Mosquito Ecology and Surveillance Laboratory
The Mosquito Ecology and Surveillance Laboratory (MESL) is located at the University of Texas at El Paso, a few hundred yards from the US-Mexico border and the city of Juárez, Mexico. With global warming, the importance of temperature-limited, mosquito-borne viral diseases in the United States is expected to increase, perhaps dramatically. The laboratory's mission is to increase knowledge of the natural history of the mosquitoes in the Greater El Paso-Juárez Region, especially in terms of the role of mosquitoes in the transmission of diseases to humans. In concert with local, state, and national entities, the laboratory studies the ecological parameters, population sizes, local distributions, and tests for the presence of arbovirus in local mosquitoes.
The goals and aims of the Mosquito Ecology and Surveillance Laboratory (MESL) are:
MESL works for Dr. Doug Watts, principal investigator, and under the direction of Cindy Crews, project director. The lab has helped many undergraduate students get started in research as well as supported graduate students in their projects. Some of our students have pursued careers in the medical field, public health, or academic research. MESL is supported by College of Science and the Border Biomedical Research Center (BBRC). We are hosted by the Biodiversity Collections, who generously provide us with laboratory space and camaraderie for ecological sciences.