Ayuba Abaka connected done ResearchGate with Fresno State biology prof Dr. Alejandro Calderon-Urrea soon aft helium published his works probe arsenic an undergraduate pupil successful Nigeria.
Their enactment was akin — researching the absorption of nematode pests that harm works roots.
Abaka grew up successful an cultivation assemblage successful Nigeria wherever his parents are teachers and farmers increasing nutrient to provender their household passim the year. Farmers look challenges with pests and disease, which unit them to fallow their onshore aft a twelvemonth of farming, Abaka said. Land is besides increasing scarce owed to development, helium said.
As a result, Abaka’s involvement successful plants grew and led him to survey biotechnology arsenic an undergraduate. With encouragement from Calderon-Urrea, Abaka applied to the postgraduate programme successful biology astatine Fresno State and landed successful the United States successful December 2023 to proceed his education. A week later, helium got a probe presumption successful Calderon-Urrea’s laboratory astatine Fresno State.
On Wednesday, April 23, Abaka volition marque an oral presumption connected unravelling the molecular mechanics of enactment of chalcone successful controlling plant-parasitic nematode utilizing CRISPR-Cas9, a gene-editing technology, astatine the 46th yearly Central California Research Symposium, the item lawsuit of Fresno State’s Research Week happening April 21 to 25. The weeklong celebration, present successful its 3rd year, volition see speakers, probe presentations and module networking and work celebrations. A docket of events is disposable connected the Research Week webpage.
“I ever privation to situation myself. I’ve done a mates of posters … I don’t wanna beryllium stagnant,” Abaka said. “Poster is good, but it’s ever bully to determination a measurement guardant successful trying to pass your probe to a bigger assemblage and get feedback.”
In summation to his laboratory work, Abaka is simply a teaching adjunct connected campus. He precocious presented astatine the Conference for Emerging Black Academics successful STEM astatine Caltech and is simply a postgraduate chap of the Farms, Food, Future (F3) Innovate inaugural to enactment agriculture successful the Central Valley done caller ag technology, regenerative farming practices and cutting-edge occupation training.
Abaka volition beryllium among much than 250 students who volition springiness oral and poster presentations successful the Resnick Student Union. The symposium allows students and module to stock caller probe with the field assemblage and promote probe activities successful the Central Valley.
Fresno State’s R2 probe designation, archetypal earned successful 2022, was renewed successful February by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Fresno State awarded 25 probe doctoral degrees and spent $11.4 cardinal connected probe expenditures successful the 2022-23 world year.
The assemblage has made probe a precedence nether the university’s 2023-29 Strategic Plan with goals to make operational structures and supply resources to let module and unit to beforehand probe and innovation.
During the 2023-24 world year, Fresno State received much than 400 grants and contracts for a full of $78.3 million, mounting a grounds successful probe backing for the sixth consecutive year.
“We’re thrilled to showcase the unthinkable enactment of our module and students during Research Week,” said Dr. Jason Bush, interim subordinate vice president of Research and Sponsored Programs astatine Fresno State. “It’s a solemnisation of curiosity, creativity and the powerfulness of find astatine Fresno State.”
