This award supports research into how plants control their growth and form at a molecular level, with a focus on a maize gene called TERMINAL EAR1 (TE1). Plant development depends on meristems, pools of stem cells that give rise to leaves, stems, and reproductive organs such as flowers and seeds. While much is known about how genes turn on and off to guide development, far less is understood about how plants regulate development at the level of translating RNAs into proteins. This project investigates TE1, an RNA-binding protein that appears to control when and how specific RNAs are translated, thereby shaping fundamental aspects of plant form, including plant size and the architecture of grain-bearing structures. Maize is the most economically important cereal crop in the United States, so understanding the genes that govern its architecture has direct implications for improving crop yields and resilience, advancing U.S. agricultural sustainability and food security. The project serves the national interest by promoting the progress of science in plant biology and through potential applications in crop improvement. Educational broader impacts include training the next generation of scientists through mentorship of a postdoctoral researcher and hands-on research experiences for high school students in partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Partners for the Future Program and Genspace, a community biology laboratory in Brooklyn, New York. This project advances NSF’s priorities in Biotechnology. The goal of this project is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which the RNA-binding protein TE1 regulates post-transcriptional control of developmental gene expression in maize meristems. TE1 is the founding member of a conserved plant gene family whose mechanism of action has remained unresolved for over 25 years. Preliminary data indicate that TE1 binds hundreds of mRNAs, including transcripts encoding SQUAMOSA-PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) transcri