As we settle into summer, we’re excited to share some lab news from spring semester!

The lab was awarded an NSF REPS supplement to support Stefan’s post-bacc research on planthopper symbionts.

Congrats to Jordan on publishing her first dissertation chapter on “Genomic comparisons reveal selection pressure and functional variation between endosymbionts of cave-adapted and epigean Hawaiian planthoppers” in Genome Biology Evolution.

Congrats to our undergraduate researchers, Cielo and Joe, on being awarded funding from the UHM Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program to expand on their independent research projects in the fall.

Cielo will also be participating in a NSF REU program on “Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio)” at Massachusetts General Hospital this summer to gain additional research experiences!

Congrats to Amir on being awarded an NSF GRFP fellowship to support his graduate studies!

With so much data in hand, Jordan is also attending the EMBO practical course on Computational Molecular Evolution in Greece this summer!

Lastly, we finished the semester with an exciting caving trip on Big Island with students and collaborators, which was supported by a UHM SEED IDEAS award to promote Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access and Success. (Photo Credit: M. Steck)

Congratulations to graduate student Jordan Gossett, who was a recipient of the Zoology Graduate Program’s Jessie D. Kay Memorial Research Grant!