We are pleased to announce the GSA Poster Award winners from the 62nd Annual Drosophila Research Conference! Undergraduate and graduate student members of the GSA were eligible for the awards, and a hard-working team of postdocs volunteered their time as judges. Congratulations to all!


Undergraduate Students


Umayr R. Shaikh

1st Place: Umayr R. Shaikh

Institution: Butler University

Poster Title: “Exploring size scaling relationships in the developing Drosophila egg chamber”


Sarah Sims

2nd Place: Sarah Sims

Institution: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Poster Title: “Consequences of the Loss of Multiple HP1 Proteins in Drosophila melanogaster


3rd Place: Abigail Wukitch

Institution: Bucknell University

Poster Title: “The limits of chronic infection induced protection during secondary infection in Drosophila melanogaster

Graduate Students


Mehrnaz Afkhami

1st Place: Mehrnaz Afkhami مهرناز افخمی

Institution: University of Oklahoma

Poster Title: “The genetic and neuronal bases of a coevolved reproductive trait in female Drosophila


Alexander J. Barron

2nd Place: Alexander J. Barron

Institution: Johns Hopkins University

Poster Title: “Drosophila gut bacteria regulate the growth of invasive microbes both in culture and in the host gut environment”


Jullien Flynn

3rd Place: Jullien Flynn

Institution: Cornell University

Poster Title: “Multiple sex chromosome-autosome fusions associated with high satellite DNA content in Drosophila virilis