Jander Lab Members Win ASPB Awards

Vered Tzin and Cairo Archer, both members of the Jander lab, have received awards from the American Society for Plant Biologists for their work on plant-insect interactions with maize.

Archer, a junior with a double major in plant science and nutritional sciences at Cornell University, received a 2016 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). The grant funds 10 weeks of mentored research for students with excellent academic achievement, a strong desire to conduct research and career plans related to the plant sciences. Archer will then present her work at the Plant Biology 2017 poster session. She will be working with Professor Jander on a project entitled “Functional analysis of the terpene synthase TPS2 in maize–aphid interactions.”

“The funding provided by the SURF program will allow me to further cultivate my research skills and learn new lab techniques that will benefit me throughout my research career. I will also be introduced to the invaluable network of scientists affiliated with ASPB, which will expose me to the many possible research careers within the field of plant science.” – Cairo Archer

Tzin, a postdoctoral researcher, received a 2016 Women’s Young Investigator Travel Award to attend the Plant Biology 2016 meeting in Austin, Texas in July. The award goes to early-career female investigators who are presenting high quality research. She will give a talk entitled “Genetic mapping shows intraspecific variation and transgressive segregation for caterpillar-induced aphid resistance in maize.”

In the fall, Tzin will assume her new position as assistant professor at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.

“Attending Plant Biology 2016 is a significant step in my career because I am transitioning into an independent faculty position and want to build my network connections. I hope this meeting will provide an excellent opportunity to interact with scientists and students from different disciplines and institutes.” – Vered Tzin