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Illinois Featured Content

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  • Number of flyers down 75%, but rate of people trying to bring a gun aboard is soaring

    Aug 12, 2020 11:15 am

    NPR (Aug. 11) With up to 94% fewer people passing through security checkpoints during the pandemic, says U of I professor Sheldon Jacobson, 'officers working standard lanes are more focused, so miss less.'

  • Industry concentration contributes to job quality erosion, wage stagnation

    Aug 12, 2020 10:45 am

    This study reveals that workers in more buyer-constrained industries – that is, industries at the mercy of the financial decisions of powerful buyers – experience lower wages and benefits.

  • Students' first steps back to campus life

    Aug 12, 2020 10:00 am

    Everyone on our campus has to do their part to keep our community steps, from planning your move-in to testing immediately upon arrival and picking up your PPE kit.

  • Building bridges with the Maya community

    Aug 11, 2020 3:00 pm

    The Illinois Maya Initiative will develop a collaborative hub connecting researchers, social service professionals, and a growing community of Mayan immigrants and refugees in East Central Illinois, who probably number in the hundreds.

  • Big Ten Conference postpones all fall sports

    Aug 11, 2020 2:30 pm

    The decision applies to all fall sports, including the football, volleyball, women's soccer and cross country programs. The Big Ten Conference will continue to evaluate the possibility of competition in the spring.

  • Decoys could trick COVID-19, keep humans safe from infection

    Aug 10, 2020 3:45 pm

    Live Science (Aug. 10): The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 infects cells by plugging into a receptor on their surface. By crafting a "decoy" of that receptor, Illinois scientists aim to foil the virus's attack. 

  • Electronic components join forces to take up 10 times less space on computer chips

    Aug 10, 2020 2:15 pm

    A new study demonstrates the successful integration of the individual elements that make up electronic filters onto a single component, significantly reducing the amount of space taken up by the device.

  • How to decontaminate N95 masks using an electric cooker

    Aug 10, 2020 1:00 pm

    Forbes (Aug. 8) A University of Illinois team used an electric cooker to give N95 respirators dry heat treatments which disinfected them without compromising their efficiency.

  • U of I providing some optimism as campus pioneers noninvasive, quick-result COVID test

    Aug 7, 2020 11:45 am

    Daily Herald (Aug. 6) 'It’s free, they scan their ID card, get a tube and drool a small amount of saliva into the tube,' says professor Paul Hergenrother, who helped develop test. The plan is to test everyone on campus twice a week.

  • Training neural circuits early in development improves response, study finds

    Aug 7, 2020 10:30 am

    When it comes to training neural circuits for tissue engineering or biomedical applications, a new study suggests a key parameter: Train them young.

  • Illini Pride membership available now for U of I students

    Aug 7, 2020 10:00 am

    Due to the announced reduced capacity at Memorial Stadium this season, student tickets for Illinois football will be available through a lottery system to only Illini Pride members.

  • U of I study: Electric cooker an easy way to sanitize N95 masks

    Aug 6, 2020 9:00 am

    An Illinois study found that 50 minutes of dry heat in an electric cooker, such as a rice cooker or Instant Pot, decontaminated N95 respirators inside and out while maintaining their filtration and fit. 

  • Building a prairie and watching for bees

    Aug 6, 2020 8:45 am

    Two years ago, Professor Alexandra Harmon-Threatt built this outdoor labby planting more than 80 prairie species here. Her mission is to attract ground-nesting bees. She is here to see which bees are showing up. But that’s not all she’s after.

  • Teens who crave excitement more likely to smoke, use multiple illicit substances

    Aug 5, 2020 12:30 pm

    A study of high school seniors by Illinois professor Kevin Tan finds that teens who crave risky experiences and unpredictable friends are more likely to smoke and use alcohol and various other substances.

  • Decoy receptor neutralizes coronavirus in cell cultures

    Aug 4, 2020 9:00 am

    Illinois professor Erik Procko developed a decoy receptor that, in tissue cultures, binds to and neutralizes the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

  • Illinois researcher's work among the pop-ups that invade your online day

    Aug 5, 2020 10:45 am

    U of I researcher and artist Ben Grosser is part of an online exhibition in which the artists’ work periodically pops up unannounced on your computer screen – pop-up art, rather than pop-up ads.

  • Journalists’ Twitter use shows them talking within smaller bubbles

    Aug 5, 2020 10:30 am

    Journalists in Washington, D.C., have long been accused of living in a 'Beltway bubble.' Their interactions on Twitter, however, show them congregating in even smaller 'microbubbles,' says a U of I study. 

