anjali13@nmsu.edu

I am a PhD student working on Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes. My research interests are in molecular biology, human health, and diseases. My research work entails formulating a blood-free diet to rear Anopheles mosquitoes, a vector of malaria, and studying sensory and molecular cues regulating oviposition-site selection in Aedes mosquitoes. I am interested in using molecular biology and mosquito behavior studies to develop novel strategies to control the spread of these deadly insects.

delaesma@nmsu.edu

I am a PhD student at NMSU pursuing a Master of Science in Biology. My research project focuses on investigating how effective various essential oils are at repelling ticks and mosquitos. The goal of this project is to determine which essential oils can repel ticks and mosquitos for the longest amount of time. In addition to this, I am also studying the efficacy of bear fat as a mosquito and tick repellant.

aprlopez@nmsu.edu

I am a biology PhD student working on novel mosquito repellent strategies. I am interested in controlling mosquito populations due to the vastly dangerous diseases they transmit world-wide. Outside of the lab, I enjoy outdoor activities and volunteer work. I have a 1-year-old that takes up most of my time, we go on many walks and hikes around Las Cruces.

hbendzus@nmsu.edu

I am a graduate student at NMSU pursuing my Masters in Bioinformatics. I do all things bioinformatics for the lab, from general statistics to full-blown bioinformatics pipelines. Majority of my work includes transcriptomic analysis of differential gene expression and alternative splicing events produced by sterile insect technique. I also run our social media platforms and web page.

krubi312@nmsu.edu

I recently graduated with my Bachelor’s in Biochemistry here at NMSU, and I am working on my application for dental school. The project I am currently working on focuses on testing the repellency effectiveness of 20 essential oils from the 25b list of active ingredients used for insect repellents. The goal of this project is to measure the complete protection time of 20 essential oils on both ticks and mosquitos. In addition, sometimes I also help testing products for commercial projects.

lamsalm@nmsu.edu

I am a PhD student working on mosquitoes. My research focuses on finding out the novel and promising ideas for mosquito control. I am using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tool to knockout specific nutrient signaling genes in mosquitoes. My plan is to produce knockout mosquito lines and study how their nutrient signaling pathways will help understand the biology of vector-pathogen interactions that can form the basis of mosquito control strategies.