COSAM’s Avila-Flores propels research with prestigious $630K NSF CAREER Award for more targetable and biodegradable tool for pest management

in the Department of Biological Sciences, is the recipient of a five-year National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award for $630,000. Her research project “Branched Amphiphilic Peptide Capsules (BAPCs) for the delivery of lethal dsRNA into invasive organisms” is the result of more than seven years of dedicated work.

Imagine if you could target a specific insect in your garden or in the agricultural production of crops. If you could easily apply a substance that would stop only that destructive insect yet would be safe for pollinators in the same area, it would then reduce losses while keeping beneficial insects prosperous.

As a postdoctoral researcher, Avila-Flores attended an entomology seminar that sparked her interest. She knew she had the tools to provide a solution to the pest problem discussed, but there was skepticism about the possibility of this idea.

Avila-Flores diligently worked on her research that contains double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that targets messenger RNA (mRNA).

“It inhibits the production of vital proteins inside of the insect,” said Avila-Flores. “That results in the elimination of the insect with less impact to the environment.”

COSAM alumnus Don Logan is recipient of 2024 Business Alabama Lifetime Achievement Award

Congratulations to Don Logan '66 who will be honored in March at the Business Alabama Awards. Logan earned a degree in mathematics from Auburn University and was the 2005 Distinguished Alumnus in the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

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