2025-04-09
- There’s a lot to talk about after a study abroad trip in Panama, but for plant biology professor Jim Dalling, one of the most memorable experiences is riding on a construction crane 50 meters above the forest floor. Gliding across the surface of the forest canopy, they’re inches away from a hidden world of flying tropical birds, sun...
2025-04-08 - As people look to reduce their water use for environmental and ecological reasons, rain barrels have gained popularity for catching rainwater that can be stored and used for irrigation. These green infrastructure tools can conserve hundreds of gallons of water per year and reduce stormwater runoff. However, as a source of standing water, improperly maintained rain barrels may also be comfortable...
2025-04-07 - Growing up on an arable and livestock farm in Northumberland, the northernmost county in England, Tracy Lawson's childhood experience sparked a lifelong fascination with plants, setting the stage for her impressive career as a leading biologist.Now, as a globally recognized expert in plant biology, Lawson has recently joined the plant biology faculty University of...
2025-04-02 - The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign each year presents Campus Awards for Excellence in Instruction to exceptional faculty and staff members, graduate teaching assistants and advisors campuswide. This year’s recipients are being honored at a ceremony on April 15. Awardees are cited for sustained excellence and innovation in undergraduate and graduate teaching, undergraduate and...
2025-03-31 - We are thrilled to announce that five graduate students from the School of Integrative Biology (SIB) have been named semifinalists in this year’s Image of Research competition! Each year, this exhibition showcases the stunning diversity and creativity of graduate student research.We invite you to explore the online exhibition and cast your votes for your three SIB favorite entries. Your votes...
2025-03-24 - A team from the University of Illinois has determined that improving a key component of soybean photosynthesis is unlikely to come from traditional breeding methods, and that gene editing is likely the key to unlocking soybean potential.“There’s not a huge amount of room to improve the light-harvesting efficiency of soybean photosynthesis at a cellular level...
2025-03-20 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Campylobacter infections are the most common foodborne illnesses in the U.S., sickening an estimated 1.5 million people each year. A new study examined records of Campylobacter jejuni infections from 10 states, plotting regional, age-related, and drug-...
2025-03-17 - A new research initiative is investigating how maize and rice use light, water, and nutrients more efficiently, with the goal of developing higher-yield, more resilient crops. The Strategic Interventions for Sustainable Yield Increase in Maize and Rice (SUYIMAR) project, backed by Gates Agricultural Innovations (Gates Ag One), brings together...
2025-03-11 - The United States Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (US-SCAR) provides a interview series that features a senior investigator and pairs them with a postdoc mentee. For their most recent edition, EEB Professor C. -H. Christina Cheng and Postdoctoral Research Associate ...
2025-03-10 - Plant Biology Professor James Dalling is one of the key authors in a recent groundbreaking study published in Science, shedding light on how tropical forests in the Americas are adapting too slowly to keep pace with climate change. This research suggests that these forests, vital to global biodiversity and climate regulation, may be struggling to respond to rapidly shifting...
2025-03-05 - As part of entomology graduate student Lily Hart’s research in the DeWalt Lab, a detailed checklist of stoneflies (Plecoptera) in Arkansas was developed, with findings recently published in the Biodiversity Data Journal. The...
2025-02-26 - An undergraduate researcher from the Cáceres Lab recently investigated the role of melatonin on the disease dynamics between freshwater crustacean Daphia dentifera—commonly known as the water flea—and fungal parasite Metschnikowia bicuspidata. The results were published in Ecosphere.This study looked at how melatonin—a hormone that changes throughout the day—affects the...
2025-02-18 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Lisa Ainsworth has been named Director of the internationally acclaimed Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency project, which is led by the University of Illinois."Lisa is pre-eminent in the fields of crop sciences and plant biology, continually leading IGB's research...
2025-02-17 - Seven alumni of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences will receive recognition during the college’s 2025 alumni awards at a celebration in April. They are researchers, volunteers, and political thinkers who have made incredible impacts in their fields and communities. Doug Schemske (BS, '70; MS, '72; PhD, '77, zoology) Doug Schemske...
2025-02-12 - The 42nd Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at Foellinger Auditorium, on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Hosted by the Entomology Graduate Students Association in the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, this year's theme is Tarantulas: Hairy, Scary Spiders...