School of Integrative Biology at Illinois (SIB)

Updates on IFFF 2026:

Doors will open at 5 PM on February 28th, 2026, at Foellinger Auditorium. This year's festival is titled "Insect-Human Hybrids!"

Academic Advisor Christina Swanson named 2026 Student Success Champion Award Winner | School of Integrative Biology | Illinois SIB is proud to announce that Christina Swanson has been honored with the 2026 Student Success Champion Award.

Congrats to Christina Swanson, The University of Illinois' 2026 Student Success Champion! Her leadership fuels impact and exemplifies the curiosity, collaboration, and innovation that define SIB. Proud to celebrate her achievement! #LASImpact #CuriosityDrivesImpact

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It is almost that time of year again - for the Insect Fear Film Festival!

Join us this year for the 43rd annual Insect Fear Film Festival, held on February 28th, 2026. This year's festival is titled "Insect-Human Hybrids!"

🍃 Plenary 🍃 photosynthesis2026.com

Lisa Ainsworth @ibioillinois.bsky.social

🌿Lisa’s research into the mechanisms of plant responses to climate change aims to maximize crop production in a future climate of elevated carbon dioxide, ozone, higher temperatures and drought

#ICPR26 #plantscience

EEB scientists reveal how fish skin helps protect against fast attacks | School of Integrative Biology | Illinois Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have helped uncover how fish skin protects fish from sharp, fast attacks in the wild, and the research highlights how curiosity, creativity,…

🧪 🧪 New EEB study shows fish skin & scales resist rapid puncture attacks, revealing how flexibility + movement help survival. Mentorship + student curiosity fueled this research. #ILLINOIS #curiositydrivesimpact #collegeoflas

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Thinking about a semester abroad? 🇦🇹
Join the Illinois in Vienna Programs info session to learn about academics, internships, sustainability certificates, and experiential learning in Vienna.
🗓 Jan 23 | 🕛 12 PM | Zoom
go.illinois.edu/IIVP

Grasshopper wing structure inspires design of gliding robot wings | School of Integrative Biology | Illinois CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A collaboration between Princeton University engineers and entomologists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign began with the researchers chasing grasshoppers in a hot…

Bio-inspired innovation at its best: grasshopper wing mechanics are shaping future gliding robots that blend energy efficiency with adaptable design. 🧪 🧪

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🎉 Congrats to Heather Lash — Assistant Director of Controlled Environment Facilities for Plant Biology — named one of 8 College of LAS award winners for her leadership in greenhouse operations supporting research, teaching & outreach! 🌿👏

🔗https://shorturl.at/ovYsV

Great Lakes Undergraduate Internship The Illinois-Indiana Summer Internship is a great way for undergraduate students to gain experience and explore career pathways. The program pairs students with IISG staff members for a unique…

Great opportunity for SIB undergrads!
Paid Summer 2026 internships with the Great Lakes Undergraduate Internship Program (IL-IN Sea Grant). Work in conservation, aquaculture, stormwater, sustainability & more.

Apply by Jan 12, 2026.

Info: amcbride@purdue.edu

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New Current Biology study from @minyaaa.bsky.social and colleagues shows how early CYC expression patterns establish dorsal identity in Mimulus parishii meristems. A clear step forward in understanding floral symmetry and developmental evolution. 🧪 🧪

🔗 buff.ly/3JOjkV1

New research from SIB shows the sugar transporter SWEET1 is essential for seed germination + root growth under drought/salt stress—highlighting a key energy-allocation mechanism in plants. 🧪 🧪

🔗 buff.ly/77Cn64K

SIB’s Tracy Lawson, Donald Ort, and the late Stephen Long are named 2025 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers. Honoring Long’s lasting impact on photosynthesis research and celebrating all three for their global influence. 🧪 🧪 #SIB #HighlyCited

From Illinois to York: what studying abroad taught me about learning and life | School of Integrative Biology | Illinois I never imagined I’d study abroad. Before this past spring, I had never even left North America, and my worldview was shaped by a distinctly American perspective. That changed when I transferred to…

IB undergrad Julia Vincent turned curiosity into impact while studying abroad in York, UK—proving discovery happens wherever you go. 🌍 #ILLAS #CuriosityDrivesImpact

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Today is LAS Day of Giving!

Want to give directly to SIB or one of our three departments? Visit buff.ly/49B3iSN, click on “Choose an LAS annual fund,” and then select “SIB or a department” from the drop-down list.

Every $$ goes directly to supporting our students, faculty, and unit initiatives.

October 22 is the College of LAS Day of Giving!

You'll be able to donate to the SIB annual fund or one of our three departments annual funds, which helps us continue to provide exceptional opportunities for our students and faculty, now and into the future.

