Behavioral Plasticity Research Institute
Locusts are grasshoppers that can form enormous migrating swarms, once vividly recorded in the Bible and Quran, but still occurring to this day and affecting the livelihood of one in ten people on Earth. Currently, multiple continents are experiencing locust plagues that threaten food security. What makes locusts particularly devastating is their ability to change their behavior depending on population density – this is known as locust phase polyphenism. At low density, they are solitary and harmless grasshoppers, but at high density, they become gregarious and voracious pests that migrate. Understanding the mechanism of this transformation holds the key to developing effective methods of control, but requires comprehensive scientific integration across different biological disciplines. To address this challenge, a group of locust researchers has formed a cross-institutional, cross-disciplinary Biological Integration Institute – the Behavioral Plasticity Research Institute (BPRI), funded by the National Science Foundation. Using cutting-edge technologies in research projects spanning from molecules to landscapes, the BPRI research has greatly enhanced our understanding of locust phase polyphenism and developed innovative solutions to manage locust plagues. The institute has trained the next generation of integrative biologists who can efficiently navigate across different disciplines. Texas A&M University serves as a main research hub for the BPRI, with faculty members and trainees studying various aspects of locust biology, and maintains an one-of-a-kind locust rearing facility that enables integrative research.
Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming
The Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming is a first of its kind research center that helps the Insect Agriculture realize its potential to sustainably deliver alternative proteins, functional/therapeutic ingredients, to help sustain our food supply.
Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science
The goal of the IUCRC Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science are to bring together industrial partners, including the community, with academic forensic science researchers to develop, implement and commercialize tools that benefit the national forensic science research enterprise.