blog posts Some of Chicago's Latino neighborhoods are falling behind in census participation Apr 2, 2020 3:15 pm Chicago Tribune (April 1) For Latino households, issues like lack of internet access and low homeownership rates contribute to less participation in the census, says Illinois professor Julie Dowling. U of I gives design for emergency ventilator to manufacturers for free Apr 1, 2020 11:00 am Chicago Sun Times (April 1) U of I will not receive royalties from the design or production of the ventilators, says Dean Rashid Bashir. 'We’ve had many potential partners reach out to us...even internationally.' U of I researchers' emergency ventilator prototype shows promising results Mar 30, 2020 3:45 pm Newsweek (March 30) More than 40 engineering, medical, and manufacturing experts began work on March 16 to create a device to help patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19. The effects of COVID-19 will ripple through food systems Mar 26, 2020 1:15 pm Scientific American (March 26) As COVID-19 leads to widespread income losses, fewer consumers may be able to afford specialized or high-value products such as organic vegetables, says U of I Professor Megan Konar. What can COVID-19 teach us about access to college? Mar 23, 2020 10:00 am Forbes (March 22) U of I undergrad admissions director is excited by the innovations to college admission created in response to COVID-19. 'The new tools we are developing...may open up all kinds of possibilities.' Prof. Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe is helping run a study of library responses to COVID-19 Mar 19, 2020 2:00 pm Inside Higher Ed (March 19) Academic libraries 'have built digital infrastructures, collections and services for the past two decades,' she says. Library users have long been 'remote' and libraries have adapted. Newly discovered ‘magic methyl’ reaction could turbocharge potency of some drugs Mar 17, 2020 4:00 pm Science (March 16) The new catalyst, created by a team led by U of I organic chemist M. Christina White, is a huge improvement on previous multistep methods that were expensive and time-consuming. Stop joking that black people are immune to coronavirus Mar 16, 2020 1:00 pm CityLab (March 14) U of I professor Rana Hogarth bristles at memes suggesting black people are impervious to Covid-19. These racist beliefs hearken back to the 18th-century yellow fever disaster. Weinstein’s 23 year sentence signals shift in #MeToo justice Mar 12, 2020 1:30 pm Bloomberg (March 11) 'These...high-profile women were probably the only ones with enough credibility and social power to get this going,” says Illinois professor Louise Fitzgerald, expert in the psychological effects of harassment. U of I student names new bug species after Lady Gaga citing its 'wacky fashion sense' Mar 11, 2020 12:30 pm CBS News (March10) 'If there is going to be a Lady Gaga bug, it’s going to be a treehopper, because they’ve got these crazy horns, they have this wacky fashion sense about them,' says Illinois grad student Brendan Morris. Experts say there's still no evidence you can catch COVID-19 from pets Mar 10, 2020 12:00 pm 'At this time, people should be minimally concerned about this coronavirus affecting their pets. The virus seems well-adapted to spread between people and, therefore, unlikely to jump to dogs or cats,' says U of I's Will Sander. How should parents talk to their children about the coronavirus? Mar 9, 2020 11:45 am WBEZ-FM (March 6) Tara Powell, a professor of social work at Illinois whose research focuses on trauma recovery and resilience in children, joins an expert panel to discuss the question. Staying informed about crisis can come with a cost. 54% feel stress reading coronavirus news Mar 5, 2020 11:45 am Yahoo! Sports (March 4) 'It’s good to read data specific to one’s population,' says U. of I. data scientist Sheldon Jacobson. Jack Welch, U of I alum, G.E. chief who became business superstar, dies at 84 Mar 3, 2020 1:45 pm New York Times (March 2) Jack Welch, who led General Electric Co. through two decades of extraordinary corporate prosperity and became the most influential business manager of his generation, died Sunday. U of I students studying abroad in Italy asked to leave as soon as possible Mar 2, 2020 11:30 am Chicago Tribune (March 1) 'The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is requiring all of our students studying in Italy to depart at the earliest opportunity. You may return to the U.S., your home country, or travel elsewhere.' Did a 'volcanic winter' wipe out the toolmakers of Sumatra 74,000 years ago? Feb 26, 2020 11:00 am Science (Feb. 25) A new study suggests they survived the eruption and thrived for another 50,000 years. Illinois anthropologist Stanley Ambrose questions the study's conclusions. Weinstein guilty verdict shows the #MeToo movement is bringing unprecedented changes Feb 25, 2020 1:00 pm '#MeToo is so far the most successful effort to change the ground rules,' says Louise Fitzgerald, a professor of psychology and of gender and women’s studies at Illinois. U of I researchers describe AI system to help farmers monitor plants, increase yields Feb 24, 2020 8:45 am Inverse (Feb. 20) 'Instead of establishing a small field plot, running statistics and publishing the means, what we’re trying to do involves the farmer far more directly,” says Professor Nicolas Martin. Climate science deniers hoping to influence 2022 assessment of climate impacts Feb 19, 2020 1:00 pm Scientific American (Feb. 18) U of I professor who oversaw the last assessment says Trump science advisor Kelvin Droegemeier will work to produce an assessment free of Trump’s erroneous assertions about climate change. 100+ researchers have taken a U of I workshop for genomics researchers, Indigenous communities Feb 17, 2020 1:15 pm Washington Post (Feb. 16) 'Having better science isn’t just about keeping science in the ivy tower of academia; science is about helping communities,' says program founder, genomic researcher Ripan Malhi Gov. Pritzker touts benefits of $500 million investment in U of I-led research institute network Feb 17, 2020 9:00 am Journal Gazette & Times Courier (Feb. 13) 'Today’s announcement is so exciting. It will fast-track construction planning and we hope to break ground for DPI in a few months,' says University System President Tim Killeen. Trump expansion of land mine use may cause more civilian casualties, alienate allies Feb 12, 2020 1:30 pm Los Angeles Times (Feb. 10) Illinois law professor Lesley Wexler writes about the implications of the Trump administration’s recently announced intent to expand the U.S. armed forces’ use of land mines. Farmers would go from trade bailout to subsidy cuts under Trump's budget proposal Feb 11, 2020 11:00 am Bloomberg News (Feb. 10) U of I professor Jonathan Coppess, an Obama administration head of the federal agency that administers farm subsidies, calls the budget proposal 'incoherent in the extreme.' Bumblebees are dying across North America, Europe as the climate warms Feb 10, 2020 11:15 am Washington Post (Feb. 7) '...bumblebees are exquisitely adapted to cold climate...(but) it’s a challenge for them to adjust behaviorally or physiologically to warming temperatures,' says entomologist May Berenbaum. 'Insects run the planet, something most people don't know' Feb 5, 2020 1:00 pm Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Feb. 4) Illinois professor May Berenbaum will deliver the keynote address, 'How humans affect insect evolution without even realizing it,' at a celebration of the life, works of Charles Darwin. Impeachment trial of Trump something of a ratings bust Feb 4, 2020 8:45 am Voice of America (Jan. 31) 'People have entered a state of avoidance,' says professor Nikki Usher. The predictable outcome didn’t help, either. 'It’s like tuning in to watch a movie when you know what the ending is.' NYT Book Review of Dennis Baron's 'What's Your Pronoun' Jan 31, 2020 3:00 pm New York Times (Jan. 22) 'Pronouns are suddenly sexy,' Dennis Baron declares at the start of 'What’s Your Pronoun?' And by 'sexy,' he means 'thorny.' Reducing air pollution saved the US $24 billion on elderly health benefits Jan 29, 2020 10:30 am 'One of the main ways...we differ from previous studies of air pollution is that we rigorously estimate the counterfactual life expectancy of individuals killed by acute pollution exposure,” says Illinois's Tatyana Deryugina Why your zodiac sign is probably wrong Jan 27, 2020 3:30 pm The Conversation (Jan. 24) James Kaler, an Illinois professor of astronomy, writes that the science of astronomy is at odds with one of the basic organizing principles in astrology – the dates of the zodiac. With model of mummy’s vocal tract, researchers recreate voice of long-dead Egyptian priest Jan 24, 2020 10:15 am Washington Post (Jan. 24) Illinois expert Daniel Bodony says the vocal tract is only half of what makes 'the human being sound like the human being,' so the electronic re-recreation 'sounds tinny.' How an African American UPS worker challenged powerful union leaders, and won Jan 22, 2020 4:45 pm Philadelphia Inquirer (Jan. 22) A decisive move in 2018 'unwittingly fueled an expansion of opposition caucuses across the country,' says Robert Bruno, a labor historian at the U. of I. The TSA intercepted a record number of guns at airport checkpoints last year Jan 21, 2020 1:15 pm Washington Post (Jan. 21) Illinois' Sheldon Jacobson says TSA’s concerns over the 2019 increase come without context. 