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Illinois IGB

Core Facilities

Outreach

Pollen Power! Camp 2016

A WEEK LONG DAY CAMP FOR TALENTED GIRLS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES.

Hosted by the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology on the University of Illinois campus, Pollen Power! provides an opportunity for girls to study plant responses to climate change in the distant past and the coming century. Research groups of 8 to 10 campers, led by female graduate students, use million-dollar microscopes to image pollen, providing campers with first-hand experience working with female mentors in a research environment. Campers also investigate pollen as a time capsule to study the climate that existed millions of years ago, identify ancient pollen, watch pollen germinate in real-time, and tour the state-of-the art research labs and facilities on campus.

The camp is designed for middle-school-age girls with an interest in plants and the environment. Visit the Pollen Power! website to learn more.

Art of Science 6.0

This year's art show, Art of Science 6.0, was a great success! Smile Politely, Champaign-Urbana's online magazine, covered the story. http://smilepolitely.com/tech/the_art_of_science_6.0_opening_night/

Art of Science 6.0

The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) at the University of Illinois with BodyWork Associates will be presenting their annual Art of Science show at Gallery 217, with an opening reception on April 28th at 6 pm.

This is our sixth year of displaying artwork of cutting-edge science from researchers at the IGB, featuring images dealing with issues in health, technology, the environment, and more, artistically enhanced with informative captions describing our science in a relatable way. Scientists who provided the images will be present to talk with attendees about what their research is and how it impacts the community.

The image shown here called "Enemy Worlds" is provided by Jee-Wei (Emily) Chen of the Brendan Harley Laboratory, and shows the structures and nuclei of the cells that cause glioblastoma multiforme, a common and lethal form of brain cancer. Researchers have invented a biomaterial, a special gel, which mimics the conditions of the brain and allows them to more easily study how these cancer cells multiply and spread. This new technology will help identify advanced therapies that improve patient survival. The Illini 4000 and the Mayo Clinic–University of Illinois Alliance for Technology-Based Healthcare funded this research.

Event details are available on the IGB Facebook event at or contact info-igb@illinois.edu. The event is free and open to the public, we hope to see you there.

ART OF SCIENCE 5.0 - Photographs by Kathryn Coulter

ART OF SCIENCE 2015

Art of Science 5.0, to be held Thursday, April 23, 2015, at the Indi Go Gallery is now in its fifth year. The exhibition is a meeting place between the University and our community and a celebration of common ground between science and art as a whole. The exhibit consists of Images from the Institute for Genomic Biology comprised from research addressing significant problems in the environment, medicine, energy use and production. The images are selected and some are artistically enhanced to highlight the beauty and fascination encountered daily in scientific endeavors. Showcasing imagery for the Art of Science traveling art exhibit exemplifies the IGB's commitment to scientific discovery and the collaborative spirit that makes it all possible.

The idea of this exhibition originated from a Champaign businessman, Doug Nelson from BodyWork Associates, who had a vision that Science is Art. Mr. Nelson wanted to help bridge the community with the university through an art exhibit. IGB thanks Mr. Nelson for his continued support of IGB's public engagement and outreach efforts with the community. Thanks are also due to the Indi Go Artist Co-op, which enriches the Champaign-Urbana community by showcasing the work of artists who reach beyond the boundaries of the mainstream.

Research instrumentation in the Core Facilities at the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) provides state-of-the-art resources for biological microscopy and image analysis for faculty and students from across campus and scientists in Research Park. The managing artist and creative director of this exhibition in Kathryn Coulter, IGB Multimedia Design Specialist. She works with scientists to select and artistically enhances images, while remaining faithful to the experimental work that produces them.

POLLEN POWER CAMP 2015

Pollen Power! A week long day camp for talented girls who are interested in the biological sciences.

Hosted by the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology on the University of Illinois campus, the camp will provide an opportunity for girls to study plant responses to climate change in the distant past and the coming century. Research groups of 8 to 10 campers led by a female graduate student will use million-dollar microscopes to image pollen, giving the campers first-hand experience in a research environment with female mentors. The camp is designed for girls who have completed 6th or 7th grade, or are entering 7th or 8th grade in the Fall 2015, and who have an interest in plants and the environment. The camp was co-organized by IGB Core Facilities Director Glenn Fried, with assistance from other IGB members.

