2025-06-18
- The School of Integrative Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is proud to announce that Dr. Andrew Suarez, Acting Head and Professor of Entomology, has been named the 2025 recipient of the...
2025-06-17 - On June 15, 2025, SIB’s own Assistant Professor of Entomology and African-American Studies, Dr. Esther Ndumi Ngumbi, authored a heartfelt opinion piece for NPR’s Goats & Soda, published on Father’s Day. Drawing on personal experience, she reflects on her Kenyan father’s decision to educate his four daughters—despite social...
2025-05-14 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign presents the Campus Awards for Excellence in Faculty Leadership each year to distinguished faculty who enrich the intellectual vitality of campus and the broader community.The awards were...
2025-04-10 - The Beckman Institute recognized two community members during its annual April celebration of Arnold Beckman’s birth.Microscopist and Outreach Specialist T Josek won the Staff Spirit and Dedication Award; Professor...
2025-04-10 - In a recent WCIA news segment addressing the alarming rise in bee mortality rates in Central Illinois, SIB Entomology Professor Adam Dolezal provided his insights into the multifaceted challenges facing bee populations. During his interview, Dolezal highlighted that factors such as pathogens, pesticide exposure, and inadequate nutrition are primary contributors to bee health decline. He...
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...
2025-03-31 - 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...
2025-03-05 - 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...
2025-02-12 - 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...
2025-01-31 - At this year’s Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology (SICB) Conference, Entomology Assistant Professor Marianne Alleyne and graduate student Yutao Chen showcased their research on the unique properties of insect wings. Their work, part of Yutao's graduate studies, explores how microscopic...
2024-12-23 - The Royal Entomological Society (RES) shared its journal award winners from the 2021-2023 publication years. These awards are dedicated to the best articles led by early career entomologists. Amongst the winners is the Entomology Department’s Assistant...
2024-11-06 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – I like to encourage people of all ages to help pollinators, the insects, birds and mammals that help flowering plants reproduce. People are more willing to help if they have a chance to get to know their local pollinators. To that end, I like to invite people to visit the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ...
2024-10-24 - URBANA, Ill. – It’s a blazingly sunny September Saturday afternoon at Riggs Beer Company, a family-friendly brewery located on the edge of Urbana. It’s not surprising to see crowds of families basking in the dog days of summer with their food truck lunches and locally brewed pints of beer. Unexpected, however, are the patrons donning medieval and fantasy garb, accompanied by...
2024-09-24 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign tackled a thorny problem: How do nutritional stress, viral infections and exposure to pesticides together influence honey bee survival? By looking at all three stressors together, the scientists found that good nutrition enhances honey bee resilience against the other threats. Their findings are...
2024-08-29 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — I can barely hear Esther Ngumbi over the roar of greenhouse fans as she shows me around her rooftop laboratory in Morrill Hall. The benches are full of tomato plants, and the tomatoes don’t look good. Half of the plants are submerged in bins of water. Their leaves are yellow and withering. Some of the dying tomatoes have flowered. I see one or two baby tomatoes on a couple...