NSF EDGE awardee Joshua Rosenthal of the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory will study the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) as the first cephalopod animal model (e.g. octopus, squid, cuttlefish). Because it is small, can be cultured through its life cycle and reaches sexual maturity quickly, this squid will be the focus for developing a large-scale culture facility to provide specimens for genetic research.

Credit: Photo: Tom Kleindinst; Video: Bret Grasse, Marine Biological Laboratory

NSF EDGE awardee Amy Toth from Iowa State University holds a Polistes fuscatus wasp, the subject of her EDGE research.

Credit: Bob Elbert, Iowa State University

NSF EDGE awardee Jonathan Henry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign uses adult slipper snails (Crepidula astrasolea) like these to develop a large-scale, automated culture system, which will permit labs to rear these and other filter-feeding organisms to study basic biological processes.

Credit: Jonathan Henry, University of Illinois

NSF EDGE awardee Andrea Sweigart from the University of Georgia studies Mimulus guttatus, also known as monkey flower.

Credit: Dena Grossenbacher

Doug Menke's research at the University of Georgia will establish genomic editing and transgenic tools in Anolis lizards like this brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei) perched on bamboo.

Credit: Shana Pau, University of Georgia Genetics Department (Image is from the Anolis research colony at the University of Georgia)