maddie Schafer 2022

Wesley Beuck 2020-2022

Sarah Romer 2019-2022

Evelyn Blakeman, 2018-2022

Helen Stec, 2020-2022

Wesley Walsh, 2021-2022

Makayla Deyling, 2021-2022

Emi Olin, 2019-2022

Morgan Bickel, 2019-2020

Madeline Sudnick, 2018-2020

Mitch Duffner, 2018-2020

Glenn Pauley, 2018

Julie Hixon, 2018

Aydan Wilson, 2016-2017