2025-07-28
- CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a new study, scientists used nearly every tool in their toolkit — genomics, transcriptomics, greenhouse experiments and advanced statistical methods — to gain new insight into the complex chemical interactions that take place in underground root nodules, where legumes like soybeans exchange vital nutrients with soil microbes called rhizobia. Reported in the Proceedings...
2025-07-22 - Four incoming graduate students—Sam Pring (Min Lab, Plant Biology), Marcus Brown (Punyasena Lab, Plant Biology), Mary Heather Jingco (Kingston Lab, PEEC), and Kehvyn Cedeño (Martínez Lab, PEEC)—recently completed the university’s competitive, fully funded 8-week Summer Predoctoral Institute (SPI).The program, designed to support students from underrepresented backgrounds as they transition into...
2025-07-08 - Stephen Long, Ikenberry Endowed Chair Emeritus of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been selected as a 2025 Top Agri-food Pioneer (TAP) by...
2025-07-03 - EEB graduate student Mac Chamberlain has recently received wide recognition for their research on cowbird behavior. Chamberlain, along with colleagues Mark Hauber and Shelby Lawson, served as scientific advisors for Underdogs, a National Geographic docuseries now streaming on Hulu and Disney+. Episode 4 features cowbirds and highlights the team’s contributions during filming and fact-...
2025-06-23 - The School of Integrative Biology proudly congratulates two outstanding faculty members in the Department of Plant Biology. Dr. James O’Dwyer has been recognized with the 2025 Campus Distinguished Promotion Award and named the 2025–2026 Dean’s Distinguished Professorial Scholar, honoring his...
2025-06-18 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Individuals and teams from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who have made a visible impact on society were recently recognized with the 2025 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement. Faculty, staff members, students and community members...
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...
2025-06-13 - Juliana Soto-Patiño, a PhD candidate in the PEEC program at the University of Illinois and researcher at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), received the Best Student Presentation Award at the...
2025-06-12 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Laboratory and field experiments have repeatedly shown that modifying the process of photosynthesis or the physical characteristics of plants can make crops more resilient to hotter temperatures. Scientists can now alter the abundance or orientation of leaves, change leaf chemistry to improve heat tolerance and adjust key steps in the process of photosynthesis to overcome...
2025-06-07 - A podcast created by two SIB alumni has been spotlighted in a recent YouTube video by science communicator Angela Collier, titled “The Best Science Podcast Isn’t What You Think.”From the 9:10 to 9:53 mark of the video, Collier praises This Podcast Will Kill You, hosted by Dr. Erin Welsh and Dr. Erin Allmann Updyke, calling it a fantastic science podcast for its engaging approach...
2025-06-06 - A new paper published in The Anatomical Record sheds light on the biomechanical strategies of saber-toothed predators, offering a more nuanced view of how these iconic animals used their fearsome teeth. The study, "Sharpening Our Understanding of Saber-Tooth Biomechanics," was co-authored by Dr. Philip Anderson, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the...
2025-05-29 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a review in The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Stephen Long, a professor of crop sciences and of plant biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, describes research efforts...
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...
2025-05-13 - A recent study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution reveals how certain birds have independently developed similar nesting behaviors, offering fresh insights into evolution and animal behavior. Notably, the research features contributions from Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior alumni Abbigail Turner. The study focused on "cavity-nesting" songbirds—a species that build nests in...