Assistant Prof at Auburn. Interested in collective behavior, automated tracking, social physiology, and how honey bee colonies do what they do.
Auburn, AL
Joined November 2019
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- Following936
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Michael Smith retweeted
Symmetry is vital to bees & their hives reflect it. 🐝
#NSFfunded researchers discovered that bees build their hives in mirroring patterns, which speeds up growth, resulting in more baby bees & a stable temperature. bit.ly/4fNsSG8
📷: @SmithBeeLab, by Peter R. Marting
ALT honey bee combs, arranged to show the symmetry between the two sides of the comb. All combs were built and stockpiled by the bees (i.e., no embossed wax was provided).
Michael Smith retweeted
New pub! Honeybee nests are super symmetrical, the pattern of cell contents is mirrored on either side of the comb. This symmetry
1 is unique to each comb in the nest
2 evolves over time while maintaining symmetry
3 aids in thermoregulation and rearing
4 conserved across Apis🔗⬇️
Michael Smith retweeted
Contrary to this poll (and even most of us in the @SmithBeeLab), turns out most colonies prefer to initiate their nest near the entrance instead of the ceiling, even if that means they build their comb from a vertical wall! At least in our infinity nest: sciencedirect.com/science/ar…
Where would honeybees prefer to initiate their nest after they move into a large cavity? A really large cavity, let's say an 8ft tall cavity, with the the entrance at the bottom. Answer the poll then see the data in our latest pub below!
65%Build nest from ceiling
10%Build nest near entrance
24%Somewhere in between
49 votes • Final results Michael Smith retweeted
Help students attend the 2026 IUSSI conference in Freiburg, Germany! 🐝 Our goal is to support at least 4 students. Let's raise more than $10,000 and show our support for students in our community! 🐝 PLEASE donate if you can! Scan this QR code, or click the link in the thread 🐝
Michael Smith retweeted
Where would honeybees prefer to initiate their nest after they move into a large cavity? A really large cavity, let's say an 8ft tall cavity, with the the entrance at the bottom. Answer the poll then see the data in our latest pub below!
65%Build nest from ceiling
10%Build nest near entrance
24%Somewhere in between
49 votes • Final results Michael Smith retweeted
I'm super stoked to announce that I will be starting my own lab in January at Clemson University in the department of Biological Sciences!
If you're interested in working on seasonal plasticity in butterflies and moths, feel free to contact me!
Michael Smith retweeted
Felicitaciones a Hermógenes Fernández, investigador de INDICASAT por ser coautor de este artículo sobre la "Coevolución de la agricultura de hongos y hormigas" en la prestigiosa revista Science!!
Michael Smith retweeted
Don’t miss our application
deadline: 1st of November!
Great fellowship program for life scientist PostDocs and Junior PIs.
GAIN TIME TO THINK!
Deadline November 1st! Call for Applications: College for Life Sciences #fellowships 2025/26 for early career researchers in #lifesciences, natural sciences, medicine, psychology; residencies of 3 to 5 months at @wiko_berlin
wiko-berlin.de/en/becoming-a… #CFA #postdoc
Michael Smith retweeted
Robert W. Fernandez, PhD of Cientifico Latino, Inc. announced as 2024-2025 Obama Foundation Leader.
Michael Smith retweeted
We describe how octopus-fish groups can work, can malfunction, and can lead to benefits! Give it a read and don't forget to see the videos for punching, displacements, and examples of solo vs collaborative hunting!! 🐙🐠🐟 Out in @NatureEcoEvo!!
Scientists have uncovered the secrets of multispecies hunting! Octopuses & fish team up, with fish guiding the hunt and octopuses capturing hidden prey. #UniKonstanz @CBehav+@MPI_animalbehav research reveals incredible interspecies teamwork. @NatureEcoEvo t1p.de/8543w
Michael Smith retweeted
Fall Student Awards! 2 awards will support grad student research on social insects: The George C. Eickwort Student Research Award for research in social insect biology and The Jeffery P. La Fage Student Award for Applied Research on Social Insects! Apps due Oct 7 🔄repost!!
Michael Smith retweeted
Visualizing Science! I'm holding a series of free, online workshops, thanks to Johns Hopkins University. All are welcome! I plan to have fun with Danielle VanBrabant, Damond Kyllo, and Amey Zhang to introduce visualization topics and challenges. No art experience is necessary.
Michael Smith retweeted
One week left to apply for Princeton's EEB Scholars 2024! A fully-funded, 3 night in-person program to support students in their endeavors to apply to grad school.
Applications for Princeton's 2024 EEB Scholars program are now open! The program aims to demystify the grad school application process and provide tools for students to confidently apply to grad school. eeb.princeton.edu/graduate/e…
Michael Smith retweeted
#Postdoc #Job Alert! The Cook Lab is hiring! We are excited to hire a postdoctoral researcher to study the mechanisms of social behavior in a changing environment #academia #academictwitter employment.marquette.edu/pos…
Michael Smith retweeted
It is with great sadness that the Simons Foundation announces the death of its co-founder and chair emeritus, James Harris Simons. Jim was an award-winning mathematician, a legendary investor and a generous philanthropist. simonsfoundation.org/2024/05…
ALT Photo of James Harris Simons, credit: Beatrice de Gea
Michael Smith retweeted
Applications for Princeton's 2024 EEB Scholars program are now open! The program aims to demystify the grad school application process and provide tools for students to confidently apply to grad school. eeb.princeton.edu/graduate/e…
Michael Smith retweeted
Are you or someone you know looking for a postdoc? Consider joining my lab at University of Wyoming where we use imaging and computer vision to study animal behavior in complex natural ecosystems. Collective behavior, salmon, migration, machine learning! kogerlab.com
Michael Smith retweeted
My department at Univ Washington in Seattle is searching for a tenure-track assistant prof in "Quantitative Understanding of Collective Behavior" @UWBiology
See ad for more info about the search vision and to apply; happy to answer questions!
apply.interfolio.com/130336
Michael Smith retweeted
📣 Our last (but not the least!) plenary speaker will be Dr. Christina Kwapich @Pogonokwap. Christina will show us the social and ecological drivers of host breadth in parasitic ant crickets 🦗📅 november 17 ⏰ 9-10pm GMT. For FREE #ABL2023 🥳. If not done yet, register 👇
