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  • Shruti Deekshitula

    Shruti Deekshitula, graduate student researcher

    Jun 15, 2022 8:00 am

    Shruti Deekshitula is a graduate student researcher at the Illinois State Water Survey and an information science student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Josh Nickelson smiling

    Josh Nickelson, field scientist

    Jul 12, 2022 8:00 am

    Since second grade Josh Nickelson knew he wanted to work in a park or a forest setting when he grew up. Last month, he joined the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) as a field scientist and is looking forward to assisting land owners and organizations with various forest management projects. 

  • Caleb Bohus holding a microsaur fossil

    Caleb Bohus, 2022 Potter intern

    Jul 12, 2022 8:00 am

    Caleb Bohus is a member of the first cohort of five Potter interns at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI). The Paul Edwin Potter Internships. Bohus, a junior at Southern Illinois University (SIU) in Carbondale, has been working with Joe Devera, a senior paleontologist at the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) and the Smithsonian on a paleontologcial project.

  • Ahmani Browne sitting at a computer

    Ahmani Browne, 2022 PRI SROP intern

    Jul 26, 2022 8:00 am

    Ahmani Browne, a senior studying marine biology at Mitchell College, is working with Liang Chen, a research climatologist at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), studying the risks of winter severity in the Midwest due to climate change. Browne and Chen are using state-of-the-art climate models to quantify past and future winter storms, and investigate strong-wind and heavy snowfall events using climate simulations. Browne recently answered some questions about his internship experience.

  • Liane Rosario

    Liane Rosario, 2022 Potter intern

    Aug 1, 2022 8:00 am

    Liane Rosario, a senior at the University of Illinois Chicago studying earth and environmental sciences is a 2022 Potter intern working on coastal research at the ISGS Lake Michigan office, gathering data using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) in caves and on beaches, and measuring the depths of Lake Michigan via boat using bathymetry data.

  • Miriam holding a PCR tray

    Miriam Schlessinger, 2022 PRI SROP intern

    Aug 1, 2022 1:00 pm

    Miriam Schlessinger, an undergraduate at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville recently participated in the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP), a 10-week hands-on summer internship at PRI that aims to enable undergraduate students from underrepresented populations to explore careers in applied science.

  • IRBS staff, alumni, and family members gathered at Riverfront Park to mark the field station's 50th year

    Illinois River Biological Station marks 50th anniversary

    Aug 12, 2022 8:30 am

    On July 23, the Illinois Natural History Survey's Illinois River Biological Station (IRBS) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a reunion at Riverfront Park in Havana, Illinois. IRBS has grown to a staff of more than 50 people, including PhD. scientists, post-doctoral research associates, large river ecologists, aquatic field technicians, and many graduate students. More than 300 scientists have been part of IRBS since its founding in 1972. 

     

     

  • Mario Navarro, Lily Hearn, and Tahj Crofton sitting

    Lily Hearn, Tahj Cortes Crofton, and Mario Owens Navarro, 2022 Potter interns

    Sep 12, 2022 8:00 am

    Lily Hearn, Tahj Cortes Crofton, and Mario Owens Navarro have been working with PRI scientists on research tackling some of the most pressing environmental issues. This group of undergraduate students was part of the first cohort of the Illinois State Geological Survey's Paul Edwin Potter Internship Program. 

  • Matt Finzel

    Matt Finzel, INHS graduate student researcher

    Oct 25, 2022 2:00 pm

    At 4 or 5 years old, INHS grad student Matt Finzel remembers exploring the great outdoors, letting curiosity be his guide! Now he's using large datasets from INHS to search for indicator plant species of high quality wetlands in Illinois.

  • Rohini Vembar

    Rohini Vembar, INHS graduate student researcher

    Oct 25, 2022 2:00 pm

    INHS graduate student Rohini Vembar grew up surrounded by science, and—even as an elementary school student—knew she wanted to go into some STEM field.

  • Sophia Sagrestano

    Sophia Sagrestano, ISWS graduate student researcher

    Oct 25, 2022 2:00 pm

    Sophia Sagrestano's path toward a master's degree in atmospheric science started with watching the local meteorologist each morning before school in her childhood home. Now she's working with Water Survey researchers to better understand the planetary boundary layer and how it impacts lake effect snow formation over Lake Ontario!

  • Tony Schutz

    Tony Schutz, primary desktop support

    Feb 16, 2023 8:00 am

    The Computing and Data Services (CDS) team welcomes new staff member, Tony Schutz, as the primary desktop support. Tony has been working with PRI part-time for the past eight years and has now joined us as a full-time employee. He will be the primary desktop support person for staff at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), but will be pitching in on desktop support across PRI and helping the CDS server team as well. Tony is a familiar face for sure, and we’re very glad to have him as a full-time member of the team.

  • scientist smiling and holding up a freshwater mussel

    Hugo Ruellan, aquatic ecologist

    Mar 14, 2023 2:00 pm
  • Abby Pagels in the field

    Abby Pagels, acoustic coordinator for the Illinois Bat Conservation Program

    Mar 14, 2023 2:00 pm
  • Tanner Jones

    Tanner Jones, irrigation and hydrology specialist

    Apr 24, 2023 4:00 pm

    Tanner works with the Illinois Water Inventory Program (IWIP), specifically on the irrigation side to find new ways to collect water usage figures that can help us understand the water status and water needs around the state and work on the data side to pair irrigator information with the information existing in the Water Survey. He also helps to communicate water usage analysis to the general public.

  • Allan Jones

    Allan E. Jones, hydrologist

    Apr 27, 2023 3:15 pm

    Allan E. Jones, a recently promoted assistant research scientist in hydrology, has received the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) 2023 Early Career Investigator Award for his excellence in research and leadership and his impact on the development of the groundwater flow model at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS).

  • Chris Taylor

    Chris Taylor, senior curator of INHS fishes and crustaceans collection

    May 1, 2023 4:15 pm

    With 30 years devoted to the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Chris Taylor, curator of the fishes and crustaceans collection, has been awarded the 2023 PRI Research Scientist Career Achievement Award. He has been described as a world-renowned expert in the systematics, ecology, and natural history of crustaceans, especially crayfish.

  • Wei Dang

    Wei Dang, water resource engineer

    Nov 22, 2023 10:30 am

    Wei Dang earned her Master of Geographic Information Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2022. Following graduation, she joined PRI as a Water Resource Engineer. Her primary responsibilities revolve around using GIS methodologies to present water resource data and information on surface water in a visually intuitive and accessible manner. She also works on the geospatial analyses of water resources systems, aiming to streamline water resources planning and management.  

  • Amber Schmidt

    Amber Schmidt: Grad Student and Illinois Indiana Sea Grant Scholar

    Dec 6, 2023 9:45 am

  • Parikshit Gogoi, visiting research scholar

    Jan 23, 2024 4:15 pm

    Meet Dr. Parikshit Gogoi, a distinguished visiting research scholar currently immersed in a journey at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) under the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence fellowship. Since September 25, 2023, Dr. Gogoi has been steering his research towards the catalytic conversion of lignin bio-oils components to aromatics and fuel range hydrocarbons.

  • Amber Zilinger

    Amber Zilinger, visiting scientific specialist

    Jan 24, 2024 10:45 am

    Amber Zilinger recently joined INHS as a visiting scientific specialist in soils and disease research in the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory. 

  • Jordan Hartman, postdoctoral researcher

    Jan 29, 2024 10:45 am

    Jordan Hartman joined INHS and the Collaborative Conservation Genomics Laboratory on January 1, 2024, as a Postdoctoral Researcher with Dr. Mark Davis. She recently completed her Ph. D. at the University of Illinois under Dr. Eric Larson where she studied the process of the invasion of Eastern Banded Killifish in Illinois using different and genomic techniques. Today, she can found in the genomics laboratory where she will be researching little brown bats across the United States.

  • Sara P. Villazan Perez-Girones

    Sara Villazan Perez-Girones, visiting scientific specialist

    Feb 13, 2024 8:45 am

  • Shaley Valentine, assistant research scientist

    Feb 22, 2024 9:00 am

    Shaley Valentine recently joined Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) as an Assistant Research Scientist at the Illinois River Biological Station! Prior to joining INHS, Shaley completed a PhD at Southern Illinois University. We sat down with Shaley to learn more about them, what they’re passionate about, and hear any advice they have for future scientists.

  • Reilly Durham, visiting scientific specialist

    Feb 26, 2024 10:00 am

    Introducing Reilly Durham, who recently joined the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) at the Prairie Research Institute. Their role focuses on algal-bacterial bioaugmentation, aiming to revolutionize wastewater treatment and biofuel production.

  • Woman with a hat on holding a large black and yellow turtle.

    Claire Dietrich, field ecologist

    Feb 29, 2024 2:00 pm

    Claire Dietrich recently joined the PACE Lab as a field ecologist.

  • A man riding a horse with one hand over his head holding a cowboy hat.

    Justin Remmers, postdoctoral researcher

    Mar 7, 2024 2:15 pm

    Justin Remmers recently joined INHS as a Postdoctoral Researcher.

  • A woman with a hat standing on a mountain top.

    Ellie Callahan, visiting scientific specialist

    Apr 10, 2024 12:00 pm

    Introducing Ellie Callahan, a geochemistry researcher at the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), a division of Prairie Research Institute. With a B.S. in Geology and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin Madison and a M.S. in Geology from the University of Oklahoma, Ellie's journey is fueled by a passion for understanding the Earth’s complex systems and for interdisciplinary problem-solving. Currently, as a visiting scientific specialist in geochemistry, she delves into groundwater vulnerability assessments at Illinois nature preserves and leads an exciting project revisiting outstanding geological features across the state. We sat down with Ellie to hear how she navigates the fascinating intersection of research, industry, and the great outdoors.

  • Jameson Mori, 2024 PRI Early Career Investigator Award recipient

    Jun 5, 2024 7:45 am

    Jameson Mori, assistant research scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey’s Wildlife Epidemiological Lab, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Early Career Investigator Award by the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) for their outstanding contributions to environmental science and interdisciplinary research.

  • Mera Hertel, 2024 Distinguished Support Staff Award recipient

    Jun 5, 2024 8:45 am

    Recognized for her exceptional contributions, Mera Hertel, a cornerstone of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS), has been honored with the 2024 Distinguished Support Staff Award by the Prairie Research Institute.

  • Lori Walston-Vonderharr, 2024 Distinguished Support Staff Award recipient

    Jun 5, 2024 11:15 am

    Human Resources Business Partner Lori Walston-Vonderharr is the recipient of the Prairie Research Institute’s 2024 Distinguished Support Staff Award, which recognizes non-scientific support staff who have shown exceptional performance and outstanding service in their work and are making an impact on PRI.

  • Mike DeYoung poses for a photo at the awards ceremony.

    Mike DeYoung, 2024 Outstanding New Support Staff Award recipient

    Jun 5, 2024 11:30 am

    Project Manager Mike DeYoung is the recipient of the Prairie Research Institute’s 2024 Outstanding New Support Staff Award, which recognizes non-scientific support staff who have shown exceptional performance and outstanding service in their work and are making an impact on PRI.

  • Scott Elrick accepting the Friend of PRI Award from Executive Director Praveen Kumar on behalf of Laurence Nuelle.

    Laurence Nuelle, 2024 Friend of PRI Award recipient

    Jun 5, 2024 1:00 pm

    Laurence Nuelle is the recipient of the Prairie Research Institute’s 2024 Friend of PRI Award, which recognizes service and commitment in helping PRI meet its mission of being the trusted science authority to the state of Illinois.

  • Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, 2024 Distinguished Research Scientist Award recipient

    Jun 5, 2024 1:15 pm

    Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Research Scientist Award by the Prairie Research Institute. This prestigious recognition is bestowed upon individuals whose exceptional contributions to their field of research, environment, and society stand out as exemplary. Dr. Mateus-Pinilla, the director of the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory at the Illinois Natural History Survey.

  • Atticus Zavelle, 2024 Distinguished Research Specialist/Technician Award recipient

    Jun 5, 2024 1:30 pm

    Atticus Zavelle, senior scientific specialist at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) has been selected as the recipient of PRI’s 2024 Distinguished Research Specialist/Technician Award.

  • Walt Kelly poses for a photo at the awards ceremony.

    Walton R. Kelly, 2024 Research Scientist Career Achievement Award recipient

    Jun 5, 2024 2:00 pm

    Walton R. Kelly is the recipient of the Prairie Research Institute’s 2024 Research Scientist Career Achievement Award, which recognizes the achievements of a PRI scientist whose fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights have had a significant impact over the course of their career.

  • A woman wearing a hat and holding a toad.

    Hope Dermott, visiting scientific specialist

    Jun 27, 2024 8:00 am

    Hope Dermott joined INHS in the Wetland Science Program on May 20th as a Visiting Scientific Specialist in Wetland Science. She is currently working on her Master's degree in soil science at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • A woman kneeling with a dog.

    Lauren Dean, assistant research scientist

    Jul 12, 2024 10:30 am

    Lauren Dean joined the INHS as an assistant research scientist focused on Hunter Research for the Learn to Hunt program. She previously conducted research focused on exploring waterfowl hunting regulation complexity as a constraint to adult novice waterfowl hunter recruitment and retention in Illinois in conjunction with the Illinois Learn to Hunt program. We sat down with Lauren to learn a bit more about her.

