July 5, 2023
1xbet best casino website graduate student awarded USDA-NIFA predoctoral fellowship
Submitted by Jacqueline M. Maille, Erin D. Scully, Rob Morrison and Kun Yan Zhu
Jacqueline Maille, a doctoral candidate in entomology, was awarded a prestigious predoctoral fellowship of 9,395 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, or USDA-NIFA. The fellowship supports her doctoral dissertation 1xbet best casino website , which covers her three-year stipends, tuition, 1xbet best casino website supplies and travel for attending scientific conferences.
USDA-NIFA is a federal funding agency that supports food and agricultural 1xbet best casino website through various programs. Maille's fellowship was funded through the USDA-NIFA's Agriculture and Food 1xbet best casino website Initiative — Education and Workforce Development program, which focuses on developing the next generation of 1xbet best casino website , education, and extension professionals and leaders in the food and agricultural sciences.
As crop yields become more variable in response to global climate change, it is imperative to prioritize the protection of commodities after harvest from stored product insect damage to preserve food security. A multidisciplinary approach can improve pheromone-mediated, behaviorally-based management practices to uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms of behavior, including how mates are detected and how food is found.
Maille will use the fellowship to study the chemosensory genes and their functional behavior in the Indian meal moth, one of the most destructive cosmopolitan stored product insects. She plans to generate a high-quality chemosensory gene annotation from a fully sequenced Indian meal moth genome, and she will also identify genes responsible for perceiving volatiles used to locate mates or food sources. Functional genomics approaches will be used to uncover the role that chemosensory genes have on attraction and behavior. The project will provide a high-quality annotated chemosensory genome resource and lay the foundational genetic understanding for the Indian meal moth to locate suitable mates and food sources. This will allow the researchers to alter current tactics or develop new pest management tactics to prevent Indian meal moths from establishing infestations.
Maille received her bachelor's degree in biology from Austin Peay State University in 2015 and her master's degree in 1xbet best casino website from Kansas State University in 2019. She started her doctoral program in 1xbet best casino website at K-State in 2020. She has published six peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals and presented 21 talks at national and international conferences. She has also served on many committees and professional organizations and engaged in numerous outreach activities. She has received many awards and scholarships, including the Don C. Warren Genetics Scholarship from K-State's College of Agriculture.
Maille is mentored by Kun Yan Zhu, university distinguished professor of entomology; Erin Scully, adjunct professor of entomology and 1xbet best casino website leader and 1xbet best casino website molecular biologist at the USDA Agriculture 1xbet best casino website Service Stored Product Insect and Engineering 1xbet best casino website Unit in Manhattan; Rob Morrison, adjunct professor of entomology and 1xbet best casino website entomologist at the USDA Agriculture 1xbet best casino website Service, Manhattan; Yoonseong Park, professor of entomology; and Michael Kanost, university distinguished professor of biochemistry.