Happy Earth Day
The RIPE project focuses on improving photosynthesis in crops, helping to ensure a more sustainable future for everyone. As climate change continues to impact our environment, we aim to support farmers by developing crops that can thrive under these new conditions.
IGB Profile: Allie Arp
Our home institute, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, flipped the script on our communications manager Allie, interviewing her for a recent profile.
Read about her journey in science communications in this feature story.
Meet Maria Raza, RIPE’s Science Communication Intern, Spring 2025
This spring, RIPE’s communications team will be joined by Maria Raza. She will be working closely with Allie to communicate RIPE research news as well as taking part in job shadows and career preparation experiences.
Reflections on my RIPE Science Communication Internship
David Hong, RIPE's science communication intern for the Fall 2024 semester reflects on what he learned as a member of the RIPE team, and reflects on this time with the project.
Meet David Hong, RIPE’s Science Communication Intern, Fall 2024
This fall, RIPE’s communications team will be joined by David Hong, a senior at the University of Illinois. David is majoring in operations management and information systems at the Gies College of Business and also getting a minor in law studies. He will be working closely with Allie to share RIPE research news and also take part in job shadows and career preparation experiences.
RockFACE at SoyFACE: Increasing CO2 uptake
Researchers are sprinkling finely ground silicate-basalt over field trials at the Illinois Soybean Free Air Concentration Enrichment Facility (SoyFACE) hoping to increase the amount of CO2 removed from the atmosphere in a process known as rock weathering.
Preparing crops for our changing Earth
It is no secret the Earth is changing. Higher temperatures, higher CO2 levels, and less water availability are all concerns. This Earth Day, we are looking at ways our team is working to improve the future of food for our changing planet.
Meet Violet Moore, RIPE's Science Communications Intern, Spring 2024
Learn more about Violet Moore, RIPE's summer communications internship for the Spring 2024 semester.
RIPE 2023 Top Social Media Post Countdown
To reflect on the last year, we compiled a list of the Top 5 Social Media posts of 2023 and counted them down during the final week of the year. If you missed one, don’t worry, you’ll find them all here.
My RIPE Communications Internship Experience – Nguyen Ha
RIPE's Fall 2023 science communication intern Nguyen Ha reflects on her time with the project.
What does water mean to you, Andrew Leakey?
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) created a day to bring awareness to world hunger and food called World Food Day, and this year's theme is water. We asked two of our researchers working on water-use efficiency what water means to them, this is Andrew Leakey's answer.
What does water mean to you, Tracy Lawson?
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) created a day to bring awareness to world hunger and food called World Food Day, and this year's theme is water. We asked two of our researchers working on water-use efficiency what water means to them, this is Tracy Lawson's answer.
World Food Day 2023
RIPE is recognizing World Food Day, and this year’s theme, by featuring some of our research that could help make crops use water more efficiently, which would improve yields in areas where fresh water is a scarce resource.
Meet Nguyen Ha, RIPE Science Communications Intern, Fall 2023
This fall, RIPE will be joined by Nguyen Ha as our newest science communications intern! Read here to learn more about her and the projects she will be working on this semester!
My RIPE Communications Internship Experience – Emily Campos
RIPE's Spring/Summer science communication intern Emily Campos reflects on her time with the project.
RIPE Women's History Month Recap
Throughout March, RIPE celebrated Women’s History Month by getting to know the history of some of our women researchers. Their journeys, accomplishments, and advice to other women in STEM were captured in a series of features promoted on our website and social media platforms. If you missed a profile, or want to read one again, all the features can be found below!
Larissa Larocca de Souza: RIPE Women's History Month Feature
Larissa Larocca de Souza believes that to be successful in a STEM career you must be endlessly curious and work with people who inspire and challenge you. She encourages girls and women wanting to get involved in STEM to seek out mentors who can share their experiences and show what women can achieve in the sciences.
Read more about Larissa's inspirations and advice for others in our final Women's History Month feature.