  • A man stands in front of a lake at sunset.

    Rob Mooney, assistant research scientist

    Jul 19, 2024 11:30 am

    Rob Mooney recently joined INHS as an assistant research scientist. His research interests span a range of aquatic science topics, from invertebrate behavior to ecosystem-scale stressors to fisheries management.

  • A male in a blue jacket stands in front of the Sydney Opera House.

    Jake Vile, undergraduate researcher

    Jul 26, 2024 2:00 pm

    Jake Vile, a recent graduate from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences recently joined the Illinois State Water Survey, a division of the Prairie Research Institute. Jake's passion for weather began at a young age, and he plans to further his studies with a M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences at the University at Albany this fall. At PRI, he contributes to the MITTEN-CI project, focusing on collecting and analyzing meteorological data. Jake's dedication and enthusiasm, combined with his extensive global experience, make him a valuable asset to our team. We sat down with Jake to learn more about his experience and plans for the future.

  • A woman with waders sitting in a stream holding a plastic bottle.

    Savanna Palmer, summer research intern

    Jul 31, 2024 9:30 am

    Savanna Palmer, a student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign majoring in Integrative Biology Honors, recently completed an internship under Mark Davis in the Collaborative Conservation Genetic Lab (CCGL) at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS).

  • A woman in cold-weather attire stands in front of a snow-covered mountain.

    Katie Spaulding, GIS Specialist

    Aug 9, 2024 10:45 am

    We spoke with Katie Spaulding, a recent graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the newest visiting scientific specialist of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at the Illinois State Geological Survey. Katie shared her journey from her undergraduate career to her current role at ISGS, where she combines her passion for the environment with advanced mapping technologies. 

  • Payton Ohler, summer research intern

    Aug 14, 2024 1:30 pm

    Payton Ohler recently completed her summer internship working with Sherilyn Williams-Stroud at the Illinois State Geological Survey. As a participant in the Graduate College’s Summer Research Opportunities Program, she focused on the social and technological implications of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects.

  • A woman in sunglasses stands in front of a pool of water.

    Sunita Mahat, visiting scientific specialist

    Aug 16, 2024 11:30 am

    Introducing Sunita Mahat, a visiting scientific specialist in GIS at the Illinois State Geological Survey. Sunita shares insights into her role in the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Inventory and Characterization Project, her passion for using technology to address environmental challenges, and her advice for aspiring GIS analysts.

  • Carolina Diaz Garcia, postdoctoral research associate

    Aug 26, 2024 1:45 pm

    Introducing Carolina Diaz Garcia, a postdoctoral research associate at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, working under the mentorship of Dr. Wei Zheng. Carolina brings a wealth of experience and passion to her work in environmental research, focusing on innovative methods to improve water quality and tackle pollution challenges

  • Stefan Ilic, visiting scientific specialist

    Sep 3, 2024 7:00 am

    We sat down with Stefan Ilic, a new visiting scientific specialist on the GIS team at the Illinois State Geological Survey. In this interview, Stefan shares insights into his journey to becoming a GIS specialist, his passion for geography and cartography, and the tools he relies on for his work.

     

  • A man kneeling over an excavation site, removing dirt with a trowel

    Seth Allgeier, curation specialist

    Sep 10, 2024 2:15 pm

    Seth Allgeier recently joined the Illinois State Archaeological Survey as a curation specialist. At PRI, Seth is leveraging his fieldwork experience to assess, organize, and digitize Illinois Department of Transportation site documents

  • Shah Bilawal Ali, research assistant

    Sep 17, 2024 8:30 am

    Shah Bilawal Ali is an MS student in the Department of Earth Science & Environmental Change at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a Research Assistant at the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS). He is now working on the Mitchell CarbonSAFE project, developing geologic models that could contribute to energy sustainability. Explore Ali’s story below to learn about his passion for sedimentology, his tools of the trade, and his ambitions for the future.

  • A woman wearing sunglasses and face mask standing in front of a volcano.

    Bridget Dale, GIS specialist

    Sep 19, 2024 9:00 am

    Bridget Dale recently joined the Illinois State Geological Survey as a GIS specialist working alongside Dave Grimley. A graduate of NC State University with a degree in Geology and Paleontology, Bridget’s academic background includes research in planetary science and remote sensing

  • A woman standing near a river holding a crayfish.

    Ellen Schonken, lab technician

    Sep 24, 2024 8:00 am

    Ellen Schonken is a lab technician with the Population and Community Ecology Lab at the Illinois Natural History Survey and a junior majoring in Natural Resources & Environmental Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.