KINGSTON, R.I., July 30 -- The University of Rhode Island issued the following news release:
KINGSTON, R.I. - July 30, 2026 - A baby nasal aspirator isn't exactly what comes to mind when you picture biotech research tools. But for University of Rhode Island biotechnology student Andrew Swiader, it's become an essential piece of scientific equipment.
In URI's Biocontrol Lab, a modified baby "snot sucker" is used to transfer tiny parasitoid wasps from one container to another.
As an intern in the lab, Swiader, who is from Greenville, Rhode Island, is helping build colonies of parasitoid wasps. The insects could help farmers combat the invasive spotted-wing drosophila, a fruit fly that attacks healthy, ripening fruit and causes significant ...