BROOKS LAB NEWS
	Drs. Brooks and Ervin to travel to Argentina again for Cactoblastis cactorum project in December 2008. July 1, 2008 Drs. Brooks and Ervin will continue their broad-scale sampling for Cactoblastis in Argentina, this time covering more of the eastern portion of the moth's range within Argentina. This second trip will include 10 days in Argentina, again working closely with Guillermo Logarzo and Laura Varone (USDA-ARS Biocontrol Laboratory, Hurlingham, Argentina). Many thanks again to Mississippi State University ORED for providing funds to help offset the cost of travel. Dr. Brooks and colleagues publish a new paper in American Naturalist on using network models to predict the spread of disease. June 20, 2008 Dr. Brooks has a new paper coming out in the August issue of the American Naturalist with Janis Antonovics (University of Virginia) and Tim Keitt (University of Texas). The paper describes the application of a spatially-explicit network model to empirical data on the spread of a fungal pathogen (Microbotryum violaceum) in a native plant population (Silene virginica). See the press release here. Brooks Lab receives funding to study the geographic distribution of leprosy in nine-banded armadillos. May 20, 2008 Dr. Brooks received word that his proposal to the Jack H. Berryman Institute to explore the geographic patterns of leprosy risk in nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) was successful. The funds will be used to support undergraduate students working in the field during the summer of 2009. Drs. Brooks & Ervin Travel to Argentina to Study Cactoblastis cactorum in its Native Range Febuary 21-March 1, 2008 Dr. Brooks and Dr. Gary Ervin travelled to Argentina to collaborate with USDA Biocontrol Lab Staff members Guillermo Logarzo and Laura Varone. Their initial trip covered more than 3,000km collecting data and samples of C. cactorum and Opuntia species in much of the range of the cactus moth. Thanks to Guillermo and Laura for their invaluable assistance and to ORED for providing funds to offset the cost of our trip. You can find a few of the many photos we took here. Off to LSU & The National Hansen's Disease Laboratory January 6, 2008 Dr. Brooks and new Brooks Lab member Leah Chinchilla are headed to Baton Rouge to tour the Hansen's Disease Facility, visit with Chief of Microbiology & Epidemiology Richard Truman, and give a short brown bag seminar to the Truman Lab group.
	Dr. Brooks Receives 'Quick Grant' for Research Trip to Argentina December 20, 2007 As a part of an ongoing collaboration, Dr. Brooks will be traveling with Dr. Gary Ervin to Argentina this Spring. The purpose of their trip is to collect data on the location and characteristics of host plants infested with Cactoblastis cactorum in its host range.
	New Computers Arrive in the Lab December 5, 2007 Finally, after weeks of hold up with Gateway the new lab machines have arrived! Along with new chairs it looks like the lab is coming together in time for a productive and exciting Spring and Summer!
	Dr. Brooks Presents at Cactoblastis cactorum Symposium December 4, 2007 Dr. Brooks was invited to speak as a part of a symposium hosted by John Madsen and the GeoResources Institute. Attendees included representatives from USDA-ARS, USGS-BRD, NBII, and the University of Connecticut in addition to the interdisciplinary team from Mississippi State working on the system.
	Leah Chinchilla Joins the Brooks Lab November 29, 2007 Leah has spent the past semester as a teaching assistant in the department for Zoology and taking courses in Plant Biology and Pathogenic Microbiology. Leah will start as a M.S. student beginning in January 2008. She will be working with Drs. Brooks and Welch on a project aimed at studying the patterns of leprosy in nine-banded armadillos as they relate to the genetic structure of the animal.
	The Brooks Lab Joins The Northern Gulf Institute November 5, 2007 Dr. Brooks traveled to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab as an invited participant on a project examining the effects of human alteration of the landscape on sedimentation, nutrient dynamics, and ecological responses in the Mobile Basin. Our work involves the exploration of historical and contemporary patterns of interaction between Unionid mussels and their hosts - freshwater fish. We will use this analysis to assess current ecosystem 'health' and to develop coarse models to predict changes in this host-parasite interaction as a function of human activities.
	Brooks Lab Member Michael Robert Receives EPSCoR Award October 21, 2007 Michael is an undergraduate student majoring in Mathematics at Mississippi State University and is one of four awardees for the Mississippi EPSCoR's undergraduate award this year. He will be working with Dr. Brooks on a spatially-explicit model of Cactoblastis cactorum spread in the southern United States as a part of his award.
	Opportunities for Graduate Students October 20, 2007 We are currently looking for two bright, motivated graduate students to join the lab. One position is for a M.S. student who is interested in studying current and historical patterns of parasitism of the fish community in the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway by Unionid mussels. The other is for a Ph.D. student (exceptional M.S. candidates will also be considered) interested in working on the ecology of leprosy in armadillo populations in the southern United States. Click here for more details.
	Cactoblastis Sampling Trip October 20, 2007 Recently, Dr. Brooks traveled to the coast of Alabama and Florida with Drs. Ervin and Welch as a part of a new collaborative project to study the spread of the invasive cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum.
	Dr. Brooks Joins The Center for Computational Sciences September 17, 2007 The CCS is one of the Centers affiliated with Mississippi State University's High Performance Computing Collaboratory (HPCC). As a part of his involvement Dr. Brooks presented some of his work on epidemiological networks for the Center's seminar series. More information about CCS can be found here.