The objective of the Urban Biotic Assessment Program (UBAP) is to provide the Illinois Tollway with the ecological expertise needed to effectively and efficiently comply with state and federal environmental regulations, while also preserving habitats and species native to the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
INHS began its partnership with the Tollway in 2005, monitoring the endangered Blanding’s Turtle populations affected by the construction of the I355 extension.
This partnership has expanded and enables UBAP researchers to study the habitats and species of the Chicagoland area, and the challenges they face. Learn more about our research.
Download our report of activities from 2015-2020
There are two hours left in the Orange and Blue Days campaign!![]()
![]()
We've met our goal, thanks to all our wonderful donors, but every little bit helps provide science education to students across Illinois!![]()
![]()
go.illinois.edu/tscfund
It's officially Orange and Blue Days! The countdown is on to try to meet our fundraising goal! It costs on average $750 per day to bring our program to schools. Our goal to raise $3,000 would provide for 4 schools to experience the Traveling Science Center, a museum field trip in their own school yard!![]()
![]()
Link in the comments!
A couple weeks ago, we described the Bradford Assay and how KC is quantifying protein in pollen. Protein is only part of the nutritional story for pollinators, so we are now adding the sulfo-phospho-vanillin (SPV) assay to measure total lipids in pollen collected directly from plants and from bumble bee corbiculae. The SPV assay is also a colorimetric method where lipids react with sulfuric acid and a phospho-vanillin reagent to produce a pink color, and the intensity of that color corresponds to lipid concentration that can be quantified with a spectrophotometer.![]()
![]()
Lipids are a vital energy source for developing larvae and foraging workers and play an important role in maintaining long-term energy, supporting larval growth and reproduction, and strengthening immune function. Pollen varies widely in lipid content among plant species, so measuring lipids helps identify which flowers provide high-quality forage. By pairing Bradford assays for protein with SPV assays for lipids, KC can estimate the macronutrient composition of pollen across plant species and landscape gradients. Comparing pollen collected directly from plants with pollen packed into bumble bee corbiculae reveals what bees are choosing relative to what is available in the landscape. The protein:lipid ratio is especially important in bee nutrition research because shifts in that balance can influence foraging behavior, larval development, and colony health. Together, these assays provide a more complete picture of how floral resource quality shapes bumble bee diets and how landscape-types support nutritionally balanced forage.
We’ve invaded the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Grainger College of Engineering CU STEAMM fair! Come check out all of the exhibits up here on the north side of campus hosted by Family and Community Engaged STEAMM faces.illinois.edu/