blog posts Paper: Social justice storytelling helps librarians advocate for patrons, themselves Nov 2, 2022 12:00 pm Library schools should teach social justice storytelling skills to students so they can advocate for the needs of underserved patrons, says information sciences professor Kate McDowell. Paper: Train future psychologists to dismantle racism, injustice in society Aug 30, 2022 2:15 pm A team of psychologists, led by Illinois scholars, proposes a new training model that would prepare all practitioners in their discipline to respond to the social ills of racial discrimination and other forms of repression. Parentification: The impact of children taking on parental roles in their family Dec 13, 2023 12:00 pm We expect parents to always take care of their children’s physical and emotional needs. But sometimes the roles are reversed, and the child assumes responsibilities beyond what is appropriate for their age. Parents nervous about math can still help their kids learn it May 1, 2023 10:30 am Education Week (May 1) U of I researchers asked parents to log their time spent helping with math homework and with low-stakes math-related activities, like measuring ingredients for a recipe or playing a card game that involves addition. Parents' reactions while helping with math shape young children's achievement Apr 25, 2022 11:30 am When math homework with their parents is fraught with negativity such as parental feelings of frustration or ineptitude, children are less likely to enjoy math and tackle challenging math problems. Partnership, perseverance end food desert in Illinois’ southernmost city Jun 21, 2023 9:45 am Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton praised the Rise opening as a model that can be replicated elsewhere in the state. 'Access to healthy food is not just about groceries, it’s about justice,' she said. Passes on sale now for 25th Roger Ebert’s Film Festival Dec 6, 2023 4:30 pm 'Ebertfest was created for people who love movies as much as Roger loved movies,' Chaz Ebert said. 'We want audience members and special guests to feel like they are a part of a family as we reach this important milestone...' PBS NewsHour live from U of I: 'Tipping Point: Agriculture on the Brink' May 17, 2023 11:30 am PBS (May 16) – U. of I. professor of crop sciences Andrew Margenot joins a PBS NewsHour panel discussion called 'Tipping Point: Agriculture on the Brink' on Wednesday, May 24. Peer adversity may cause girls to feel their self-worth is constantly at risk Oct 10, 2022 10:30 am A history of peer adversity sensitizes teen girls to situational threats to their self-esteem and interpersonal needs, cultivating feelings that their self-worth is constantly in jeopardy, a new study found. Pell Grant funding will soon be widely available for prison-based college classes Apr 19, 2022 10:45 am Truthout (April 18) U of I Education Justice Project director Rebecca Ginsberg is worried that programs motivated by profit and unprepared to deal with carceral settings could reinforce the dehumanizing aspects of prison. People infected with COVID remain contagious up to nine days after testing positive Apr 29, 2022 1:45 pm UPI (April 28) A new study at the University of Illinois may help explain why the COVID virus appears to spread so easily - and quickly - in some cases but not in others. People who viewed sex as a leisure activity enjoyed more, better sex during the pandemic Oct 13, 2022 10:45 am People who strongly viewed sex as a leisure activity before and during the pandemic used their downtime to engage in more frequent, satisfying and creative sexual activity, according to a study by professor Liza Berdychevsky. 'People will like it': 4-day work week paying off for Chicago company Mar 7, 2023 11:15 am WBBM-TV (March 6) An overwhelming majority of employers who've tried it prefer the four-day workweek. Why keep five days? 'I think some habit, some history. We’re stuck in this industrial mode,' says U of I labor expert Robert Bruno. Perennial rice could raise yields and cut costs Nov 29, 2022 11:00 am 'Now we can consciously choose to make a better crop and a better, more sustainable agriculture. We can fix the errors of history,' says study co-author Erik Sacks, a plant geneticist at the U. of I. Perennial rice: Plant once, harvest again and again Mar 27, 2023 10:45 am NPR (March 27) – Illinois crop sciences professor Erik Sacks, who helped develop perennial rice over the last two decades, discusses how perennial grains could bring huge environmental benefits and be a boon for farmers. Perinatal women of Mexican descent propose solutions to pandemic stressors affecting Latinos Apr 4, 2024 3:15 pm The women in the study had difficulties accessing mental health treatment, child care and food. Their insights were used to identify programs that could help meet the needs of Latino communities during future emergencies. Pesticides and adjuvants disrupt honey bee’s sense of smell Dec 15, 2023 1:15 pm It has long been known that pesticide sprays are harmful to honey bees. Now Illinois researchers have uncovered the effect of such sprays on the sense of smell in bees, which could disrupt their social signals. PFAS lurking in US water supply as U of Illinois researchers develop filter technology Apr 21, 2023 12:00 pm WLS-TV (April 20) U of I researchers are designing an electrode that can capture a range of a new breed of 'forever chemicals' called short-chain PFAS. Meanwhile, the EPA is moving to impose new limits on those chemicals in drinking water. Physician innovators' new bedside table keeps comfort, safety close at hand Jan 25, 2023 2:00 pm Carle Illinois College of Medicine students have redesigned the common bedside table to make it more stable, flexible, and easier to use. It hopes to improve both patient care and medical professional's workspace. Physics for the masses, one song at a time Sep 27, 2022 10:00 am A shared love of physics, music and education outreach brought Maggie and Fahad Mahmood together. The couple continues their musical journey in the Physics Department at Illinois with song parodies celebrating all things physics. Pinholster named new dean of College of Fine and Applied Arts Jun 27, 2024 2:15 pm Jacob Pinholster has been selected as dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, effective Sept. 16. He is currently the executive dean for enterprise design in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. Planet Hunger: Inside the global food crisis Jun 20, 2022 10:30 am Rolling Stone (June 19) Study says crop production today 21% lower than without climate change; alarming declines may begin as early as 2040. 'The largest single global change that threatens food security is high temperature,' says Professor Don Ort. Play provides a good brain carwash Feb 6, 2024 9:00 am NOLA.com (New Orleans, Feb. 4) Illinois recreation, sport and tourism professor Lynn Barnett co-wrote a study that concluded that playful adults report lower levels of perceived stress than their less playful counterparts. Poachers beware: New online tool traces illegal lion products back to source Nov 13, 2023 12:30 pm A new conservation tool from the U of I is helping protect lions across Africa, allowing authorities to examine the geographic origin of illegally traded teeth, claws, bones, and other body parts from poached animals. Poets&Quants’ MBA Program of the Year for 2022: The Gies iMBA Jan 5, 2023 10:45 am Poets & Quants (Jan. 5) Illinois' iMBA has revolutionized online business education, and not just because of its $23K price tag. In 2022, it launched a pair of fully online, credit-bearing graduate certificates, with up to six more options within the year. Poor diet, household chaos may impair young children’s cognitive skills Jul 12, 2022 1:45 pm Analyses of data on hundreds of young children suggested that regular consumption of sugary snacks and other unhealthy food, coupled with chaotic living environments, may impair children’s development of executive function skills. Poor soils lose carbon regardless of crop residue and nitrogen inputs May 15, 2023 11:45 am Many farmers think if they add plenty of nitrogen fertilizer, that nitrogen and carbon will be stored in the soil as organic matter when microbes decompose crop residue. New U of I research suggests those efforts might not work for poor soils. Portable, point-of-care COVID-19 test discerns alpha variant from earlier strains Apr 19, 2022 11:30 am A point-of-care COVID-19 test developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign can now detect and differentiate the alpha variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from earlier strains in saliva samples. Possible genetic basis found for severe nonalcoholic fatty liver disease Feb 9, 2023 2:45 pm A mutant or damaged gene may be a cause of a severe, mysterious form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that affects an estimated 25% of Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Post-COVID, door opens wider for rural Illinois tourism Jul 14, 2023 2:00 pm The Center Square (July 12) U of I professor Sharon Zou says the pandemic has given rural communities an opportunity 'because people feel safe to travel to a destination that is rural, outdoors and has lower population density.' Postdoc Dylan Burton puts exams for interpreters to the test Dec 19, 2023 11:45 am This Beckman Institute postdoctoral researcher evaluates the language proficiency exams used to qualify interpreters who mediate conversations between school districts and multilingual parents of children with disabilities. Potential breakthrough treatment for cystic fibrosis enters clinical trials Jun 26, 2023 2:00 pm This promising inhalable molecular prosthetic is intended to improve lung function in people with Cystic Fibrosis who cannot benefit from current therapies. Prairie Research Institute helps Illinois build roads while preserving natural resources Jan 31, 2024 10:00 am With the help of U of I scientists, transportation agencies are building Illinois roads in compliance with state and federal regulations, while preserving Illinois’ physical, biological, natural, and cultural resources. Preserving Illinois forests, one landowner at a time Apr 28, 2023 10:15 am Illinois Extension