2026 SIB Connections
Alumni & Friends!
You and your investment play an invaluable role in the success of our students, faculty, and staff. Your impact is evident in the cutting-edge discoveries and transformative educational experiences that have emerged from our school. As we continue to push the boundaries of scientific understanding, we would like to convey our gratitude to you for being instrumental in shaping the future of biological sciences and fostering a community committed to excellence by supporting our School through fellowships, scholarships, and essential upgrades to laboratories, classrooms, and technologies.
Contact Paul Winterbotham, Associate Director for Advancement, at paulww@ illinois.edu to learn more.
Dear alumni,
It’s a pleasure to reconnect with you in another edition of SIB Connections.
Each year, the School of Integrative Biology looks forward to sharing the stories that define our community. Now in our seventh year of this newsletter, we are excited to bring you these updates showcased throughout the 2026 issue. As always, you will see in this issue a celebration of student and faculty achievement, as well as alumni who are shaping their fields in a variety of ways. We encourage you to share your own updates with us at communications@sib.illinois.edu.
This has been an exciting year for our academic programs. Our BSLAS+MS in Integrative Biology continues to grow, welcoming new cohorts of ambitious students who are taking advantage of an accelerated pathway to a graduate degree. Student opportunities across SIB continue to grow in exciting ways. This year’s issue features the creative work of Phil Anderson, who has brought the outreach initiative Cosplay for Science to Illinois. This work helps student learn the valuable skill of communicating the importance of their research to the public. We are also thrilled to welcome Erinn Dady, our new Assistant Director of the Merit Program. She brings her past experience as a teaching assistant in the program to her new leadership position. We also feature our IB Classroom Assistant program, where undergraduates are gaining valuable hands-on teaching and mentoring experience.
Global learning continues to thrive through our faculty-led study abroad courses in Panama and Honduras, where students study tropical forest ecology and coral reef ecosystems alongside our expert faculty. Increasingly, IB students are also broadening their academic paths through semester-long international experiences—like those highlighted in recent stories from students studying abroad in York and in Vienna. These reflections showcase how IB students gain new scientific perspectives, cultural awareness, and personal growth through their time overseas. And soon, students will have yet another opportunity to go abroad when the new course IB496: Tropical Marine Biology launches with travel planned for 2027.
We are so very thankful to the multiple donors who have givenin support of these study abroad courses and other student initiatives. Without these scholarship funds, several of the students would have been unable to take advantage of these life-changes experiences. Every gift, no matter the size, goes on to support our community. You can learn more about our student winners by attending our Award Ceremony each May. You are welcome to join us in 2079 NHB or by Zoom.
Thank you for being a vital part of our community. We look forward to celebrating your achievements, highlighting your journeys, and keeping our Connections strong.
Warmest regards,
Carla Cáceres
G. William Arends Professor and director, School of Integrative Biology
Professor, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior
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Imagination meets inquiry: Phil Anderson brings Cosplay for Science to Illinois
When Phil Anderson of the Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Department teamed up with the outreach initiative Cosplay for Science, the result was anything but ordinary. With medieval costumes, foam swords and mythical beasts as props, they’ve turned serious science into an immersive, family-friendly quest—introducing ecology, evolution and invasive-species research through the lens of fantasy world-building. What began as a playful “training for adventurers” event has grown into a bi-annual highlight that blends creativity with learning—and the next chapter is sure to be even more magical.
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Erinn Dady and the Merit Program experience
Merit-style teaching uses a highly trained facilitator-instructor to spark student-to-student interaction through challenging problem sets or activities. The facilitator provides feedback as students work in small groups and encourages discussion of each student’s strategies. Erinn Dady, as the new assistant director of the IB Merit Program, has been immersing herself in this approach—supporting facilitators, observing student collaboration, and bringing her own experience to strengthen the program.
SIB News
IB Classroom Assistant Program
The IB Classroom Assistant Program gives undergraduates a chance to step into a hands-on teaching role by working closely with instructors and supporting active-learning activities. This year highlights Ben Clegg’s classroom assistants, who serve as peer tutors and help students navigate challenging material while strengthening their own teaching skills. The program offers a behind-the-scenes look at effective instruction and helps students build confidence, communication abilities, and academic leadership.
"Time management and communication have been the biggest skills I have further developed in my time so far with tutoring. As a student myself, I have learned how to better manage time with classes and exams along with tutoring other students. I’ve also become better at understanding how different students learn which has allowed me to change my explanations and have patience as they learn."
-Belen Rubio
"My favorite part of this opportunity is getting to feel as though I am truly helping the students gain a better understanding and appreciation for the course material. This feeling of helpfulness is meaningful because I want to help students be successful in achieving the grades that they want in the course."
