blog posts Synapses and silicon: Student contest blends biology and computer science to advance AI Jan 24, 2023 9:00 am The 2023 Bio-informed AI Research Competition encourages students in the behavioral and computer sciences to pursue collaborative AI research. The inaugural winners advise applicants in 2023 to 'be brave' and stay open-minded. Fighting Illini Men's Basketball at Northwestern tonight Jan 24, 2024 10:15 am The No. 10 ranked Fighting Illini defeated Northwestern, 96-66, in their first meeting of the season Jan. 2 at State Farm Center, and are coming off of back-to-back Big Ten wins last week at Michigan (88-73) and vs. Rutgers (86-63). Probe can measure both cell stiffness and traction, researchers report Jan 25, 2023 2:15 pm The 'magnetic microrobot' probes gave precise information about both tissue stiffness and traction, revealing for the first time that while malignant tumors may become stiffer in response to surrounding tissues, cancer cells do not alter their tractions. USDA grant supports U of I professor's popcorn-based curriculum for high schools Jan 25, 2024 11:45 am Laboratory Equipment (Jan. 22) 'Using popcorn to scaffold more complex science concepts keeps students more engaged because it’s already something they’re familiar with,' says crop sciences professor Tony Studer. Teaching generations of students about outbreaks – with art Jan 26, 2023 12:45 pm 'The art show is a midpoint in a journey to revamp the health district’s Germ Busters program, which conducts outreach to K-8 students on a variety of infectious diseases.' Illinois overcomes double-digit halftime deficit to take down Minnesota Jan 29, 2024 8:00 am Illini Women's Basketball fought back from an 11-point halftime deficit to secure a comeback victory over Minnesota, 73-68, at State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon. Team effort lifts Illini Women's Basketball over Michigan State Jan 30, 2023 10:45 am 'We got back to our identity about finding ways to win, making plays when we had to, and showing some toughness when we had to,' said head coach Shauna Green. 'This was a much, much, much-needed win in response to the Purdue loss.' Paper: New law, regulations may diminish appeal of some retirement accounts Jan 30, 2023 9:45 am A new law and regulations affecting inherited retirement accounts could create hefty taxation issues for some beneficiaries, says Richard Kaplan, an expert on U.S. tax policy and retirement issues. No. 14 Fighting Illini pull away for win at Ohio State Jan 31, 2024 8:15 am Illinois pulled away in the second half to pick up a valuable road victory and take down Ohio State, 87-75, at Value City Arena on Tuesday night. The Illini return to action on Sunday evening, taking on Nebraska for the first time this season. Illini use big second half to roll past Nebraska, 72-56 Feb 1, 2023 8:30 am A strong Illinois defensive stand in the final minutes of the game kept Nebraska without a field goal for the last six minutes of action, and four Illini finished in double figures in the 16-point victory. Illinois secures a road win over Michigan Feb 1, 2024 8:15 pm Four Illini scorers finished in double figures to give Illinois a 77-64 road win over Michigan. Labor leader’s legacy extends beyond the movement to here on campus Feb 2, 2024 1:45 pm Over the course of Reuben Soderstrom's life, 1888-1970, the United States saw the most dramatic changes to how we work in our history—and he had a front-row seat. Multistate foodborne illness outbreaks impact restaurant stock price, public perception Feb 2, 2024 8:30 am Foodborne illness outbreaks spanning multiple states bring swift financial losses, increased media attention and a public-relations hit, says Maria Kalaitzandonakes, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics. Why are so many tall and supertall buildings being built? Feb 3, 2023 10:45 am Very tall buildings are attractive options in cities where land is at a premium, but they come with construction challenges, said University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign architecture professor Abbas Aminmansour. Illini Women's Basketball falls to Michigan, 74-57 Feb 3, 2023 9:15 am Illinois (17-6, 7-5) returns to State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon for its United as One Game as the Illini host Minnesota (9-13, 2-9) at 2 p.m. CT. NCSA joins NSF's new AI infrastructure initiative Feb 5, 2024 1:45 pm 'The advent of the NAIRR pilot will lead us toward a planned substantial investment in AI by the U.S. federal government when we reach the full NAIRR program in a couple of years,' said NCSA deputy director John Towns. Cook, McKenzie lead Illini to 69-62 victory over Minnesota Feb 6, 2023 9:45 am Illinois used a 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter to secure its 11th home victory of the season in a 69-62 win over Minnesota at State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon. 