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Student profile: Eduardo Duro

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Eduardo Duro.
Eduardo Duro. Courtesy photo

Indiana University undergraduate Eduardo Duro has been named a Goldwater Scholar for the 2021-22 academic year. The honor recognizes outstanding college sophomores and juniors who show great promise in math, science, or engineering.

From an estimated pool of over 5000 students, 1256 were nominated by 438 academic institutions to compete for the 2021 Goldwater Scholarships. Duro was among the 410 students selected by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, the federally endowed agency that awards the coveted scholarships.

Duro, who is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is pursuing an honors degree in biology (B.S.) and an honors degree in Portuguese (B.A.) as well as a minor in chemistry.

He has worked on research projects in the laboratory of W. Dan Tracey, professor of biology, where Tracey and Lydia Hoffstaetter, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab, served as his mentors. Projects with which Duro assisted included work on the nociceptive gene dubbed "smoke alarm," studies on Caribbean Drosophila related to melanization and the phenol oxidase cascade response in different Drosophila species, and research focused on Drosophila parasitoids.

Duro also devotes time to a self-devised research project he began last summer. From a fascination with day-flying moths and the iridescence they exhibit, Duro developed an interest in Lepidoptera and the mechanisms that regulate and give rise to wing color, color organization, and scale micro-structure. He hypothesized that perhaps developing structural coloration was a faster and simpler adaptation to transitioning to being diurnal than developing molecular pigmentation pathways.

A luna moth spreads its wings while perched on twig.
Among the moths Duro raises for his research is the luna moth. This luna moth was the first to exit its cocoon (July 9, 2020), followed by many more. Photo by Eduardo Duro

To see images and videos of the moths Duro studies, follow him on Twitter (@lepidopteraman) where he provides science outreach and shares information about his research and interests.

Don't be surprised to find that some of the tweets aren't in English. Duro—who has lived in several countries—also speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and Mandarin.

Duro is grateful for the support and advice Tracey and Hoffstaetter have provided on his butterfly-wing pigmentation project.

"Eduardo has an incredible passion to understand everything there is to know about butterflies," said Tracey. "Even from an early age he began collecting them, and he has amassed a personal collection of specimens from several continents. His passion for butterflies has now extended to the molecular and cellular mechanisms that give rise to their beautiful and diverse forms. I look forward to seeing what he discovers in his upward trajectory as a growing scientist."

Duro is contemplating pursing a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology after graduation. He is interested in conducting research in evolutionary biology and taxonomy.

The Goldwater Scholarship will cover cost of tuition, mandatory fees, books, and room and board minus the amount of support received from other sources—up to a maximum of $7,500—during Duro's senior year.

Eduardo Duro is the 16th departmental major to receive the honor.

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