Dr. Bextine focuses on manipulation of insect vectors indirectly through the genetic manipulation of symbiotic microbial biota with emphasis on Xylella fastidiosa/GWSS interations. During summer of 2005 Blake took a faculty position at the University of Texas, Tyler.

Contact Information:
Department of Biology, University of Texas at Tyler
3900 University Blvd. Tyler, Texas 75799
Phone: (903) 565-5652
Fax: (903) 566-7189
Email: bbextine@uttyler.edu

Dr. Lacava finished a Ph.D. with professor J. L. Azevedo at the Genetics Department, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil in March of 2005 where he worked on Citrus Variegated Chlorosis disease of citrus. He was invited for a postdoctoral to work on Pierce’s disease. His research interest is in endophytic bacteria and the interaction with Xylella fastidiosa.

Project: Use of paratransgenesis strategy for the management of Xylella fastidiosa transmission by the glassy-winged sharpshooter.

Contact Information:
Gabriel Monteiro da Silva 700
Alfenas, MG, Brazil
37130-000
E-mail: ptlacava@esalq.usp.br

Dr. Ren arrived at UC Riverside in August of 2002. She achieved genetic transformation of tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens, in December of 2003 and worked on making the transformation system stable. We were never able to achieve this because of the presence of active mobile elements that made the strains unstable.

Curriculum Vitae
Education: Ph.D., Entomology, June 2002, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
B.S., Plant Protection, June 1997, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute and The W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Room E4626 Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD 21205
Phone: (410) 502-3132
Email: xren@jhsph.edu

Dr. Kim finished a Ph.D. with Peter Atkinson in 2002 and stayed for two postddoctorals, one with Alex Raikhel and back with Peter Atkinson until February 2005. She then came to work on the pink bollworm project with us.

On 28 November 2005, Yu Jung started working at UC San Diego in the Medical School. She can be reached at the email listed below.

Education:
Ph.D., Biochemistry, June 2002, UC Riverside,
Faculty Cal State San Bernardino 

Contact Information:
E-mail: YuJung.Kim@gmail.com

Ph.D. student in the Cellular Molecular and Developmental Biology program at UCR. Arrived for graduate school in Fall of 2004 intending to do research on some aspect of symbiotic control of Pierce’s disease.

Curriculum Vitae:
Education: Higher Secondary degree from Deaba College, Jalandhar, Punjab, India, 1995. B.S., Agriculture (Honors), Punjab Agaricultrual University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, 2000. M.S., Entomology, Punjaab Agricultural Univedrsity, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, 2002.
Born in: Shahkot, Punjab, India.

Contact Information:
Room Number 216
Building Number 10
New Mexico VA Health Care System
1501 San Pedro Dr. SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
E-mail: arinder.arora@gmail.com

Ph.D. student, Cellular Molecular and Developmental Biology graduate program. Arrived in the lab November, 2003 during first year of graduate program. Chose to do graduate on some aspect of the Pierce’s disease project in the Entomology Department. Her current research focuses on identifying the bacterial endophytes living in grapevines that are resistant to Pierce’s Disease and on identifying several unknown species of bacteria isolated from GWSS. The identification process is primarily based on 16S and gyrB gene sequence analysis. In addition, she is characterizing the bacterium Alcaligenes xylosoxidans denitrificans using the same techniques for use in obtaining a molecular description of the symbiont. Identifying this bacterium is critical to the progress of the project. Jennifer recently graduated from Golden Gate Law School with her JD degree with a specialization in Intellectual Property Law. She earned a Cali Award in Patent Law of the US and a Witkin Award in Patent Litigation.She took the California State bar and is waiting for results.  She is  currently studying for the US Patent Bar and will also take this federal bar within the next few months. Then, she will be applying for jobs with the hope of staying in California.

Curriculum Vitae:
Education: BS in Biochemistry from UCR, 2003
Golden Gate Law School
Born in: Santa Cruz, CA

Jennifer Parker, PhD., J.D.
655 Powell St. #208
San Francisco, CA 94108
Jennifer.parker708@gmail.com
951-545-7122

MS student who completed his thesis on sharpshooter feeding March 2006. Is pursuing a Ph.D. at John’s Hopkins University beginning Fall 2006.
For more information visit Jose’s website here.
http://sensusnatura.worldzonepro.com

Ph.D. student, Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology graduate program. Arrived in the lab November 2004. Currently working with issues in signaling in Xylella fastidiosa in grape vines.

Curriculum Vitae:
Education: BS in Mechanical Engineering from Kasetsart University, Thailand, 1999

Contact Information:
369 Entomology Department
University of California, Riverside.
Lab phone: (951) 827-3886
Email: schar002@ucr.edu
Website: www.lek.in.th

M.S. Thesis (in progress January 2006): Transmission of non-pathogenic bacterium Alcaligenes xylosoxidans sbsp denitrificans by the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata Say (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and implications for a paratransgenic approach to treating Pierce's disease. Some general interests are evolution of insect-microbe symbiosis in Hemiptera and microbial interactions within insects. 

Contact Information:
369 Entomology Department of Entomology
University of California Riverside, CA 92521
E-mail: robin.bromley@email.ucr.edu
Phone: (951) 827-3886

Graduate student who did pink bollworm genetic transformation (1992 - 1998). Steve was single-handedly responsible for genetic transformation of pink bollworm, which was achieved in February of 1998. The secret to success was Steve designing a new promoter based on the Actin A3 promoter form silkworm, Bombyx mori. Steve made some special modification in the promoter sequence based on literature suggestions. Whatever he did, it worked first time. He left graduate school soon after the June graduation ceremony in 1998 and his dissertation research was then written up by John Peloquin. The work was published in 2000 and lead directly to Professor Miller being awarded the Gregor Mendel Gold Medal award in 2003 from the Czech Academy of Sciences. The work also lead indirectly to our collaborator Bob Staten (USDA-APHIS, Phoenix, AZ) winning the Secretary's Honor Award (the highest award given by the USDA) for initiating the pink bollworm project and developing transgenic pink bollworm for field applications in cotton crop protection.

Contact Information:
Steve was hired directly out of graduate school by:
Exelixis, Inc.
170 Harbor Way
P.O. Box 511
South San Francisco, CA 94083-0511
He stayed there 1998-2005 when their project supported by Bayer Agrochemical Company was discontinued. Steve was subsequently hired by Amgen:
Amgen
1120 Veterans Blvd
South San Francisco, CA 94080
stephen.thibault@amgen.com 

Contact Information:
jjone014@ucr.edu

Contact Information:
laurenwong5@gmail.com

Tara is working with "Lek" on the Xylella signaling project. In addition, she is looking into conditions conducive to stomatal opening and closing as pertains to Xylella aggregation in the xylem.

Education: BS in Biological Sciences, 2005

Contact Information:
369 Entomology Department University of California, Riverside.
Lab Phone: (951) 827-3886
Email: tmast001@student.ucr.edu

Ph.D. student, Biochemistry graduate program. Arrived in the lab June 2006. Currently assisting with issues in xylem and soil chemistry to determine impact on poorly transmitting Xylella fastidiosa by GWSS on synthetic grape vines in vitro as well as statistics work done in a vineyard of Temecula Valley.  Education: BS in Biology from Maryville College, 2004

Contact Information:
369 Entomology Department University of California, Riverside.
Lab phone: (951) 827-3886
Email: rserv002@student.ucr.edu