Elizabete Carmo-Silva: RIPE Women's History Month Feature
“She dreamt that I could study as much as I wanted and have a different future,” Elizabete Carmo-Silva said, speaking of her mother, who was needed at the family farm growing up and had to stop her education after 4th grade. Carmo-Silva's journey to becoming a professor at Lancaster University was influenced by her mother's sacrifice, and she feels incredibly lucky to have her family to inspire and support her.
Read more about Elizabete's journey and her advice for others to help breakdown societal stereotypes in the latest RIPE Women's History Month Feature.
Yu Wang: RIPE Women's History Month Feature Story
“Follow your heart and share your knowledge," has been Yu Wang's motto throughout her career. She wants to share this message with other women and girls interested in STEM and offers her advice in our latest Women's History Month feature.
Christine Raines: RIPE Women's History Month Feature Story
Christine Raines always knew she would be involved in STEM, but didn't have many women scientist role models to look up to. She knew she could develop her own path in STEM and inspire other women to do the same.
Shellie Wall: RIPE Women's History Month Feature Story
During this Women’s History Month, RIPE will be celebrating a number of our women researchers, their accomplishments, and their advice to other women in STEM. Our next feature is on Essex Senior Research Officer, Shellie Wall.
Amanda Cavanagh: RIPE Women's History Month Feature Story
During this Women’s History Month, RIPE will be celebrating a number of our women researchers, their accomplishments, and their advice to other women in STEM. Our first feature is on Essex Lecturer, Amanda Cavanagh.
My RIPE Communications Internship Experience - Chloe Gilder
Our Fall 2022 science communication intern, Chloe Gilder, reflected on her experience as a member of the RIPE team, her favorite moments of her internship, and offered advice for future interns.
Top RIPE Social Media Posts of 2022!
A wrap-up of RIPE's top five social media posts from 2022!
RIPE's Parry receives ISPR Innovation Award
In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the transfer of photosynthesis research to the benefit of society at large, RIPE’s Martin Parry has received the Innovation Award from the International Society on Photosynthesis Research.
RIPE Spotlight: Doug Orr
Meet Doug Orr. This postdoctoral feature series focuses on sharing the new endeavors of our researchers as they move on to the next chapter in their lives.
RIPE Spotlight: Anbarasu Karthikaichamy
Meet Anbarasu Karthikaichamy. This postdoctoral feature series focuses on sharing the new endeavors of our researchers as they move on to the next chapter in their lives.
A Day in the Life of RIPE Ambassador Matthew Siebers
This Day in the Life series focuses on showing a more personal light into what researchers do during their workday–in the lab or field–highlighting what they do to make our project possible.
RIPE Spotlight: Peng Fu
Meet Peng Fu. This postdoctoral feature series focuses on sharing the new endeavors of our researchers as they move on to the next chapter in their lives.
RIPE Spotlight: Patty Lopez-Calcagno
Meet Patricia Lopez-Calcagno. This postdoctoral feature series focuses on sharing the new endeavors of our researchers as they move on to the next chapter in their lives.
RIPE Spotlight: Ursula Ruiz-Vera
Meet Ursula Ruiz-Vera. This postdoctoral feature series focuses on sharing the new endeavors of our researchers as they move on to the next chapter in their lives.
10 Years of RIPE
In honor of RIPE’s anniversary, we’re looking back at some of the accomplishments over the past 10 years that our researchers have contributed towards our mission to feed the world.
International Women's Day 2022: #BreakTheBias
In celebration of this important day, the RIPE project is highlighting our women in leadership, who dedicate their hard work and efforts to our mission in feeding the world in the face of climate change and a growing population.
Dhruv Patel is daring plants to take a risk
Dhruv Patel, a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, was recently featured in the Alliance for Science's collection of feature stories on FFAR Fellows.
