November 2024 Awards and Accolades

Sonja Savic, a PhD student in Nsa Dada’s lab won first place in the 2024 Entomological Society of America’s Graduate Student Poster Competition for President’s Prize under the vector control, urban and structural pests and social insects section. Earlier in the semester, the same poster was recognized under the People’s choice category ‘Go Figure!’ in the 2024 SOLS graduate students’ poster competition.

Savic completed her undergraduate degree at ASU majoring in biological sciences, and has continued as a graduate student in Dada’s lab. Savic’s PhD project investigates how insecticide pressure shapes mosquito breeding site microbiomes and the knock-on effects on the microbiome and development of insecticide resistance traits in mosquitoes that emerge from these sites.

The award-winning poster, titled, “Insect microbiomes extend host metabolic functions for insecticide degradation: Lessons from agricultural entomology for vector biology,” explores how insect microbiomes contribute to insecticide resistance. Insects maintain symbiotic relationships with microbes that affect their physiology, including the ability to metabolize insecticides, which poses challenges in agricultural pest and disease vector control. The work presented in the poster synthesizes outcomes of primary research on the relationship between insect microbiomes and the development of insecticide resistance in their host. Findings indicate that insect microbiomes, especially bacterial communities, play significant roles in regulating host detoxification genes and directly metabolizing insecticide molecules within the host. These adaptations are driven by insecticide exposure, which alters the microbiome even after minimal exposure, with significant long-term effects under consistent pressure. The study highlights that research disproportionately focuses on agricultural insects and the bacterial component of insect microbiomes, with limited exploration of disease vectors and other microbial components like protists, fungi, and viruses. It emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary studies to deepen understanding and address gaps in this emerging field, which holds implications for insect pest control and vector biology. Visual aids in the poster illustrate the relationships between components of the insect microbiome, insecticide exposure, and microbe-driven insecticide detoxification mechanisms within host insects, underscoring the intricate interplay between host insects and their microbiomes.
 

Veena Krishnan, a freshman studying biological sciences, won the Grand Prize and Best Use Case of InterSystems Technology Prize at the Stanford Healthcare Design Challenge along with teammates from two other universities.

Krishnan participated as the team lead of Team ELA in the inaugural Stanford Healthcare Design Challenge (SHDC), alongside teammates from UC Riverside and Texas A&M University. Her team focused on addressing health insurance literacy through an innovative solution. Advancing to the final round, they presented their pitch to a panel of eight healthcare leaders and investors on October 18, 2024. Their efforts earned them the Grand Prize and the Best Use Case of InterSystems Technology Prize, totaling $3,000 in cash awards and follow-up support to implement their idea.Veena Krishnan, a freshman studying biological sciences, won the Grand Prize and Best Use Case of InterSystems Technology Prize at the Stanford Healthcare Design Challenge along with teammates from two other universities.

The problem ELA is aiming to solve is the limitation of tools when it comes to health insurance literacy. ELA's solution offers real-time education, reducing patients' need for hours on hold with insurance and empowering them to take control of their healthcare.

The Stanford Healthcare Design Challenge is actively working with the ELA team to provide post-competition support, with exciting deliverables to come."