The People of UBI
Dr Paul Switzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is currently a Professor of Biology at Eastern Illinois University. He started the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club in 2003 and founded UBI in 2018. Dr Switzer is honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Texas Butterfly Festival at the National Butterfly Center (a project of NABA, the North American Butterfly Association) in Mission, TX. He has loved butterflies for as long as he can remember.
Paul V Switzer, PhD
Founder and Director
Dr Paul Switzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is currently a Professor of Biology at Eastern Illinois University. He started the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club in 2003 and founded UBI in 2018. Dr Switzer is honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Texas Butterfly Festival at the National Butterfly Center (a project of NABA, the North American Butterfly Association) in Mission, TX. He has loved butterflies for as long as he can remember.
Paul's favorite butterfly is the
Zebra Swallowtail
(Eurytides marcellus)
Dr Eric Bollinger was a professor in the Biology Department at Eastern Illinois University for nearly 35 years teaching courses in areas such as ornithology, ecology, and conservation biology.
Dr Bollinger is currently devoting his time to various conservation organizations, especially UBI.
Eric K Bollinger, PhD
Director
Dr Eric Bollinger was a professor in the Biology Departement at Eastern Illinois University for nearly 35 years teaching courses in areas such as ornithology, ecology, and conservation biology.
Dr Bollinger is currently devoting his time to various conservation organizations, especially UBI.
Eric's favorite butterfly is the
Zebra Swallowtail
(Eurytides marcellus)
Dr Paul Switzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is currently a Professor of Biology at Eastern Illinois University. He started the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club in 2003 and founded UBI in 2018. Dr Switzer is honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Texas Butterfly Festival at the National Butterfly Center (a project of NABA, the North American Butterfly Association) in Mission, TX. He has loved butterflies for as long as he can remember.
Britto P Nathan, PhD
Director
Dr Britto Nathan is a Neurobiologist at Eastern Illinois University with a passion for anything related to nature. His favorite hobbies include hiking, biking, and kayaking.
Britto's favorite butterfly is the
Pipevine Swallowtail
(Battus philenor)
Dr Paul Switzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is currently a Professor of Biology at Eastern Illinois University. He started the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club in 2003 and founded UBI in 2018. Dr Switzer is honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Texas Butterfly Festival at the National Butterfly Center (a project of NABA, the North American Butterfly Association) in Mission, TX. He has loved butterflies for as long as he can remember.
Chad M Franks
Graphic Designer
Chad Franks is a member of the Eastern Illinois University Marketing & Communications team, and was instrumental in designing the UBI Butterfly e-Guide.
Chad's favorite butterfly is the
Red Admiral
(Vanessa atalanta)
Dr Paul Switzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is currently a Professor of Biology at Eastern Illinois University. He started the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club in 2003 and founded UBI in 2018. Dr Switzer is honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Texas Butterfly Festival at the National Butterfly Center (a project of NABA, the North American Butterfly Association) in Mission, TX. He has loved butterflies for as long as he can remember.
Annalisa M Switzer, DVM
Treasurer, Graphic Artist,
and Webmaster
Besides photographing butterflies & moths, Dr Annalisa Switzer also enjoys keeping chickens, building her house, amassing interesting beads for her micro-macrame jewelry, and wasting time on jigsaw, math, and logic puzzles. Her experiences co-founding and co-chairing a non-profit political organization inspired her involvement in the legal and organizational aspects of UBI, but it is her desire to slow down the Anthropocene Extinction that drives her passion for UBI's mission.
Annalisa's favorite butterfly is the
Hackberry Emperor
(Asterocampa celtis)
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Dr Paul Switzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is currently a Professor of Biology at Eastern Illinois University. He started the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club in 2003 and founded UBI in 2018. Dr Switzer is honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Texas Butterfly Festival at the National Butterfly Center (a project of NABA, the North American Butterfly Association) in Mission, TX. He has loved butterflies for as long as he can remember.
