blog posts University of Illinois System announces record-setting enrollment Sep 10, 2020 11:15 am Chicago Sun-Times (Sept. 9) Despite...the coronavirus pandemic, enrollment at the University of Illinois System reached record highs for the eighth consecutive year, topping 90,000 students. University of Illinois researcher helps create first-ever insulin-producing cow Mar 25, 2024 9:30 am WBBM-TV (March 21) – Illinois animal sciences professor Matt Wheeler discusses his research that helped create the first-ever insulin-producing cow that has the potential to save lives. University of Illinois plans new African-American cultural center by 2018 Dec 10, 2015 11:00 am Chicago Sun Times (Dec. 9) - Illinois has committed nearly $5 million to build a new African-American Cultural Center at its Champaign-Urbana campus. University of Illinois offers mental health first aid training for all Jun 12, 2024 1:30 pm WCCU-TV (June 11) U of I Extension is providing five-step mental health first aid training courses. The course is to teach people to recognize a mental health struggle or crisis and save a life if the situation arises. University of Illinois launches Chinese broadcasts of football games Sep 21, 2015 11:30 am Japan Times (Sept. 19) - With the combination of “Football 101″ events for international students and the new Chinese-language broadcasts, the school hopes to start getting more of those students to games. University of Illinois home to new global food, ag communications center Mar 20, 2024 11:45 am FarmProgress (March 19) 'When consumers, policymakers and decision-makers are better informed about agriculture, farmers will have a more productive, profitable and sustainable relationship with all those parties,' says U of I's Owen Roberts. University of Illinois’ COVID-19 saliva test reaches 1 million mark Dec 7, 2020 12:45 pm Chicago Tribune (Dec. 4) Most of the tests – more than 930,000 – were done at the flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign, where faculty researchers developed the test. University insured against tuition revenue drop from Chinese students Nov 29, 2018 10:15 am The U. of I. has paid $424,000 to insure itself against a significant drop in tuition revenue from Chinese students. Universe may be expanding more slowly than scientists previously thought Apr 13, 2015 2:30 pm Wired UK (London, April 13) - U of I professor Ryan Foley and a group of astronomers say the universe may be expanding more slowly than previously thought after they found discrepancies in "beacons" used to measure the cosmos. Unique new Chicago theater company formed by U of I grads Apr 29, 2015 3:15 pm Chicago Tribune (April 28) -- The Definition Theatre Company, formed by graduates of Illinois and currently in its inaugural season, describes itself as "featuring a multi-ethnic core companionship of actors," which is an interesting update of the notion of ensemble. Union wave is picking up at Chicago, suburban libraries, cultural institutions Apr 8, 2024 1:30 pm Chicago Sun-Times (April 5) Overall union membership has fallen dramatically since historic highs in the 1950s. 'Employers spend a lot of money trying to stay union-free. They have a lot of tools to do that,' says U of I's Robert Bruno. Unions predict a Great Awakening during a Biden presidency Oct 9, 2020 10:15 am Politico (Oct. 9) Increased union membership across the country would give all workers more leverage, helping to achieve progressive economic goals Democrats have long been calling for, says Illinois labor economist Robert Bruno. Unionized UPS workers could strike by the end of July Jul 12, 2023 11:00 am WBBM-TV (July 11) 'We have to keep an eye on Amazon. I think if the teamsters win a good contract at UPS, they'll then use it to go after Amazon and try to convince those workers to organize,' says U of I labor expert Robert Bruno. 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.' UI veterinarians respond to highway accidents in which livestock have been injured Mar 2, 2018 1:00 pm The Seattle Times (March 1) Their role is to assessi the animals for injuries, oversee the safe transfer of uninjured ones and euthanize those badly hurt and suffering UI School of Art and Design seeking $111 million for expansion Nov 15, 2023 10:00 am News-Gazette (Nov. 14) The $111 million request would cover both this addition and renovations to the original Art and Design building, which has not seen a major overhaul since its construction in the late ’50s. UI researchers work toward a wearable device to predict when elderly are at risk of falling Jul 17, 2018 2:45 pm Internet of Business (July 13) Interdisciplinary