Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2002

Blancas Lesley, Riverside CA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2002. The goal of the fellowship is to prepare minority scientists for positions of scientific leadership in academia and industry. To attain this goal, the fellowship provides opportunities for postdoctoral training of the highest quality to recent doctoral recipients. This program is an effort by the NSF to increase the number of research scientists from underrepresented minority groups, thereby contributing to the future vitality of the Nation's scientific enterprise. It is expected that Fellows trained through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce. The research and training plan for this fellowship is entitled "Natural hybridization and its consequences on the organization of genetic variation and population genetics of a crop and its wild relative." Hybridization between 2 genetically distinct natural populations can result in new genetic combinations through the reassortment of genes and multilocus genotypes. This study examines the evolutionary consequences of hybridization in co-occurring populations of maize (corn) and its wild relative teosinte by comparing genetic markers across the genome and among hybridizing and non-hybridizing populations.