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 has spent his career studying the ecology and evolution of organisms in their natural environments.  With his work cited more than 31,000 times, Schemske has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of pollination biology, plant breeding systems, speciation, adaptation, and geographic patterns of biodiversity. After leaving Illinois, Schemske was a post-doc at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, where he developed his love for tropical biology. He went on to hold faculty positions at top academic institutions. While on campus, Schemske was the drummer in a popular rock band, Feather Train, but ultimately decided he was better suited for a career in science.https://las.illinois.edu/news/2025-02-14/las-celebrates-alumni-achievem…