We are excited to receive new funding from USDA AFRI Foundational grant from the Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program ($683,490). We will be studying the role of epigenetics in the evolution of insecticide resistance in the Colorado potato beetle, a major pest of potatoes, with Dr. Sean Schoville (UW), Dr. Stephanie McKay (Animal Science), and Dr. Russ Groves (UW).
We will be looking to bring in a Ph. D. student for the fall 2023!
USDA announcement
Kristian just published an article showing how sublethal exposure to the insecticide imidacloprid can have intergenerational effects on CpG methylation. Published in Evolutionary Applications.
Thank you to Josh Brown for the press release from UVM communications.
We are very excited that IAEL Ph. D. student won the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellowship!
The Gilliam fellowship provides a three year fellowship award to Erika, funds for her professional development, tuition and fees, and $4k to me to promote “underrepresented student groups in the life sciences at the graduate level”.
Here is a nice article about Erika written by CALS communications officer Rachel Leslie.
We are very excited to congratulate Kristian Brevik for finishing his Ph. D. thesis titled, “Rapid evolution in agroecosystems: Transposable elements and epigenetics in the Colorado potato beetle”.
Kristian has been using genome resequencing to examine the genomic patterns associated with rapid adaptive change in CPB, primarily focused on how insecticides affect transposable elements and DNA methylation.
In addition, Kristian is gaining recognition as an artist. In both art and science, he aims to bring focus to the ” the ways interactions shape species, often about the interactions between humans and other-than-humans.”
To see his artwork, visit his website: http://www.kristianbrevik.com/ or follow him on Twitter @KristianBrevik
Kristian’s next steps are to continue charting his own course in navigating art+science+activism.
As a lab, we stand with #BlackLivesMatter. We work to increase diversity, representation, and allyship in ecology, evolution, entomology, and agriculture. As a lab community, we aim to continue learning and supporting each other in navigating the intersection between the academic world and racial justice. You are welcome here.
