Stephanie’s fascination for the natural world brought her to Missoula in 2013 to pursue a degree in biology at the University of Montana. During this time, she assisted with research on nesting bird behavior and butterfly morphology. She became enthralled with museum collections as a curatorial assistant at the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum. Stephanie then completed her M.S. in Biology from California State University, Chico, while exploring the creeks and woodlands of the Sierra Nevada foothills. In addition to researching insect and plant interactions, she was a biology lecturer at the university and served as curator and STEM educator for Gateway Science Museum. Returning to Missoula, Stephanie connected with our western Montana community as a Teaching Naturalist at the Montana Natural History Center. In her free time, you can find Stephanie reading, hunting for wildflowers, and attempting to perfect the chocolate chip cookie.