Dr. Teresa Patricia Feria Arroyo
If you want to know more about her career,
Go check her "About Dr. Feria" Section on this website:
https://www.utrgv.edu
/ferialab/index.htm
A little bit about this mentor:
Teresa P. Feria Arroyo, Ph.D., is a Professor at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley whose work focuses in ecology, biogeography, and infectious-disease risk at the climate–health interface. At UTRGV she leads FeriaLab, a research group that integrates field data, remote sensing, and modeling to understand and forecast biological threats, ranging from vector-borne diseases to invasive species across the Texas–Mexico borderlands. She has extensive experience directing interdisciplinary teams and community engagement efforts and is recognized for translating scientific evidence into practical prevention and outreach. In the CAL project, Dr. Feria coordinates UTRGV efforts in field surveillance, student training, and cross-institutional collaboration.
-
Field of expertise: Disease and invasion ecology; spatial modeling; climate–health risk; community outreach.
-
Role in this project: Co-PI (UTRGV).
Dr. Gregory Sword
If you want to know more about his career, go check his website:
https://swordlab.tamu.edu
/gregory-sword/
A little bit about this mentor:
Gregory A. Sword, Ph.D., is a Regents Professor and the Charles R. Parenca Chair in Cotton Entomology at Texas A&M University. An internationally known locust and grasshopper biologist, his research spans behavioral and population ecology, genomics, and sustainable pest management. Dr. Sword’s group has pioneered work on locust phase polyphenism, plant–insect interactions, and integrated pest management with direct applications in agriculture. In the CAL project he guides species diagnostics, field surveillance strategy, and public engagement materials, and he collaborates on developing tools to distinguish CAL from look-alike native species.
-
Field of expertise: Locust/grasshopper biology; Behavioral & population ecology; Agricultural entomology.
-
Role in this project: Co-PI (Texas A&M University).
Dr. Tyler Raszick
If you want to know more about his career, go check him on ResearchGate:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile
/Tyler-Raszick
A little bit about this mentor:
Tyler J. Raszick, Ph.D., is a Biological Scientist with USDA–APHIS Science & Technology at the Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (IMMDL) in Edinburg, Texas. His work focuses on method development and diagnostics supporting plant-health safeguards linking field collections, laboratory assays, and decision support for invasive and emerging pests. In the CAL project, Dr. Raszick coordinates federal laboratory collaboration, assists with surveillance logistics, and helps validate diagnostic workflows for CAL versus native Schistocerca species.
-
Field of expertise: Insect diagnostics; invasive-pest surveillance; applied entomology; methods development.
-
Role in this project: Co-PI / Federal Partner (USDA–APHIS, Science & Technology).
Dr. Tamer Oraby
If you want to know more about his career, go check him on ResearchGate:
https://www.researchgate.net
/profile/Tamer-Oraby-2
A little bit about this mentor:
Tamer Oraby, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at UTRGV and a mathematical epidemiologist whose research centers on infectious-disease modeling, network dynamics, and data-driven risk analysis. He develops and analyzes models that connect transmission processes, mobility, and intervention strategies, work that has informed multiple public-health contexts. Within the CAL project, Dr. Oraby leads modeling and analytics, integrating field observations, climate and land-use data to map risk and guide sampling and response planning.
-
Field of expertise: Mathematical biology & epidemiology; stochastic/network models; data-driven risk modeling.
-
Role in this project: Co-PI (UTRGV).