blog posts Illinois scientists studied how animals can strike and puncture their often well-protected prey Apr 25, 2016 1:00 pm Mental Floss (April 22) - Attack styles may look very different, but study co-author Philip Anderson of Illinois suspected that the underlying mechanics had a lot in common. Illinois scientists use nanopores to remove salt from saltwater Dec 2, 2015 11:30 am Tech Times (Nov. 30) - Scientists at the University of Illinois have created a game-changer for hydration by stripping salt from a sample of saltwater with the help of nanopores. Illinois snags $18.7M grant to develop a test of the nation's response to an electric grid attack Aug 17, 2016 11:45 am Daily Herald (Aug. 17) The aim of the project is to take a “generational step forward” in proving that the tools being built to deal with such an attack are reliable. Illinois social work professor's program helping children who are victims of tragedies Dec 18, 2015 11:00 am NPR (Dec.17) - Now Tara Powell's team is adapting the program for young Syrian refugees. Illinois spinout company, Rithmio, has attracted an impressive lineup of investors Jul 1, 2015 2:45 pm Crain's Chicago Business (June 30) - Rithmio is benefiting from the explosion in demand for wearable devices, such as fitness monitors and smartwatches. Illinois sportsbooks could add in-state college sports betting under proposed bill May 3, 2023 10:45 am Chicago Tribune (May 2) 'By implementing more broad-based and state collegiate sports gambling, the people who are placed at risk are our student-athletes, our university students, and the integrity of our contests,' says U. of I. A-D Josh Whitman. Illinois startup MakerGirl plans to bring 3D printing to rural communities Mar 2, 2016 11:00 am Chicago Inno (March 1) - MakerGirl, an Illinois nonprofit startup that provides STEM and 3D printing workshops for girls ages 7 to 10, is aiming to go on a summer road trip, bringing STEM resources to students in rural areas across the US. Illinois student, founder of FlipWord, a finalist of the College Elevator Pitch Competition Dec 9, 2015 11:30 am Chicago Tribune (Dec. 9) - The competition, produced by youth entrepreneurship program Future Founders, had two rounds, one with 24 semifinalists and a final round with the top six pitches. Illinois students explore VR classrooms Sep 27, 2019 11:30 am WTVO-TV (Sept. 26) Students and professors experienced what classrooms might be like in virtual reality. VR technology is already being used in some U. of I. classrooms. Illinois student's father survived kidney cancer. She sees Illini 4000 as the ultimate way to give back Jan 18, 2018 11:30 am Chicago Tribune (Jan. 17) 'There are many ways you can make a difference in this world,' says Maggie Piazzi. She'll join 24 other Illini this summer in a bike ride from New York to California Illinois students help WHO build COVID-19 analytics tools Jul 31, 2020 12:30 pm EdScoop (July 30) 'We are matching students with skills on the technical side, data-science side, with WHO and health agencies that really need help responding to COVID,' says Ian Brooks, director of the U of I Center for Health Informatics. Illinois student startup Cast21 has raises $800K for its waterproof, breathable cast Jan 13, 2017 8:45 am ChicagoInno (Jan. 12) Later this year, it will complete mechanical tests at Illinois and run two pilot patient tests at medical centers in central Illinois. Illinois students will be able to take online courses during winter break Apr 10, 2017 3:45 pm U.S. News & World Report (April 8) - Online classes have been offered between the fall and spring semesters for the last three years. Now that pilot project is permanent. Illinois student used a personal injury as inspiration to start a new business Sep 28, 2018 12:30 pm Patch.com (Sept. 28) Mark Van de Avont using Illinois’ iVenture Accelerator for student startups to build his company HexNest, aiming to create tumbling mats that are safer, more affordable Illinois study shows invasive garlic mustard becomes less aggressive over time Jun 15, 2016 1:30 pm Science Daily (June 14) - “One of the things we've seen over the last 20 to 30 years is that garlic mustard becomes less of an issue, and actually balances out over time,” says Adam Davis, a professor of crop sciences Illinois study suggests aerobic excercise changes the makeup of the microbes in our gut Dec 11, 2017 2:30 pm Business Insider (Dec. 10) 'These are the first studies to show that exercise can have an effect on your gut independent of diet or other factors,' says Professor Jeffrey Woods Illinois Supreme Court upholds state law ending cash bail Jul 19, 2023 12:00 pm WLS-AM (July 19) U. of I. law professor Andrew Leipold discusses the implications of the