blog posts Announcing the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science Apr 24, 2024 8:45 am The School will pioneer advancements at the intersection of computing and data science, addressing complex challenges and driving innovation across various fields. Illini Baseball hosts Nebraska in final home series this weekend May 13, 2022 2:15 pm Illinois (26-19, 12-6) is currently in fifth place in the Big Ten and is coming off a series sweep of Miami (OH) last weekend. Nebraska is 19-27 (7-11 B1G) and won one of three at Minnesota last weekend. Cicadas and tinnitus: Here's what you need to know May 20, 2024 1:15 pm Professor Fatima Husain explains why individuals with tinnitus may find peace among the audial onslaught and offers suggestions for how people can safely shield their ears from the impending 'wall of sound.' Johnston becomes first freshman All-American pole vaulter in program history Jun 6, 2024 8:15 am The men's track and field squad completed the first day of the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday (June 5). True freshman Cody Johnston earned All-America honors in the pole vault by taking fifth place. 16 Illinois students, recent graduates offered Fulbright grants Jun 9, 2022 9:30 am Sixteen Illinois students and recent graduates were offered Fulbright grants to pursue international education, research and teaching experiences around the globe. Another six students were named Fulbright alternates. Big universities face admissions dilemma if Supreme Court kills affirmative action Jun 9, 2023 11:00 am Crain’s Chicago Business (June 9) 'The biggest pressure point that we face right now is due to timing because the decision is going to come out this month and we will open admissions in September,' says U of I's Andy Borst. Graduate Student Appreciation Week Oct 24, 2022 10:00 am Check out the list of events for Grad Student Appreciation Week, October 24 - 28, as the campus celebrates their many contributions to the missions of the University. Meat on the menu, not the agenda, at COP27 climate conference Nov 15, 2022 12:45 pm Reuters (Nov. 15) Activists at the climate summit in Egypt will pressure policymakers to acknowledge the role of meat, dairy in global warming. Livestock are responsible for about 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a U of I led study. 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. Illini Men's Basketball welcomes Hoosiers to State Farm Center tonight Jan 19, 2023 10:30 am Illinois comes into tonight's game (7:30 start, FS1) tied for the Big Ten's longest active winning streak at four straight. That matches U of I's 4-0 start to open the year. U.N. resolution, smart city concept, Ohio train derailment twisted into baseless plot Feb 27, 2023 11:45 am PolitiFact (Feb. 24) 'The claim that the U.N., which has no power anyway, wants to force victims of environmental disasters to live in panopticon societies is absurd on its face,' says U of I professor Robert Olshansky. A double emergence of periodical cicadas isn’t cicada-geddon—it’s a marvel Mar 12, 2024 11:00 am Scientific American (March 11) 'I’ve been looking forward to this for years,' says U of I entomologist Catherine Dana. 'We have two different broods emerging in the same state, and that’s a very rare thing.' Makira Cook named to AP All-America honorable mention list Mar 16, 2023 8:45 am Cook is the first Illinois women's basketball player to earn AP All-America accolades since Karisma Penn following the 2012-13 season. In her first season with the Orange and Blue, Cook has put together the best year of her career. Chicago mayor-elect Brandon Johnson joins picket line at Chicago State University Apr 11, 2023 12:15 pm Crain’s Chicago Business (April 10) 'It would certainly be consistent with Johnson’s values to be out there, and this is probably a departure from what we’ve seen, quite frankly, from other mayors,' says U of I labor expert Robert Bruno.. Commencement speaker, architect Jeanne Gang, designs buildings that connect people, nature and communities May 8, 2024 3:00 pm Internationally renowned architect Jeanne Gang believes architecture can connect people to each other, their environment and their communities. She is the U. of I. Commencement speaker and an Illinois alumna. Commencement! May 10, 2023 4:45 pm The university-wide Commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. in Memorial Stadium. It will be livestreamed at https://go.illinois.edu/live. As the suburbs go, so goes America Jun 7, 2023 3:45 pm The New York Times (June 7) 'Since 1970, the share of Black individuals living in suburbs of large cities has risen from 16 to 36%,' write