Lillian and Alex Feir Graduate Student Travel Award
Joe Louis
 Joe Louis is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas. His M.S. in Entomology was received at Kansas State University and his B.S. from the Kerala Agricultural University in India. His current research focuses on understanding the role of Arabidopsis thaliana PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4 (PAD4) and MYZUS PERSICAE INDUCED LIPASE1 (MPL1) genes in plant defense against the green peach aphid (GPA). His research has helped to identify a lipid or lipid-derived product that is involved in providing plant defense against GPA. Joe hopes his research will help to identify genes homologous to Arabidopsis genes in other economically important crop plants that have a negative impact on aphid fecundity, growth, and development. He will be giving an oral presentation entitled “Green peach aphid - Arabidopsis thaliana interaction” at the December ESA meeting.
This award encourages graduate students working with insects or other arthropods in the broad areas of physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology to affiliate with ESA’s Section B and to attend the ESA Annual Meeting or an International Congress of Entomology. Dorothy Feir established the award as a tribute to her parents who, at considerable self-sacrifice, encouraged education and travel experiences for their daughters. The amount of the award is based on the earnings from the endowment and varies each year.
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