Walder Foundation

On Tuesday night, we celebrated the 2024 Biota Awardees: Sean Hoban, Liza Lehrer, Gabriela Nunez-Mir, Yoel Stuart, and Benjamin Van Doren at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo! Attendees were treated to a fantastic panel discussion with previous Biota Awardees, Cara Brook, Noé U. de la Sancha, and Maureen Murray, expertly led by WBEZ Chicago's Sasha-Ann Simons. The conversation focused on the vital interconnections between biodiversity and human health, sparking insightful and inspiring dialogue. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this memorable evening! Visit biotaawards.org to learn about the 2025 Biota Awards application. #BiotaAwards #Biodiversity #LincolnParkZoo #Chicago

How can we protect migrating birds in Chicago? 🐦 Biota Awardee Benjamin Van Doren of University of Illinois College of ACES is working to provide strategies to do so. Benjamin’s project will evaluate the risks that migratory birds face in our city both on the ground and in the air. Through showcasing how birds use aerial habitats, evaluating the urban green spaces, and understanding the factors causing bird-building collisions, Benjamin’s project will provide advocates and policymakers with data-driven tools to help migratory birds. Learn more about his project: https://lnkd.in/gEC9QcsM #environmentalsustainability #biodiversityresearch #biodiversity #Chicago #BiotaAwards

Platform Award recipient Sandra Delgado is a Colombian-Chicagoan writer, performer and producer who creates joyful spaces of connection for all. Hailed as “her own brand of triple threat” (New City Chicago), she is best known for La Havana Madrid, her hit play with music, originally produced by Teatro Vista in Chicago. Her new musical, “The Boys and the Nuns,” was developed with the Latiné Musical Theatre Lab in NY and CalState Fullerton in 2023. Awards include a United States Artist Fellowship, NALAC Grant, Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Literature, 3Arts Award, Joyce Award, TCG Resident Actor Fellowship. This summer, La Havana Madrid graces Pritzker Pavilion as part of Millennium Park’s 20th Anniversary Celebration and “The Sandra Delgado Experience,” her song and story project, which debuted at Joe’s Pub in NYC last year, returns this month. https://lnkd.in/gVWnhz8H

For the first time, Walder Foundation’s Biota Awards will exclusively focus on providing support for postdocs. A webinar will be held on July 18 at 12 p.m. CT to provide an overview of this year’s application and review process, and to answer any questions related to this opportunity.   Register for the webinar: https://lnkd.in/e39N_AdB #environmentalsustainability #biodiversityresearch #biodiversity #Chicago #BiotaAwards

While parts of the Chicagoland area were overrun by cicadas this summer, as they leave us for another 17 years, Walder Foundation’s Jack Westwood, Senior Program Director for Environmental Sustainability, reflects on how these fascinating insects can guide our conservation efforts.   Learn more about the Walder Foundation’s Biota Awards, its impact on biodiversity and conservation in our region, and how to apply for the 2025 Postdoctoral Biota Fellowship: https://lnkd.in/e5gYsS9

How can we make it easier to locate species across our state? 🐟 Biota Awardee Yoel E. Stuart of Loyola University Chicago works to do just that. Yoel’s will work to create an environmental DNA (eDNA) database for Illinois fish. Rather than catching fish to understand where species are located, one can collect the shed DNA of organisms and sequence the eDNA to match against what exists in a database. Yoel’s project will help build up that database and survey fish diversity in the Fox River. Learn more about his project: https://lnkd.in/gEC9QcsM #environmentalsustainability #biodiversityresearch #biodiversity #Chicago #BiotaAwards

Platform Award recipient Brandon “Chief Manny” Calhoun, an artist, filmmaker, and culture bearer of Chicago Footwork, born and raised on Chicago’s south east side. As Co-Founder and Co-CEO of the multi-faceted dance company the Era Footwork Collective, his career encompasses dance, film, music, organizational leadership, and mentoring the next generation of Chicago footworkers. The collective has played a key role in the positioning of Chicago Footwork culture as a global phenomenon, through performance, music production, and international touring. Calhoun has received grants and awards for his artistic work from the Joyce Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, and the University of Chicago, and he was recognized as a 2021 New Leader of Chicago by the Field and MacArthur Foundations. https://lnkd.in/gBrWtGWt

Applications are now open for the 2025 Biota Awards, a Walder Foundation program that provides funding for postdoctoral researchers working in biodiversity at Chicago region institutions. Apply by October 8, 2024! The Biota Awards have previously focused on supporting Independent Investigators. In 2025, for the first time, the Biota Awards will exclusively focus on providing support for postdocs. Learn more: biotaawards.org #environmentalsustainability #ecosystems #biodiversity #BiotaAwards

Can we predict invasive species before they become ecosystem invaders? 🌱 Biota Awardee Gabriela Nunez-Mir of the University of Illinois Chicago wants to help answer this. Her project evaluates the traits of around 900 non-native plant species to identify how traits influence the species’ invasion success. After evaluating these traits, Gabriela will be able to provide a watchlist of species to help invasive policy and management in Illinois and nationwide. Learn more about her project: https://lnkd.in/gEC9QcsM #environmentalsustainability #biodiversityresearch #biodiversity #Chicago #BiotaAwards

Platform Award recipient Lili-Anne Brown is a Chicago South Side native working as a director, actor and educator. She has performed in, directed and produced many award-winning shows, both local and regional. Brown is the former Artistic Director of Bailiwick Chicago, where she focused programming on Chicago-premiere musicals and new play development with resident playwrights. Brown has received a Helen Hayes Award, 5 Jeff Awards, 2 BTA awards and one African American Arts Alliance Award for excellence in directing. She is a 2021 recipient of the 3Arts Award for Theatre and the 2023 Zelda Fichandler Award Finalist. She is a member of SDC, AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and a graduate of Northwestern University. https://lnkd.in/gFpjfemG