EEB award winners

Getz Award

The Dr. Lowell L. Getz and Mary R. Getz Undergraduate Research Award was established by Dr. Lowell L. Getz and his wife, Mary R. Getz. Dr. Getz was a faculty member in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, who provided research opportunities for hundreds of undergraduates to study the evolution of mating systems in voles. This award supports undergraduate students conducting research in any aspect of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior.

Awardees: Savannah Palmer, Angelina Roman-Alcocer, & Jenna Rosas

 

A headshot of Savannah Palmer

 

Savannah Palmer

 

 

 

 

 

A professional photo of Angelina Roman-Alcocer

 

Angelina Roman-Alcocer

 

 

 

 

 

 

A headshot of Jenna Rosas

Jenna Rosas

Edwin M. Banks Memorial Award

Awardee: Anne Aka

A headshot of Anne Aka

I am studying the evolution of visual systems and ultraviolet (UV) color patterns in midwestern fish. I plan to use the funding to assay the UV color vision of fish inhabiting a local Illinois stream to examine phenotypic diversity in species that share a similar visual environment but occur in different microhabitats, taxonomic groups, and predator/prey relationships. This award will help me expand on the exploration and documentation of understudied North American freshwater fish, revealing more about species-specific traits and visual communication in teleost fish.

Odum-Kendeigh Research Award

Dr. Eugene Odum is considered to be one of the fathers of modern ecology and published an influential textbook, Fundamentals of Ecology in 1953. Dr. Odum established the Odum-Kendeigh fund for graduate research in the fields of ecology, behavior and evolution in the Department of Animal Biology in honor of his major professor, Dr. Charles Kendeigh and the Department of Zoology from which he received his Ph.D in 1939.

Awardees: Nina Shearrill, Gio Madrigal, Shiram Bhat, & Michelle Villalobos

 

A photo of Nina Shearill standing in front of trees with white lights on them

 

Nina Shearrill

 

 

 

 

 

A headshot of Giovanni Madrigal

 

Gio Madrigal

 

 

 

 

 

A photo of Shiram Bhat holding a small animal in a classroom

 

Shiram Bhat

 

 

 

 

 

 

A headshot of Michelle Villalobos

 

Michelle Villalobos

Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Summer Stipend Award

The EEB Summer Stipends are made possible with support from Block Grant Funds from the Graduate College. 

Awardees: Avi Berger, Mac Chamberlain, Siqi Han, Avalon Feiler, Julia Jehn, & Timothy Legare

 

A photo of Avi Berger standing in front of a bush

 

Avi Berger

 

 

 

 

 

A photo of Mac Chamberlain sitting on a bench outside


Mac Chamberlain

 

 

 

 

 

 

A headshot of Siqi Han

 

Siqi Han

 

 

 

 

 

A headshot of Avalon Feiler

 

Avalon Feiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

A photo of Julia Jehn with a dog

 

Julia Jehn

 

 

 

 

A photo of Timothy Legare standing in the woods

Timothy Legare

Thomas Frazzetta Award for Outstanding Teaching in Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Biology

This award was established in honor of Dr. Frazzetta who was a passionate teacher at Illinois for 50 years. It is given to a current Evolution, Ecology, and Behavioral graduate student in recognition of their sustained excellence in teaching.

Awardee: Jules Chabain

 

A headshot of Jules Chabain

I am a PhD Candidate in EEB. I enjoy teaching and researching in the area of Anatomy. I study the morphology of sting ray barbs across multiple species and their performance characteristics. I have been highly involved in teaching the anatomy (IB 303) course.