  • 2020 Illini Football schedule announced

    Aug 5, 2020 10:45 am

     The revised 2020 Illinois football schedule was released by the Big Ten Conference today, with the Fighting Illini opening the season September 3 with a Thursday Night Special against Ohio State at Memorial Stadium.

  • Construction begins on U of I's Solar Farm 2.0

    Aug 5, 2020 9:45 am

    Completion of the new 54-acre, 12.1 megawatt (MWdc) solar array will give the U of I the title of third-largest user of renewable power generated on-site for all higher education facilities in the country.

  • Radical shift in COVID testing needed to reopen schools, businesses, researchers say

    Aug 5, 2020 9:30 am

    Science (Aug. 3) Illinois professor Marty Burke created an experimental fast PCR setup that bypasses some of the usual slow procedures for isolating viral RNA and tests saliva rather than throat swabs.

  • KAM prepares to reopen to the public on 8/19

    Aug 4, 2020 2:45 pm

    Krannert Art Museum is unveiling new hours and an online reservations system so visitors can be physically distanced and check in with a gallery attendant at the door. 

  • #IveGotYouCovered

    Jul 9, 2020 10:15 am

    Take the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Illinois Community Pledge and show that you’re doing your part to maintain the well-being of yourself and your family, friends, colleagues, classmates, university and community.

  • CHIME puts students to work on COVID-related data science projects

    Aug 4, 2020 9:15 am

    A new international public health initiative at Illinois is bringing students together to work on data-information projects that will help public health agencies with COVID-19-related data analysis.

  • University outlines fall plans, remote instruction after fall break

    Aug 3, 2020 9:30 am

    Mandatory twice-weekly testing will be required for all faculty members, staff and students who participate in any on-campus activities. Nov. 20 will be the final day of in-person instruction for the semester. 

  • Kofi Cockburn, Ayo Dosunmu returning for 2020-21

    Aug 3, 2020 9:15 am

    Center Kofi Cockburn and guard Ayo Dosunmu have both announced their return to Illinois for the 2020-21 season. 'My dream is to play in the NBA. But first I need that national championship,' Dosunmu said.

  • Sweet-taste perception changes as children develop

    Jul 31, 2020 3:45 pm

    While adults prefer levels of sweetness similar to typical soft drinks, children and adolescents are less sensitive to the taste and prefer concentrations that are 50% sweeter.

  • Messages pour in honoring Coach Lou Henson

    Jul 31, 2020 12:45 pm

    As the news of legendary Fighting Illini basketball coach and ambassador Lou Henson's passing broke, hundreds of posts on social media were shared with personal anecdotes about the man in an orange blazer. 

  • Illinois students help WHO build COVID-19 analytics tools

    Jul 31, 2020 12:30 pm

    EdScoop (July 30) 'We are matching students with skills on the technical side, data-science side, with WHO and health agencies that really need help responding to COVID,' says Ian Brooks, director of the U of I Center for Health Informatics.

  • Reducing wildlife trafficking, forest loss could prevent future pandemics

    Jul 31, 2020 12:15 pm

    COVID-19, HIV, Ebola and other viruses that have spread from animal hosts to humans over the last century have been linked to close contact between people and live primates, bats or other wildlife. 

  • See the Beckman Research Image Contest winners

    Jul 31, 2020 7:45 am

    'These images show that research is not only important, but also visually beautiful. I continue to be amazed and inspired by the entries in the Beckman Research Image Contest,' said Beckman Director Jeff Moore

  • Deon Thomas reminisces about Lou Henson

    Jul 30, 2020 11:45 am

    Chicago Tribune (July 29) 'He was there to teach you, not to chastise you,' Thomas said. 'I met him when I was 17 years old and didn’t understand a lot of (his messages). He was always dropping nuggets.'

  • Lou Henson, winningest men's basketball coach at Illinois, New Mexico State, dies

    Jul 30, 2020 10:15 am

    ESPN (July 29) Henson began his coaching career at Las Cruces (New Mexico) High School in 1957 and spent 21 years at Illinois. He retired in 2005, 21 wins shy of becoming only the fifth coach in Division I history to win 800 games.

  • Michelle Bartsch-Hackley: Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020

    Jul 30, 2020 9:15 am

    The many accomplishments of former Fighting Illini volleyball standout and 2020 Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Michelle Bartsch-Hackley.

