People

Jocelyn R. Holt

While at Texas A&M, I was awarded a Doctoral Research and Excellence Fellowship and a USDA-NIFA Predoctoral Fellowship to examine potential ecological facilitation of Buchnera aphidicola in sorghum aphids, and an ESA Comstock Award. My doctoral work identified bacteria not previously known in aphids and identified the interaction of tawny crazy ants with sorghum aphids, that increased aphid biomass.

Following my PhD, I was as an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Faculty Fellow in the Department of BioSciences at Rice University, where I mentored undergraduate and graduate students on independent research projects.

Currently I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Texas Southern University, where I engage research and tailored mentorship. The Holt Lab investigates plant-insect-microbe interactions across agroecosystems, natural systems, and urban environments. Research in my lab analyzes how population genetic and microbial composition influence pest insect traits and their symbiotic interactions. We focus on the evolutionary ecology of insects and potential avenues of ecological facilitation. This research informs sustainable pest management and advances understanding how ecological interactions shape agricultural and urban ecosystems.

Dori Brackens

My name is Dorien Brackens and I am a senior at Texas Southern University studying Biology. Wildlife biology has always been a passion of mine as well as ecology. I am working on a project that examines the relationship between RIFA on sorghum aphid populations in spring. I conducted an observational study where aphid numbers were counted on Johnson grass at varying distances away from RIFA mounds. Currently, I am in the process of analyzing this data in R. My goal is to determine whether the presence of RIFA has an impact on sorghum aphid numbers during spring months, before the long summer days and hot temperatures when aphid populations rapidly increase. With this study, I hope to understand RIFA-sorghum aphid interactions and apply this in a way that can help the management of agroecosystems where these interactions can have a deleterious impact on sorghum yields.

Ja'Niya Lewis

My name is Ja’Niya Lewis, and I am a senior at Texas Southern University. My major is biology, which I plan to use in the healthcare field. In addition to my interest in a patient care setting, I am fascinated with research and what I can do to contribute to science. I have previously done cancer research where I cultured cells and performed molecular extractions. My current project is focused on understanding whether interacting invasive insects share a core microbiota. I am comparing the microbiota composition between sorghum aphids and red imported fire ants. Red imported fire ants tend and consume honeydew from sorghum aphids. In addition, they both are known to have a negative effects on crops.

Christina Ko

My name is Christina Ko, and I am a rising sophomore at Rice University majoring in Neuroscience on the Pre-Med track. In addition to Neuroscience, I have always been passionate about ecology, environmental science, and biology. Currently, I am working on a project examining the suitability of corn as a host plant for sorghum aphids. I will test out several grass varieties to see which corn varieties are more resistant to the aphids. Through this project, I am excited about potentially helping to prevent pests from eating our food and grow crops more successfully. Aside from partaking in this research, I am also involved at Rice as a Rice Health Advisor and Peer Career Advisor.

Rosa Sabel

My name is Rosa Sabel, and I am a rising sophomore at Rice University studying Environmental Science. Currently, I am working on an experiment to investigate how mycorrhizal fungi affect sorghum plants and their aphid pests. For this experiment, I will grow both heirloom and conventional varieties of sorghum with and without mycorrhizal fungi, and then introduce aphids to each plant. By comparing plant measurements before and after the aphid introduction, I aim to determine the impact of mycorrhizal fungi on sorghum-aphid interactions. I hope that this research can inform more sustainable pest management practices in the future. At Rice, besides engaging in this research, I am involved as an EcoRep and a volunteer for the Women’s Resource Center.