approach uses data from a mobility study involving 67 women over the age of 60 to analyze walking patterns UI researchers predict corn yields based on weather at three critical growth periods Feb 1, 2019 11:00 am New Food (Jan. 31) Beyond predicting crop yield quantity, this study identifies conditions leading to higher oil or protein concentrations – information that matters to grain buyers UI researchers discover molecules with anti-inflammatory properties like those of marijuana Jul 21, 2017 11:15 am Medical News Today (July 20) These molecules come from cannabinoids that are made naturally from omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential nutrients found in meat, fish, eggs and nuts. UI launches bioenergy research center to generate fuel products directly from plants Feb 2, 2018 1:00 pm Kansas City Star (Feb. 1) 'We're really hoping to open the door to a whole bio-economy where we're using plants as factories,' said Center director Evan DeLucia UI Labs opens on Goose Island amid high expectations May 12, 2015 4:45 pm Chicago Tribune (May 11) - The talking is over for the highly anticipated Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute, opened Monday on Chicago's Goose Island by a bevy of city, state and federal officials. UI Labs digital manufacturing institute recently awarded first five research contracts Nov 10, 2015 11:45 am Chicago Tribune (Nov. 9) - The Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute is the first lab in UI Labs’ public-private effort to support manufacturing research and development. UI discovers a solution to possible drop in Chinese students: Insurance Sep 9, 2019 10:15 am CNBC (Sept. 6) The trade war 'has given every school a bit of a wake-up call that the flow of students from China is not something we should take for granted or should count on,' says Gies College of Business Dean Jeffrey Brown Tylenol may not be as ‘safe’ a pain reliever during pregnancy as some think Jan 12, 2024 10:45 am Parents (Jan. 9) 'Taking more acetaminophen during pregnancy, especially during the third trimester, was associated with children having smaller vocabularies and speaking in shorter sentences at age 2,' says U of I's Megan Woodbury. Two-thirds of our electricity still comes from fossil fuels, but solar is growing rapidly Feb 6, 2018 11:00 am WGLT-FM (Feb. 6) – About 1% of all electricity generated in the U.S. comes from solar power, says Illinois professor Don Fullerton. 'It’s not going to take over the world yet' Twitter Demetricator will change how you think about, use social media Mar 8, 2018 1:45 pm Slate (March7) Illinois professor's app hides numbers of followers, retweets. 'People with Demetricator installed quickly realize that they were very competitive around these numbers' TV's scariest setting right now? The wellness retreat Sep 9, 2021 11:45 am Yahoo (Sept. 8) 'In horror, there is always a safe space that one is trying to get to – like a cabin in the woods or a small town,' says U of I horror-genre expert Jim Hansen. 'Then, it’s always revealed as the most unsafe space.' Turning Point founder: How conservatives can win the battle on campus and why it matters Oct 11, 2018 12:30 pm Chronicle of Higher Education (Oct. 10) Charlie Kirk's book begins with his appearance at Illinois, with protesters chanting 'Charlie Kirk is a jerk!' Turning down the toxicity of nature’s most powerful antifungal Dec 12, 2023 12:30 pm Fierce Pharma (Audio, Dec. 8) Illinois chemistry professor Martin Burke talks about a new drug without the toxicity of a known anti-fungal, its path to the clinic and how it could influence the next generation of antimicrobials. ‘Tumor shrinking’ drug shows promise in dogs before clinical trials on humans Jan 26, 2017 8:30 am WCBS-TV (Jan. 24) Illinois professor Paul Hergenrother discovered Pac-1 10 years ago. “We have seen positive results, especially in combination with other widely used cancer drugs,” he says. Tucked away in rural Illinois: Site of America’s first town founded by a free Black man Feb 12, 2021 10:45 am Chicago Tribune (Opinion; Feb. 12) A great-great-grandson of town founder Free Frank McWorter, now a retired Illinois professor, said he wonders: How many Black people are part of the national story? Truth behind the lynching of Emmett Till in Mississippi still unfolding today, 60 years later Feb 24, 2017 10:00 am WTTW-TV (Feb. 23) Illinois professor Chris Benson worked directly with Till’s mother, Mamie Till Mobley, to complete her autobiography, “Death of Innocence.” Trump wants the EPA to lift summertime restrictions on the sale of E15 fuel blends May 24, 2019 1:15 pm Agri News (May 23) Currently, a 10% ethanol blend is the maximum allowed during summer. Illinois ag economist Scott Irwin says the expanded access to E15 ethanol blends won’t lift corn prices out of the doldrums. Trump team delaying work on major climate report Oct 5, 2020 10:45 am E&E News (Oct. 5) Trump administration is slow-walking the next climate report by not seeking out scientists to work on it, says Donald Wuebbles, a U. of I scientist who co-led the first volume of the fourth National Climate Assessment. 