Norman Lee
normanlee.bsky.social
Norman Lee
@normanlee.bsky.social

Neuroethologist, Associate Professor of Biology, PI of Lee Lab Neural Systems and Behavior and Director of the Neuroscience Program @ St. Olaf College, Northfield MN

Biology 41%
Environmental science 27%
Pinned
Our latest work from an awesome collab between the Lee Lab @St.Olaf and @robinmting.bsky.social’s group @DU - now published in @currentbiology.bsky.social ! www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com

Featured on the cover! #Ormiaochracea

2️⃣ Led by Parker Henderson, on a detailed look at reproductive anatomy and embryogenesis in #Ormiaochracea

doi.org/10.1093/aesa...
Reproductive anatomy and embryogenesis of a viviparous, phonotactic, parasitoid fly
Abstract. Ormia ochracea (Bigot 1889) is a phonotactic parasitoid fly that targets a variety of field cricket species as hosts for their developing young.
doi.org

1️⃣ Co-led by former Postbac Jimena Dominguez @jimenadominguez.bsky.social & Brendan Latham, on how larval resource competition shapes development outcomes

doi.org/10.1093/aesa...
Resource competition affects developmental outcomes of the acoustic parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea
Abstract. In parasitoid systems, resource competition can significantly impact developmental outcomes. This study investigates how larval competition and h
doi.org

🎉 Two new papers from the Lee Lab on #Ormiaochracea development now published in Annals of the Entomological Society of America!

#UndergraduateResearch #LiberalArtsSTEM #SmallCollegeBigImpact

@entsocamerica.bsky.social
#Stolaf

Lauren is also looking for PhD opportunities in #neuroethology

Lee Lab Postbac Lauren Bitner @laurenbitner.bsky.social gave a “dynamite talk” (as recognized by Marlene Zuk)! In her latest work, she discovered that auditory sensitivity in the acoustic parasitoid fly #Ormiaochracea is modulated by their reproductive status. Gravid flies hear better!

At #ABS2025? So am I! Feel free to stop me if you're curious about the job opening at St. Olaf.

🚨We're hiring!🚨 St. Olaf is launching a new Neuroscience Major and seeks a tenure-track neuroendocrinologist to help shape its future 🧠✨ Passionate about inclusive teaching, research, and mentoring at a SLAC? Join us! #NeuroJobs @animbehsociety.bsky.social @neuroethology.org ‪@sbn-bsky.bsky.social‬

Reposted by Norman Lee

My grad student, Jessica Hearn wrote a mini-review on Neuroanatomy of Blood-Feeding Arthropods! It's mostly an area of open questions!
Neuroanatomy of blood-feeding arthropods
Hematophagy has evolved independently numerous times across a variety of arthropods. Many of these blood-sucking animals, like kissing bugs or mosquit…
www.sciencedirect.com

please tag me!

Reposted by Norman Lee

Special thanks to this year's organizer of the Neuroethology GRC, Julie Simpson & @genmig.bsky.social. We had a fantastic week of great science, met colleagues or started collaborations. We are looking forward to the next GRC in 2 years.

2027 Co-Vice chairs: Jessica Fox & @scottjuntti.bsky.social

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Kennedy, one of the ABS 2025 Turner Awardees!
Kennedy is a fourth-year undergraduate at Howard University studying virology, eco-toxicology, and evolutionary biology. She is interested in using behavior and genetics to study the evolution of eusociality. (1/2)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Tiana, one of the ABS 2025 Turner Awardees!
Tiana is an third-year undergraduate at Gettysburg college interested in research integrating ecological context into evolutionary theory. (1/2)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Henry Rosato, one of the ABS 2025 Turner Awardees!
Henry Rosato is a third-year undergraduate at University of Minnesota studying the evolution of mate-search strategies using agent-based models as well as morphological diversification in crickets in the Xu lab. (1/3)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Juliana Fonseca-Tellez, one of the ABS 2025 Turner Awardees!
Juliana is a Master's student at
Universidad del Rosario studying how behavior influences major evolutionary processes, such as speciation, in Adriana Maldonado-Chaparro's Behavioral Ecology and Conservation Lab. (1/3)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Yuchen Chen, one of the ABS 2025 Turner Awardees!
Yuchen Chen is an early-year undergraduate at Duke University studying anti-predator responses, sexual selection, communication, and social networks. She is interested in different types of animal relationships and... (1/2)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Kaya Simmons, one of the ABS 2025 Turner Awardees!
Kaya Simmons is a fourth-year undergraduate at Florida State University studying investigative cooperative courtship behavior in the DuVal lab and neural communication and reproduction in the Lemmon lab. (1/3)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Madi Evans, one of the ABS 2025 Turner Awardees!
Madi Evans is a third-year undergraduate at Fort Lewis College studying social behavior in a variety of animals in Andrew Fulmer's Social Ethology lab. (1/2)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Cristian, one of the ABS 2025 Turner Awardees!
Cristian is an early-year undergraduate at Gettysburg College studying bioacoustics and calling behavior in tropical tree frogs. (1/2)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Leila, one of our 2025 Turner Awardees!
Leila is a third-year undergraduate at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee studying sexual communication and speciation in treehoppers in Rafael Rodríguez's Behavior and Evolution lab. She is interested in using similarities between ... (1/2)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Marie Taylor, one of our 2025 Turner Awardees!
Marie Taylor is a third-year undergraduate at Utah Valley University studying individual variation of bottlenose dolphin shipside feeding in the Cusick lab. She is working towards becoming a wildlife biologist. ... (1/2)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Congratulations to Jeyssi, one of our 2025 Turner Awardees! Jeyssi is a third-year undergraduate at Gettysburg College studying how eavesdropping predators and parasites influence the evolution of mating signals in the Trillo lab. She is interested in understanding how... (1/2)

Reposted by Norman Lee

Flies from the genus Ormia parasite crickets which they localize by eavesdropping. Cricket songs have therefore rapidly diversed, in Hawaii . A new study @currentbiology.bsky.social gives insights into the rapid evolution in sensory tuning of an eavesdropper.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Neural and behavioral evolution in an eavesdropper with a rapidly evolving host
The diversification of animal communication systems is driven by the interacting effects of signalers, signal receivers, and the environment. Yet, the…
www.sciencedirect.com

This scientific discovery is a story of resilience in nature and among a group of cool scientists (@EDaleBroder @arpeggio_jay @jimmyadominguez @quangvuneuro.bsky.social and others)! Thank you @NSF for supporting this work! #NSFfunded

We show that compared to Floridian #Ormiaochracea, Hawaiian flies have evolved more sensitive hearing - allowing for better detection of evolving cricket songs!

Reposted by Norman Lee

NEW: I wrote about a new study on the rapid evolution of purring crickets and parasitic flies—and what scientists dealing with federal funding cuts can learn from these resilient lil guys 🧪

read it in @atmosmagazine.bsky.social:
‘A Quiet Place’ Is the Lived Reality for These Hawaiian Insects | Atmos
Parasites forced Hawaii’s crickets to evolve hushed mating songs. A new study shows the parasites might be evolving their hearing in turn.
atmos.earth

ditto!