Reno!
The University of Nevada
UNR is an exciting place to study bee behavior. The Department of Biology has particular strengths in plant-animal interactions and sensory biology. The interdisciplinary graduate program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology offers the chance to interact with an even wider range of faculty members.
The City
Farmers’ markets, bike trails, microbreweries... perhaps not the features that Reno is famous for, but they contribute to a high quality of life. While the lights of the casinos are beautiful at night, this city has a lot more to offer. We have some nice music venues and a well-respected Nevada Museum of Art. Recently, the New York Times took notice! The SF Chronicle just had a nice piece as well (and hey, another one!). Is Reno poised to become a culture capital, indeed?
Where is Reno?
Sometimes people are surprised to learn that it's not near Las Vegas. Reno is actually in northern Nevada, near Lake Tahoe. It is about 3 hrs to the San Francisco Bay Area, and 2 hrs to Davis/Sacramento. Ski resorts at Lake Tahoe/high sierra field sites are about 45 min from campus, and Yosemite is 3 hrs away. To the east, the Great Basin landscape opens up for hundreds of miles. Reno is a nexus for those attending Burning Man which happens on the black rock playa some 3 hrs outside of town. A fun fact is that Reno is west of Los Angeles.