Angie Tissi off to the Smithsonian

Angie Tissi ('08), OSAC's chief Curatorial Associate, has been awarded a summer internship at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Ms. Tissi will be working in conjunction with the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit under the supervision of Dr. Richard C. Wilkerson.

Ms. Tissi's career aspirations rest at the interface of entomology and human health - and the coursework she has taken here at OSU during her undergraduate years reflect her passion for both subjects. Few Americans realize the impact insects have on global health - especially in the tropics. Malaria, Dengue, Typhoid, Encephalitis are only a few of the human diseases that are transmitted by insects - and taken together are responsible for millions of deaths each year around the world.

Ms. Tissi will be trained at the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit in new molecular techniques of mosquito identification that hinges on obtaining short diagnostic sequences of DNA (known as DNA barcodes). Accurate and speedy identification of problematic mosquito species around the world is one of the chief impediments to controlling the spread of human diseases - and Ms. Tissi's internship will be contributing valuable data to this effort, while providing her the opportunity to work in the Smithsonian's molecular sequencing facility.

Congratulations Angie!