I am grateful for the generous travel support from the Louis C. and Jane Gapenski Endowment and the 1923 Fund that allowed me to present my research at the Metabolomics Association of North America (MANA) Conference at Banff, Canada. This experience was both professionally enriching and transformative for my work. During the meeting, I connected with leading experts in metabolomics who provided valuable feedback on strategies for annotating unknown metabolites, a critical challenge in my research, as many insect-derived metabolites are poorly represented or entirely absent from existing spectral libraries. These discussions not only strengthened my current analyses but also helped me build a network of collaborators who offered guidance and support for further developing my expertise in metabolomics. In addition, I participated in a metabolomic annotation workshop, where I learned how to use MassWiki to ensure accurate and transparent metabolite annotations. I am deeply grateful to the Florida Museum of Natural History for this travel award, which enabled me to gain essential technical skills, establish meaningful professional connections, and further solidify my path in metabolomics research.
Ana Lopez is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, advised by Dr. Akito Kawahara, Director of the McGuire Center Lepidoptera and Biodiversity and Curator at the Florida Natural History Museum.
The 2025 Fall Student Travel Awards are supported by the FLMNH Department of Natural History, including funds from the Louis C. and Jane Gapenski Endowed Fellowship. If you would like to help support this fund for future student awards, please go to: