Meet a Scientist: Lisa Limeri

By Dr. Maria Wheeler-Dubas, Science Education and Research Outreach Coordinator

“I became a scientist because I was fascinated with exciting stories of biologists who got to travel to exotic locations and discover cool, crazy things that animals do… My dream has come true dozens of times over since starting graduate school.”

Lisa Limeri, a fifth-year doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh, speaks with pride and excitement about her research on the variety of coloration patterns of butterflies and the experiences her research has given her. Her work impacts the understanding of a wide range of animal behavior from communication to mate selection, and her study area is just as broad! Limeri’s research has taken her from Canada to Central America. She once even spent three months in Costa Rica, and says of the research trip: “My favorite spot was the Monteverde cloud forest, which is a high elevation forest that is often actually in a cloud!”

Yet even with the glamour of exotic travel, one of Limeri’s favorite activities involving her research is outreach.

“As much as I love doing science, I’ve learned that I love talking about science even more! I truly enjoy sharing my passion for science and awe for the natural world with other people – whether it be middle school students during my classroom outreach events, college students when I’m teaching courses, or the general public.” Because of this excitement about sharing her science, Limeri completed Phipps' Scientific Communcation Fellowship program to finetune her communication skills

With her blend of enthusiasm and stories from the field, Lisa Limeri is a local scientist you won’t want to miss! Be sure to stop by Phipps this Sat., Oct. 15, from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. to meet her in the Tropical Forest and learn more about her exciting work with butterflies!

Select Photo © Wikimedia User: Charlesjsharp (CC-BY-SA-3.0)