End Hunger/FEED Change
Please join UT’s End Hunger/FEED Change initiative on Sept. 24 at 3 pm for a live conversation “From Campus to Global: a Lifetime of Experience Addressing Hunger” with Donnie Smith.
Please join UT’s End Hunger/FEED Change initiative on Sept. 24 at 3 pm for a live conversation “From Campus to Global: a Lifetime of Experience Addressing Hunger” with Donnie Smith.
Congratulations, Michelle!! The 2020 Faculty Senate Research Council Summer Graduate Research Assistantship Committee and the Office of Research & Engagement (ORE) has made its funding decisions, awarding Michelle Odoi a $3600 stipend for the summer. Michelle is a PhD student with a concentration on Bioinformatics, Genomics, and Molecular Interactions. She is under the tutelage of Drs. Denita Hadziabdic-Guerry and Robert Trigiano. Her proposal is titled Hunger Solution in West Africa: Genetic Diversity and Spatial Distribution of Native Frafra Potato Plants. This project had been previously worked on by her mentor, Dr. Hadziabdic-Guerry in Africa during her Fulbright fellowship. You can view Michelle Odoi’s proposal here We are very proud of Michelle and can’t wait to see where her accomplishments take her!
Abstract: Genome wide association studies, GWAS, are performed to determine potential associations between phenotypic (traits observed) data and genotypic (genome) data. Ipomoea batatas, sweetpotato, is a vital crop for combating both visible and invisible hunger, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the genetic diversity of the sweetpotato germplasm and the genetic architecture underlying agronomic traits is crucial to maintenance and utility of the genetic resources for the crop’s improvement. We will perform a GWAS study to determine potential genes and genomic features associated with traits of interest including disease and pest resistance traits, culinary traits, phytonutritional traits, and morphological traits. We intend to determine potential genes of interests and functional markers for breeding programs.