2021

The MPTL is awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant (R21AI153980) to study the physiology, pharmacology, and toxicology of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors to assist in controlling the African malaria mosquito (Anopheles gambiae). This research seeks to decrease the global health burden of Anopheles gambiae through enriching the insecticide pipeline by investigating an unexploited mode of action and enhance dietary uptake of pro-insecticides.
  • Na Xie and Morgan Roth participated in the American Chemical Society National Meeting (Agrochemical Division) where they presented their research. In the student poster competition, Na won First Place and Morgan won Second Place. Congratulations!
  • Morgan Roth and Na Xie received the Hill Travel Scholarship to present their research at the National Entomological Society Meeting in Denver Colorado, USA in November 2021.
  • Na Xie receives the Dr. Jorge Arias Award from the Virginia Mosquito Control Association (VMCA)
  • Na Xie receives First Place President's Prize for her presentation titled "Modulation of the insect muscarinic system enhances the
  • Morgan Roth receives Second Place for her paper presentation titled "Exploring growth and inhibition of the Aethina tumida fungal symbiont Kodamaea ohmeri" at the 2021 Virtual Meeting of the Eastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America.
  • Morgan Roth received a Dept. of Entomology Internal Graduate Research mini grant ($750) for a proposal titled "Identifying small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) physiological responses to attractant and repellent volatiles through electroantennography"
  • Na Xie received a Dept. of Entomology Internal Graduate Research mini grant ($700) for a proposal titled "Exploration of the fitness costs associated with the Rdl mutation in Drosophila melanogaster.
2020
  • Dr. Gross elected Fellow of the Agrochemical Division of the American Chemical Society
  • Na Xie Receives First Place and $300 cash award in the Student Competition at the American Chemical Society virtual Meeting (Agrochemical Division) for her poster titled "Synergism of fipronil, lindane, and dieldrin by the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist pilocarpine in Drosophila melanogaster"
  • Morgan receives First Place for her poster presentation at the 36th annual Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) Research Symposium
2019
  • Morgan was a runner-up for the J.M. Grayson M.S. Scholarship Award (Dept. of Entomology - Virginia Tech).
  • Na Xie receives a Graduate Research Development Grant (GDRP; $1,000) from the Graduate School Association at Virginia Tech.
  • Morgan Roth was Named Outstanding Masters Student by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech.
  • Na receives Second Place President's Prize (paper, PhD section of PBT) for her presentation titled "Accessing the potential of insect muscarinic acetylcholine receptors as an insecticide target" at the National Entomological Society of America Meeting in St. Louis, MO, USA.
  • Morgan Roth receives a Graduate Student Assembly travel scholarship to attend the National Entomological Society Meeting in Vancouver, BC, CA.​
2018
  • Na Xie Joins the MPTL with a Fellowship from the Chinese Scholarship Council.
  • Morgan Roth receives First Place at the Eastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America meeting (Blacksburg, VA) for her poster presentation titled "Characterization of Aethina tumida acetylcholinesterase (AChE) pharmacology: The search for novel AChE inhibitors."