We honor here two graduate students in the School of Integrative Biology (SIB), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. They are
Manuel Flores
(for the 2021 Govindjee and Rajni Award) and
Amanda Curtis
(for the 2021 Robert Emerson Award).
Manuel Flores,
the 2021 recipient of the Govindjee & Rajni Govindjee award for Excellence in Biological Research
(see:
sib.illinois.edu/graduate/grants/Govindjee);
he is a master’s student in
Dr. Jim Dalling’s Lab
(Department of Plant Biology, UIUC). His current research is focused on understanding nutrient recycling that occurs within tree wood and how this phenomenon may influence tree species distribution along soil fertility gradients; he is also deeply interested in tropical silviculture and restoration.
Portrait provided by Manuel
Amanda Curtis,
the 2021 Robert Emerson Memorial Awardee of the School of Integrative Biology, UIUC
(see:
sib.illinois.edu/graduate/grants/Emerson),
is in
Dr. Eric Larson's Lab
(Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology); her research focuses on using environmental DNA as a tool for freshwater conservation. For more information on past and present research, see her website
www.amandancurtis.com.