The camp was designed to give girls a kaleidoscopic picture of what it means to be a plant biologist: activities included using the IGB Core Facilities’ high-powered microscopes, designing and printing 3D pollen grains at the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab, learning to identify different types of pollen and to pollinate corn, planning and recording a climate newscast with green screen technology, and hearing guest talks from IGB researchers on the science of pollen and the crucial role that women play in STEM fields.

This will be the third year that the IGB Core Facilities will be providing microscopy facilities for the Pollen Power Camp hosted by Lisa Ainsworth and Andrew Leakey. The camp will be held July 6-10, 2015. Registration is now open for this year’s camp. For more information, visit our website at: http://pollensummercamp.illinois.edu/.

Pollen Power Camp 2014

For many people, the word "pollen" evokes only the idea of a springtime allergenic nuisance. For one group of middle school girls though, pollen is now a symbol of summertime fun and learning. Twenty-six girls from around East Central Illinois came to participate in Pollen Power!, a week-long science day camp hosted July 7-11, 2014, by the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus.

The campus was designed to give girls a kaleidoscopic picture of what it means to be a plant biologist: activities included using the IGB Core Facilities' high-powered microscopes, designing and printing 3D pollen grains at the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab, learning to identify different types of pollen and to pollinate corn, planning and recording a climate newscast with green screen technology and hearing guest talks from IGB researchers on the science of pollen and crucial role that women play in STEM fields.

This was the second year that Pollen Power! has been offered; it is funded in part by the National Science Foundation. The campus was also co-organized by IGB Core Facilities Director Glenn Fried, with assistance from other IGB members. "We want to thank all the people involved in running the campus including IGB Core Facilities; Outreach, IT and Facilities groups and graduate student counselors," said Andrew Leakey, plant biologist and campus co-organizer.

The Art of Science - 2014

The Art of Science: Images from the Institute for Genomic Biology, now in its fourth year, is a meeting place between the University and our community as a whole, and a celebration of common ground between science and art. The exhibition comprises images from research addressing significant problems in the environment, medicine, energy use and production. The images are selected and some are artistically enhanced to highlight the beauty and fascination encountered daily in scientific endeavors. Showcasing imagery for the Art of Science traveling art exhibit exemplifies the IGB's commitment to scientific discovery and the collaborative spirit that makes it all possible.

The idea of this exhibition originated from a Champaign businessman, Doug Nelson from BodyWork Associates, who had a vision that Science is Art. Mr. Nelson wanted to help bridge the community with the university through an art exhibit. IGB thanks Mr. Nelson for his continued support of IGB's public engagement and outreach efforts with the community. Thanks are also due to the Indi Go Artist Co-op, which enriches the Champaign-Urbana community by showcasing the work of artists who reach beyond the boundaries of the mainstream.

Research instrumentation in the Core Facilities at the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) provides state-of-the-art resources for biological microscopy and image analysis for faculty and students from across campus and scientists in Research Park. The managing artist and creative director of this exhibition in Kathryn Coulter, IGB Multimedia Design Specialist. She works with scientists to select and artistically enhances images, while remaining faithful to the experimental work that produces them.

The Art of Science - 2013

The Art of Science 3.0 will be held on Thursday, April 18, 2013 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Indi Go Gallery.

The Art of Science: Images from the Institute for Genomic Biology 3.0 exhibits some of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign research addressing significant problems in the environment, health, and energy use and production. Research instrumentation in the Core Facilities at the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) provides state-of-the-art resources for biological microscopy and image analysis for faculty and students from across campus and to scientists in Research Park. This exhibit illustrates the IGB's commitment to scientific discovery and the collaborative spirit that makes it all possible.

The idea of this exhibition originated from a Champaign business man, Doug Nelson from BodyWork Associates ( http://www.bodyworkassociates.com/), who had a vision that Science is Art. Mr. Nelson wanted to help bridge the community with the University through an art exhibit. He continues to support public engagement and outreach efforts at the IGB with the community. We appreciate Indi Go Gallery ( http://www.indi-go-art.com/) enriching the Champaign-Urbana community by showcasing the work of artists who reach beyond the boundaries of the mainstream.

