Lab Members Present at AMCA

Dr. Jiayue (Gabriel) Yan and graduate student Joseph Spina are heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to present at the American Mosquito Control Association’s (AMCA) 91st Annual Meeting. Dr. Yan will deliver a talk titled “Effects of Seasonality and Developed Land Cover on Culex Mosquito Abundance and Microbiome Diversity” on Thursday, March 6, from 4:15 […]

INHS-MEL Welcomes Dr. Arif Ciloglu

Dr. Arif Ciloglu from Erciyes University, (Kayseri, Turkey), will be joining our lab as a Visiting Research Scholar for the coming year. His research interests are vectors and vector-borne parasitic diseases of domestic and wild animals. He uses molecular techniques and bioinformatics to research epidemiology, genetics, and evolution of both vectors and vector transmitted parasites. […]

Kylee Noel graduates with Ph.D. in Entomology

Graduate student Kylee Noel from INHS-MEL successfully defended her dissertation titled “Culex Mosquitoes & Insecticides: Resistance and Sublethal Exposure” on November 6, 2024. She and her advisor, Director Chris Stone, attended the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony on December 14, 2024. Kylee has accepted a position as a postdoctoral research associate and will continue her work with […]

New publication December 2024

A new review article from the INHS-MEL was recently published in Frontiers in Tropical Diseases titled “Dynamics of invasive mosquitoes: introduction pathways, limiting factors, and their potential role in vector-borne pathogen transmission”. The article discusses the impact of global trade and travel on the spread of vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) and highlights concerns about the introduction […]

Graduate student Kylee Noel wins Rising Stars in Entomology Symposium Award

Entomology graduate student Kylee Noel recently won the “Rising Stars in Entomology Symposium Award” from the Entomological Society of America. As part of her award, Kylee will present at the Entomological Society of America’s annual conference on Tuesday, November 12th from 4:50-5:25 p.m. Her presentation “Buzz kill: Insecticide resistance in Culex mosquito populations” was this […]

Urban Pest Management Technical Committee visits INHS-MEL

The Urban Pest Management Technical Committee (UPMTC) visited the Illinois Natural History Survey on September 25, 2024, to learn more about the research being done at the survey and to spark future collaborations. Raymond Kim and Kylee Noel, members of the medical entomology lab, presented to the group. Raymond provided an overview of the medical […]

Lab Members participate in DSAP

The “Discovering STEM in ACES Program” (DSAP) is an annual summer initiative hosted by the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This program offers hands-on field and laboratory experiences for rising high school seniors from underserved communities, aiming to provide impactful opportunities that prepare and inspire […]

News feature on Dr. Yan’s Research: “Starving mosquitoes for science”

Dr. Jiayue (Gabriel) Yan recently published an article in the journal Communications Biology titled “Nutritional stress compromises mosquito fitness and antiviral immunity, while enhancing dengue virus infection susceptibilityā€¯. A behind-the-scenes article was written about Dr. Yan’s work by the UIUC News Bureau and was featured on UIUC, PRI, and INHS websites. The paper is available […]

Behind the Paper in Springer Nature Research Communities

A “Behind the Paper” story was recently posted in the Microbiology section of Springer Nature Research Communities featuring research performed at the INHS-MEL. This story explains the research by Jiayue Yan, Chang-Hyun Kim, Leta Chesser, Jose L. Ramirez, and Chris M. Stone, which reveals how a poor diet can weaken mosquitoes, making them more likely […]