COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M University student Jesse Pyle has won an American Society for Microbiology’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship.
Pyle, a senior bioenvironmental sciences major from Houston, will receive a $4,000 stipend, a two-year membership in the society and travel expenses to the 113th general meeting in Denver in 2013.
Dr. Karen-Beth Scholthof, a professor of plant pathology at Texas A&M, will mentor Pyle in his research on Brachypodium distachyon, a type of grass also called purple false brome, for its potential as a model plant in lab studies on viruses.
The fellowship targets “highly competitive students who wish to pursue graduate careers in microbiology,” according to the society.
Fellows conduct full-time summer research at their institution with a society mentor and then submit abstracts for a chance to present the research results at the general meeting. This year, 122 applications were received and 56 were awarded, according to the society.
The American Society for Microbiology, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the
oldest and largest single biological membership organization, with more than 40,000 members
worldwide.
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