Marianne ("M") Alleyne is interested in how biological systems can lead to innovative design in human society (biological inspiration). Insects in particular can serve as inspiration for innovation. For instance, the way insect cuticle is formed and how it is recycled can teach us a lot about the hierarchical organization of many resilient materials, about conservation of resources, and about adaptability. Life on earth has been around for more than 3.5 billion years, there is a lot to be learned from nature, but there are also limitations (scale, "just good enough" principle, etc.). I teach BioInspiration in various forms on the University of Illinois campus (including on online course) in various departments. Contact me if you want to bring BioInspiration/Biomimicry into your curriculum.

In addition to being a Research Scientist in Entomology Department I am the graduate director for the Online Masters of Science Teaching BIology Program. I have a Master Online Teaching Certificate and I welcome any questions about how best to integrate modern tech tools into your classroom (be it face-2-face or virtual).

Please visit the ABC-lab's website or visit my blog entitled "Insects did it first" where I write about how insects bioinspire us.

Representative Publications

Cicada-wing surface features:

Ultra-scalable Multifunctional Nanoengineered Copper and Aluminum for Anti-Biofouling Applications. Julian H. Reed, Andrew E. Gonsalves, Jessica K. Román, Junho Oh, Hyeongyun Cha, Catherine E. Dana, Marco A. Toc, Sungmin Hong, Jacob B. Hoffman, Juan E. Andrade, Kyoo D. Jo, Marianne Alleyne*, Nenad Miljkovic*, Donald M. Cropek*. ACS Applied Bio Materials (Accepted May 16, 2019. DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.8b00765)

Spatially Resolved Chemical Analysis of Cicada Wings Using Laser-Ablation Electrospray Ionization (LAESI) Imaging Mass Spectrometry (IMS). Jessica K. Román, Callie M. Walsh, Junho Oh, Catherine E. Dana, Sungmin Hong, Kyoo D. Jo, Marianne Alleyne*, Nenad Miljkovic*, Donald M. Cropek*. Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry V410(7), 2018, pp. 1911-1921. DOI: 10.1007/s00216-018-0855-7

Exploring the Role of Habitat on the Wettability of Cicada Wings Junho Oh, Catherine E. Dana, Sungmin Hong, Jessica K. Román, Kyoo D. Jo, J. W. Hong, J. Nguyen, Donald M. Cropek*, Marianne Alleyne*, and Nenad Miljkovic*. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces V9(32), 2017, pp. 27173-27184. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b07060

Click beetle jump biomechanics:

Latching of the click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) thoracic hinge enabled by the morphology and mechanics of conformal structures. Ophelia Bolmin, Lihua Wei, Alexander Hazel, Alison C. Dunn, Aimy Wissa* and Marianne Alleyne. Journal of Experimental Biology. V222(Pt 12). pii: jeb196683. doi: 10.1242/jeb.196683.

Pop! Observing and Modeling the Legless Self-righting Jumping Mechanism of Click Beetles. Ophelia Bolmin, Chengfang Duan, Luis Urrutia, Ahmad. M. Abdulla, Alexander M. Hazel, Marianne Alleyne, Alison C. Dunn, Aimy Wissa*. In: Mangan M., Cutkosky M., Mura A., Verschure P., Prescott T., Lepora N. (eds) Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Living Machines 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, V10384. Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-63537-8_4

Other bioinspired design work:

Bee Inspired Evaluation Algorithm Leads to Improved Decision Making in Groups. Molly Sturgis and Marianne Alleyne*. IEEE Systems Journal. Accepted April 5th, 2019. DOI: 10.1109/JSYST.2019.2914212

Tick sensory mechanisms:

Morphometric Analysis of Chemoreception Organ in Male and Female Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae). Tanya Josek, Brian F. Allan and Marianne Alleyne*. Journal of Medical Entomology V55(3), 2018, pp. 547-552. DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjx232

A Foreleg Transcriptome For Ixodes scapularis Ticks: Candidates For Chemoreceptors And Binding Proteins That Might Be Expressed In The Sensory Haller's Organ. Tanya Josek, Kimberly K. O. Walden, Brian F. Allan, Marianne Alleyne and Hugh M. Robertson*. Ticks And Tick-Borne Diseases V9(5), 2018, 1317-1327. DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.05.013

Science Policy:

The Entomological Society of America and Science Policy Engagement. Robert N. Wiedenmann*, Frank G. Zalom, Erin L. Cadwalader, Marianne Alleyne and Chris J. Stelzig. Annals of the Entomological Society of America (Open Access) V112(2) 2019, say060. DOI: 10.1093/aesa/say060

Science Policy Begins at Home: Grassroots Advocacy at the State and Local Level. Meaghan L. Pimsler*, Rayda K. Krell, Marianne Alleyne, Thomas Anderson, Ashley Kennedy, and Tim Durham. Annals of the Entomological Society of America (Open Access) V112(2) 2019, say054. DOI: 10.1093/aesa/say054

Complete Publications List