Congratulations to Dr. Shujun Ou, whose grant entitled "Adaptation Mechanisms of Maize and Rice to Environmental Stresses: A Comparative Genomic Approach" was recently funded by the Office of Global Gateways and Partnerships. The funded project focuses on uncovering the genetic mechanisms prompted by transposable elements that enable maize and rice, two globally essential staple crops, to adapt to environmental stresses such as climate fluctuations. By leveraging international collaboration with eminent Chinese scholars, and utilizing advanced sequencing technologies, the project aims to reveal molecular mechanisms that could be critical in breeding more climate-resilient crops.