forestry and research specialist Christopher Evans describes leading the first field day of a Beginning Forest Landowner Program to give landowners the experience, skills and connections needed to better manage their forests. Preserving the sound of the Altgeld Chimes May 12, 2023 10:45 am With the imminent closure of the bell tower at Altgeld Hall for major renovation work, chimes players are hoping a recording of their music will carry on the Illini tradition of the chimes until the building restoration is finished. (Includes video!) Previewing the 25th anniversary of Ebertfest with Chaz Ebert Apr 18, 2024 8:45 am WILL-AM (April 16) Chaz Ebert discusses the 25th anniversary of Ebertfest, the C-U film festival founded by her late husband, Roger Ebert, who was a U. of I. journalism graduate and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic. (video) Previously unseen processes reveal path to better rechargeable batteries Nov 9, 2022 11:00 am This U of I study is the first to map out altered domains inside rechargeable ion batteries at the nanoscale – a 10-fold or more increase in resolution over current X-ray and optical methods. Probe can measure both cell stiffness and traction, researchers report Jan 25, 2023 2:15 pm The 'magnetic microrobot' probes gave precise information about both tissue stiffness and traction, revealing for the first time that while malignant tumors may become stiffer in response to surrounding tissues, cancer cells do not alter their tractions. Professor Cynthia Oliver: The dance is enough Apr 26, 2024 8:45 am 'We danced in the woods, on the beach, in the mountains,' Oliver recalls of her childhood. 'We danced everywhere.' Oliver answers the Proust Questionnaire for Storied. Professor identifies key drivers in decisions to receive COVID-19 vaccine Dec 8, 2022 10:15 am Republicans 'were far more likely to say that they were getting vaccinated than if they thought other Republicans were not going to be vaccinated,' Bowers said. For Democrats, the intentions of other Democrats were less likely to influence their decision. Professor Nancy Sottos elected to National Academy of Sciences May 4, 2022 11:45 am Election to the NAS is one of the highest professional honors a scientist can receive. Sottos is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Professor of labor and employment relations Michael LeRoy on the Hollywood strike Sep 18, 2023 11:30 am "The Drew Barrymore Show” begins airing new episodes but there will be controversy clinging to its host. “We’re four months approximately into this strike and it’s not surprising that there are defectors,” says Michael LeRoy, a professor of labor and employment relations. Professor’s book uses design research process to reimagine racialized design Oct 30, 2023 10:00 am Design professor Lisa Mercer has written a book, 'Racism Untaught: Revealing and Unlearning Racialized Design,' that examines how racism is perpetuated through design and how to use anti-racist approaches to counter it. Professors Marni and Stephen Boppart: Tracking the traffic between our cells Nov 21, 2023 10:30 am The 2023 Allen Distinguished Investigators are visualizing and tracking extracellular vesicles: tiny packages of molecular cargo in nanosized lipid carriers, released by all cells in the body. Professor's new book explores racism in Russia over the past 150 years May 10, 2022 9:30 am White militarism has flourished in Russia under Putin’s rule, making it one of the most dangerous places in the world for racial violence, writes professor Eugene Avrutin in 'Racism in Modern Russia: From the Romanovs to Putin.' Professor's novel: A mysterious disappearance, whales trying to save the planet Apr 19, 2022 9:45 am The themes of Jewish identity and loss in the debut novel of Professor Brett Ashley Kaplan echo her academic research interests. 'Rare Stuff' also is a work of eco-fiction and magical realism. Project reconnects Native American tribes with hide painting tradition Nov 16, 2022 10:45 am 'A big part of this project is to help the Miami and Peoria communities continue to revitalize their cultures in a hands-on way,' Professor Robert Morrissey said. 'It’s more than an academic study of the past.' Project tracks how stories of racial violence spread, were reported Feb 15, 2023 8:30 am Professor Ryan Cordell is leading a project to examine how stories of racial violence circulated in late 19th century and early 20th century newspapers and how those stories relate to trends in contemporary social media. Protecting genomic privacy through phone apps Mar 1, 2023 11:15 am Police are increasingly using genomic databases in their investigations. U of I faculty offer possible technological solutions, such as phone applications, that will ensure Fourth Amendment protections of consumer’s genomic data. Puerto Rico’s anti-corruption laws promoted fraud by outsourcing government services Jun 14, 2024 10:00 am Study finds fraud and corruption in Puerto Rico flourished under its anti-corruption laws, which heightened the opportunities for malfeasance by promoting the outsourcing of government services to private corporations.