About

MISSION 

The Graduate Student Association in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology aims to be an open, inclusive organization that provides opportunities for professional development and community service for all of its members.

MCBees are graduate students that are a part of or affiliated with the school of MCB at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The organization works to promote opportunities for inter-departmental friendship between members while providing opportunities to develop outreach and communication skills.

In the Community:

MCBees hold a variety of events throughout the year with a focus on outreach and community engagement. Every month, volunteers organize events at the Orpheum Children’s Museum, allowing visitors to the museum to gain a hands-on approach to a scientific activity. Additionally, MCbees host community events through their BioCafe series in partnership with the Champaign Public Library and Science on Tap graduate student presentation series at Rigg’s Beer Company. Check out our Ongoing Events section to learn more.

If you have any suggestions for other ways to get MCBees involved in the community, let us know by e-mailing us at mcb.gsa@gmail.com, or contact one of the GSA board members.

GSA Board Members:

President: Jessica Palalay

Vice-President: Rachel Martini

Communications Coordinator: Temirlan Shilikbay

Outreach Coordinators: Caroline Vermilya and Rayeed Ihsan

Social Events Coordinators: Tori Boyle and Suhail Chhakara

General Board Members: Saika Hossain, Courtney Hill, TJ Oh, Mireille Farjo, and Vanessa Jones

First-year Board Members: Brooke Bouwens, Gracious Donkor, Madhusree Seal, Diptika Raut, Gabrielle McKenna, Abigail Spaulding, Lucy Liu, and Shengyi Fei

MCB GSA email: mcbgsa@gmail.com