Dr. BARRY R. PITTENDRIGH
DIRECTOR
T: +1 (217) 333-6538
F: +1 (217) 244-3499
E: pittendr@illinois.edu
Dr. Barry R. Pittendrigh has worked in the area of international development, specifically in West Africa, over the past decade. He, his laboratory team, and his collaborators spread across five countries in West Africa, are dedicated to developing environmentally benign pest control solutions to minimize the populations of pest insects that attack cowpea. Cowpea is an important protein source for tens of millions (some sources say between a hundred and two hundred million) of people that live under $2 a day. Thus, controlling these pest populations has tremendous potential in have significant positive impacts on a large number of the poorest people in West Africa. He is also the co-founder of Scientific Animations Without Borders SM (SAWBO SM) and the Sustainable Development Virtual Knowledge Interface (SusDeViKI SM), two strategies that he hopes can help play a role in achieving these above pest control goals.
Dr. JULIA BELLO BRAVO
CO-DIRECTOR
T: +1 (217) 333-6538
F: +1 (217) 244-3499
E: juliabb@illinois.edu
Dr. Julia Bello-Bravo currently works in the area of developing programs for the Hispanic/Latino population in the state of Illinois and for low literate learners in developing nations. She also works on the topic of how to increase inclusiveness of under-represented people in educational networks and systems (Bello-Bravo et al., 2010). Her recent efforts within Illinois have focused on an emerging statewide network to help high school Hispanic/Latino students, and their parents, better understand how to prepare and enter into 4-year college programs. For the international component of her program, she is co-PI on a USAID grant to develop novel extension strategies with applicability both internationally and with benefits to developing novel extension technologies for the benefit of the state of Illinois. She is also the co-founder of Scientific Animations Without Borders SM (SAWBO SM) and the Sustainable Development Virtual Knowledge Interface (SusDeViKI SM).
LAURA D. STEELE
GRADUATE STUDENT
T: +1 (217) 333-6538
F: +1 (217) 244-3499
E: steele11@illinois.edu
Laura D. Steele is an entomology graduate student in Dr. Pittendrigh’s laboratory at the University of Illinois. Her current research uses the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the effects of oxidative stress and chemical dose responses. Additional research interests include insect toxicology, vector-borne diseases, and medical entomology. She has a strong appreciation for international travel and collaboration after having studied and lived abroad in both Costa Rica and Mexico. Her involvement in projects within the Pittendrigh laboratory thus far has already given her the opportunity to collaborate with individuals and organizations in over 5 different countries in Africa and South America. She is also a student co-founder of Scientific Animations Without Borders SM (SAWBO SM) and played an active role in the development of the Sustainable Development Virtual Knowledge Interface (SusDeViKI SM).
TOLULOPE ADEBIMPE AGUNBIADE
GRADUATE STUDENT
T: +1 (217) 333-6538
F: +1 (217) 244-3499
E: toluagunbiade@life.illinois.edu
Tolulope Adebimpe Agunbiade is currently a PhD student in entomology in Dr. Pittendrigh’s laboratory at the University of Illinois. She has experience in both medical and agricultural entomology. She worked on insecticide resistance in the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto in Ghana. She has also worked on the major pests of rice in West Africa. Her current research in the Pittendrigh laboratory focuses on the population genetics of cowpea pests in the world’s largest cowpea producing areas in West Africa and also allows her to have strong collaboration with scientists and researchers in those countries. Her current project aims to use genomic tools to study cowpea pest population dynamics and then merge this information with a geographic information system (GIS) to make better pest management decisions, a field we refer to as IPM-omics. She has lived and worked in Ghana, Benin and Nigeria and also visited Tanzania, United Kingdom and Japan on scholastic missions. She is also a student co-founder of Scientific Animations Without Borders SM (SAWBO SM) and has played an active role in the development of the Sustainable Development Virtual Knowledge Interface (SusDeViKI SM). Her involvement in the project continues to strengthen her collaboration with scientists and researchers all over the world.
SUSAN BALFE
RESEARCH SPECIALIST AND LAB MANAGER
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Susan Balfe is a graduate of Purdue University and began her career at Purdue as a research field technician in the Department of Entomology. Her passion for entomology and her dedication and commitment to her work have continued throughout her career. These qualities have been vital as her job evolved into a research management position with Dr. Barry Pittendrigh’s research team at the University of Illinois. Susan has worked in the field of entomology for some twenty-six years; twelve of those years have been spent working with Dr. Barry Pittendrigh.
Susan has extensive knowledge and research experience working with pest insects that attack cowpea in the field and in storage: specifically, the cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Some of her most recent efforts have focused on expanding the development and research surrounding our Bioassay Omics Facility. Her keen sense for detail and her knowledge of laboratory safety and environmental concerns keep our lab compliant, highly functional and productive. Susan’s talents and interests expand beyond research and management and have grown into the field of computer graphics. By combining both her artistic talent and scientific know-how, she is able to fulfill many of our visual presentation and illustrative publication needs. Susan has played an active role in the creation, development and organization of our SAWBO database and is continuing to help us improve upon our project mission.
Dr. WEILIN SUN
NEW TECHNOLOGIES ADVISER
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ALICE VOSSBRINCK
Post production of SAWBO videos. Voice overlays.
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Alice Vossbrinck is a Masters student in the Pittendrigh lab at the University of Illinois. She works with the cowpea weevil, which is a large agricultural pest, specifically she works on how plant secondary compounds effect the cowpea weevil. Alice is really interested in out reach and agricultural systems and is very happy to be on the SAWBO team.