Contact Information
Office Hours
Biography
Former chef excited to address insect-related food insecurity through the lens of chemical ecology, focusing on the effects of combinatorial stress on plant-insect interactions in crop plants. Food is an incredibly powerful social and cultural force, and a wonderful vehicle for bringing people together. My culinary background has prepared me to execute tasks consistently with great attention to detail, and perseverance in the face of challenges. My experience working alongside people from diverse backgrounds has developed my empathy for others, and pushes me to work harder, so that I may positively impact society. I am also very passionate about reducing food insecurity, and I am excited to be approaching this important food issue from a new angle, through studying ecological interactions of insect pests and how plants enhance their natural defenses.
Photo credit: UI News Bureau/Fred Zwicky
Research Interests
Chemical ecology
Plant defense and specialized metabolites
Plant-insect interactions
Plant-microbe interactions
Sustainable agriculture
Inclusive STEAM education
Research Description
Life as we know it depends on the ability of plants to turn sunlight into food. Plants are rooted in place, unable to run away, so they have evolved complex ways to defend themselves against insect herbivores and environmental stress. We know the impact of the initial stress a plant is exposed to may determine stress response, priming the plant for a faster response to subsequent stressors. Understanding the mechanisms of plant defenses is critical to improving food production and sustainable pest management. I am studying the defense response of plants against insect herbivores and flooding stress, working with the crops tomato and maize. The impact of combined stressors is under-looked in our agricultural cropping systems and could provide solutions for the climate-related challenges facing our food supply.
Courses Taught
Spring 2024 - Merit IB 150 Organismal Biology
Fall 2023 - IB 150 Organismal Biology
Spring 2023 - IB 150 Organismal Biology
Fall 2022 - IB 203 Ecology
Additional Campus Affiliations
Entomology Graduate Students' Association Outreach Coordinator 2023-2024
I am passionate about inclusive STEAM education, and enjoy working with local schools and organizations to develop science activities for K-12 students.
External Links
SELECT PRESENTATIONS
November 2023 – Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting – National Harbor, MD. Dady, E.R., Ngumbi, E.N., Calla, B. Poster. Plant-Insect Ecosystems section. “Soaked in Stressors: Gene Expression & Volatile Emissions of two Heirloom Tomatoes under Flooding & Herbivory.”
April 2023 – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Initiative – virtual. Dady, E.R., Weintraub, L., Welbel, G., Zumwalt, J., Villamil, M., Ngumbi, E.N. “Soil That Rocks: Investigating the Effects of Basalt Rock Fertilizer on Soil and Plant Health through a Farmer-Researcher Collaboration.”
February 2023 – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 25th Annual Graduates in Ecology and Evolution Biology Symposium – Urbana, IL. Dady, E.R. Lightning Talk. " Flooding and herbivory: the effect of concurrent stress factors on plant volatile emissions and gene expression in two heirloom tomato varieties."
November 2022 – Entomological Society of America, Entomological Society of America, Entomological Society of Canada, and the Entomological Society of British Columbia Joint Annual Meeting – Vancouver, Canada. Dady, E.R.; Calla, B; Ngumbi, E. Infographic. Plant-Insect Ecosystems section. “Get a whiff of this: The chemical language of volatile organic compounds.” Award – 2nd place infographic.
August 2022 – Ecological Society of America & Canadian Society for Ecology & Evolution Joint Meeting – Montreal, Canada. Dady, E.R., Ojiako, N., Mamaril, R., Larsen, M., Ngumbi, E.N. Poster. "Towards improved plant defenses in maize: how herbivory and flooding shape emitted plant volatiles and growth of fall armyworm."
March 2022 – Entomological Society of America North Central Branch Meeting – Minneapolis, MN. Dady, E.R., Ugarte, C.M., Ngumbi, E.N. Oral Presentation. Plant-Insect Ecosystems section. "Maize volatile emissions under interacting flooding and herbivory."
November 2021 – Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting – virtual. Dady, E.R., Kleczewski, N., Ugarte, C.M., Ngumbi, E.N. Poster. Plant-Insect Ecosystems. "Volatile Organic Compound Emissions in Tomato: Influence of Plant Variety and Herbivory."
April 2021 – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Undergraduate Research Symposium – virtual. Dady, E.R., Kleczewski, N., Ugarte, C.M., Ngumbi, E.N. Oral Presentation. "Tomato Variety Influences Herbivore Induced Plant Volatiles." Award – Honorable Mention poster.
February 2020 – American Association for the Advancement of Science Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM – Washington, DC. Dady, E.R., Di Tomassi, I.B., Chatterjee, N., Margenot, A., Ngumbi, E.N. Poster. "Soil Fertility and Arbuscular Mycorrhiza: Impact on Herbivore Induced Plant Volatiles in Tomato." Award – 1st place poster in sub-category: Ecology, within general category: Ecology, Environmental, and Earth Sciences.
Highlighted Publications
Dady, E.R., Kleczewski, N., Ugarte, C.M., Ngumbi, E. Plant Variety, Mycorrhization, and Herbivory Influence Induced Volatile Emissions and Plant Growth Characteristics in Tomato. J Chem Ecol 49, 710–724 (2023). doi.org/10.1007/s10886-023-01455-w
Ngumbi, E., Dady, E., Calla, B. Flooding and herbivory: the effect of concurrent stress factors on plant volatile emissions and gene expression in two heirloom tomato varieties. BMC Plant Biol 22, 536 (2022). doi.org/10.1186/s12870-022-03911-3