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. Trump may not know what's behind global warming, but scientists do Oct 16, 2018 11:45 am Star Tribune (Oct. 15) None of the natural effects could have produced the warming seen from 1951 to 2010. But 'if you include the effect of greenhouse gases, everything matches up,' says Illinois' Don Wuebbles 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. Trump admin removes Michael Kuperberg as head of Global Change Research Program Nov 11, 2020 10:30 am Science (Nov. 10) 'It seems very strange to me, right after the election. You waited four years, and Mike has done a great job of running this,' says U of I climate scientist Don Wuebbles, a leader in producing USA's fourth climate assessment. Tropical storm could have carried the corn disease tar spot into the U.S. farm belt Sep 25, 2015 10:45 am Ag Professional (from Reuters, Sept. 25) - "For a commodity disease, like on corn, boy it's been a while since a new disease has been introduced." Suzanne Bissonnette, director of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic at Illinois Extension. Trial court judges just as influenced by gender bias as laypeople – and may be even more biased Apr 25, 2018 1:30 pm Moneyish (April 24) 'If that’s the case with judges, we can probably expect that that’s the case with expertise in other fields, too,' says Illinois professor Andrea Miller Transfer partnerships and pipelines Aug 25, 2022 11:00 am Inside Higher Ed (Aug. 25) Holly Pflum, the transfer initiative coordinator in academic programs and services at Illinois, writes about the U. of I. System’s support of transfer students. Traffic jams may someday be a thing of the past. May 16, 2017 12:45 pm New Atlas (May 15) An Illinois-led research team has discovered that putting only a few self-driving cars on the road can dramatically improve traffic flow. To understand your portfolio, take “Financial Evaluation and Strategy: Investments” at Illinois Apr 18, 2016 12:00 pm Business Insider (April 18) - It touches on key principles like risk and return, optimization and security pricing. You'll also learn about market efficiency and common behavioral biases of investors. Touch Light Innovations, an Illinois student startup, uses footsteps as a power source Apr 21, 2017 10:45 am Their product, the Power Pad, is placed below carpets or floorboards, and harnesses energy from the force of a footstep using proprietary compounds To stop climate change, flat CO2 emissions aren't enough Mar 24, 2015 1:15 pm Christian Science Monitor (March 23) - Don Wuebbles, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Illinois: "The climate response that we're seeing in the atmosphere now is largely due to emissions that happened 20 years ago." Top translation firm rapidly growing, partly due to its improvement on machine translation Jan 14, 2019 3:15 pm Crain's (Jan. 14) 'The (machine translation) system does not do what (humans) do, which is taking prior context into account when translating the next sentence,' says Illinois professor Lane Schwartz To prevent campus outbreaks, test each student every few days. U. of I. doing just that Aug 31, 2020 2:15 pm Axios (Aug. 30) 'Everybody’s watching the U. of I. right now,' says Joshua Salomon, a professor of medicine at Stanford University. Tooth of an ancient girl fills gap in human family tree May 18, 2022 10:15 am New York Times (May 17) 'We knew that Denisovans should be here,' said Laura Shackelford, a U of I paleoanthropologist and a co-author of the new study. 'It’s nice to have some tangible evidence of their existence in this area.' To make things easier for plant breeders, Illinois researchers turned to unmanned aerial vehicles Feb 21, 2017 11:15 am AZOrobotics (Feb. 21) “When drones became available, we asked ourselves how we could apply this new technology to breeding." U of I soybean breeder Brian Diers To feed the world, Illinois scientists work to improve photosynthesis Aug 14, 2017 1:45 pm MIT Technology Review (Aug. 14) By reworking the basic metabolism of crops, plant scientists at Illinois hope to forestall devastating food shortages.