** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THIS PROJECTSFOCUSES ON SPOTTED-WING DROSOPHILA (SWD; D. SUZUKII), A POTENT, INVASIVE AGRICULTURAL PEST THAT CAUSES OVER $700M IN ANNUAL DAMAGE TO BERRIES AND STONE FRUIT IN THE U.S. GROWERS RELYING ON CHEMICAL INSECTICIDES URGENTLY NEED MORE TARGETED, EFFECTIVE SWD MANAGEMENT TOOLS. PRECISION-GUIDED STERILE INSECT TECHNIQUE (PGSIT) IS A NEW GENETIC ENGINEERING APPROACH THAT PRODUCES STERILE MALES, ALLOWING FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF WILD SWD POPULATIONS. THE FFECTIVE WIDESPREAD RELEASE OF THESE GE INSECTS REQUIRES FEDERAL REGULATORY ASSESSMENT, INCLUDING EVALUATION OF PGSIT-SWD DISPERSAL. OUR PROPOSED RESEARCH INVESTIGATES THE SCALE AND LOGIC OF PGSIT-SWD DISPERSAL USING A VARIETY OF NOVEL COMPUTER VISION APPROACHES. WE WILL COMPARE THE FLIGHT ENDURANCE AND NAVIGATION ABILITY OF PGSIT-SWD MALES TO WILD-TYPE FLIES (OBJECTIVE 1). WE WILL TEST THE DISPERSAL SPEED AND DISTANCE OF PGSIT-SWD AT A LANDSCAPE SCALE (OBJECTIVE 2). FINALLY, WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PROTEIN STARVATION ENHANCES PGSIT-SWD FLIGHT DISPERSAL (OBJECTIVE 3). OUR OBJECTIVES ALIGN WITH THE BRAG PROGRAM GOAL OF DEVELOPING METHODS FOR MONITORING THE DISPERSAL OF GE ORGANISMS, BOTH THROUGH OUR LARGE-SCALE FIELD STUDIES AND PHENOTYPIC COMPARISON WITH WILD VARIANTS. OUR RESEARCH WILL ALLOW REGULATORS TO ASSESS THE SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF PGSIT-SWD, WITH BENEFITS TO AGRICULTURAL STAKEHOLDERS. FURTHERMORE, OUR WORK WILL ESTABLISH GENERALIZABLE TOOLS APPLICABLE TO STUDYING THE DISPERSAL OF OTHER SMALL, MOBILE GE ORGANISMS.