I WILL DEFINE HOW THE RNA-BINDING PROTEIN TE1 HAS SINGULAR AND DRAMATIC EFFECTS ON MAIZE LEAF INITIATION. MY RESEARCH WILL QUANTITATIVELY ESTABLISH THE EFFECT OF TE1 ACTIVITY ON THE MAIZE TRANSCRIPTOME AND TRANSLATOME TO IDENTIFY TRANSCRIPTS THAT ARE INFLUENCED BY TE1. I WILL ALSO DETERMINE WHICH RNA SUBSTRATES TE1 DIRECTLY BINDS. I WILL LEVERAGE THESE DATA TO CONSTRUCT A WHOLE-GENOME MECHANISTIC MODEL OF THE NETWORK THAT REGULATES LEAF INITIATION AND ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MAIZE GROWS IN RESPONSE TO NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY. MEANWHILE, I WILL REFINE MY SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS BY WRITING AND REVIEWING MANUSCRIPTS AND GIVING SEMINARS AT BOTH DEPARTMENTAL AND BROADER SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS. I WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP TEACHING SKILLS BY ASSISTING GENETICS FACULTY IN THEIR COURSES AND BY MENTORING GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCHERS.