blog posts Illinois researchers analyze data to challenge assumptions about how we learn Sep 22, 2016 9:15 am Can online classes disrupt hundreds of years of traditional teaching? Researchers at Illinois’ Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) analyzed data from participants enrolled in U. of I. Coursera courses to try to answer that question and challenge assumptions about how we learn. Illinois growers are running out of options in fight against waterhemp Sep 14, 2016 9:45 am “So many decisions that farmers have to make now are focused on waterhemp because of how common and widespread it has become, and how challenging it is to control.” Researcher Aaron Hager. ‘Sleeper effect’ accounts for durability of weak messages from credible sources Sep 13, 2016 8:00 am The least convincing arguments can reverberate in the public consciousness over time – provided they’re delivered by a credible source, according to research from professor Dolores Albarracin. Professor reflects on death row experience in post-revolutionary Iran Sep 12, 2016 1:45 pm Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi has written plenty about the Iranian Revolution, but tIllinois professor also lived that history as an activist and then political prisoner. Now, he'stelling his own evocative. Carbon-coated iron catalyst structure could lead to more-active fuel cells Sep 12, 2016 9:30 am “Previously, we didn’t know what these catalysts were made of because they had a lot of different things inside them. Now we’ve narrowed it down to one component." Illinois researcher looks at how software design controls our interactions with technology Sep 8, 2016 9:00 am “Look at how delicate these movements really are. There’s a lot of soft touching, almost caressing." Ben Grosser, a professor of new media in the School of Art and Design and a researcher with NCSA Scientists identify genes that disrupt response to breast cancer treatment Sep 7, 2016 11:15 am Scientists may have unlocked the genetic code that determines why many patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer fail to respond to the widely used drug tamoxifen. Engineering researchers lead $2.5M effort to create faster, more energy efficient chips Sep 7, 2016 9:30 am The researchers will use the transistor laser as the building block for high-speed optical links and electronic-photonic digital logic circuits, enabling faster and more energy efficient chip-to-chip communications. Future drought will offset benefits of higher CO2 on soybean yields Sep 6, 2016 11:15 am Soybeans will suffer yield losses sooner than previously predicted under future conditions that combine elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels with drought. Structural, regulatory and human error were factors in Washington highway bridge collapse Aug 25, 2016 2:30 pm A new analysis by Illinois civil engineering professors outlines the many factors that led to the 2013 collapse, and steps transportation departments can take to prevent such accidents on bridges of similar design. Guaranteed-tuition laws inflating college costs, study finds Aug 25, 2016 11:00 am While guaranteed-tuition laws may provide predictability for incoming in-state students for their first four years, these mandates inadvertently trigger substantial tuition and fee increases, Professor collaborates on documentary to expose the effects of violence Aug 31, 2016 9:00 am “What’s Left Behind” will consist of interviews with black mothers from Chicago who have experienced loss at the hands of violence. Expert: Abolish partisan elections for Illinois judges Aug 22, 2016 11:30 am With popularly elected judges, Illinois courts are similarly mired in legalized influence peddling and partisanship. Force triggers gene expression by stretching chromatin Aug 22, 2016 11:15 am A new study by University of Illinois researchers and collaborators in China has demonstrated that external mechanical force can directly regulate gene expression. Study confirms long-term effects of ‘chemobrain’ in mice Aug 18, 2016 9:30 am Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer have long complained of lingering cognitive impairments after treatment, referred to as "chemobrain." For sensation-seekers, the color red can elicit rebelliousness, study finds Aug 17, 2016 11:30 am The widespread use of the color red to signal danger can actually be counterproductive for certain people, says soon-to-be published research co-written by Ravi Mehta, a professor of business administration Genome-editing proteins ride a DNA zip line Aug 16, 2016 12:30 pm University of Illinois researchers have found that one class of genome-editing proteins rapidly