Awards

The Illinois State Academy of Science annually awards grants and makes presentation awards to our student members in support of developing science achievement. In addition, faculty and research members periodically receive special recognition awards.

T.K. Vinod, WIU-Chemistry, receiving ISAS Fellows recognition at Annual Meeting held April 5&6, 2019, at Bradley University.

- Annual competition for student research grants to support research efforts.
- Recognition of excellence for student presentations at the annual meeting.
- Specific division awards, currently the Botany Travel Grant.
- Recognition of outstanding service to science and the Academy as an ISAS Fellow.
- Occasional other outstanding awards, such as Honorary Memberships and the Centennial Award.

Illinois State Academy of Science, itself, received 2018 Best of Springfield Award due to its service and promotion of science.

Student Research Grants

Competitive grants are awarded annually to Illinois high school, undergraduate, and graduate students who are members of the Illinois State Academy of Science.
High school awards are up to $200 each, undergraduate awards are up to $500, each and graduate awards are up to $1,000 each.
Online proposals will be accepted in September via the online application portal and announced in December each year.
Previous Student Research Award recipients.

2020 Recipients

Sara Johnson, University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign
Assessing the Distribution and Reproductive Ecology of a Rare Mint, Macbridea alba

Jessica Derham, Eastern Illinois University
Determination of the Functional Significance of Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II in Folate Metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans

Kristina Springer, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Investigation of Epigenetic Alterations in Drosophila melanogaster Following Exposure to Sublethal Concentrations of Imidacloprid

Ana Cvetkovic and Lauren Bode, North Central College
Quantifying an Amphibian Pathogen in the Field Using Quantitative PCR

Student Presentation Awards

- Best oral and poster presentations are awarded at each annual meeting.
- Abstracts and more information about each presentation is available from our Annual Meeting Supplements under the Annual Meetings tab.
- Previous Annual Meeting Student Presentation Award recipients

2019 Recipients

Agriculture Division

Oral Presentation
- 1st place – Opeyemi Oduniyi, Western Illinois University
  Growth and Gene Expression of Soybean during Germination under High Salinity Stress and Salicylic Acid

Anthropology & Archaeology Division

Posters
- 1st place – Megan Price, Illinois College
  Homo sapiens Nasal Aperture Shape

Botany Division

Undergraduate Posters
- 1st place – Monica Berviller, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Allelopathic Potential of Fresh Leaf Extracts from Japanese Hop (Humulus japonicus)
Graduate Posters
- 1st place – Sara Johnson, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  Effect of Soluble Salt on the Germination of Thuja occidentalis
Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Nicholas Emory, Western Illinois University
  Gene Expression of Soybeans (Glycine max) in Response to Inoculation with Trichoderma Fungi

Cellular, Molecular, & Developmental Biology Division

Undergraduate Posters
- 1st place – Sarah McMillan, Bradley University
  Exploring the Role of Trehalose and Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase in Oxidative Stress Response in Fusarium verticillioides
- 2nd place – Eric Huntemann, Illinois College
  Investigating the Role of the Cornea Stroma During X. laevis Lens Regeneration
- 3rd place – Abby Brown, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  The Impact of Light Intensity on Chlorophyll levels in the ggpps11-1 Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana
Graduate Posters
- 1st place – Viet Bui, Eastern Illinois University
  Xylan Metabolism by Caulobacter crescentus
- 2nd place – Jordyn Grawe, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  The Potential Involvement of Berberine Bridge Enzyme-Like Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana Leaf Development
Undergraduate Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Jack Blank, Bradley University
  The Characterization of Highly Adaptable Biocompatabile Nanomaterials for the Integration, Differentiation, and Transplantation of Stem Cells
Graduate Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Hashni Epa Vidana Gamage, Eastern Illinois University
  Sulfamethoxazole Retards Growth and Reproduction in C. elegans by Inhibiting Folate Biosynthesis
- 2nd place – Jessica Haines, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  The Optimization and Application of Behavioral Analysis on the Planarian Flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea

Chemistry Division

Undergraduate Posters
- 1st place – Dalton Moss, Western Illinois University
  Total Flavonoid Concentration in Tea
Graduate Posters
- 1st place – Tiwalola Ogunleye, Western Illinois University
  Quantification of Naproxen in Equine Plasma for Doping Control in Horse Racing using High Performance Liquid Chromatography with UV Detection Coupled with Strong Anion Solid Phase
- 2nd place – Rebecca Haughey, Western Illinois University
  Determination of Phosphate and Nitrate Concentration in Soil and Water Samples

Computer Science Division

Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Justin Doty, Western Illinois University
  Virtualizing and Visualizing Social Interactions for Teaching Social Skills

Earth Science Division

Posters
- 1st place – Jacob Watson & Alexander Kerley, Eastern Illinois University
  Pier Scouring

Environmental Science Division

Undergraduate Posters
- 1st place – Amanda Fix, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Determination and Characterization of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate Neurotoxicity in Fruit Flies
- 2nd place – Krista Springer, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Determination of Sublethal Concentrations and Effects of Imidacloprid in Female Drosophila melanogaster
Graduate Posters
- 1st place – Tochukwu Ekwonna, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Remediation of Selenium-Contaminated Wastewater Using Municipal Biosolids and Drinking Water Treatment Residuals
Undergraduate Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Carl Namini, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
  Exposures to Perfluorooctane Sulfonate Elicit Neurotoxicity in Drosophila melanogaster
Graduate Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Grace Wilkin, Eastern Illinois University
  The EIU Compost Project: Recycling Food Waste to Grow More Food

Health Sciences Division

Undergraduate Posters
- 1st place – Raisa Zamacona-Gonzalez, Millikin University
  Isotype Switching and Spleen Development in Rana catesbeiana
Graduate Posters
- 1st place – Kaitlyn Stanton, Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine
  Activated Zinc Mouth Rinse Reduces Inflammatory Cytokine Expression in a Gingival Epithelium Injury Model
Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Callie Mincy, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Cancer Cohort Matrix Induces Adhesion Molecule Expression Differences in Salivary Gland Cells

Microbiology Division

Undergraduate Posters
- 1st place – Jennifer Houser, Bradley University
  Antibiotic Properties of Newly Synthesized δ-Lactone Derivative
- 2nd place – Jacob Haines, Millikin University
  Use of Combined Phage Exposure in Minimizing the Development of Anti-Phage Resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae
Graduate Posters
- 1st place – Xiomy Pinchi-Davila, Western Illinois University
  Description of Novel Endophytic Taxa within the Pleosporales and Evaluation of their Role on Plant Growth
- 2nd place – Negar Zeti-Mahboob, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Bacteriophage Treatment in a Social Amoebae Host Reduces Burkholderia bonniea Bacterial Infections
Undergraduate Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Audrey Rex, Eastern Illinois University
  Detection of Antibiotic Resistance Loci in Waste Water and Fresh Water
Graduate Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Maria-Jose Romero-Jimenez, Western Illinois University
  Multigene Characterization of Darksidea Isolates and Description of a New Species

Physics, Mathematics, & Astronomy Division

Undergraduate Poster Presentations
- 1st place – Luigi Erba & Vivswan Shah, Illinois College
  Simultaneous Morse Code Telegraphy using Arduino UNOs
- 2nd place – Clara Barclay, Western Illinois University
  Compositional Dependence of Fluorescence Properties in Rare-Earth Ion-Doped Bismuth Borate Glasses
Graduate Poster Presentations
- 1st place – Michael Adetunji, Western Illinois University
  Optical Properties of Samarium (Sm) and Europium (Eu) Co-Doped Bismuth Telluro-Borate Glasses

Zoology Division

Undergraduate Posters
- 1st place – Dylan Gladson, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  The Origin of Ants: Circumventing the Hegemony of Wings
- 2nd place – Sabrina Doyle, Illinois College
  The Effects of Prescribed Burns on Bat Activity and Species Composition in a Forested Landscape
- 3rd place – Meredith Artime, Millikin University
  Seroprevalence of Pasteurella multocida, the Causative Agent of Avian Cholera, among Free-Living Birds in Central Illinois
Graduate Posters
- 1st place – David Seidel, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Effects of Shell Size, Shape, and Density on the Crush Resistance of a Freshwater Snail
- 2nd place – Jeremy Howard, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Evaluating the Use of Barnhart Silos for Reintroducing Hatchery-Reared Juvenile Mussels in Two Central Illinois Watersheds
Undergraduate Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Naomi Klingbeil, Millikin University
  Does Length of Stay in Rehabilitation Influence the Magnitude of the Acute Stress Response in Birds of Prey?
Graduate Oral Presentations
- 1st place – Jeremy Howard, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Movement and Microhabitat Selection in Southern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys volans)

Botanical Division Travel Grants

Proposals accepted February 1st through March 24th of each year with notification of recipients by April 1st. Online form not yet available. Contact ISAS for information.
Advisor support letter required. Online form not yet available. Contact ISAS for information.
College undergraduates and graduates compete for up to two $250 awards each year.

2018 Recipients

Samantha Danguilan, Northwestern University/Chicago Botanical Garden

Previous Botany Travel Grant Award recipients.

Fellows and Honorary Members

Established in 1984.
- Nomination only by current ISAS members.
- May be awarded annually.
ISAS Fellows
ISAS Honorary Members

2007 Centennial Award

A one-time award given during our centennial celebration of 2007. The recipient best exemplifies a lifetime of scholarly excellence and service. Dr. Roger C. Anderson of Illinois State University received this award in 2007. (Anderson_Bio)