Aggie Women in Entomology
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Representing AWE

The Women in Entomology Board are involved in organizing meetings,  events, seminars, professional development workshops, and coordinate mentoring opportunities for women pursuing a career in STEM fields.   
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JACLYN MARTIN

President

Jaclyn Martin is a PhD student working with Dr. Keyan Zhu-Salzman in the Department of Entomology. Jaclyn received her M.S. in entomology and plant pathology and her B.S. in entomology from Oklahoma State University (Go Pokes!). Her project is over the biology of the invasive insect vector Tagosodes orizicolus which is a major pest of rice and transmits Rice hoja blanca virus to rice. During her M.S., she worked with ticks and pathogens they transmit to humans. In her free time, Jaclyn hangs out with her two cats, solves mysteries, and trains to be a contestant on Survivor. ​

Follow her on Twitter!
​@Jaclynemartin

Brenda Leal

Vice President

Brenda Leal is a PhD student in Dr. Cecilia Tamborindeguy's lab in the Department
of Entomology at Texas A&M. Her research involves studying the physiological interaction between ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ and the potato psyllid nymph. Brenda received a master’s degree in General Biology, where she studied the impact of ecological factors on questing tick larvae. 
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Caixing Xiong

Director of finance 

Caixing Xiong is a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Patricia
Pietrantonio’s lab in the Department of Entomology at
Texas A&M University. Her research focus on screening
for novel ligands on arthropod G protein-coupled
receptors as potential tools for mosquito and tick control
by characterizing the pharmacological profiles and
bioactivities of these compounds. Caixing received her
M.S. in Entomology from Auburn University, Alabama, in
2016 where she worked with Dr. Nannan Liu and studied
the neuronal responses of the common bed bug (Cimex
lectularius
) to aggregation pheromones. She received a
B.S. in Plant Protection from China Agricultural University
in Beijing. Outside of research, she likes hiking and
camping and spending time with her family and friends.​

​Follow her on Twitter!
​@Caixing_xiong

Samantha SAwyer

Director of communication

Samantha (Sam) Sawyer is a PhD Candidate working with Dr. Jeffery Tomberlin. Her current work focuses on  competition between vertebrate and invertebrate scavengers and the impacts of Mass Mortality Events on arthropod communities, and ecological impacts. She received a BS in Biology from Bridgewater State University in 2017 where she contributed to several research projects with her advisor Dr. Christopher Bloch, including impacts of the invasive Asian Shore Crab on rocky intertidal zones in Southern New England, and observing vertebrate carnivore activity at Duxbury Beach Reservation. She also studied how carrion impacted arthropod communities not associated with decomposition, and how carrion tissues elicit behavioral changes in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis.  In her free time she enjoys spending time with her daughter, husband and chihuahua.

Follow her on Twitter!
​@SJSawyerBeetle
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cecilia tamborindeguy

FACULTY advisor

Cecilia Tamborindeguy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology. Her research interests lie in the field of, insect physiology and pathogen-insect-plant interactions from the molecular and mechanistic perspectives. Currently, she works on psyllids as vector of Liberibacter bacteria, and recently her research interests expanded to fire ants. She obtained her Agronomy Engineering, MS and PhD diplomas from the Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Toulouse in France. After her PhD, Cecilia received postdoctoral training under Dr. Stewart Gray in the Department of Plant Pathology at Cornell University studying virus transmission by aphids. Cecilia wants to support and mentor women and other underrepresented minorities in science. Although Cecilia truly enjoys reading, movies and traveling, for now she spends the majority of her free time helping her kids with homework.

Previous boards 


2017 Board (Founding Board)
President: Chloe Hawkings
Vice President: Jocelyn Holt
Director of Finance: Alex Payne
Director of Communication: Leah Buchman
Post Doc Rep: Estelle Martin
Faculty Advisor: Cecilia Tamborindeguy
2018 Board
President: Chloe Hawkings
Vice President: Jocelyn Holt
Director of Finance: Alex Payne
Director of Communication: Leah Buchman
Post Doc Rep: Estelle Martin
Faculty Advisor: Cecilia Tamborindeguy
2019 Board
President: Alex Payne
Vice President: Jaclyn Martin
Director of Finance: Tara Kay Jones
Director of Communication: Leah Buchman
Post Doc Rep: Loren Rivera Vega 
Faculty Advisor: Cecilia Tamborindeguy
​2020 Board
President: Jaclyn Martin
Vice President: Brenda Leal
Director of Finance: Caixing Xiong
Director of Communication: Samantha Sawyer
Faculty Advisor: Cecilia Tamborindeguy

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  • About
  • Board Members
  • Recognition
  • Events
  • Gallery
    • Past Events
    • Pictures
  • Resources
    • Mental Health Resources
    • Funding Opportunities
  • Contact