Dave R Switzer
Marketing Director
Senior Communications Specialist at the Kansas City National Security Campus, Dave Switzer has been involved in marketing and communications for over 40 years. From broadcast television to non-profit marketing to industrial communications, he enjoys turning complex issues into information to help educate and inform. Dave believes creating butterfly habitat anywhere is good for the eyes, environment, and mental health.
Dave's favorite butterfly is the
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
(Papilio glaucus)
Dr Paul Switzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is currently a Professor of Biology at Eastern Illinois University. He started the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club in 2003 and founded UBI in 2018. Dr Switzer is honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Texas Butterfly Festival at the National Butterfly Center (a project of NABA, the North American Butterfly Association) in Mission, TX. He has loved butterflies for as long as he can remember.
David Frye
Concept Promotion and
Site Maintenance
A graduate of Eastern Illinois University, David Frye is a tireless advocate for conservation, and has spent countless hours doing exhausting and often challenging environmental work all over the country, including for UBI. He continues to volunteer his time and efforts to UBI hotspots whenever he visits Coles County.
David's favorite butterfly is the
Mourning Cloak
(Nymphalis antiopa)
Dr Paul Switzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is currently a Professor of Biology at Eastern Illinois University. He started the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club in 2003 and founded UBI in 2018. Dr Switzer is honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Texas Butterfly Festival at the National Butterfly Center (a project of NABA, the North American Butterfly Association) in Mission, TX. He has loved butterflies for as long as he can remember.
Maddy Colby
Summer 2024
Student Intern
Hi there! Folks call me Colby, and I’m a junior at EIU studying Communications, so I can become a science communicator to raise awareness about native pollinators. I’ve been working with butterflies since I was little and dreamed of becoming an entomologist when I grew up. I’m over the moon to continue my work with UBI. I enjoy hiking, nature photography, and I love rearing my own butterflies and moths. After graduation, I want to pursue a graduate degree in entomology so I can keep studying butterflies full time.
Colby's favorite butterfly is the
Juniper Hairstreak
(Callophrys gryneus)
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Dr Paul Switzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is currently a Professor of Biology at Eastern Illinois University. He started the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club in 2003 and founded UBI in 2018. Dr Switzer is honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Texas Butterfly Festival at the National Butterfly Center (a project of NABA, the North American Butterfly Association) in Mission, TX. He has loved butterflies for as long as he can remember.
Mikhayla Ward
Summer 2024
Student Intern
My name is Mikhayla Ward and I am from the small town of Bethany, Illinois. I am a junior majoring in biology with a teacher's licensure at EIU, and I am in the Panther Marching Band. I enjoy horseback riding and painting in my free time. After graduation, I hope to become a biology teacher, and hopefully one day a biology professor. I am very excited to advocate for native wildlife and biodiversity!
Mikhayla's favorite butterfly is the
Red-Spotted Purple
(Limenitis arthemis ssp. astyanax)
Dr Paul Switzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and is currently a Professor of Biology at Eastern Illinois University. He started the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club in 2003 and founded UBI in 2018. Dr Switzer is honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Texas Butterfly Festival at the National Butterfly Center (a project of NABA, the North American Butterfly Association) in Mission, TX. He has loved butterflies for as long as he can remember.
And of course
Many Valuable Volunteers!!
Volunteers help us develop and manage sites, as well as gather data. To learn more about volunteering with UBI, click here or send us an email at UButterflyInitiative@gmail.com.
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Past Interns
Fall 2023
Lucas Grindley
Summer - Fall 2023 Student Intern
Favorite butterfly: Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
Kayla Montemayor
Fall 2023 Student Intern
Favorite butterfly: Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)
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Taryn Tarquin
Fall 2023 Student Intern
Favorite butterfly: Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
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Summer 2023
Grayson Hofmann
Summer 2023
Graduate Student Intern
Favorite butterfly: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - dark morph female
(Papilio glaucus)
Michael Otzwirk
Summer 2023 Student Intern
Favorite butterfly: Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)
