blog posts Should consumers be concerned about the price of oil plunging to $30 per barrel? Feb 3, 2016 11:30 am Marketplace (Feb. 2) - Unless you work in the oil industry, the answer is no, says Illinois economist Scott Irwin. "Commodity markets have always been prone to significant boom and bust cycles.” Chicago Tribune (Feb. 4) – Arrest made in slaying of Illinois student Feb 4, 2015 2:45 pm Chicago Tribune (Feb. 4) – U. of I. student Vicente Mundo’s slaying, which police said marked the first fatal shooting on the Urbana campus in more than 16 years, sent waves of grief between the college community and Chicago as his friends and loved ones tried to understand how this could have happened to someone with so much promise and joy. What if a single technology could boost future supplies of both water and energy? Feb 5, 2016 11:00 am Gizmag (Feb. 4) - Researchers at Illinois have designed a new battery that not only relies on salt water to store and release electricity, but removes the salt ions from the water in the process. 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 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. Who will pay for Americans to live to 100? The financial aspects have been ignored Feb 8, 2016 12:00 pm Next Avenue (Feb. 8) - “As a society, we have to get serious about encouraging people to stay in the labor force longer and have longer careers,” says Illinois economist Jeffrey Brown. Washington Post (Feb. 5) - We're all susceptible to 'mis-remembering' Feb 9, 2015 1:45 pm The Washington Post (Feb. 5) -- When we tell stories about our lives, most of us never have our memories questioned. NBC's Brian Williams, like other high-profile people in the past, is finding out what happens when someone does. Even scientists who specialize in memory research are susceptible to mis-remembering. New medical school will train next generation of doctors to revolutionize health care Feb 9, 2018 1:45 pm Chicago Tribune (Feb. 8) U of I's Carle Illinois College of Medicine bills itself as the nation's first medical program designed from inception to integrate engineering with medicine NYT (Feb. 9) - Illinois governor acts to curb power of public sector unions Feb 10, 2015 10:00 am NYT (Feb. 9) - Illinois professor Bob Bruno, director of the labor education program, said the governor’s action was an aggression against public unions in a state where organized labor’s influence runs deep. Research shows children's sibling relationships produce both postive and negative feelings Feb 10, 2017 12:45 pm Chicago Tribune (Feb. 9) Illinois Professor Laurie Kramer says, 'Sibling relationships are very safe relationships for children to explore,' and help children learn how to interact with people and conflict U. of I. researchers study how information moves across social media, affecting people’s beliefs Feb 12, 2018 12:15 pm Seattle Times (Feb. 11) Tarek Abdelzaher, a professor of computer science at Illinois, is leading a team that received a five-year grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. 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. 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. Did you see the Super Bowl 2023 food commercials? Feb 13, 2023 10:45 am Mashed (Feb. 10) U. of I. professor Maria Rodas says the Super Bowl is an attractive event for advertisers – despite the expensive prices – because it’s one of the few TV events where people don’t change the channel or walk away during commercials. State asks: Is carbon capture part of climate agenda? Feb 14, 2023 11:30 am E&E News (Feb. 14) 'Incentives alone are not enough for successful, responsible tech deployment, which also requires standards that provide regulatory certainty and safeguard public health and the environment,' says U of I scientist Sallie Greenberg. How can our federal government solve big problems? How about over dinner? Feb 15, 2024 8:15 am The Meadville Tribune (Feb. 14) Jim Nowlan, with the U of I Institute of Government and Public Affairs, proposes the president, cabinet, and four top congressional leaders be required to have dinner regularly to wrestle with big problems. Law Dean Vikram Amar co-writes op-ed on the Supreme Court vacancy Feb 16, 2016 2:15 pm Los Angeles Times (Feb. 16) - The situation created by the death of Antonin Scalia mirrors a similar case 28 years ago. Fungicides used to protect crops could be hurting honey bees Feb 16, 2017 11:00 am NPR (Feb. 16) A study conducted by Illinois entomologist May Berenbaum and colleagues found that fungicides can harm bees by making it harder for them to metabolize their food. 100+ researchers have taken a U of I workshop for genomics researchers, Indigenous communities Feb 17, 2020 1:15 pm Washington Post (Feb. 16) 'Having better science isn’t just about keeping science in the ivy tower of academia; science is about helping communities,' says program founder, genomic researcher Ripan Malhi How to find hope in the face of the climate crisis Feb 18, 2022 10:00 am Deutsche Welle (Berlin, Feb. 18) 'My advice is to look at the history of ecosystems on the verge of collapse – they have consistently bounced back; they are resilient,' says U of I entomology professor Esther Ngumbi. Scientists find increasing concentrations of mercury in rainwater Feb 19, 2016 8:30 am Scientific American (Feb. 19) - Several years after scientists thought they had put the problem to rest, Illinois researchers have discovered increasing concentrations of mercury, this time in rainwater. “It’s a surprising result,” says David Gay from Illinois, who is a co-author on the new study. 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. 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 'Fight for $15' movement relishes minimum wage victory in Illinois, presses on for union rights Feb 26, 2019 8:30 am Chicago Tribune (Feb. 22) Workers haven’t seen such a sweeping benefit since the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act in the 1930s, says Illinois labor expert Bob Bruno. Sand runs the world. Most don't realize the conflict it generates Feb 29, 2024 8:45 am Salon (Feb. 25) 'In some regions, illegal sand and gravel mining is associated with crime syndicates, coercion and violence, and many other related social impacts,' says James Best, a U of I professor of sedimentary geology. Science is taking big steps toward understanding the impact of concussion Mar 4, 2016 12:30 pm The Economist (March 5) - Illinois professor Charles Hillman found that children who had sustained a single sports-related concussion still had impaired brain function two years later. Researchers' genetic modification enables plants to use a quarter less water Mar 7, 2018 2:15 pm Japan Times (March 7) Illinois professor, senior author Steve Long calls it a major breakthrough that could help feed the world's growing population as water resources diminish U of I researchers develop a novel approach to mapping brain behavior Mar 7, 2024 1:30 pm LabRoots (March 5) 'If you look at the brain chemically, it’s like a soup with a bunch of ingredients. Understanding... how those chemical reactions support computing is critical to having a better idea of how the brain functions.' Sotomayor: Antonin Scalia was like the brother she sometimes “wanted to kill” but loved Mar 8, 2016 11:15 am Chicago Tribune (March 7) - Justice Sonia Sotomayor told a crowd at Illinois' College of Law that the politically conservative Scalia often said things “just to annoy me.” Kyiv or Kiev? Zelensky or Zelenskyy? For Ukraine, spelling is a political act Mar 8, 2022 1:15 pm The Forward (March 7) 'Ukrainians do not want the name of their capital city to be transliterated from Russian because it is reminiscent of the colonial past, including all of the injustices committed against Ukraine,' says U of I's Roman Ivashkiv. With more opportunities than ever, why are teen girls so depressed? Mar 8, 2023 1:00 pm Courthouse News Service (March 7) U of I's Karen Rudolph says bullying is down overall, but bullying on social media can be worse. 'Social media is 24/7. It was bad before, but you could escape. Now it’s constant and the whole school knows...' More companies born at Illinois universities are remaining in the state Mar 9, 2016 11:30 am Chicago Tribune (March 8) - Universities are increasing the number of investments they make in early stage startups through funds such as Illinois Ventures at the University of Illinois. Nationwide, 297 tornado touchdowns so far this year. That's 201 percent of normal Mar 9, 2017 11:15 am WXEF-FM (March 9) – “2017, due to a lot of reasons, has an elevated risk of severe weather,” atmospheric sciences professor Eric Snodgrass says. “I’m seeing a continuation of the very active weather pattern in coming weeks.” How should parents talk to their children about the coronavirus? Mar 9, 2020 11:45 am WBEZ-FM (March 6) Tara Powell, a professor of social work at Illinois whose research focuses on trauma recovery and resilience in children, joins an expert panel to discuss the question. House bill would lift nuclear power construction moratorium Mar 9, 2023 4:00 pm Illinois Times (March 9) U of I professor Rizwan Uddin says the current prohibition puts Illinois researchers at a disadvantage since they can’t study new techniques and technologies without traveling to other states. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says he presented a balanced budget in his annual budget address Mar 10, 2017 2:30 pm PolitiaFact (March 9) “The word ‘balanced’ seems to have become a politically malleable term. And not just with Rauner,” says Chris Mooney, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at U of I. Atmospheric studies: U of I students tracked January storm by weather balloon Mar 11, 2022 9:45 am The Daily News (March 9) Graduate researchers in atmospheric sciences at U of I ventured into the high winds and heavy snowfall in January to release a weather balloon and radios. The research is being funded by NASA. Chgo Sun-Times (March 10) - State's top court hears arguments on pension crisis Mar 12, 2015 2:00 pm Law prof says state will argue it must balance pension promises with state's general welfare. Downstate Illinois vote could be primary election key for both parties Mar 12, 2018 11:15 am Chicago Tribune (March 10) Illinois political scientist says gubernatorial candidates take a risk if they fail to devote time, resources downstate in favor of Chicago and its suburbs Report: State's teacher shortage has gotten more serious over the past year Mar 12, 2019 3:00 pm Chicago Sun-Times (March 11) More than 90% of the vacancies in 2017 were in schools that received 'below-adequate' funding and which had been reducing their staff in recent years, says Illinois' Nancy Latham. Weinstein’s 23 year sentence signals shift in #MeToo justice Mar 12, 2020 1:30 pm Bloomberg (March 11) 'These...high-profile women were probably the only ones with enough credibility and social power to get this going,” says Illinois professor Louise Fitzgerald, expert in the psychological effects of harassment. Researchers develop new biosensor to count sub-populations of white blood cells, diagnose HIV Mar 14, 2016 1:45 pm Business Standard (March 14) - “There are 34 million people infected with HIV/AIDS worldwide, many in places that lack testing facilities,” says Rashid Bashir of Illinois. As the planet warms, traditional crops won’t grow where they have in the past Mar 15, 2018 8:45 am Futurism (March 13) Ability to engineer crops that grow in higher levels of carbon dioxide, ozone 'is definitely something that we need in our toolbox,' says Illinois' Stephen Long Researchers: Focus on contextual elements of a bad memory rather than resulting emotions Mar 16, 2018 1:15 pm Medical News Today (March 15) Illinois researcher Florin Dolcos says that dwelling on how hurt, sad or embarrassed you felt during an adverse event can make you feel worse Different, not broken: Asexual people still reckon with erasure from their doctors Mar 18, 2024 11:45 am Salon (March 16) 'There is this burden of guilt in some contexts for marginalized people, racially marginalized people and people who are asexual. That’s a piece of the puzzle that doesn’t often get talked about,' says Professor Brittney Miles. The state budget impasse spurs tensions between Gov. Rauner and Comptroller Mendoza Mar 20, 2017 2:30 pm Chicago Tribune (March 20) A comptroller's work usually goes unnoticed, says U of I's Chris Mooney. “In this case, the comptroller really is at the heart of the financial crisis we are facing, which is how to dole out the money in a reasonable way.” Latinx communities embracing COVID-19 vaccines, seasonal flu shots Mar 22, 2021 11:45 am NPR (March 20) The 2019 flu season vaccination rate of Hispanic Americans was 38%, compared with 53% of white Americans. This flu season, 'Hispanics are actually vaccinating at a higher rate than are whites,' says U of I's Dolores Albarracin. Facebook proves tough to quit despite controversy over improperly collecting users' data Mar 23, 2018 8:45 am The Daily Herald (March 21) “Quitting is a fine option. I just don’t think it’s a realistic option for so many people,” says Illinois professor Ben Grosser 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." Illinois research on the ability of pathogenic viruses to adhere to fresh produce surfaces Mar 24, 2016 12:15 pm New Food Magazine (March 23) - The researchers found a thousand-times difference in the number of viral particles adhering to different types of leafy greens and tomatoes.