By SANDRA HANSEN
Scottsbluff Star-Herald

When Pamela Peno learned about research being done at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center, she knew where she wanted to continue her education. The young Colombian began as a biology major in her home country, but when she came to UNL almost two years ago to work on her master's degree, she switched to agronomy, focusing on breeding genetics.

Peno sees the opportunity to work with fellow Colombian Dr. Carlos Urrea, the UNL dry bean breeding specialist, as an extension of her interest in molecular biology. "I'll learn why this research is important for people, and the economy, in the lab and in the field," Peno said.

While in Scottsbluff, in addition to working in the field and greenhouse, Peno will screen lines for drought tolerance, and resistance to rhizoctonia root rot. She will also work on bean common rust, using a source of bean common rust resistance from tepary beans. "I'll try to map the genes and identify the markers and their sequences."

A native of Bogata, Peno said the markers are important in this research because they reduce the years and years of field research trying to find the specific markers that carry the desired characteristics.

"Once you've identified the markers in the lab, you don't need to spend a lot of time and money to find the best plants. It takes only one leaf of a plant, and you will know if it has the trait or not. Then you can select or discard the others."

At UNL, Peno planned to study molecular biology, focusing on humans, but found herself more interested in plants.

"I always loved genetics and statistics, and by chance I heard about Carlos and his work. Then I fell in love with it - the growth, the flowers, the fruit. It's just beautiful," she said.

"Working in the fields you can actually see what you're doing," she said. "The lab is only one part of what you do."

Between her bachelor's degree and UNL, Peno had an internship with a commercial company that had the same goals as UNL researchers. "They bothwant better crops, sustainability, and the best product for the least investment," she said.

Peno will be at the Panhandle Research Center this summer, then return to UNL where she will continue working on a doctorate. However, she may return to this fall to observe harvest and learn more about the bean breeding program.