Geryd Steffek is an M.S. student in the Mizumoto Lab studying how individual behavioral rules give rise to collective tunneling and search patterns in termites. His broader research interests are in cognitive ecology, particularly how organisms learn about, remember, and solve problems within their environments.
His research combines simulation, behavioral experiments, and quantitative analysis to investigate termite tunneling behavior and search efficiency. He is particularly interested in translating behavioral and cognitive processes into computational models to explore how individual decisions and interactions with environments scale to produce larger behavioral and ecological patterns.
Education
- 2024, Biology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Publications
- Steffek, Geryd & Grommes, Anna & Hanks, Lawrence & Mitchell, Robert. (2024). (R)-(+)-γ-Decalactone is Conserved in North America as a Pheromone Component of Osmoderma eremicola (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and a Kairomone of Elater abruptus (Coleoptera: Elateridae). Journal of Chemical Ecology. 50. 1-7. 10.1007/s10886-024-01475-0.