RIPE 2021 Social Media Countdown
To celebrate our researchers' hard work, we put together a #RIPEWrapped2021 to showcase our top social media posts that have come across your screens. We appreciate all of the hard work that our team has put into our project, despite a year characterized by the pandemic.
International Women's Day 2021: #ChooseToChallenge
In celebration of International Women's Day, the RIPE project is shining a light on some of our woman scientists who are making significant contributions to increasing global food security.
Dhruv Patel: Building bridges, communicating science
Dhruv Patel dedicates his research to understanding photoprotection and how to overcome it.
Mental Health Awareness Day
RIPE scientist Ursula Ruiz Vera shares her story to create more awareness and rid the stigma associated with mental health.
Virtual Conference: Plant Genomes in a Changing Environment
This year's Plant Genomes in a Changing Environment conference will be held virtually and will showcase the application of genomic techniques to understand genomes and how they vary across changing environments.
Nurturing the next generation of scientists through educational videos
Various organisations are working towards igniting a passion for STEM early on in childhood development.
Developing a rapid screening test for CoViD-19
RIPE scientists at The Australian National University are developing a CoVid-19 screening test that is more convenient.
Elizabete Carmo-Silva: Research, Rubisco, and Reigniting Optimism
Collaboration is at the heart of Elizabete’s career, whether she is working with cowpea breeders or those in her lab.
The difference between C3 and C4 plants
Learn more about the two types of photosynthesis that plants use to produce our food.
Meet some of RIPE's wonder women
In celebration of International Women's Day, the RIPE project is shining a spotlight on some of our female scientists.
Tragedies affect the RIPE team at ANU
The end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 have been an extreme few months for the RIPE project team members at The Australian National University.
One robot is helping feed the future
Two research projects at the University of Illinois are coming together to benefit agriculture and help ensure global food security.
Illinois Summer Fellowship program’s second year yields successful research
The University of Illinois and RIPE hosted 14 Illinois Summer Fellows to gain plant science research experience alongside our expert team.
RIPE project partners with Paper2Tree to reach local students
This fall, RIPE Postdoctoral Researcher Amanda Cavanagh taught two fifth grade classes about the project's breakthrough work to improve crops.
Oxford students make their way to Illinois’ research fields
This summer, a new exchange program brought nine Fellows from the University of Oxford to the University of Illinois to conduct research with mentors from the RIPE project.
Tapestry of hope
Sweat sneaks beneath Kasia’s sunglasses as she tiptoes around the carefully organized research plots, orchestrated using GPS technology. The tiny plants reach up to grasp the sun, creating a mosaic of greens and yellows as they grow and mature, a tapestry of hope for the researchers who have cared for and cultivated them.
David Drag: Cultivating food security
David Drag is no stranger to hard work. Whether it is a day in the greenhouse or field, each environment poses new and enticing challenges.
Steve Long: Making nature more efficient
For 40 years Steve Long has been doing ground-breaking work — at the molecular, biochemical and physiological level — in the lab and the field, and on the computer.
Liana Acevedo-Siaca: Utilizing rice to achieve food security
Acevedo-Siaca was named a U.S. Borlaug Fellow in Global Food Security at the International Rice Research Institute.
Doug Orr: Enzyme hunter
Doug Orr has always been interested in doing science, but one summer experience led him where he is today: working as a postdoctoral biochemist for Lancaster Environment Centre at Lancaster University.
Amanda De Souza: Engineering hope for millions
Amanda de Souza cradles a plastic petri dish in her hands. Tiny plants press against the lid; their roots form a delicate web. It’s hard to imagine that hope for millions of people may lie inside something so small, so seemingly fragile.
RIPE researchers bring new life to campus greenhouse
Situated next to the University of Illinois’s Plant Core Facility on Dorner Drive, a once state-of-the-art controlled environment greenhouse and laboratory sat unused until now.
lllinois study may improve rice productivity
University of Illinois researchers established the first rice paddy to test rice performance at Illinois and Kyoto University in Japan.