** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CORN HAS TRADITIONALLY NOT BEEN GROWN FOR SPECIFIC PRODUCTS OR USES IN THE US. INSTEAD, THE GENERIC YELLOW DENT CORN HAS BEEN CULTIVATED OVER THE LAST 100 YEARS TO SERVE EVERY PURPOSE AS AN INGREDIENT OR PRODUCT. WITH THE NEW TOOLS WE HAVE IN PLANT RESEARCH, WE CAN NOW TRY TO LOOK BACK AT LOCALLY ADAPTED CORN THAT WAS PRESENT BEFORE THE YELLOW DENT DISPLACED THEM IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY AND SELECT THEM FOR SPECIFIC PRODUCTS THAT CAN COMPETE WITH THE CURRENT SEED WE HAVE NOW.MY RESEARCH PRIMARILY FOCUSES ON THE WHISKEY MARKET AND HOW WE CAN MAKE BETTER CORN FOR THAT MARKET. TO DO THAT, I WILL BE GROWING TWO POPULATIONS OF CORN CURRENTLY USED AT THE SMALL SCALE FOR WHISKEY MAKING THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY USED BY DISTILLERS BEFORE THE ONSET OF YELLOW DENT CORN IN THE US AND PROHIBITION. I WILL THEN CROSS THE PARENTS TOGETHER TO MAKE A POPULATION AND ANALYZE THAT POPULATION AFTER TWO ROUNDS OF SELF-POLLUNATION TO LOOK AT FLAVOR DIVERSITY IN THIS POPULATION AND HOW IT RELATES TO THE GENETICS OF THE PLANTS. OVERALL, THIS PROJECT WILL HELP INFORM US HOW FLAVOR TRAITS ARE INHERITED IN CORN AND WILL HELP BEGIN THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING AND GROWING CORN FOR SPECIFIC USES IN THE AMERICAN WHISKEY MARKET.