Learn more at buff.ly/49B3iSN

🌧️ Schedule Update!
Due to rain in the forecast, the Multi-Planar Dragon Expo has been moved to Sunday, October 19, from 1:00–5:00 p.m. at Riggs Beer Company in Urbana.

Same dragons. Same science. Just one day later! 🐉
#CuriosityDrivesImpact #CosplayForScience #IllinoisLAS

Bringing dragons to life: how science and fantasy unite at the Multi-Planar Dragon Expo | School of Integrative Biology | Illinois At the intersection of science, storytelling, and creativity lies the Multi-Planar Dragon Expo—an innovative outreach event that uses the magic of fandoms and fantasy to make real-world science…

🐉 How do you blend dragon lore with real-world biology? We spoke with Illinois students Olivia Baima and Joe Spina about curiosity, creativity, and science outreach ahead of the Multi-Planar Dragon Expo 2025. #CuriosityDrivesImpact

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Save the date! 🎉
Oct 22 is the LAS Day of Giving! Support Integrative Biology, Entomology, Plant Biology & EEB—where discoveries shape our world and futures. Every gift matters because #LASgives 🌿

👉 buff.ly/IhIJ4Yj

Curiosity abroad: Ella’s semester in Vienna transforms her path in science and policy | School of Integrative Biology | Illinois For integrative biology and global studies major Ella, curiosity didn’t just spark a new question, it opened a door to a life-changing experience.

Ella, an Illinois integrative biology & global studies major, found her path in Vienna—where evolution, sustainability & culture came together. 🌍
🔗 buff.ly/Q3MjOMt
#CuriosityDrivesImpact

New model can accurately predict a forest’s future | School of Integrative Biology | Illinois CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — One of the great challenges of ecology is to understand the factors that maintain, or undermine, diversity in ecosystems, researchers write in a new report in the journal Science.

A new Science paper from the O'Dwyer Lab + partners shows how combining genomic + census data can accurately predict shifts in tree species abundance over time — a major step for forecasting forest dynamics and aiding conservation efforts. 🧪 🧪
Link ➤

Entomology grad student Lizzie Bello celebrated for stunning research images | School of Integrative Biology | Illinois Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bello, a doctoral student in entomology, has been recognized for her groundbreaking work in visualizing insect nanostructures.

Congrats to PhD student Elizabeth Bello (Entomology)! Winner of the 2025 Beckman Institute Research Image Contest, her electron micrograph of leafhopper brochosomes—tiny, ultra-hydrophobic, anti-reflective shields—was also featured in Epsiloon #Entomology

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Tomato plants respond to flooding + herbivory by altering VOCs & microbial communities—and soil origin is key. New Plant & Soil study from Illinois researchers using soils from Sola Gratia & Humbleweed Farm. 🍅🌱🧪 🧪
🔗 buff.ly/K5nvLMW

Congrats to IB alumna Lexxanne on starting med school at UTHSC! 🩺 Her White Coat Ceremony marks the beginning of her journey. She shares: “My IB courses have done an amazing job preparing me for the academic rigor of medical school.”

Acting Head and Entomology Professor Andrew Suarez named a 2025 Fellow of ESA | School of Integrative Biology | Illinois The Entomological Society of America (ESA) has honored Dr. Andrew Suarez, acting head and professor in the Department of Entomology, by naming him a 2025 Fellow of the Society.

Congrats to Dr. Andrew Suarez, named a 2025 Fellow of the Entomological Society of America! From biomechanics to invasion biology, his work has transformed how we understand ants—and how we teach science. 🐜🎓

🔗 buff.ly/3lGhXvA

#entomology #ESA2025

It is with deep sadness that we share that Professor Amy Marshall-Colon passed away over the weekend. Amy was a gifted scientist, generous colleague, and strong advocate for early career faculty. She will be deeply missed by our department and the wider plant biology community.

@minyaaa.bsky.social

Four incoming SIB grad students completed the Summer Predoctoral Institute and presented at the Illinois Summer Research Symposium. Congrats to Mary Heather Jingco (1st) & Sam Pring (3rd) on their award-winning talks!

#STEMgrad #IllinoisGrad #AcademicSky

Mac Chamberlain’s cowbird research (Animal Behaviour) was recently featured in NYT, ScienceX, CBC As It Happens, and he also served as a scientific advisor for Nat Geo's Underdogs (Ep. 4).

Public-facing science at its best!

🔗 buff.ly/H6NJAyS

Congrats to James O'Dwyer (2025 Campus Distinguished Promotion Award + Dean’s Distinguished Scholar) & Mark Lara (2025–26 Helen Corley Petit Scholar)! Plant Biology at Illinois is thriving 🌿🌎

Congrats to Juliana Soto‑Patión (PEEC, INHS) for winning Best Student Presentation at ICP8 in Marseille! Her talk on parasitic lice solving the Sapayoa evolutionary riddle was outstanding 🎉