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Close-up of pennycress plant.
Wonder weed: A research team led by Dr. John Sedbrook is transforming pennycress into a crop that will benefit farmers and the environment.

Volume 6 • Number 1 • Fall 2020

pennycress

Powerful pennycress: Dr. Sedbrook’s research team is transforming a weed into a crop

Though farmers consider pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) nothing more than a weed, Illinois State Professor of Genetics Dr. John Sedbrook is working to change their perspective—and the plant itself.

Two Agriculture professors standing in a corn field

Input harvest: Agriculture professors reap feedback on students’ motivations to reach new generation

It wasn’t long into her teaching tenure at Illinois State University that Dr. Iuliia Tetteh, an assistant professor in the Department of Agriculture, noticed that learning tactics she found interesting and exciting as a student didn’t catch the attention of the young people she was teaching.

Elderly people hold smartphones and are meant to be tweeting on Twitter.

Tweeting into the Golden Years

On the first day the #GoldenTweets program was offered, a man walked in saying he was there to learn about birdcalls.

View of Mount Merbabu in Indonesia.

The Q&A with Shelby Putt: Piecing together human evolution and communication through stone tools

This issue’s Q&A is with Dr. Shelby Putt, a biological anthropologist, in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

Pregnant woman holds belly

Student research: Nursing students research ways hospitals can cut back on C-sections

Three Illinois State nursing students received a rare opportunity to present their research focused on remapping the birthing process to eliminate the need for a cesarean-section (C-section).

Austin C. Calhoun won first place and the People's Choice Award for his presentation, “What’s killing the buzz? Mechanisms of bumble bee decline.”

Gradbird Scholars: Student research spotlighted through monthly competition

The Graduate School launched the GradBird Scholar initiative in September 2019, in an effort to make scholarly research more accessible while honoring the scholarship of Illinois State students.

Dr. Craig C. McLauchlan (left) has taken over as associate vice president for Research and Graduate Studies from fellow Department of Chemistry colleague Dr. John Baur.

Changing of the guard

Redbird Scholar interviewed Dr. John Baur and Dr. Craig McLauchlan via Zoom last spring about the former’s tenure as the associate vice president for Research and Graduate Studies and the latter’s plans for his time in that post.

Students participate in the 2019 Illinois Summer Research Academy.

Research Spotlight: Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology

This issue’s Research Spotlight features the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology (CeMaST).

north side of Milner Library

Latest books from #RedbirdScholars

Here are the latest books from #RedbirdScholars.

Felmley Hall of Science

USDA grant to fund renewable energy research

Dr. David Kopsell, professor of horticulture, and Dr. LC (Liangcheng) Yang, assistant professor of environmental health, have received a two-year, nearly $150,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA).