blog posts COVID-19 vaccines tested in clinical trials, despite bogus social media claims Jan 19, 2023 10:15 am FactCheck.org (Jan. 18) 'Sasha Latypova’s argument is a classic example of a causal fallacy,' says U of I law professor Jacob S. Sherkow. 'It’s bogus as a matter of law, as a matter [of] logic, and a matter of fact.' COVID-19 took a big toll in Illinois. Will deaths surge again? Jul 20, 2020 11:15 am Chicago Tribune (July 20) – A group that includes U of I researchers Nigel Goldenfeld and Sergei Maslov finds that Illinois could run out of hospital beds by the fall if the state doesn’t limit the number of so-called super-spreader encounters. COVID-19 to cost U of I campuses $270M this year, budget projects Nov 13, 2020 11:00 am Chicago Sun-Times (Nov. 12) 'We believe this spending plan will allow us to maintain the...momentum and progress we have built while balancing the need to keep our students, faculty and staff safe, and use resources responsibly,' President Tim Killeen said. COVID-19 rapidly exposing food system’s susceptibilities, disconnects May 1, 2020 2:00 pm Crain's Chicago (April 30) Could the pandemic catalyze a rethinking and transformation of the current centralized model? U of I President Emeritus Robert Easter, coauthors consider decentralizing the supply chain COVID-19 infections are rising again in parts of Illinois. Here’s where and why. Jul 9, 2021 11:15 am Chicago Tribune (July 8) 'If you wanted to evolve the virus to be as dangerous as possible, the perfect situation would be to have a large unvaccinated population together with a vaccinated population,' says physics professor Nigel Goldenfeld. Court as class: Judge gets climate change lesson in oil suit Mar 22, 2018 2:00 pm ABC News (March21) Illinois professor Don Wuebbles was among experts teaching the basic science of global warming to a judge hearing lawsuits against big oil companies Coursera CEO praises Illinois iMBA program Jul 25, 2018 12:00 pm Philadelphia Enquirer (July 25) The iMBA, offered by the Gies College of Business, is the largest degree program offered by Coursera and has a 90 percent retention rate. Coup D’etat Project at U of I: Jan. 6 insurrection fits definition of attempted dissident coup Feb 3, 2021 12:15 pm CNN (Feb. 3) The only other American entries in its global database? A Communist Party USA conspiracy to violently overthrow the government, and the 1996 slaying of an Arkansas family by white supremacists. Countries will solve the chip crisis by working together, not by acting alone May 3, 2022 1:00 pm Fortune (April 29) Illinois professor Rakesh Kumar writes, 'The solution to the chip shortage isn’t to increase onshore production, but rather to deepen supply chains, even if only between like-minded countries.' Could wheat’s worst enemy be eliminated in the next few decades? May 16, 2022 11:30 am Illinois Farmer Today (May 13) 'By the time I retire, we should be at the point where almost all the varieties will have pretty good resistance by default,' says U. of I. crop sciences professor Jessica Rutkoski. Could tinkering with photosynthesis prevent a global food crisis? Dec 6, 2021 11:45 am The New Yorker (Dec. 6) 'We know that even our very best crops are only achieving a fraction of photosynthesis’s theoretical efficiency. So, if we can work out how to improve photosynthesis, we can boost yields,' says Professor Stephen Long. Could the NFL, until recently a non-profit, really not owe any taxes? May 5, 2015 12:00 pm Washington Post (May 1) - “I’ve been saying this for years, there’s really very minimal tax benefit here for the league, if at all,” said John Colombo, a tax law professor at Illinois. Could the coronavirus pandemic disrupt the food supply chain? Apr 16, 2020 2:15 pm WBUR-FM (April 15) – U of I professor Megan Konar, who has mapped the flow of food across the country, discusses where the food supply line is vulnerable. Could the biology of naked mole rats help prevent the ravages of age in people? May 24, 2021 1:00 pm Wired (May 24) 'They do age very well,' says Martha Delaney, a veterinary pathologist at Illinois. 'They’re very well adapted, just kind of like a physiological marvel.' Could Robert Mueller indict Trump? It would be the first indictment of a sitting president Feb 5, 2018 1:00 pm Politico (Feb. 2) Mueller may lack the legal standing to bring those charges, says Ronald Rotunda, a professor emeritus of law at Illinois Could learning to dance the minuet or fandango help to protect our brains from aging? Mar 30, 2017 3:15 pm New York Times (March29) Illinois researchers look at the effects of several different types of exercise on the wiring and the function of older people’s brains. Could Brazil surpass U.S. as world's top corn exporter? Jan 31, 2023 3:30 pm Effingham Daily News (Jan. 30) 'Brazil could surpass the U.S. in corn exports sometime between 2024 and 2026,' says Joana Colussi, a postdoctoral researcher at the U. of I. and native of Brazil. 'We’ll see. There are many factors at play.' Could a handheld device scan the body, detect disease before a patient faces imminent danger? Apr 21, 2016 1:15 pm Crain’s Chicago Business (April 21) - The work of Dr. Stephen Boppart at Illinois to develop a light imagery device may help doctors uncover early signs of deadly maladies like cancer Corporation for Public Broadcasting awards grant to launch Illinois Newsroom Collaboration Dec 15, 2015 10:45 am WUIS-91.9 FM (Dec. 14) - Seven public media stations in Illinois are partners in a $715,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to launch a journalism collaboration, led by Illinois Public Media Coronavirus: 'The question is whether colleges can bring them under control' Sep 8, 2020 3:45 pm Yahoo Money (Sept. 8) 'If the University of Illinois can’t make things work with their gold-standard testing, we’re all in deep trouble,' says Seton Hall University professor of higher education Robert Kelchen. Corn rootworm keeps evolving ways to resist pesticides that protect $50 billion corn industry Mar 2, 2017 1:00 pm Scientific American (Feb. 14) Illinois entomologist Joseph Spencer worries that technology to defeat the corn rootworm will work only briefly against an inventive foe. Controlling disease-carrying yellowfever mosquitos critical to public health Apr 15, 2019 11:45 am Entomology Today (April 14) . To explore plant oils as safe, environmentally friendly alternatives to pesticides, U. of I. researchers tested the lethal effects of several edible plant oils on Aedes aegypti. Consumers see more risk than reward, fear privacy breaches in online ads Jan 19, 2018 12:15 pm Study Finds (Jan. 13) Consumers see more risk than benefit, so they 'perceive more privacy concern, and finally to avoid the advertising,' says Illinois professor Chang-Dae Ham Consumer Financial Protection Bureau looks at regulating 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Jul 28, 2022 10:30 am Bloomberg (July 28) 'There’s always going to be some new transaction that existing statutes don’t cover, so we need a regulatory agency to track these things, because Congress – even a functioning one – can’t keep up,' says Professor Robert Lawless. Constitutional and legal ethics scholar Ronald Rotunda dies at 73 Mar 20, 2018 12:45 pm American Bar Association Journal (March 20) A former Illinois professor, expert on constitutional law, Rotunda served as assistant majority counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee Congress quashed a rail strike by forcing a deal between workers and bosses Dec 2, 2022 10:15 am WBEZ-FM (Dec. 1) Robert Bruno, a professor and director of the Labor Education Program at the U. of I., discusses the implications for rail workers and other unionization efforts around the country. Congress is considering a bill that would allocate $1.275 billion to quantum research from 2019-23 Oct 22, 2018 11:45 am New York Times (Oct. 21) 'I see the country at a crossroads with quantum information systems,' says Illinois' Brian DeMarco. 'I can see things not working out, where the balance is not good, and it derails our ability to compete' Congress considering adding work requirements to food stamps program May 21, 2018 12:30 pm 'SNAP is this amazingly successful program, so...it would be great if we could talk about how to expand who is eligible' says Illinois professor Craig Gundersen Computer science classes at Illinois are going to look a little different this fall Aug 26, 2016 11:45 am Chicago Inno (Aug. 25) Nearly half – 46 percent – of the 190 incoming freshman computer science students in the College of Engineering are women. Computer modeling, satellite images could help spot signs of potential bridge failure Jul 12, 2019 10:45 am NBC News (July 12) Illinois engineering professor Bassem Andrawes says the method holds promise as a useful complement to visual inspections. But, he says, there is 'room for improvement.' Computer-aided vision makes it possible to predict cement durability in minutes Jul 18, 2023 10:15 am On-Site (July 17) –U of I engineers have created a new test makes it possible to predict the durability of cement in minutes rather than the hours needed for traditional testing methodologies. Compulsively checking smartphones linked to anxiety, depression in college students. Mar 11, 2016 2:30 pm Chicago Tonight WTTW (March 11) - That’s the key finding of a recent study at Illinois that examined students' cellphone and Internet use and its relationship to their mental health. Common weed killer—believed harmless to animals—may be harming bees worldwide Sep 25, 2018 10:00 am Science (Sept. 24) Findings add a new