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. Two U of I faculty members elected to National Academy of Engineering Feb 8, 2024 10:00 am Electrical and computer engineering professor Kiruba Haran and mechanical science and engineering professor Taher Saif are newly elected members of the National Academy of Engineering. Navajo scholar’s Indigenous leadership research aids educators of Native students Feb 8, 2024 10:30 am Sometimes researchers discover something they weren’t looking for—something as valuable, perhaps even more so, than the original treasure they sought. Such is the case with Oliver Tapaha. Study tracks emerging contaminants from landfill to treatment plant to application Feb 8, 2024 10:45 am 'Once in landfills, the stuff moves into the leachate... We’re just moving them from one environmental compartment to the next without addressing the problem. We never get rid of them; we’re just shifting them back and forth.' Possible genetic basis found for severe nonalcoholic fatty liver disease Feb 9, 2023 2:45 pm A mutant or damaged gene may be a cause of a severe, mysterious form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that affects an estimated 25% of Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Geography, language dictate social media and popular website usage, study finds Feb 9, 2023 9:15 am Many of the same social media platforms and websites are popular around the world, but how people use them remains vastly different based on their languages and geography. Illini defense dominates in 69-60 win over Rutgers Feb 12, 2023 5:30 pm Illinois used a 19-0 second-half scoring run to defeat No. 24 Rutgers, 69-60, on Saturday afternoon. The Illini outscored the Scarlet Knights, 39-26, in the second half en route to the team's fourth win over an AP Top-25 opponent this season. White people more likely to confront authors of racist online posts to set discussion rules Feb 12, 2024 9:45 am 'If the objective is reframed from trying to change a transgressor’s deep-seated attitudes to a potentially more achievable goal (defining social norms)...participants’ willingness to confront others about racist content increases.' 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. Illini take care of business in dominant home win over Michigan Feb 14, 2024 8:00 am No. 14 Illinois trailed for only 10 seconds and completed the regular-season sweep over Michigan with a resounding 97-68 home win over the Wolverines at State Farm Center on Tuesday night. A new, more effective way to assess teachers’ competency Feb 15, 2023 2:45 pm Nancy Latham, director of the Council on Teacher Education at Illinois, coauthored a book that makes the credentialing system for teachers simpler and more trustworthy for those hiring them. As a bonus, it can be used in other industries, too. Project tracks how stories of racial violence spread, were reported Feb 15, 2023 8:30 am Professor Ryan Cordell is leading a project to examine how stories of racial violence circulated in late 19th century and early 20th century newspapers and how those stories relate to trends in contemporary social media. 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. Strong second half gives Illini resounding road win over Penn State Feb 16, 2024 10:30 am Five Illinois scorers finished in double figures as Illinois took down Penn State, 86-71, at Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday. The Illini secured their third conference road victory with four regular-season games to play. What's the importance of state scientists at U of I? Feb 16, 2024 11:30 am U of I's Prairie Research Institute provides a home to five state scientific surveys: the state Natural History Survey, Geological Survey, Water Survey, Sustainable Technology Center, and the State Archaeological Survey. Shannon named Big Ten Player of the Week Feb 19, 2024 3:15 pm Shannon earns the award after averaging 29.0 points on 54.8% shooting from the field, 40% from 3-point range, and 85.7% from the free throw line while