  • Research could save years of breeding for new Miscanthus biofuel hybrids

    Jul 28, 2020 11:45 am

    'The method we’re using, genomic selection, can shorten the time it takes to breed a new hybrid by at least half,' says Marcus Olatoye, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Crop Sciences at Illinois. “That’s the overall goal.”

  • Greek life in the time of COVID-19

    Jul 28, 2020 10:30 am

    Katherine Beumer, president of Chi Omega sorority at Illinois, says her group has no plans for social events. 'We don’t want to put anything on the schedule, because it seems irresponsible and insensitive to even think about social events right now.'

  • Illinois Athletics joins Green Bandana Project

    Jul 28, 2020 9:30 am

    The program offers student-athletes training that focuses on recognizing and learning how to respond when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis. This peer to peer response can help to encourage those in need to get help. 

  • How will COVID-19 change public restrooms?

    Jul 27, 2020 12:00 pm

    CBS Sunday Morning (July 26) 'The state of the American restroom? Well, it’s evolving,' says Kathryn Anthony, an architecture professor at Illinois and vice president of the American Restroom Association.

  • Is there such a thing as balanced political news?

    Jul 27, 2020 11:15 am

    Media bias often lies in the eye of the beholder, researchers say

  • Call to Action initiative to support research in systemic racism, social justice issues

    Jul 27, 2020 8:45 am

    A first call for research proposals and inaugural awards will be coming early in the fall semester, focusing on systemic racism and social justice, law enforcement and criminal justice reform, and disparities in health and health care.

  • Legendary Fighting Illini Lou Henson passes away at 88

    Jul 29, 2020 12:00 pm

    Legendary Fighting Illini basketball coach and ambassador Lou Henson passed away peacefully in his Champaign home Saturday, July 25, the Henson family announced Wednesday, July 29.

  • Lone Star ticks in Illinois can carry, transmit Heartland virus

    Jul 23, 2020 9:00 am

    Researchers have confirmed that Heartland virus, an emerging pathogen with potentially dire consequences for those infected, is present in Lone Star ticks in two Illinois counties hundreds of miles apart.

  • With hopes of safe reopening, U of I launches widespread COVID-19 testing

    Jul 23, 2020 11:30 am

    The school plans to offer free tests to the 50,000 students expected to return in August, plus the roughly 11,000 faculty and staff who work for the campus. 

  • 'Exercise Is Medicine' initiative is gold for Illinois

    Jul 23, 2020 10:15 am

    The Illinois Exercise is Medicine—On Campus initiative recognized by the American College of Sports Medicine as a gold-level campus for helping to create healthy academic environment, with abundant physical activity and exercise opportunities.

  • Fahey named among 100 Influential People in Women's College Basketball

    Jul 22, 2020 6:30 pm

    Fahey, who is entering her 35th year as a collegiate head coach overall and her fourth year at Illinois, became synonymous with excellence during her 31-year tenure at Washington University in St. Louis.

  • Carle Illinois welcomes Class of 2024

    Jul 22, 2020 5:45 pm

    'This talented cohort met challenging admission requirements that go beyond the typical premedical track. The majority have backgrounds in engineering, advanced mathematics, computer science and other quantitative disciplines,' said Dean King Li.

  • How to stay productive when the world is on fire

    Jul 22, 2020 11:45 am

    Wired (July 22) The harder you push to be productive when working from home, the less productive you’ll be. In 2011, U of I researchers showed that brief diversions vastly improve focus. Today, remembering to take breaks is staple productivity advice.

  • Student athlete COVID-19 waivers likely won’t block lawsuits

    Jul 21, 2020 2:45 pm

    Business Insurance (July 21) – A waiver’s effectiveness will depend on how it is worded. 'The test for enforcing a waiver is that it has to be voluntary,' and the terms clear to those who are waiving their right to sue, says U of I's Michael LeRoy.

  • Salon series featuring Black artists kicks off new Black Arts Initiative

    Jul 21, 2020 1:45 pm

    'We Got Next,' a series of conversations with Black artists about their work and how they address issues of race and inclusion, will launch a Black Arts Initiative by the College of Fine and Applied Arts.

  • Midwest collaboration, led by IQUIST, awarded $25 million quantum information institute

    Jul 21, 2020 10:15 am

    The NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks will span three Midwest research powerhouses: the University of Illinois, University of Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin. 

  • Why is the NFL team in Washington, D.C., changing its name?

    Jul 21, 2020 9:45 am

    The NFL team in the nation’s capital will no longer be the Redskins. It’s the highest-profile retirement of an American Indian name by a sports team in decades.