Biology PhD student Jordan Smith from the Traniello Lab has been awarded a Student Research Grant from the Animal Behavior Society. 
Jordan received the grant award for her recent proposal, titled “Taste and Task: Gustatory Polyphenisms and Division of Labor in a Leafcutter Ant”. The proposal received an “outstanding” rating, and has been recognized for its “contributions to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion”.
The proposed research is investigating gustatory (or taste) differences between worker subcastes of the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes, which perform different roles in the colony such as fungal gardening, leaf-cutting, and defense. To study whether taste differences play a role in regulating task-related behavior, Jordan proposed using behavioral assays to measure differences in feeding behavior and electrophysiology to record responses from taste organs.
Congratulations Jordan!