Apply Now

Following the Secret Lives of Paper Wasps

August 7, 2026

Through fieldwork in New York and Virginia, neurobiology and behavior doctoral candidate Lorenz Mammen is investigating the ecology and behavior of paper wasps.

Lorenz Mammen holds a wasp nest
Lorenz Mammen collected a nest containing 53 wasps, saving a birthday party in the park in the process.

Describe the location of your field research.

My research took place at city parks, trailheads, sheds, and any other wooden structures around Ithaca, NY and Blandy, VA.

What’s the focus of your research?

Paper wasps are very intelligent and therefore an emerging model system to understand complex social and visual processing in very small brains. To fully study these processes, we need detailed information about the basic function of their visual system, which this project explores across a wide range of species.

Wasps on a nest
A late-stage nest of polistes exclamans prior to collection

What do you hope will be the impact of this work?

Paper wasps are often conflated with their more aggressive relatives, yellowjackets and hornets, despite being docile. I hope that by studying these animals I can help to showcase the fascinating complexity and intricacy of their behaviors and how similar they can be to that of mammals or even humans! Understanding how their small brains solve complex tasks could one day help improve artificial intelligence systems and autonomous robots.

How will field research advance your understanding of your research in a way that classes and/or theory do not?

Theory can only go so far as to make predictions. I need to go out in the field to collect wasps to do experiments and actually test the predictions to figure out something new.

What has surprised you about your experience?

Lorenz Mammen walks away from a structure, carrying a ladder
Mammen walks between sampling sites at the Virginia State Arboretum.

I was surprised to find how many people come up and talk to you just because you are holding an insect net. Everyone we met was very grateful that we removed their wasp nests. One time, we took down a massive nest of wasps right before a children’s birthday party in a park and their day was saved.

How did Cornell programs and/or faculty mentors help connect you with the opportunity to carry out this research?

My advisor encourages me to think about the most exciting questions to ask and pushes me to think them through thoroughly. Only through the support of the Graduate School research travel grant I am able to collect wasps from different geographical areas and collect more species.

Lorenz Mammen stands on a table in a pavilion to collect a nest from the ceiling
Mammen collects a polistes nest at a park pavilion.

What would you say to students considering applying to Cornell for grad school?

Ithaca might seem like a very remote place, but being here taught me how much community and support exists for grad students specifically. It is really the best possible environment to conduct world class research.