Title: Affiliate, Retired Senior Research Entomologist
Employer: University of Illinois, Prairie Research Institute, Illinois Natural History Survey

Although her B.A. was in French, after arriving in Illinois, Gail would discover that she could combine newly found interests in insects and plant pathology by studying their ability to vector plant diseases. Thus began a 30+ year career during which she obtained a graduate degree at Illinois in Entomology, which helped prepare her for this profession, giving her the confidence and foundations on which to build. She worked at the Illinois Natural History Survey as a Senior Research Entomologist, doing team research on aphids as vectors of plant viruses and all scales of movement of these vectors. She also worked with biodiversity informatics and standards for sharing information about specimens, taxonomic history, literature, and images. Retired since 2010, Gail has remained active in both the biodiversity information standards and entomology communities. She has been a proponent of diversity in the sciences, especially of fostering and retaining women.

Gail would be an excellent person to talk to about non-teaching research options, transitioning to a new field, or working with diverse audiences. See also https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/7283/480922 and her ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5178-4170. Contact Christina Swanson at alumnimentor@sib.illinois.edu if you would like to connect with Gail.