Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

09/18/2026

We are easing back into our posting schedule on Translating Science! To get ready for our annual bat festival, we are throwing it back to last year’s conversation with resident bat expert, Dan Urban.

Read now at IGBIllinois.substack.com and get excited for this year’s Central Illinois Bat Festival! 🦇

09/11/2026

This summer, the IGB wrapped up another successful year of the Early Innovator Program. EIP is designed to prepare participants to become innovative entrepreneurs and leaders in their fields and to find creative ways to address societal challenges with their scientific research.

“I had ideas but was missing the crucial link needed to turn them into a business. The EIP program was the essential piece that filled this gap,” said Siun Lee, a graduate student participant of this year’s program.

Trainees are mentored by industry leaders who answer their questions and provide guidance as they develop their own novel innovations. At the end of the summer, researchers present their final pitches to a panel of judges, and three winners are selected to receive funds to continue pursuing their projects.

A huge congratulations to this year’s awardees, Siun Lee, Frithjof Gressmann, and Cindy Yang! To learn more about this year’s EIP cohort and their projects, visit igb.illinois.edu/article/early-innovator-program-announces-2026-pitch-contest-winners. (link in bio)

09/10/2026

Registration is now open for this semester’s Lunchbox seminar! 🥗 Join us as we hear from Shelby Keye, PhD, about her work on the influences of diet and health behaviors on childhood cognition. 🧠

For this seminar, Dr. Keye will discuss how different dietary patterns and nutrients have been shown to positively affect children’s brain functioning, specifically the cognitive skills necessary for school readiness and success. She will also share results from a recent intervention assessing the effects of a high protein breakfast and physical activity intervention on school-aged children’s attention skills and classroom behavior.

Register now at igb.illinois.edu/lunchbox (link in bio)

09/09/2026

The September Core Facilities image of the month comes from research in the Hutchens and Wagoner Johnson labs that focuses on the material properties and mechanical behavior of soft solids and biomaterials.

The image shows collagen fibers—strong, flexible, rope-like proteins that provide the body with structural support around blood vessels, tissues, muscles, and organs—in a bovine Glisson’s capsule, a dense layer of tissue that covers the exterior surface of a cow’s liver.

Shaobo Zhan, a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering, captured this image while using a razor blade to cut into the tissue and displays the ability of collagen fibers, shown in green, to bend and reorganize around the blade tip.

The image was captured using a ZEISS Microscopy LSM 710 multiphoton microscope.

09/01/2026

Interested in supporting the IGB’s outreach initiatives? Sign up for our volunteer list! We have a plethora of fun events happening throughout the year and need your help!

Volunteering with IGB offers flexible dates and times, and you get to choose the events you want to help at! People at all career stages are welcome to sign up to volunteer and you can even earn an outreach certificate! Plus you get an awesome free tee shirt 🙌

To learn more and to sign up, head to www.igb.illinois.edu/outreach-volunteer (link in bio)

08/31/2026

As IGB faculty members work to address societal challenges with their genomic research 🧬, Tracy Parish puts the institute’s motto “where science meets society” into action. Since joining the IGB in 2022, Parish has worked to build and maintain relationships with potential partners, and he helps faculty members to do the same 🤝. “The role itself is really focused on connecting the research themes with a number of different partners”, Parish said.

When he’s not in the office, Parish can be found performing the trumpet in the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra 🎺! To learn more about Tracy Parish, check out the August Profile of the Month at https://www.igb.illinois.edu/article/igb-profile-tracy-parish (link in bio)!

08/27/2026

Come see us at Odd Market on September 19!

𝗕𝗔𝗧𝗦•𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦•𝗕𝗨𝗚𝗦 - 𝗼𝗵 𝗺𝘆!

We have the next best thing after the Magic School Bus rolling into Odd Market + Tattoo Fest on September 19th! Climb aboard the IGB Mobile STEM Lab for an interactive, hands-on encounter with all sorts of 𝘰𝘥𝘥 specimens and creatures 🚎🔬

🦇 FREE to explore
🦴 Fun for all ages!
🪲 Presented by Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

𝗢𝗱𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 + 𝗧𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁
𝟵.𝟭𝟵.𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 • 𝟭𝟬-𝟳
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗧𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮, 𝗜𝗟

🔗 in bio for more event information!

08/24/2026

The fall semester is finally here! Welcome back to our fantastic students. 🔶 🧬 🔷

08/21/2026

Deadline extended! Submit your abstract by Sept. 1 for the 2026 International Miscanthus Summit! 🌿

Hosted in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, on Oct. 26–29, this first-of-its-kind summit bridges the gap between scientific innovation and the growing marketplace. Over four days, the event brings together international leaders across academia, industry, policy, farming, and non-governmental organizations.

➡️ Abstract submission form: https://loom.ly/7az6g5A

Topics for talks or poster presentations include:
🔸Diversifying supply chains
🔸Bioprocessing, and bioproducts
🔸Policy frameworks and metrics
🔸Ecosystem modeling and techno-economic analysis 🔸Genetics and breeding
🔸Genomics and
🔸Agronomic systems
🔸Physiology and phenotyping

This event is open to anyone interested in miscanthus!

🔗 Register/details: https://loom.ly/Fo2WEBg

University of Illinois College of ACES | Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

08/19/2026

In the last two decades, the emergence of synthetic biology has brought about a revolution in the life sciences. Synthetic biologists apply the principles of engineering to living systems, editing and adding to microbial genomes or growing tissues to address challenges in medicine, agriculture, and industry. This work also requires trial and error on a genomic scale. How are IGB researchers using automation in the laboratory to move this work from extraordinary to the everyday?

As we enter the new academic year, we are taking one more look back and preparing to move ahead. Learn more about how automation and artificial intelligence have already brought incredible capabilities to biological research, and the promise they hold for the future, in our 2025 Annual Report at igb.illinois.edu/aboutIGB/annualreport.