School of MCB celebrates undergraduate student achievements

Exterior shot of the School of MCB's Chemical & Life Sciences Building during summertime.
The School of MCB is proud to recognize research and academic achievements of its undergraduate students. The following December 2022 graduates earned Highest Distinction for Research in the School of MCB: Emma Ibanez, PI: Dr. Justin Rhodes The following students earned...

Meet MCB: Undergraduate researcher Jay Sonalkar

Headshot of Jay Sonalkar in front of a wall with illustrations of cells. He is wearing a U of I zip-up jacket.
MCB major Jay Sonalkar was the 2022 recipient of the Tom and Cynthia Cycyota Research Scholarship. He answered a Q&A about his undergraduate research experience for the 2022 annual CDB newsletter.

Illinois undergrads share their Mayo Clinic research experience

The 2022 Illinois SURF cohort pose around the Mayo Brothers statue outside Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN
Each year, Mayo Clinic invites approximately 180 undergraduate students from across the nation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, which provides undergraduates the opportunity to work at the forefront of biomedical research at one of the world’s leading...

In the Genes - Journeys

A drawing of three people in lab coats holding hands and smiling. The two on the ends are meant to depict parents, and the shorter middle figure is presumably their child.
Plenty of students dream of going to medical school, but the process can be intimidating. How’s a student supposed to manage an intensive science degree on top of university staples like getting involved in clubs, making friends, and maybe even managing some research experience on the side? We sat...

Scientists discover a small immune system that packs a big punch

Headshot of Asma Hatoum-Aslan
A recent study by a team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has discovered a unique immune system in bacteria composed of a single enzyme that destroys a broad range of bacterial viruses (known as phages). Their findings were published in Cell Host & Microbe.

Meet MCB: Undergraduate researcher Neha Arun

Neha Arun reviews imaging of host-pathogen interactions in a darkly lit room, with her face illuminated by the screen.
MCB major Neha Arun shares her experiences working as an undergraduate researcher in Professor Collin Kieffer's lab in the Department of Microbiology, as well as a look at life outside the lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Meet MCB: Undergraduate student awarded Boren Scholarship

Brendan Rattin stands in a suit and tie holding a microphone in one hand and a remote in the other.
Three students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been awarded David L. Boren Scholarships, including MCB major Brendan Rattin. The National Security Education Program selects students to add international and language components to their education by studying overseas in world...