Linda Birnbaum and Keith Westcott are two of the four winners of the top alumni awards from the University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2010.

According to LAS News: "Linda Birnbaum, a Microbiology alum, is the first woman and first toxicologist to lead the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Since the 1970s, she has tackled the most serious toxicology issues of our time, from dioxins and PCBs to asbestos. Birnbaum split much of her career between the NIEHS and EPA and is currently leading an effort to assess the health risks posed by the 2010 Gulf oil spill....

Keith Westcott, a Biochemistry alumnus, was at Amgen when it burst onto the scene in the 1980s, sparking the biotechnology revolution. He has brought this industrial know-how back to U of I, creating fellowships for graduate students in biochemistry. He also comes back to campus regularly to give talks, help with U of I Foundation activities, and teach a six-week course about pharmaceutical biotechnology from an industrial perspective."