travels along a strand of DNA like a rider on a zip line – a unique behavior among documented DNA-binding proteins. Skills gap for U.S. manufacturing workers mostly a myth, paper says Aug 15, 2016 11:15 am Despite the outcry from employers over the dearth of job-ready workers, three-quarters of U.S. manufacturing plants show no sign of hiring difficulties for job vacancies Adding milk, meat to diet dramatically improves nutrition for poor in Zambia Aug 10, 2016 1:45 pm Researchers at the U. of I. compared four diet scenarios to better understand differences among differing dietary approaches to help improve nutrition in developing countries such as Zambia. Scientific models use weather data to predict state’s West Nile Virus infection rates Aug 9, 2016 8:00 am Researchers from Illinois have created forecasting models for each of the nine climate areas of Illinois to predict mosquito infection rates on a weekly basis. Mosquitoes transmit WNV to humans. Report: People buy most of their junk food at the supermarket Aug 9, 2016 11:45 am Access to healthy foods in a supermarket doesn't hinder Americans’ consumption of empty calories. The study found U.S. adults buy the bulk of their sugar-sweetened beverages and nutrient-poor foods at grocery stores. Berry wine, minus the alcohol, may offer help for those with diabetes Aug 5, 2016 11:30 am Food scientists at Illinois have found that fermenting blueberries and blackberries - already considered 'diabetes superfoods' - may improve their antidiabetic potential even more. Ancient bones, teeth tell story of strife at Cahokia Aug 6, 2016 12:00 pm “You have these earlier sacrifices of women that are very organized, and this lasts for a number of generations. And then you get this situation where everything is obviously not right in the world because they are violently killing some people..." Paper: Strategic trade-offs in automobile design affect market-share value Aug 4, 2016 10:45 am Car companies can either “design for satisfaction” by investing in function and ergonomics or “design for delight” by investing in form, says business professor Raj Echambadi NIH director's blog cites oncological work of Professors Fan, Cheng Aug 2, 2016 11:00 am "Their studies in dogs undergoing treatment for osteosarcoma suggest that specially engineered, bone-seeking nanoparticles might safely deliver anti-cancer drugs precisely to the places where they are most needed." Method opens a window on how stress and strain affect battery performance Aug 1, 2016 3:15 pm A method to measure the mechanical stress and strain in lithium-ion batteries revealed a point of stress in charging that, if addressed, could lead to faster-charging batteries. Iron catalysts can modify amino acids, peptides to create new drug candidates Aug 1, 2016 12:00 pm researchers have demonstrated that two iron-containing small-molecule catalysts can help turn certain types of amino acids – the building blocks of peptides and proteins – into an array of potential new forms Police Training Institute challenges police recruits' racial biases Aug 1, 2016 12:30 pm The Police Training Institute at Illinois has begun offering police recruits classes that challenged their views about race and racism, and instructed them in methods to de-escalate potentially volatile encounters with minority groups. Lessons learned from the ‘bottom up’ in subsistence marketplaces Jul 28, 2016 9:00 am A new book explores not only Madhu Viswanathan’s personal journey as a scholar studying people living in poverty, but also how the impoverished function in the marketplace as consumers and entrepreneurs Project explores mindfulness therapy in preventing drug relapse among young adults Jul 27, 2016 11:00 am Jordan Davis, a doctoral student in social work, has been given a grant to study the effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention at helping young adults stay sober after substance use treatment Regardless of age, health conditions, many seniors not retired from sex Jul 26, 2016 10:00 am Despite societal perceptions that older adults’ love lives are ancient history, many seniors are anything but retired from sex, a new study suggests. Scientists test nanoparticle drug delivery in dogs with osteosarcoma Aug 3, 2016 3:15 pm Their findings are a proof-of-concept that nanoparticles can be used to target bone cancers in large mammals. The approach may one day be used to treat metastatic skeletal cancers, the researchers said. Chemical etching method helps transistors stand tall Jul 25, 2016 10:00 am Illinois researchers developed a method to etch tall, thin transistors for high performance with less error. Measure of age in soil nitrogen