Alexander W. Bartik and Evan Mast, economists at the U. of I. and Notre Dame. U of I Library: Victorian-era books may have heavy metal-based pigments Jun 15, 2023 1:30 pm The Heavy Metals Project of the University Library will survey the 19th-century books in the Library’s collection and test those with their original cloth-covered bindings to determine if they contain traces of heavy metals in the pigments used for the covers. As teacher shortage worsens, Illinois schools cast wary eye on fall reopening Jul 12, 2022 10:15 am Chicago Tribune (July 12) 'When teachers are saying, "I can go to Amazon and make $22 an hour – I’m out of here," how do we respond?' says Nancy Latham, associate dean for the College of Education at U of I. The short, spectacular life of the viral room-temperature superconductivity claim Aug 9, 2023 11:15 am Science (Washington, D.C., Aug. 8) 'I appreciate that the authors took appropriate data and were clear about their fabrication techniques,' says U. of I. physics professor Nadya Mason. Still, she cautions, 'The data seems a bit sloppy.' Study quantifies satellite brightness, challenges for ground-based astronomy Oct 2, 2023 12:15 pm Although bright satellites won't necessarily damage telescopes, they will still cause data loss from the streaks. Extremely bright satellites could ruin the entire field of view, like trying to stargaze when someone shines a flashlight into your eyes. BTN's Tailgate show airs live from Memorial Stadium on Saturday Oct 13, 2022 9:15 am The set will be located in the southeast corner of Lot 31 (across the street from Grange Grove). Illini fans can make signs onsite or bring their own to show live on B1G Tailgate before Illinois hosts Minnesota in its 112th Homecoming game. U of I's new Center for Sustainable Aviation: Not just about reducing carbon emissions Oct 19, 2022 2:30 pm Conversations about making aviation more sustainable typically land on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on fossil fuel resources. Those are primary factors, but Center director Phillip Ansell is taking a more holistic approach. Illinois Football travels to Minnesota on Saturday Oct 31, 2023 11:15 am Following its off weekend, the Illinois football team is back in action Saturday against Minnesota in Minneapolis. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network. My Thanksgiving: How testifying for Native Americans made me a witness to history Nov 28, 2022 10:45 am Salon (Nov. 24) 'I’m a scholar of Native American history,' writes Frederick Hoxie, a professor emeritus of history, law and American Indian studies at Illinois. 'But my real education came from working with Native people in the present.' 3M plant in Illinois was nation's worst emitter of climate-killing ‘immortal’ chemical in '21 Jan 3, 2023 11:30 am Inside Climate News (Dec. 29) 'Any emissions of CF4 are going to drive further climate change and lead to things that are going to affect our planet for many, many thousands of years.' says Professor Donald Wuebbles. With four career-highs, beam program shatters records against Michigan State Feb 28, 2023 9:00 am No. 24 Illinois women's gymnastics broke its program best beam score. Amelia Knight, Mallory Mizuki, Abby Mueller and Ruthuja Nataraj shattered their career-highs in a 197.450-196.425 loss to No. 13 Michigan State Monday night. 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. Illini Baseball set to play Bradley in Peoria tonight Apr 27, 2022 8:30 am The Illinois baseball team travels to Bradley for a midweek night game against the Braves. Illinois (20-17, 11-4) is coming off their first B1G series loss of the season against Maryland. 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. Denial of institutional racism linked to anti-Black prejudice, U of I study says May 24, 2022 11:00 am UPI (May 23) 'The denial of structural racism appears to be a big barrier to racial equity because it allows for more victim-blaming explanations of systemic inequality,' says doctoral student, study leader Jacqueline Yi. Zacharie Perrin joins Fighting Illini Basketball Jul 5, 2022 8:30 am 'He has benefited from playing against older competition on the international stage, and he has what I value so much in recruiting: versatility. Zach can play multiple positions. He has perimeter skills, can step out and shoot it, and is a gifted passer.' Fill Memorial Stadium! Wyoming FamILLy 4 Packs on sale now Jul 29, 2022 4:30 pm Not only is Illinois' Aug. 27 'Week 0' game vs. Wyoming one of the first games of the college football calendar, it will also be the first time that the Illini defend their new turf at Memorial Stadium. Human ancestors nearly went extinct 900,000 years ago Sep 1, 2023 12:00 pm Nature (Aug. 30) A new DNA analysis technique found the population was reduced to just 1,280 and 'put the spotlight on the period 800,000 to one million years ago – for which there is much unknown,' says U of I's Stanley Ambrose. Bonuses are a little bit bogus - ask for a raise instead Sep 7, 2023 12:15 pm Vox (Sept. 7) A one-time bonus is not a lasting change to your compensation, and it can be taken away just as easily as it’s given out. 'Merit increases actually provide a higher sense of security and stability,' says Professor Mengjie Lyu. Illini overpower Wisconsin for Big Ten West road win Oct 3, 2022 8:00 am Illinois picked up its first Big Ten win of the season on Saturday, taking down Wisconsin, 34-10, in Madison for the first time since 2002. The Illini scored 17 points on three takeaways to move to 1-1 in conference play and 4-1 overall. Scientists crack upcycling plastics to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Oct 3, 2022 9:45 am Researchers have developed a breakthrough process to transform the most widely produced plastic - polyethylene - into the second-most widely produced plastic, polypropylene, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Geometry reveals the tricks behind gerrymandering Nov 11, 2022 10:15 am Scientific American (Nov. 10) Professor Wendy Cho and U of I colleagues designed an algorithm to counteract legislative gerrymandering, using a computer to construct a large number of splits that are not necessarily perfect. New study discovers coal's unexpected role in next-gen microelectronics Jan 8, 2024 11:30 am Interesting Engineering (Jan. 4) 'Our novel processing techniques have transformed coal into high-purity materials,' says U of I's Qing Cao. 'These materials have unlocked possibilities for creating ultra-small electronics with exceptional performance.' Women’s Basketball to honor Illini coaching great Theresa Grentz Feb 8, 2023 4:15 pm The Illini welcome back former head coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Inductee Theresa Grentz to celebrate her legendary career with a Hall of Fame banner ceremony on February 19 before a game against Penn State. Unique opportunity to learn how Illinois soils have changed over 120 years Mar 16, 2023 3:00 pm In a dusty U of I barn that was scheduled for demolition, soil scientist Andrew Margenot discovered a time capsule in the form of thousands of jars of soil from around the state, some dating as far back as 1862. Hartleb: Winningest coach in Illini Baseball history with victory over Michigan Apr 3, 2023 8:45 am Dan Hartleb is now Illinois baseball's winningest coach in program history. With Sunday's victory over Michigan, Hartleb overtook Lee Eilbracht, who finished his Illini career with 518 wins. AI chatbots will never stop hallucinating Apr 5, 2024 3:00 pm Scientific American (April 5) When generative AI models produce responses that don’t match reality, it's called 'hallucination.' U of I professor Dilek Hakkani-Tür, says AI hallucinations spring from their fundamental construction. 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. Anaya, Wiles voted Illinois Freshmen of the Year Jun 28, 2022 9:45 am The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced its 2021-22 Freshmen of the Year. Lauren Wiles (softball) and Ashton Anaya (gymnastics) have been named the top female and male freshman competing for the Fighting Illini. CI MED Welcomes Class of 2027 Jun 30, 2023 1:45 pm Carle Illinois College of Medicine – the world’s first engineering-based medical school – welcomed the Class of 2027, its largest class to date. Thousands of farmers in China have started to grow a remarkable new perennial rice Nov 9, 2022 10:00 am NPR ( Nov. 7) 'This is a really big deal. This is a change in the way that we think about agriculture,' says Erik Sacks, a plant geneticist at the U. of I. who collaborated with the Chinese scientists and co-wrote a new study. Magic lamps: Microcavity plasma devices Nov 10, 2022 11:15 am The most prominent application of microcavity plasma devices to date has been producing ozone for drinking water disinfection. Microcavity plasmas developed in Eden’s lab overcome raditional barriers of cost and power consumption. 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. ECE building becomes U of I's first zero energy certified facility Feb 14, 2023 9:45 am All operational energy used by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building is now offset through on-site solar production and solar renewable energy credits, earning an official Zero Energy Certification from the International Living Future Institute.