factor to a constellation of potential reasons for the recent decline of honey bees, says Gene Robinson, honey bee geneticist at Illinois Combining computer science and medicine Mar 26, 2021 1:30 pm U.S. News and World Report (Mar. 23) Many medical students have some computer science background when they arrive at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, which describes itself as the world's first engineering-based med school. Combining 3 ways to measure brain function offers new insight into working mind Jul 30, 2021 10:45 am Physics World (July 30) U. of I. psychology researchers have developed a novel trimodal brain-imaging system incorporating electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related optical signal imaging. Colleges learn how to suppress coronavirus: Extensive testing Oct 2, 2020 12:15 pm New York Times (Oct. 2) '(U of I is) showing how you can keep a state school open during this pandemic, and that’s something people can copy - if it lasts,' says Carl Bergstrom, a University of Washington infectious-disease expert. Colleges forced to reckon with rising COVID-19 cases Sep 16, 2020 2:00 pm ABC News (Sept. 15) 'Because (U of I) had this very robust fast frequent testing, we literally saw (the rise in cases) as it was happening. And we saw those cases rising exactly where and we knew why, so we were able to make immediate corrective actions.' Colleges are using sober dorms to combat alcohol and drug addiction Oct 16, 2017 12:30 pm Chicago Tribune (Oct. 13) The associate director of Illinois’ Counseling Center, says there are plans to set up a comprehensive recovery program in the next year or two College of Engineering to offer new innovation degree May 25, 2016 11:45 am Chicago Tribune (May 24) - University of Illinois' College of Engineering plans to launch a new degree program that will let students pursue ideas that could develop into companies. College of Education app shows kids how their dinner affects the planet Jun 6, 2016 10:00 am TakePart (Los Angeles, Calif., June 5) - Students were experimenting with University of Illinois education professor Emma Mercier’s Food for Thought app, which dynamically charts the nutritional data and carbon footprint for each food item and the overall meal as a plate is assembled. College admissions officials to monitor how a Trump presidency affects international applications Jan 19, 2017 11:45 am Chicago Tribune (Jan. 19) In Illinois, more than 50,000 foreign students brought an estimated $1.6 billion to the state in 2015. About 11,000 of those international students are at the U. of I. Collecting trash, cutting grass in vacant lots curbed gun violence in poor metro areas Feb 27, 2018 1:15 pm Seeing and interacting with people in your neighborhood on a recurring basis is 'a powerful force' in helping people feel safe in their communities, says Illinois professor William Sullivan Collapse of central Illinois Amazon facility points to need for building code reviews Dec 16, 2021 12:00 pm Washington Post (Dec. 16) Warehouses’ giant open walls don’t rely on vertical perimeter supports to resist wind load, says U of I's Frank Lombardo. 'The connection between the roof and walls can fail, and at that point, essentially nothing is holding up the wall.' Collaborative group work on important social issues can make children better decision-makers Jan 20, 2016 11:45 am Times of India (Jan. 20) - "Collaborative group work positions students as active decision-makers, whereas direct instruction places them in a passive role," said study lead author Xin Zhang from Illinois Coca-Cola and McDonald's left Russia. Their brands stayed behind Aug 17, 2022 10:30 am Reuters (Aug. 17) – Western brands that exit Russia face years of battling knockoffs. Coke, which left in August, is fighting a rip-off of its Fanta brand. 'This should, in normal times, be an easy win for Coca-Cola,' says U of I's Peter Maggs. Clinton, Trump have repeatedly accused each other of lying to the American public Sep 12, 2016 11:15 am "Donald Trump is off the scale when it comes to lying," says John Murphy, an Illinois professor and expert on the history of political rhetoric. 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.' 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. Climate change is turning cities into ovens Jan 8, 2021 11:15 am Wired (Jan. 7) Urban areas, make up just 3% of Earth’s land surface. But they have an outsize impact on the effects of climate change. Researcher Lei Zhao's team shows that hotter cities could be catastrophic for urban public health. Climate change deniers say there are 'two sides' to the issue Mar 8, 2019 12:45 pm The Item (March 7) 'You can’t talk about two sides when the other side doesn’t have a foot in reality,' says Illinois climate scientist Donald Wuebbles.