could help precision agriculture Jul 25, 2016 9:30 am Illinois engineers developed a model to calculate the age of nitrogen in corn and soybean fields, which could lead to improved fertilizer application techniques to promote crop growth while reducing leaching. A night in grizzly country Jul 21, 2016 1:00 pm "(The students) had to learn a few new skills, like how to hang food from a bear pole. Some also had to adjust emotionally to the idea of sleeping in the middle of grizzly country." Prof uses Tanzanian experience to broaden understanding of ethnic, race relations Jul 19, 2016 4:15 pm Helen Neville says Tanzania is one of the few in Africa that has not experienced large-scale ethnic violence since becoming an independent nation. “I’m interested in better understanding environments that promote intergroup harmony.” Scientists watch as water fleas take over new territory Jul 19, 2016 3:15 pm A new study, reported in the journal Molecular Ecology, offers insights into the water flea's ability to disperse and its remarkable success in the wild. $2M NSF grant to 'revolutionize bioengineering education' Jul 14, 2016 3:15 pm Illinois' Department of Bioengineering will revolutionize its undergraduate curriculum, its students’ clinical and research experiences, and its faculty members’ approaches to teaching Book: Juries robbed of power by federal government, states Jul 14, 2016 9:45 am Despite their significant presence in the Constitution, juries have largely disappeared from the U.S. legal system, according to a recently published book by Illinois law professor Suja A. Thomas. Investigating sustainable international development in Ecuador Jul 11, 2016 11:30 am "The research in Lumbisi, Ecuador, is designed to understand the importance of viewing an engineering project holistically, even if it seems purely technical at first glance," Illinois graduate student Keilin Jahnke writes. Supercomputer changing genetic medicine in Africa Jul 11, 2016 9:45 am Members of the Blue Waters team recently made it possible to discover genomic variants in over 300 deeply sequenced human samples to help construct a genotyping chip specific for African populations. Routine screenings prevent cervical cancer in elderly women Jul 7, 2016 9:00 am A new U. of I. study confirms a link between routine Pap smear screenings and a lower risk of developing cervical cancer in women over age 65. People with student loan debt oppose Obama’s tuition-free college plan, study finds Jul 6, 2016 1:15 pm In online comments, a significant number of people opposed the plan because it lacks measures to help them and the millions of other borrowers currently mired in student loan debt. How we explain things influences what we think is right Jul 5, 2016 10:45 am “People have a strong tendency to think the status quo is good, so things that are outside the norm are viewed in a negative light. We wanted to understand how that happens." Report: A host of common chemicals endanger child brain development Jul 1, 2016 10:30 am Scientists, health practitioners and children’s health advocates are calling for renewed attention to the growing evidence that many common and widely available chemicals endanger neurodevelopment in fetuses and children of all ages. With online games, high school students learn how to rein in disease outbreaks Jun 27, 2016 12:30 pm High school students investigate Ebola-like outbreaks and administer vaccines through Outbreak!, a new summer course at Illinois that uses online games to encourage critical thinking about fighting infectious diseases. Drug abuse program explores problems such as racism, incarceration Jun 24, 2016 1:00 pm The creators of a novel substance abuse treatment program have received NIH funding for an expanded study of their intervention, which targets problems such as racism, sexism, poverty and histories of incarceration. Hunting for fossils in Madison County, Montana Jun 2, 2016 1:30 pm University of Illinois entomologist and paleontologist Sam Heads and his team are in the Ruby Valley of southwest Montana to hunt for fossils from the Oligocene epoch, some 23 million to 33 million years ago. Study finds brain markers of numeric, verbal and spatial reasoning abilities Jun 20, 2016 11:15 am A new study begins to clarify how brain structure and chemistry give rise to specific aspects of “fluid intelligence,” the ability to adapt to new situations and solve problems one has never encountered before. Cozad winner Amber Waves making it easier to monitor grain in storage Jun 17, 2016 9:30 am U of I startup Amber Ag is providing a cost-effective way for farmers to monitor and even help alter the condition of their crops in silos.