African trypanosomes are parasites transmitted to the bloodstream of humans and cattle via the bite of the tsetse fly. Infected humans and animals develop African trypanosomiasis, a disease that is fatal if untreated. The parasites cover themselves with different surface proteins depending on whether they are in the mammal or the fly, and these surface proteins are key to the survival of the parasite in both organisms. The scientific goal of this project is to understand the molecular mechanism that allows the parasite to change its surface proteins when it travels from the mammalian bloodstream to the gut of the fly following a bloodmeal. Understanding this mechanism will help shed light on how parasites evolved to adapt to different environments and could inform strategies to generate alternate therapies for the disease. The educational goal of the project is to allow full participation of 3 high school students and 10-12 undergraduates in cutting-edge research to help prepare them for careers in academia and biotechnology industries. Undergraduates participating in the program will attend lectures, career panels, and networking events with leaders in the biotechnology industry to expose them to exciting applications of biotechnology and help prepare them for careers in these fields. Rigorous research training at the high school and undergraduate level will create the foundation for these students to become leaders in industries that improve the health of the American public. The African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei, undergoes morphological and metabolic adaptation as it switches hosts. During transition from the mammalian bloodstream to the fly midgut, parasites remodel their cell surface, switching from a thick protein coat of antigenically variable variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) to an invariant procyclin coat in the fly midgut. While the environmental cues that trigger surface protein remodeling have been identified, little is known about the genetic