“As a person of color who grew up in West Virginia, I was largely aware of the issue presented by low entry and retention rates of underrepresented populations within STEM majors in this state,” she said. Morris said she hopes this experience will help her become a more effective mentor and researcher who works to bridge the gap between science and underrepresented populations. “Besides traps and non-discriminate insecticides, there are no largely effective and non-labor-intensive methods of controlling the tsetse fly, representing a large economic and medical burden to individuals living within affected areas.” Currently, 56 million individuals across 36 sub-Saharan countries are at risk of contracting African sleeping sickness,” she said. “Tsetse flies are the sole vectors of trypanosomes, the agents responsible for human and animal trypanosomiases. Morris, a May 2023 graduate with a bachelor’s in biology, was accepted into the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences’ biology doctorate program where she’ll continue researching tsetse flies, a significant concern to human and animal health as carriers of trypanosomes.Ĭommonly referred to as “sleeping sickness” in humans and “nagana” in animals, the disease cannot be prevented with vaccinations.
Rachel Morris from Charleston, Meagan Walker from Weston, and Teagan Kuzniar and Ellena Gemmen from Morgantown, will each receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 and access to a wide range of professional development opportunities while pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees.
Th ree West Virginia University students and one alumna are joining an elite group of researchers from across the United States as recipients of National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.
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