iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

We had an amazing time at #IUSSI2026 at Freiburg, Germany. First time as a PI bringing my team. And they killed it! Could not be prouder! Thanks to the organizers, grateful to have spent such an intellectually stimulating time and catch up with wonderful collaborators/friends.

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Excited for our lab to present our work at #IUSSI26 @uissi-social.bsky.social! #zombiewasps #weaverants Looking forward to catching up with all our social insect peeps in Freiburg 🐜 🐝

Flyer for presentations by the Uy social insect lab at #IUSSI26

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Had an amazing time at #ICN2026! Thanks to @neuroethology.org for the support go integrate newer members. Our Mind Hackers satellite symposium co-organized with @zombiflied.bsky.social has opened up exciting avenues for our community and collaborations!

Dinner after the Mind Hackers symposium, as part of #ICN2026

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

How do parasites reprogram brains so your host becomes a zombie? If you are still at #ICN2026 tomorrow Friday, come to my talk at 3:30 pm (room 2306/2309) #strepsiptera #zombiewasp

Polistes fuscatus social wasp infected by twisted wing insects (Strepsiptera)

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Which neural mechanisms do parasites use to control behavior, physiology, health, and lifespan in their hosts? Join our Mind Hackers symposium at the International Congress for Neuroethology! Saturday 25: 1-5 pm #ICN2026 @neuroethology.org Thanks to @bugsneedheroes.bsky.social for the image

Cartoon inspired from a podcast by bugsneedheroes about parasites being Mind hackers.

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Despite all challenges, I'm feeling so grateful for my team & their amazing research progress. Also, thrilled that Dr. RJ Millena @entomolrj.bsky.social has joined #teamwasp as our inaugural departmental postdoc fellow! #wasplove #strepsipteralove

Warm welcome to RJ Millena, pictured with some team wasp members!

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

I’m back from a work trip and it’s my turn to do colony check-ins. I asked for which colonies to 👀 for potentially killing brood… and I get this protocol 🤣🤣 #teamwasp #ProudPI

Wasp colony with a picture of Alicent Hightower.

Wasp colony with a picture of King Geoffrey

Wasp colony with a picture of Ramsay Bolton

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

After >20 years of working with wasps, I like them even more now! And a ⭐️ team that’s rocking this season and experimental infections with twisted wing parasites! #wasplove #strepsiptera #fieldseason #ProudPI #teamwasp

Team wasp PI holding a Polistes fuscatus

Team wasp in our wasp rearing room with experimental colonies

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Working with parasites blows my mind! As in an alien movie, here is an instar 2 larva of Xenos peckii. Amazing dissection from star student Natasha Vacca, as it’s the size of a spec of dust! It infects and manipulates Polistes fuscatus, the social wasps we study. #Strepsiptera #zombies #wasplove

Instar 2 larva of Xenos peckii, a parasitic insect from the order Strepsiptera. This larvae infects and manipulates a social wasp, Polistes fuscatus.

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Well, this is a first! And much appreciated! It’s usually Dr. and Mrs. Uy, even though we’re both academics 🥴

Envelope addressed to Mr. And Dr. Uy for the first time! We’re both academics

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

I find myself missing fieldwork in the tropics! Here is some Polistes stigma from the Solomon Islands for much-needed #wasplove The female with dark eyes has recently emerged, and her eyes will lighten in a few days. Some of the tiniest Polistes I've seen! Images by Al Uy @tropbiolab.bsky.social

Polistes stigma from the Solomon Islands in their nest

Close-up of a Polistes stigma's yellow face, from the Solomon Islands.

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

🌟 Graduation party for our three undergrad stars from #teamwasp @tropbiolab.bsky.social ! 🌟 Grateful for mentoring an amazing team of rising scholars. The party included some 🦅🐝🐜 watching... & the most unesthetic piñata, decorated with early figures from our graduates! #proudPI

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

Tis’ the season that generous naturalists start to send me wasp pictures! This “booty” pic 🤣 shows the foundresses of Polistes dominula, native to Europe. It’s invasive here and in many other places in the world. #teamwasp #teamxenome @tropbiolab.bsky.social is ready, experiment time! #wasplove

Three Polistes dominula wasps in their newly built nest, showing their abdomen and some eggs inside the cells.

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

🌟Congrats to undergrad researcher Natasha Vacca @nvacca08.bsky.social for being awarded the NSF-GRFP! 🌟 We're also thrilled that Natasha is not tired of us and will continue as a doctoral student with #teamwasp @tropbiolab.bsky.social @urochester.bsky.social #wasplove #addictedtostrepsiptera

Student with a wasp shirt while holding a wasp

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

This is what happens when two social insect labs host our departmental’s happy hour Karl Glastad’s effort here! 🤣🤣

Flyer for a departmental TGIF gathering with any and was cartoons

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

My heritage is critical to me, so I asked my department if we could change my office sign to my whole name. Today I walked in and voilà! I am excited for the same when my lab renovations are done. Little actions can have strong cascading effects! 🌟

Office sign showing a whole name for an assistant professor, as support to her heritage. Sign also has a rainbow-themed wasp sticker that says diversity on it.

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

#teamwasp 2024, including our mascot Rocky the yellowjacket @urochester.bsky.social! #ProudPI Wrapping up my first year as a TT professor! Mil gracias (a thousand thanks) to everyone who has supported me. Those of us from non-traditional trajectories and minoritized backgrounds belong in academia!

Team wasp from Trop Bio Lab in Biology at the University of Rochester posing with our mascot, Rocky the yellowjacket.

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

🐜-sitting for the Glastad lab. Always loyal to #wasplove, but these girls are amazing!

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

Happy holidays from @tropbiolab.bsky.social! We enjoyed our ugly sweater-themed farewell party for wonderful Elsie and Ferro. Grateful for #teamwasp and #teambird!

Trop Bio Lab Holiday gathering. Ugly sweater theme.

Trop Bio Lab’s team wasp takes a holiday picture

Trop Bio Lab’s team bird takes a holiday picture

Holiday and farewell party for Trop Bio Lab

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

I get to work with this amazing group of scientists every day! Missing @nvacca08.bsky.social in this pic so we’ll update soon. #teamwasp #teamstrepsiptera ¡Tengo la suerte de trabajar con este grupo increíble de científicos a diario!

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

The tamal (tamalli in Nahuatl) is the food of our ancestors. It was so special for our small local Costa Rican community to get together and make them! ¡Tamaleada tica! Sentir nuestra cultura llena el alma.

Making Costa Rican tamales. Haciendo tamales ticos

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

¡Hola! Excited to see old and new friends from the scientific community here. I'm an Assistant Professor who studies social evolution & mechanisms underlying parasite-induced manipulation in social wasps. We'll share updates from #teamwasp #strepsiptera here and @tropbiolab.bsky.social

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Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 12/03/2024

While you’re on wasp care duty during Spring break… and you find all these awesome depictions on the lab board 🤣🤣 #teamwasp #ProudPI

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