Rose Hou is back for a second year in Bug2School! Rose is a Junior majoring in Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability and minoring in Urban Planning. She has a love of insects, plants, biodiversity, ecosystem stewardship, current events, design, and social sciences and believes strongly in promoting sustainability in urban environments. She aims to use this program to help her design beautiful and eco-friendly cities in the future. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, cooking, and playing D&D. Last year, Rose composed a cookbook featuring common edible weeds and recipes shared by many of our garden community partners! Rose is currently working on restoring the Beardsley Northern Prosperity Gardens location, and is planning on making a video documentary for her summer capstone project.

Celia Barkley is a junior at UIUC majoring in Natural Resources & Environmental Science with a concentration in Ecosystem Stewardship and Restoration Ecology. She is interested in plants, water and soil science, policy, and herbalism. In her free time she loves traveling, backpacking, paddling, and playing soccer. She aims to use Bug2School to become a more well-rounded environmental scientist, because nature works in harmony. Celia plans to pursue a Master of Science to potentially work with agencies such as the EPA, US Forest Service, or National Park Service, focusing on environmental stewardship and protecting natural ecosystems. For her summer capstone project, she will be looking at the crop pollination effects of intercropping purslane as a living mulch.

Sydney Geiger is a Senior majoring in Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability (ESES) with a concentration in Society and the Environment (SAE) and minoring in the Sustainability, Energy and Environment (SEE) Fellows Program (what a mouthful!). She is interested in ecology, habitat restoration, and hopefully one day helping to design biological corridors in both urban and rural spaces. In her free time she likes crocheting, traveling, hiking, and camping. Her capstone project for this summer will be identifying the plants in the pollinator garden at UHS and making a comprehensive list which people could refer to if they would like to incorporate them in their home to better support pollinators, especially specialists.

Rebecca Song is a Junior at the University of Mary Washington and is majoring in conservation biology, minoring in urban studies, and working on obtaining a GIS certificate. They are most interested in arthropods, specifically spiders and insects, specifically how they fit into the conversation of conservation and biodiversity. Their capstone is looking into the current scientific literature on companion plants effectiveness as a method of pest control. 

Alan Medina is a Junior at UIUC studying molecular and cellular biology with a minor in chemistry. Working in community gardens during high school ignited Alan’s passion for community-engaged research. He plans to pursue a doctoral degree in molecular and cellular biology, continue research, and eventually become a professor. He is still exploring the research areas, but he is interested in conducting community-based biomedical research that can translate to improved health outcomes. For his capstone project, he is creating a guide that highlights common urban weeds alongside common herbs, exploring their historical cultural uses and validating those remedies using modern scientific data.

Ace Aceves is a sophomore at UIUC majoring in biochemistry with a minor in business. He has previously worked in the Trelease Woods Census project and the Tree-Ring lab at UIUC where he gained experience in ecology, dendrochronology, and plant biology. He hopes to use Bug2School as an opportunity to create real-world impact by collaborating with community members to increase scientific literacy and improve food security. In his free time, Ace can be found gardening, folding origami fish, and going on nature hikes. His capstone project will be creating a graphic novel illustrating the 2026 Bug2School cohort’s research on the effects of intercropping living mulches on biodiversity and pest suppression.

Tori Arduini is a senior studying natural resources and environmental sciences with a concentration in fish and wildlife conservation biology. Tori is an EcoRep Intern with the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) and has also recently completed iSEE’s Environmental Leadership Program. She is president of Club Insecta and co-president of Green Leadership Council. She plans to pursue graduate study in entomology, focusing on plant-insect interactions. She aims to use her career to bridge gaps between science, art, and communication. For her capstone project, Tori is exploring the effects of vermicompost on natural pest suppression and soil moisture retention.