Sign for the Solving the World's Challenges panel, with chairs in the background.
We're so excited to host our Solving the World's Challenges panel on Invasive Species tomorrow, April 21, from 2:30-3:30 in our New Book area! Come in person, or follow this link to register online or learn more: go.library.illinois.edu/FunkACESLibr...
Final Four: #1 Humans vs #2 Rabies & #8 Ticks vs #13 Destroying Angel Fungi. Ecosystem-altering power, near-certain fatality, disease vectors, and deadly toxins face off. Cast your vote for the scariest! 🦠🍄🐜🌍
Vote: buff.ly/SWKCDLh
Bracket: buff.ly/TG1RmIq
Tigga Kingston was invested as the inaugural Shelford-Pitelka-Batzli Professor of Mammalian Ecology at Illinois. This honor highlights her leadership in ecology research.
Read more: buff.ly/FuoOihs
#ILLINOIS #curiositydrivesimpact
March Madness may be over (congrats to the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball on a Final Four run!) but SIB’s Scariest Organisms bracket continues. Round 4 is live.
Vote in the tournament 👉 buff.ly/YwnhSxg
See the updated bracket 👉 buff.ly/mSCbw7Z
Infographic with photos of Karla Griesbaum, Kelly Estes, and Andrew Suarez, the three panelists for the panel event.
Meet our panelists for the 8th annual Solving The World's Challenges panel, with the theme Invasive Species! To learn more about the event, each panelist, or to register to attend virtually, visit go.library.illinois.edu/FunkACESLibr...!
Happy Graduate Student Appreciation Week! 🌿
SIB grad students keep discovery alive—from insects to ecosystems. Share your grad experience or drop some encouragement for current students. Let’s celebrate the people behind the science.
Round 3 of SIB’s Scariest Organisms bracket is live. Only the fiercest contenders remain, vote by Tuesday night!
Vote in the tournament 👉 buff.ly/BQAbJWd
See the updated bracket 👉 buff.ly/mSCbw7Z
And good luck to the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball in the Final Four tomorrow! Go Illini!
Two PEEC grad students are finalists for Research Live! 2026 🎉 Brian Graves on accessible VR design, Weiqing Qu on plant climate vulnerability. April 7, Gregory Hall. Come cheer them on! 👉 buff.ly/G5MvkqG
Round 2 of SIB’s #MarchMadness bracket is live! Vote for the “scariest organism” across vertebrates, invertebrates, pathogens, & plants:
Poll: buff.ly/6YeJBSd
Bracket: buff.ly/KjIvX2P
🏀 And of course, congrats to Illinois Men's Basketball team on making the Elite 8! 🏀
Last call! Scariest Organisms voting closes TONIGHT!
Close matchups: monkeys vs sharks, dengue vs yellow fever, camel spiders vs tarantula hawks, death cap vs nightshade 😬
Parasitic wasps 🤝 mushrooms that can kill you in half a bite.
🗳️ buff.ly/CcCdVsA
March Madness, but it’s biology: Scariest Organisms Edition! 👀
Vertebrates vs invertebrates vs plants vs pathogens—who wins?
Vote, explore some wild organisms, and defend your picks!
Poll closes Thursday night, second round dropping next Friday.
🗳️ buff.ly/CcCdVsA
📊 [https://buff.ly/5lciXYr
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!"
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
🧪 🧪 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
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 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
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
🐉 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
Ella, an Illinois integrative biology & global studies major, found her path in Vienna—where evolution, sustainability & culture came together. 🌍
🔗 buff.ly/Q3MjOMt
#CuriosityDrivesImpact