- Anna Craddock
Undergraduate Opportunities
IB Alumni Careers
The School of Integrative Biology has educated over 2,000 alumni who are now making an impact across an impressive variety of fields. Explore what our graduates are accomplishing and find more inspiring alumni stories on our website. Have someone in mind to spotlight? Share their info with us at communications@sib.illinois.edu
Sreelakshmi Suresh — after earning a Master’s in Entomology in 2024, they now serve as a Horticulture Extension Educator with the University of Illinois Extension. They’re passionate about connecting people with nature, leading outreach programs, and supporting environmental education in the Urbana-Champaign community. If you’re interested in mentorship or collaboration (especially around ecological or horticultural outreach), they’d love to hear from you!
Cameron Schwing (BS ’17, MS ’21, MEd ’20) — is now working as a Data Analyst at the University of Illinois Office of the Chief Information Officer, where he builds student-success dashboards and data tools that help inform leadership and support student outcomes. Having studied Integrative Biology and Education (with research experience ranging from mosquito ecology to genomics) Cameron brings a unique scientific and analytic perspective to improving the student experience through data-driven decision-making.
Steve Caldwell (BS ’93, MS ’96) — a longtime biotech leader at Illumina, where he now helps steer global quality-assurance and strategic manufacturing efforts including major facility initiatives and enzyme production. Since graduating, Steve has also given back to our community by co-founding the mentoring course IB292: Translating your IB Degree into Career Success, which helps countless students navigate how to apply an Integrative Biology degree to real-world science, engineering, and management careers.
Contact us!
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IB Alumni Feature: Johnny Tenegra
Dr. Johnny Tenegra has built a remarkable career as an academic family physician in Decatur, Illinois, where he combines patient care, teaching, and leadership. As Director of Point of Care Ultrasound and Faculty Development at SIU’s Department of Family & Community Medicine, he advances medical education through innovation and mentorship. Drawing on his strong foundation in Integrative Biology, Johnny remains passionate about giving back—supporting pre-med students, mentoring future physicians, and strengthening connections between SIB and the medical community.
Looking back on 2025 in SIB
This past year has been a busy and meaningful one as we continue creating new ways to connect with our alumni community. SIB remains deeply committed to fostering lasting relationships between our graduates and their alma mater—through this newsletter, our presence on social media, and our mentoring program. These platforms, whether in-person or online, allow alumni to stay engaged, share their experiences, and contribute to the continued growth and success of SIB. We encourage you to follow and connect with us on our social media channels to stay informed about career opportunities, research highlights, and news from across the school.
This year also brought change within our community. We were pleased to welcome several new faculty and staff members whose talents and perspectives will help guide SIB into the future. At the same time, we celebrated the retirements of two longtime colleagues whose dedication has left a lasting impact on our programs and students. Sadly, we also mourned the loss of two cherished members of our community, Dr. Amy Marshall-Colon and Dr. Stephen Long, whose contributions to science and education will be remembered for years to come.
New Arrivals
Erinn Dady – Assistant Director of the Integrative Biology Merit Program. I am excited about my new role as I was privileged to serve as a Merit teaching assistant during my academic career, and I appreciate what this program offers. I am eager to support student success within SIB and across campus. Previously, I worked in local C-U restaurants as a baker and chef before going back to school and completing my A.S. from Parkland College. I then earned my B.S. in Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability, and my M.S. in Entomology, both from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies, I performed research on plant-insect interactions with Dr. Esther Ngumbi. Following my passion for food security, I focused my research on the effects of combinatorial stressors (insect herbivory and flooding) in crop plants. In my free time I enjoy spending time in nature, gardening, and making art.
Matt Doremus – Assistant Professor, Entomology. I study symbioses between arthropods and the various microbes that live inside them, with a focus on heritable endosymbiotic bacteria. These heritable symbionts infect a wide range of arthropod hosts. I'm interested in learning how heritable symbioses modify host biology and how the external environment shapes these host-symbiont interactions. When I’m not working, I enjoy board and video games, reading (mostly fantasy, sci-fi, and horror), movies (especially really bad horror movies) and cheering for the Buffalo Bills. Additionally, I love hiking but usually get distracted trying to find insects.
Tanja Hofmann – Senior Lecturer. I am originally from Germany but have lived in the UK for the last 30 years before relocating to Champaign this January. I have worked on some varied research projects, ranging from investigating the distribution of dragonflies along UK rivers (MSc) to the impact of management on Carabidae populations on coastal grazing marshes (PhD) and diatom EPS in estuarine mudflats (post-doc), before recently settling on plant physiology (post-doc in Tracy Lawson's lab). Most of my career has focused on teaching and leadership in a large sixth form college in the UK and I am looking forward to teaching undergraduates at the University of Illinois and settling into the community here. In the spring I will be teaching IB496: Tropical Marine Biology, which offers students the opportunity to travel over spring break to Honduras (in 2027), where they will learn to scuba dive and conduct tropical marine surveys. Outside of work I enjoy running, travel and the outdoors, good food/drink and photography.
