BUFFALO – The University at Buffalo is getting $1.1 million in federal funding to study mosquito and fruit fly genetics.

Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced the funding Thursday. They say the university’s research on the nervous systems and genetics of mosquitoes and fruit flies will advance the science behind the spread of illnesses like Zika virus and dengue fever.

The university will also use the funding to create a high school program focused on genetics.

The money comes from the National Science Foundation.