Today our Cell Biology class (BIO-3130) visited the Proteomics Lab of the Vermont Biomedical Research Network (VBRN) to learn about protein sequencing. Earlier in the semester the class extracted proteins from black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and submitted our purified protein samples for analysis. Thanks to Dr. Wai Lam and Sydney Cohn-Guthrie for the tour of the lab, explaining how protein sequencing works and for some inspiring stories!

Today I delivered a presentation at ESA's Annual Meeting in Portland, OR on our research into the role of invasive plant species in tick-borne disease in Vermont. This presentation was part of a Symposium titled "Invasive Plants and Public Health: Unraveling the Connections to Vector-Borne Diseases", organized by Dr. Brian Allan of the University of Illinois.

Figure 1. Detection of PCR amplification products by agarose gel electrophoresis (left), DETECTR using a fluorescence plate reader (middle) and DETECTR using lateral flow test strips (right). The same eight samples were tested by each method.

I attended the 17th International Conference on Lyme Borreliosis and other Tick-borne diseases (ICLB) in Chicago, IL and delivered a poster on our CRISPR/Cas12a DNA detection research. Maya and Samantha were co-authors on the poster.

VTSU students delivered two presentations and this year's Disease Ecology meeting, which was held at Middlebury College. Maya and Samantha gave a talk titled "OspC Variant Identification Of Borrelia burgdorferi Samples; DETECTR VS Nanopore Sequencing". Alexy and Kaylo gave a talk titled "Comparing blacklegged nymph densities within densely invaded and uninvaded understory communities within privately owned woodlands". Thanks to Dave Allen for hosting!

We had a great meeting in Orono, Maine to kick off the DISES project and to share field methods for both the DISES and NEWVEC projects. Thank you Allie for hosting us!