University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences

05/29/2026

Congratulations to Aryn Lipnicki, assistant director for student engagement in CBS Student Services, on receiving the John S. Anderson Leadership Award for Staff this year! This award recognizes staff who lift others up and lead with the kind of integrity that defines the CBS spirit. Aryn manages the Dean’s Scholars leadership development program and leads student engagement programs, including the annual CBS Case Study Competition. In addition to her work within CBS, she has served on the Welcome Week Committee, President’s Emerging Scholars advisory committee, and various strategic planning committees both internal and external to CBS.

05/26/2026

Check out this interview with Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories Director and Plant and Microbial Biology Professor Jonathan Schilling on fungi of the forest with KAXE.

Jonathan Schilling, a mycologist with the U of MN, discusses wood-eating fungi. The dead and dying trees series is produced by Mark Jacobs.

05/21/2026

CBS GRAD SPOTLIGHT 🎉

Paige is graduating with a B.S. in Biology as well as a B.A. in Art. She is excited to move to Manhattan, NY to be a clinical research coordinator during her gap years before medical school. Paige is incredibly grateful for her time at CBS and will still be involved with the UMN through various extracurriculars!

05/20/2026

Thirteen outstanding CBS faculty members received promotion or tenure this spring! We loved celebrating their incredible accomplishments and dedication to the University last week. Congratulations to all on reaching this major career milestone!

Meet the faculty: • Mikael Elias (BMBB) - Professor • Emily Flynn (BTL) - Assoc. Teaching Professor • Brian Gibbens (BTL) - Teaching Professor • Trinity Hamilton (PMB) - Professor • Will Harcombe (EEB) - Professor • Forest Isbell (EEB) - Professor • Kelly Lane (BTL) - Assoc. Professor • Suzanne McGaugh (EEB) - Professor • Anna Mosser (BTL) - Teaching Professor • Thomas Niehaus (PMB) - Assoc. Professor • Allison Shaw (EEB) - Professor • Daniel Stanton (EEB) - Assoc. Professor • Heather Zierhut (GCD) - Professor

05/19/2026

Know an outstanding CBS alum? Time is running out to nominate them for a CBS Alumni Award! Make sure to submit your nominations for our Alumni Achievement, Emerging Leader or Alumni Service Award by the June 1 deadline. Get more info and submit your nominations today at z.umn.edu/2026AlumniAwards.

05/19/2026

We asked graduating CBS seniors to pair up for conversations about their college experience, friendships, and all the work that brought them to this moment. Congrats again to the CBS Class of 2026!

05/18/2026

A big congratulations to Dr. Mark Bee (Ecology, Evolution and Behavior) on receiving the 2026 President’s Award for Outstanding Service! Dr. Bee has made an incredible impact across our campus by championing essential workforce investments and promoting equity and support for all faculty and staff. Please join us in celebrating this well-deserved honor!

05/17/2026

Congratulations to our CBS Class of 2026 graduates! 🎓 We are so of what you've accomplished and wish you nothing but the best with whatever comes next. Keep in touch!

05/16/2026

CBS GRAD SPOTLIGHT 🎉

This fall, Brooklyn will be starting as a PhD student in the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program at the University of Minnesota. Her research will explore how animals respond to anthropogenic change, either by shifting ranges, adapting, or by suffering extinctions. She hopes to pursue a career at the intersection of ecology, evolution, and conservation biology.

05/15/2026

When climate change brings instability to local ecosystems, understanding the full impact can be hard to predict. A new paper authored by Professor Forest Isbell and colleagues is one of the first demonstrations that long-term records of an ecosystem’s natural ups and downs can be used to forecast how strongly it will resist a future climate extreme. The research team developed a highly accurate mathematical framework showing the relationships between four aspects of ecosystem stability. Says Isbell: "What is exciting here is that we can begin to forecast which ecosystems are more likely to withstand a future drought before it happens — offering a powerful tool for management and planning in the future.”

A model tested on a quarter-century of data from the world's longest-running biodiversity experiment helped scientists predict in advance how ecosystems will withstand extreme weather.