Tigga Kingston –Inaugural Shelford-Pitelka-Batzli Professor in Mammalian Ecology, EEB. My research explores bat diversity and ecological processes, as well as factors influencing species loss or persistence in the face of human disturbance. My work primarily centers on insectivorous bats of the Old-World tropics, particularly in Southeast Asia and Africa. I’m also actively involved in human dimensions research, examining social, cultural, and economic factors that influence bat conservation efforts. I’m committed to building bat research capacity around the world, and I established the Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Union, am co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Bat Specialist Group, and I co-lead the Global Union of Bat Diversity Networks. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, sea kayaking, and am an avid native gardener.
Tracy Lawson – Professor in Plant Biology. I’m a Plant Physiologist and my research focuses on the stomatal control of atmospheric gas entry into the leaf, associated water loss, and the mechanisms that regulate this process. Recent research has paid particular attention to stomatal kinetics and the impact of dynamic environments on both photosynthesis and stomatal behavior. I have just moved from the University of Essex where I have been for the last 26 years and have been part of RIPE since it started. Outside of work I like gardening and all things planty.
Minya – Assistant Professor in Plant Biology. My group integrates genetics, genomics, quantitative confocal live-imaging, and gene editing to uncover the molecular mechanisms and developmental principles underlying stem cell regulations in flowers and the generation of diverse floral forms. In my free time, I love cooking, traveling and music; I have been playing piano since I was very little and have been to hundreds of heavy metal live shows.
Ma. Gloria V. Talavera – Office Manager for EEB and PEEC, located in 320 Morrill Hall. I assist the heads of EEB and PEEC in managing the day-to-day operations of their programs. As the Graduate Program Contact, I help our graduate students with their various academic needs and requests. I am a retired faculty member from the University of the Philippines (Business School), where I spent 30 years. This transition to a new world of biology is a refreshing treat for a second career. Outside of work, I love indoor gardening, singing, and watching different genres of TV series.
Stay informed on how Illinois is navigating recent federal funding changes.
Retirees
Don Ort – Plant Biology is delighted to honor the retirement of Dr. Donald Ort, a world-renowned leader in plant biology who now becomes Professor Emeritus. Over his distinguished career, Don has made pioneering contributions to improving photosynthesis and crop resilience in the face of climate change, earning election to the National Academy of Sciences and serving as President of the American Society of Plant Biologists. As a driving force in the RIPE project, he has advanced bold solutions for global food security while mentoring generations of plant scientists. His extraordinary impact on research, education, and international agricultural policy leaves a legacy that will inspire far into the future.
Ken Paige - EEB celebrated the retirement of Dr. Ken Paige after an incredible 36 years of service. Ken is now channeling his expertise into his start-up, Frenzy Crop Systems, Inc., which uses groundbreaking research on plant overcompensation to increase soybean yields. Outside of science, he enjoys playing guitar, caring for his cocker spaniels, restoring his collection of five antique cars and an antique motorcycle, and spending time with his three grandchildren—one of whom worked this summer as an intern for Frenzy Crop Systems, Inc.
In Memoriam
The School of Integrative Biology mourns the passing of Dr. Amy Marshall-Colon and Dr. Stephen Long, esteemed members of our academic community whose contributions to plant biology and integrative research were both profound and enduring. Their dedication to scientific discovery, mentorship, and collaboration enriched the lives of countless students and colleagues. We honor their lasting legacy and extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and all who were fortunate to know and work alongside them.
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Dr. Amy Marshall-Colón, Plant Biology
The Plant Biology community mourned the loss of Dr. Amy Marshall-Colón, Associate Professor who passed away on July 26, 2025. Known for her thoughtful mentorship, groundbreaking research, and commitment to collaborative science, Dr. Marshall-Colón’s passing was a profound loss to her colleagues, students, and the broader scientific community.
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Dr. Stephen Long, Plant Biology
We were deeply saddened by the loss of one of our esteemed scholars, Stephen Long. In his memory, a special symposium — “A Symposium Celebrating the Career of Steve Long in Photosynthesis and Global Change Research” — was held on November 3, 2025, at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Steve’s groundbreaking contributions to photosynthesis and global change science, along with his mentorship of countless students and colleagues, left a legacy that continues to inspire. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the many he mentored throughout his career.