leading the Illini to a home victory over Michigan and road win at Maryland. Illini run past Penn State for 20th win Feb 20, 2023 9:00 am Illinois Womens Basketball cruised to victory on Sunday afternoon, using 20-point outings from Kendall Bostic and Genesis Bryant to take down Penn State, 85-62, in front of a big State Farm Center crowd. Illini earns first ranked win of season in 20-point victory over Indiana Feb 20, 2024 11:00 am Leading for the final three quarters, all six Illini players who saw the court finished in double figures as the Orange and Blue improved to 7-8 in conference play with three regular-season games left on the schedule. What does the death of Aleksei Navalny mean for the future of opposition movements in Russia? Feb 20, 2024 1:15 pm Russian dissident Aleksei Navalny was able to unite activists and set the agenda for the anti-Putin movement. Now that he’s gone, the coalition he built might splinter, says Professor Richard Tempest. Illinois theatre production of 'Airness' follows journey of air guitarists Feb 21, 2024 4:30 pm A group of nerds playing air guitar competes in bars across the country, seeking the pinnacle of self-expression that the competitors call 'airness.' 'This play is crammed with rock and roll. The play is fast and funny and loud. It’s so much fun.' Illini falter late at Penn State Feb 22, 2024 8:15 am The Fighting Illini led by as many as 14, but the Nittany Lions scored the final eight points of the night in the Orange and Blue's fifth Big Ten loss of the season. Starving mosquitoes for science Feb 22, 2024 9:30 am Go Behind the Scenes with Illinois Natural History Survey medical entomologist Jiayue (Gabriel) Yan as he studies how nutrition influences mosquito infection with dengue virus. Insect Fear Film Festival celebrates 40 years of entertaining, educating about insects Feb 27, 2023 11:00 am The 2023 Insect Fear Film Festival celebrates 40 years of entertaining and educating people about insects and their close relatives. This year’s festival (March 4) features living fossil organisms. 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. Protecting genomic privacy through phone apps Mar 1, 2023 11:15 am Police are increasingly using genomic databases in their investigations. U of I faculty offer possible technological solutions, such as phone applications, that will ensure Fourth Amendment protections of consumer’s genomic data. Study compares third-trimester sound exposures in fetuses, premature infants Mar 1, 2023 11:15 am The analysis reveals profound differences in their exposures to noise, language and the biological sounds of the mother, with implications for the infants’ development, says study leader Brian Monson, a professor of Speech and Hearing Science. How Black American distance runners shaped the sport from the shadows Mar 1, 2024 11:15 am The world of competitive long-distance running took off in the 1970s. But stories of the sport’s Black architects and pioneers who laid its foundation have been largely untold for decades. Illini beat Michigan in double overtime thriller Mar 3, 2023 10:45 am As the Fighting Illini honored the contributions of Terrence Shannon Jr. and Matthew Mayer on Senior Night, the duo did what they have done all season in leading the Illini to a 91-87 double-overtime victory over Michigan. Cook's last-minute free throw clinches Illinois' Senior Day victory over Nebraska Mar 4, 2024 8:00 am The Fighting Illini held the Cornhuskers without a field goal for the final five minutes and scoreless for the final two-and-a-half minutes, as the hosts closed the contest on a 6-0 run en route to the one-point victory. Illini fall to the third-ranked Boilermakers at State Farm Center Mar 5, 2024 1:30 pm No. 12 Illinois led by as many as 10 in the first half, but it was not enough in the Fighting Illini's 77-71 loss to No. 3 Purdue at State Farm Center on Tuesday night. The Illini softball team's community service goes on the road Mar 5, 2024 8:00 am The Softball team had done plenty of service at home in C-U, but not right before a game. Would volunteering instead of practicing affect their performance on the road? The first time they tried it, they run-ruled Nebraska. Reimagining electron microscopy: Bringing high-end resolution to lower-cost microscopes Mar 6, 2024 10:00 am U of I researchers have shown for the first time that expensive aberration-corrected microscopes are no longer required to achieve record-breaking microscopic resolution.