decision, the elimination of cash bail and the measures judges will take to safeguard residents against dangerous suspects. Illinois team introduces new process for synthesizing organic compounds Mar 13, 2015 11:30 am Forbes (March 12) - An Illinois chemistry team has created a new process for synthesizing organic compounds from 14 different classes of small molecules. Illinois Tennis alum Kevin Anderson played his way to the U.S. Open finals Sep 12, 2017 10:45 am Chicago Tribune (Sept. 10) Anderson made it to the final, but lost to Rafael Nadal. Illinois to become abortion 'oasis' in wake of Dobbs ruling Jun 28, 2022 12:15 pm Law360 (June 27) If a projected 30,000 women a year from neighboring states seek abortions in Illinois, state residents may struggle to get an abortion because of high demand, says U. of I. law professor Robin Fretwell Wilson. Illinois unions made significant gains in recently ended legislative session Jun 20, 2023 1:00 pm Labor Tribune (June 19) The $50.6 billion budget approved by the legislature includes $2.3 million for the U of I's Labor and Employment Relations programs, along with more funds to fill nursing shortages and increase the number of DCFS workers. Illinois universities plan in-person commencements — and 2020 grads are invited, too Apr 27, 2021 1:30 pm Chicago Sun-Times (April 27) Annie Czerwinski will travel to Urbana from her home in Homer Glen 'with my parents and sisters and my boyfriend, and they will watch me walk across the stage. Even if it is just for 15 minutes, I am really excited.' Illinois veterinarians volunteer to help fight coronavirus, provide equipment Apr 8, 2020 2:15 pm WLS-TV (April 2) '...if the hospital system becomes overwhelmed, what additional resources do we have at our fingertips? We’re imagining the worst-case scenario, and just need to plan for that,' says U of I veterinarian Stephanie Keating. Illinois will honor first Native American graduate with naming of new residence hall May 4, 2015 1:15 pm WCBU Peoria (via AP, May 1) - The new Urbana-Champaign campus dorm will be named Wassaja Hall when it opens in August 2016. Wassaja is the birth name of Carlos Montezuma. He graduated from the university in 1884, went on to medical school, and advocated for American Indian rights. Illinois will need more nuclear to meet climate goals: study May 19, 2021 11:45 am World Nuclear News (May 18) Operating the state’s existing nuclear plants while also investing in advanced nuclear technology, renewable energy is the most economical path to zero carbon emissions, researchers found. Illlinois is finally getting a medical school. The twist? Feb 13, 2017 12:30 pm Chicago Business Journal (Feb. 13) The Carle Illinois College of Medicine is being conceived as an engineering-based school of medicine. Immigrants’ gut bacteria 'Westernize,' which might influence obesity in immigrants, Americans Nov 1, 2018 3:00 pm The Atlantic (Nov. 1) Illinois nutritionist Kelly Swanson says that while 'the microbiota are important for health, I don’t blame the obesity on bacteria. There are other things driving the ship' 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.' In 1997, two apps were in the process of taking over the internet. Both had roots at Illinois Dec 7, 2017 1:00 pm Motherboard (Dec. 6) One of those applications, Netscape, became a bedrock of how we surf the web. The other, Eudora, put a graphical twist on email In 2006, U of I scientists designed a computer that could deliver data without running at all Jun 27, 2017 12:30 pm Scientific American (June 27) “This is possible only in the realm of quantum computers where the computer can exist in a quantum superposition of ‘running’ and ‘not running’ at the same time.” Incoming freshman wins scholarship from Space X to pursue career in STEM Jun 17, 2015 1:45 pm Washington Post (June 16) - Annie Thomas will study computer engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the fall. Increasing evidence shows exposure to common chemicals hurts kids' brain development Jul 6, 2016 1:30 pm Yahoo! News (July 1) “These chemicals are pervasive, not only in air and water, but in everyday consumer products that we use on our bodies and in our homes,” says Illinois researcher Susan Schantz. Infections derived from microbial films on medical devices, hospital surfaces on the rise Oct 25, 2018 8:00 am Design News (Oct. 24) Illinois researchers have a new solution: A nano-based system of microbubbles to wipe out these films and prevent them from spreading disease Influential US climate report moves ahead — under new leadership Jul 19, 2021 4:45 pm Nature (July 16) The fact that the fifth U.S. National Climate Assessment is finally under way comes as a welcome relief to many scientists. 'We’re behind and we need to get to work,' says U of I's Donald Wuebbles, a lead author on the 2018 report. Information sciences professor on how to determine whether news sources are fake Nov 16, 2016 10:45 am The Verge (Washington, D.C., Nov. 16) – Nicole A. Cooke, a professor of information sciences at the School of Information Sciences at Illinois, discusses how media consumers can determine whether news sources are real or fake. In fossilized dinosaur poop, scientists find hidden treasure Jul 7, 2021 8:30 am CNN (July 2) 'Insect fossils of this type, preserved in three-dimensions like this, are practically unheard of from the Triassic (period), so this discovery is very important,' says Sam Heads, director of the Center for Paleontology at the U. of I. Injured police dogs in Champaign area to get ambulance rides Mar 27, 2017 1:45 pm U.S. News & World Report (March 26) Police dogs hurt on the job in the Champaign area will soon be able to get an ambulance ride to a hospital along with emergency care on the way there. In online education, engagement is key. Oct 23, 2019 1:00 pm Chronicle of Higher Ed (Oct. 23) 'This generation is the Amazon customer,' says the head of e-learning at the Gies College of Business. That's why Gies invites online MBA students to visit for a football weekend. In releasing water from Houston dams, Army Corps picks least bad option Aug 29, 2017 11:15 am Wall Street Journal (Aug. 28) Water that tops earthen dams will quickly erode the soil and ruin the dams, says civil and environmental engineering professor Timothy Stark '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. Inside an Illini grad's billion-dollar plan to kill credit cards Feb 10, 2021 11:15 am Forbes (Feb. 8) Millenials were shunning plastic and supposedly wary of consumer debt. Max Levchin saw a way to repackage buying now and paying later for younger folks - and it's made him a billionaire. Inside Gies College of Business’s latest 'Disruption' Jan 28, 2021 11:30 am Poets & Quants (Jan. 27) – The lab is expected to make a major impact on the direction of all Gies programs. 'This is an opportunity for us to have a unit dedicated to helping us scan the horizon,' Dean Jeff Brown said. Instability of school re-openings taking a toll on students' ability to learn, mental health Oct 26, 2020 12:45 pm Axios (Oct. 26) 'In hindsight, we can say it would have been better to go all-remote,' says U of I professor of education policy Jon Hale. 'But there was so much (social and political) pressure to open.' In talking about their pasts, people selectively remember and disclose positive personal info Nov 13, 2015 12:15 pm Fortune (Nov. 12) - A recent social psychological study at Illinois found, “Self-serving judgments, in which the self is viewed more favorably than other people, are ubiquitous.” Intelligence predictions improve with whole-brain connectivity profiles Dec 22, 2022 11:00 am Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (Dec. 21) 'Intelligence appears to emerge from the global architecture of the brain and to reflect the efficiency and flexibility of systemwide network function,' said U of I researcher Aron Barbey. Internet gambling: The fastest growing addiction among high school, college students Dec 11, 2018 11:30 am The Hill (Dec. 8) 'Without new U.S. safeguards, millions of...kids will continue to be targeted by the gambling industry and will become gambling addicts...' says Illinois professor John Kindt In the early 1800s, most Americans, Brits thought race was determined by environment, diet Oct 15, 2015 10:15 am Ozy (Oct. 15) - “Abolition at that time could be very much anti-slavery, but still very much anti-black,” says Illinois professor Rana Hogarth, referring to the fact that many abolitionists believed blackness could go away. In Trump farm bailout, top 1% reaped nearly one-fourth of aid Feb 26, 2021 10:15 am Bloomberg (Feb. 24) 'This certainly adds to the questions about the way that program was designed,' says U of I professor Jonathan Coppess, who ran the federal agency that administers farm subsidies during the Obama administration. Invasive ‘jumping worms’ find their way to Illinois, wreaking havoc on soil Aug 15, 2019 11:45 am WGN-TV (Aug. 14) There are so many in the Chicago area that scientists are calling it an invasion. “They’re exotic. Not natural. Invasive species and widespread in that region of Illinois,” says Illinois' Chris Evans. Investors betting on a record corn crop will get a closer look at yields, may not like what they see Aug 22, 2016 11:15 am Bloomberg (Aug. 21) “While we’ve had plenty of moisture, we’ve had above-average temperatures, which doesn’t usually bring high ear weights,” says Illinois atmospheric sciences professor Darrel Good