Entomology grad student Kylee Noel studies the genetic and physiological effects of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes. When she's not conducting her research in the Illinois Natural History Survey Medical Entomology Lab, Kylee is often doing scientific outreach in her community and encouraging people to participate in citizen science.
1. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be either a teacher or a veterinarian for as long as I can remember. In high school I wanted to be a pediatrician, but I eventually made my way back around to loving to teach and work with animals.
2. What drew you to your current field of study?
The diversity of insects is what first drew me to entomology, but then what drew me to medical entomology was the added benefit of being able to provide a service to humanity. We need to know more about these insects of medical concern so that we can save lives!
3. What do you love about your work at PRI?
PRI is such a wonderful work community with so many friendly faces and so many opportunities to collaborate. I particularly love the amount of time that I am able to spend in the field for collections. I was very excited to assist in both mosquito and tick collections this past field season.
4. How will your work impact future generations?
I believe that my work studying insecticide resistance in mosquito populations, will have many future benefits. Most importantly staying ahead of the curve of total resistance and finding new potential ways to control for insects—especially those of medical importance.
