![SSU professor Nathan Rank in the Sierra Nevadas near Bishop. // Photo by Nathan Rank SSU professor Nathan Rank in the Sierra Nevadas near Bishop.](https://news.sonoma.edu/sites/news/files/styles/listing_thumbnail/public/field/image/nathanrank_1.png?itok=j-EzWktR)
![The montane leaf beetle has been the subject of Rank's research for over 30 years. // Photo by Nathan Rank montan leaf beetle](https://news.sonoma.edu/sites/news/files/styles/listing_thumbnail/public/field/image/beetle_1.png?itok=4DN5HpcF)
Sonoma State biology professor Nathan Rank visits Bishop so often, "it's almost like a second home," he says, speaking on a spotty cell phone connection from the eastern California mountain town of Bishop. He's been spending summers surrounded by breathtaking scenery of the Sierra Nevada since...