Maxi Polihronakis

Doctoral Student

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

University of Connecticut

Research Interests: Coleoptera, Molecular Systematics, Sexual Selection, Speciation

Professional Preparation

• Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut

Advisor: Charles S. Henry

Thesis Title: Post-copulatory sexual selection and the evolution of species-specific male and female genitalia in scarab beetles from the Phyllophaga fraterna species group

• B.A., Dept. of Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz (1999)

Research Grants

• Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, National Science Foundation (2006)

• Society for Systematic Biologists Graduate Student Research Award (2005)

• American Museum of Natural History, Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Award for Graduate Student Research (2005)

• Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research (2004)

• The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, University of Connecticut (2004)

• Alfred J. Hunyadi Endowment, University of Connecticut and The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History (2003)

Awards

• Best Student Paper, Division of Systematics and Evolutionary Biology, Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (2005)

Publications

Polihronakis, M. 2006.  Morphometric analysis of intraspecific shape variation in male and female genitalia of the scarab beetle Phyllophaga hirticula.  Annals of the Entomological Society of America 99: 144-150.

Polihronakis, M. 2007. New species of Phyllophaga Harris from the North Carolina Cape Fear River Basin, (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). The Coleopterists Bulletin 61(3): 429-433.

Invited Presentations

• SOLA Scarab Workers Symposium: Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America (2005)

Contributed Presentations

• Polihronakis, M.  Testing patterns of correlated evolution in male and female Phyllophaga scarab beetles.  Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. (2006)

• Robbins, P.S. and M. Polihronakis.  Toward a phylogeny of the Phyllophaga, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.  Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. (2006)

• Polihronakis, M.  Investigating copulatory interactions and testing hypotheses of genitalic evolution in a group of scarab beetles.  Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution. (2006)

• Polihronakis, M. Why are some genitalia asymmetrical?  Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. (2004)

• Polihronakis, M. Investigating the evolution of asymmetrical male genitalia in beetle species from the fraterna complex of the genus Phyllophaga by incorporating female morphology and phylogenetic data.  Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. (2004)

Academic Instruction

•  Instructor, University of Connecticut, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 252, Field Entomology (2004, 2007)

Teaching Assistantships

• Teaching Assistant, University of Connecticut, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 349, Phylogenetics (2007)

• Teaching Assistant, University of Connecticut, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 245, Evolution (2006)

• Teaching Assistant, University of Connecticut, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 396, Molecular Systematics (2005)

• Teaching Assistant, University of Connecticut, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 286, General Entomology (2003, 2007)                                             

• Teaching Assistant, University of Connecticut, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 102, 107, 108, Introductory Biology (2002-06)  

Community Activities

2007 BioBlitz: Wilbert Snow School Middletown, CT : Assisted in the implementation of a new biodiversity curriculum designed to introduce grade school students to the study of biodiversity by conducting animal and plant surveys in the ecological communities surrounding the school.

2007 Society for Systematic Biologists Website Committee

2005/06 Co-President of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Association: The primary goal of this association is to maintain a common voice among graduate students in order to facilitate communication within the community at the University of Connecticut.

2005 Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium: This symposium introduces high school students to various aspects of scientific research taking place at the University of Connecticut.  My role was to lead students on a tour of the molecular laboratory and introduce the ongoing research in the lab, the techniques being used, and how the data obtained is applied to questions in evolutionary biology.

2004 Committee member to organize Northeastern Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Conference (NEEC): Our graduate student body worked together to organize NEEC for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows.  This conference allows students the opportunity to present research to their peers in a low-stress environment.  I served on the program/abstract committee and the registration committee designing the conference program and organizing the registration database.

2004 Future Problem Solving Program of Connecticut: I led multiple labs for children in grades 4-6 held at the University of Connecticut during spring break.  The objective of these activities was to stimulate children’s interest in biology by introducing the basic concepts of DNA structure and heredity.

2003 High School Science Fair Judge: I participated in the science fair, judging student projects at Eastbrook High School, Connecticut.  Students were required to answer multiple questions asked by the judges regarding various aspects of their semester-long research projects.