Credit: Courtesy of David Hughes Ants that act as bodyguards to tend disease-spreading crop pests (as depicted here) can prevent effective control, leading to significant yield losses. Supported by a Gates Foundation grant, a team led by Penn State researcher David Hughes will develop a novel approach for reducing such ant populations.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. A Penn State researcher has been chosen to receive a grant through the Grand Challenges Explorations program, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. David Hughes, assistant professor of entomology and biology, will pursue an innovative global health and development research project, titled "Taking Out the Bodyguards: A Novel Solution to Ag Disease." Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) funds individuals worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mold in how we solve persistent global health and development challenges. Hughes' project is one of 107 Grand Challenges Explorations Round 8 grants announced today (May 9) by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Grand Challenges Explorations encourages individuals worldwide to expand the pipeline of ideas where creative, unorthodox thinking is most urgently needed," said Chris Wilson, director of Global Health Discovery and Translational Sciences at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We're excited to provide additional funding for select grantees so that they can continue to advance their idea towards global impact." To receive funding, Hughes and other Grand Challenges Explorations Round Eight winners demonstrated in a two-page, online application a bold idea in one of five critical global heath and development topic areas that included agriculture development, immunization and nutrition. Applications for the current open round, Grand Challenges Explorations Round Nine, will be accepted through May 15.
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