The Art of Science - 2012

You are invited to the opening reception of the Art of Science 2.0 on Thursday, April 12 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at Indi Go Gallery.

The Art of Science: Images from the Institute for Genomic Biology 2.0 exhibits some of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign research addressing significant problems in the environment, health, and energy use and production. Research instrumentation in the Core Facilities at the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) provides state-of-the-art resources for biological microscopy and image analysis for faculty and students from across campus and to scientists in Research Park. This exhibit illustrates the IGB's commitment to scientific discovery and the collaborative spirit that makes it all possible.

The idea of this exhibition originated from a Champaign business man, Doug Nelson from BodyWork Associates (link to http://www.bodyworkassociates.com/), who had a vision that Science is Art. Mr. Nelson wanted to help bridge the community with the university through an art exhibit. He continues to support public engagement and outreach efforts at the IGB with the community. We appreciate Indi Go Gallery (link to http://www.indi-go-art.com/) enriching the Champaign-Urbana community by showcasing the work of artists who reach beyond the boundaries of the mainstream.

Mahomet-Seymour Junior High School Science Club

The IGB core hosted an outreach activity for MSJHS Science Club afterschool activity. The science club students (around 20) were bused  to IGB on Saturday, January 21, 2012. They first attended an hour lecture by Prof. Andrew Leakey, IGB-Genomic ecology of environment change on Climate change and Global warming at the IGB lecture hall. Then they went to the state of the art IGB core facilities where they had an extended tour of what kind of research the graduate and postdoctoral fellows across the campus are performed using IGB core facility equipments. They have also got a quick peek in to the newly installed NMR-600 system and gone through the sophisticated software suite to perform 3D image analysis. A week after the same students returned to IGB to visit Prof. Bruce Fouke, Geology-Biocomplexity theme to witness how the climate change could affect coral reefs, studying roman aqueduct and how the IGB core facilities microscopes and systems aid in accomplishing these goals for all UIUC researchers in the campus.

 

The Art of Science - 2011

The Art of Science: Images from the Institute for Genomic Biology - exhibits some of the University of Illinois research addressing significant problems in the environment, energy, agriculture and medicine. Research instrumentation in the Core Facilities at the IGB provides a state-of-the-art resource for biological microscopy and image analysis for the faculty and students from across campus, in addition to scientists in Research Park. This illustrates our commitment to scientific discovery and the collaborative spirit that makes it all possible.

We would like to thank Bodywork Associates for supporting this exhibition.  Doug Nelson has an outstanding vision that Science is Art. He originated the ideas that brought this show to fruition.

Images from last year's exhibition are on display at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 South Lincoln Avenue in Urbana until June 28, 2012. Click here for photos and video of the images and last year’s opening reception.

Optical Microscopy Class

This course provides a broad overview of light microscopy. The topics will be introduced in lectures, and the labs will give the student hands-on practice. The labs are coordinated with the lectures, such that the concepts will be introduced before the laboratory exercises.

GAMES (Girls Adventures in Math Engineering and Science)

The Institute for Genomic Biology has partnered with the College of Engineering to host Girls Adventures in Math, Engineering and Science, Bioimaging camp. This week long summer camp introduces 13 and 14 year old girls to research and engineering on the University of Illinois Campus.  Girls are given the opportunity to work on a research project using the same research instrumentation available to University of Illinois researchers to look at the effects of environmental changes on plants at the cellular level.  The girls harvest and dissected Arabidopsis leaves from plants grown in ambient and elevated Carbon dioxide environments. Using images collected from wide field and confocal microscopes Chloroplast and Mitochondria areas and volumes are measures and compared to elucidate the effects of environmental changes on the energy cycle of plants. By working on current research questions, girls are provided with an opportunity to experience scientific research first hand.

Bioimaging Camp 2008

This project was modeled from work Katie Richter is doing in Andrew Leakey's Lab.

Posters presented by girls at GAMES 2008

GAMES 2008 camp pictures 

Photo of students in front of IGB building.Photo of students in field during GAMES event.

Photo of students using lab equipment during GAMES event.Photo from GAMES event.

Photo from GAMES event.Photo from GAMES event.

GAMES 2009 camp pictures 

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