'Yes, it’s a big number, but it’s inconclusive what it means,' he says. St. Louis prosecutor alleges violations of rarely used KKK Act in lawsuit against city Jan 16, 2020 1:45 pm NBC News (Jan. 14) 'A successful plaintiff has to show that a conspiracy is based on intent to injure somebody based on his or her race. But conspiracies are hard to prove,' says Illinois professor Michael LeRoy U of I hires alum, consulting vet to lead Chicago tech center Jan 9, 2020 1:30 pm Crain's Chicago Business (Jan. 8) William Jackson, a former Johnson Controls exec, will head the Discovery Partners Institute, the U. of I.’s facility in Chicago for technology research and development, teaching. Illinois professor’s research looks at brain activity as it relates to yoga Jan 6, 2020 12:45 pm BTN (Jan. 3) 'Anecdotally, anyone you talk to will tell you it helps them. The instructors...can tell how different poses will help,' says researcher Neha Gothe. 'But there definitely needs to be more science to back it up.' Despite recent tough times for farmers, cutting costs may not be a priority for '20 Jan 3, 2020 12:15 pm Kenosha News (Jan. 3) Illinois ag economist Scott Irwin says making big cuts could hurt farmers in the long term. He sees light at the end of the tunnel, especially in a tentative trade pact between the U.S. and China. Under a new deal, China would purchase $40 to $50 billion in U.S. ag products Jan 2, 2020 11:15 am Washington Post (Dec. 30) 'If the trade deal is signed and it’s real, (we'd) be looking at a China-driven miniboom in the ag sector,' says economist Scott Irwin. But, he adds, 'I don’t even know how we’d get to that number.' Asian giant hornet invasion threatens honey bees in Pacific Northwest Dec 27, 2019 12:15 pm New York Times (Dec. 24) U of I entomologist May Berenbaum says the hornets can wipe out an entire beehive. 'You want to talk about beepocalypse! They are sworn enemies of honey bees...a bee’s worst nightmare.' Limited agreement easing trade restrictions with China seems like great news for farmers Dec 23, 2019 12:15 pm Some are still worried that ag exports will suffer for years. 'History suggests that once you break an important relationship trade wise like this, it is very difficult to fully recover your market share,' says Illinois' Scott Irwin. Slanted toilets are the logical extreme of hyperproductivity Dec 20, 2019 12:15 pm The Atlantic (Dec. 19) A U of I architecture professor tried to simulate the effect of the slanted toilet. 'Even for just a few seconds, it felt uncomfortable and jarring. After a minute or two, it felt very painful behind the shins.' Yoga benefits the brain in ways similar to aerobic exercise Dec 18, 2019 1:00 pm CNBC (Dec. 17) Yoga appears to have a positive effect on areas 'responsible for memory and information processing, as well as emotional regulation,' says Illinois professsor Neha Gothe. Democrats rush to back union as labor dispute threatens presidential debate Dec 17, 2019 2:15 pm Washington Times (Dec. 16) 'It’s a really bad look to cross a picket line,' says Illinois labor expert Robert Bruno. 'It clearly signals how important organized labor’s support is to all of the candidates.' Gifts won’t make you happy for long Dec 16, 2019 1:45 pm Baltimore Sun (Dec. 14) Illinois happiness expert Ed Diener has found that those who value attaining material possessions more than they value creating happy experiences have nearly as many negative moods as positive moods. 'Juiced ball' report finds manufacturing subtleties affecting MLB baseballs Dec 13, 2019 10:30 am New York Daily News (Dec. 11) 60% of the surge in home runs was attributable to a decrease in drag and 40% to a change in 'launch conditions,' says Alan Nathan, Illinois' expert on the physics of baseball. Warning: Christmas trees could contain masses of praying mantis eggs Dec 12, 2019 12:45 pm Newsweek (Dec. 12) 'Once in your warm house, the baby praying mantis can hatch from its egg and will likely then starve,' says Illinois' Chris Enroth. Religious rights vs. foster kids' rights weighed in lawsuit over sex-trafficking shelter Dec 11, 2019 1:45 pm San Diego Union-Tribune (Dec.8) Professor Robin Fretwell-Wilson says the Catholic non-profit does good work proving homes to abused teens. 'But we want them to do that work in a way that doesn’t double-victimize children.' 100-year-old Tuskegee airman from Bethesda returns to the sky for his birthday Dec 9, 2019 1:45 pm WTOP (Dec. 6) - Drafted when he was a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Charles E. McGee is one of nine living Tuskegee pilots who flew combat missions. Trump's new work requirements will cut 700,000 from SNAP benefits Dec 6, 2019 10:15 am Washington Post (Dec. 5) 'SNAP is supposed to be an anti-hunger program, full stop,” says U of I economist Craig Gundersen. Experts say there is little evidence receiving food stamps discourages work. Climate simulations are mostly accurate, study finds Dec 5, 2019 3:30 pm AP (Dec. 4) U of I expert says climate change deniers 'do a lot of weird things to misrepresent models. None of those analyses have been valid and they should be ignored. We should no longer be debating the basic science of climate change.' Black scholars are not ‘rare creatures’ Dec 4, 2019 2:45 pm New York Times (Dec. 4) Consider a rising star like Sanmi Koyejo, a professor of computer science at Illinois whose work on neural networks has been recognized by the Kavli Foundation.