blog posts In search of ‘white birds in a nest’ Jul 24, 2018 8:00 am Our willingness to tromp through swamps and brambles is fueled by the hope of catching a glimpse of “white birds in a nest” (Macbridea alba) in bloom Shachi Mittal's moment of inspiration Aug 3, 2021 9:00 am Heading to the University of Washington for her first professorship, the former Beckman Institute Postdoctoral Fellow reflects on her eight-year research career and pinpoints her own 'moment of inspiration.' Interested in Illinois? Come visit us! Sep 11, 2017 2:00 pm There are several opportunities for you to visit the Illinois campus, sit in on a class, and tour Housing facilities Weighing bears, corralling otters and healing wild beasts Sep 30, 2019 2:00 pm How do you weigh a fully grown American black bear? These veterinary medicine students know the answer, and it's a bit more complicated than just saying, 'very carefully.' Illinois students collaborate on emergency call simulation Oct 8, 2019 4:30 pm Students from the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, UIC College of Nursing (Urbana campus), the School of Social Work and College of Applied Health Sciences collaborate on a 911 call simulation. Ebertfest provides behind-the-scenes access to students Dec 11, 2019 10:30 am 'The involvement of the college’s inspired students is great for Ebertfest, but it also gives those students that do get involved an experience that few other schools can match,' says Ebertfest coordinator Andrew Hall. Final day for free phone carols Dec 13, 2018 5:45 am For one week only, anyone from anywhere can call us round the clock and request any holiday tune, and we'll do our best to sing it over the phone. For free. Watch: College of Media students created this holiday video Dec 21, 2018 12:15 pm A Media and Cinema Studies class of 15 students plus five independent study students did everything from drawing storyboards to shooting video, directing to post-production Our summer spent saving turtles Jan 29, 2018 1:45 pm Last summer, two rising second-year veterinary students traded blue lab coats and lecture halls in Urbana for chest-high waders and wetlands in Lake County in northeast Illinois Illini Solar Car exhibits 'Calypso' at Chicago Auto Show Feb 16, 2024 4:45 pm Started in 2014, Illini Solar Car has been designing, building, and racing some of America's best solar cars. Calypso is the third generation solar-electric vehicle from Illini Solar Car - the lightest and most efficient car yet. The launching of the blizzard balloons Feb 18, 2022 9:15 am Two graduate students were tasked with launching weather balloons in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in the midst of a Nor’easter that was delivering 60 mph winds and 20 inches of snow to the region to help NASA research snowstorms. Interested in Illinois? Attend a campus summer program! Mar 1, 2017 3:45 pm Considering Illinois for your college education? Explore Illinois this summer through these programs Illini Success Report shows recent grad accomplishments Mar 5, 2019 8:30 am Illinois Bachelor’s degree recipients continue to experience exceptional success in securing a 'first destination' – a job, enrollment in graduate school or a volunteer position – within six months I-Ready online camp for college-bound students with autism Apr 11, 2022 3:30 pm 'This camp gives students a more concrete idea of what college is like and helps them and their parents prepare and decide if a competitive university is right for them,' says Autism Program director Jeanne Kramer. Snake Road Sojourn Apr 19, 2017 9:15 am Illinois Natural History Survey conservation biologist Mark Davis hopes treks to see snakes, frogs, salamanders and other creatures in the wild will instill in his students a commitment to work for conservation. Illinois students receive Critical Language Scholarships Apr 28, 2022 8:45 am The U.S. Department of State program provides full scholarships to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to spend eight to 10 weeks abroad, with an expectation that they'll use their language skills in their future careers. U of I to host virtual summer camp for high schoolers diagnosed with autism May 5, 2021 12:45 pm Illinois high school students who were diagnosed with autism and are considering attending the U of I can explore college life and hear the experiences of current students in a new virtual summer camp called I Ready. Carle Illinois College of Medicine student speaks to international meeting of Nobel laureates Jun 15, 2023 10:00 am CI MED student Christian Guerrero-Juarez was chosen to present his work at the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany. The meeting helps young scientists interact with the world’s foremost scientists. Waiting for the sun to set to find a rare bird Jun 30, 2022 10:00 am Each night, we perform checks of Whip-Poor-Will nests to record development of eggs and chicks, as well as instances of predation or failure. Nests are at risk on the ground, but a few broods hatch and reach fledging age, when they begin to fly. A busy two weeks in Brazil for this Vet Med student Jul 12, 2017 1:00 pm Once I stepped off the plane in Curitiba and entered my host family’s car, Brazilian culture surrounded me…and it was beautiful. Two undergrads improve plant carbon-cycle models Jul 24, 2017 10:30 am Researchers found that plants vary a lot in the efficiency with which they uptake carbon dioxide and conserve water Students use TikTok to learn about biomechanics in virtual summer camps Aug 13, 2020 1:15 pm Researchers developed a virtual summer camp that gave about 500 high school students across the U.S. the opportunity to sample 12 engineering disciplines. Adjusting to these 'ever-changing times' Nov 25, 2020 10:15 am 'My training in this lab makes me more conscious of the proper ways to deal with infectious biological material, an invaluable benefit during COVID-19.' The short story behind a novel career Dec 11, 2023 1:15 pm 'I learned a lot with (my professors), particularly how to write weekly even when I didn’t have anything immediately that I wanted to say...' Phillip Williams said. 'But because they saw something in my work, I only grew from there.' Grad student's turbine research finds clarity in the fog Dec 16, 2019 8:45 am '...I found myself traveling through a wind farm. It was a lucky coincidence: A thick mist lay on the horizon and, thanks to the fog, I could see the turbulence fields each turbine generated in its wake.' Landscape Architecture society recognizes students' efforts on urban flooding Dec 17, 2019 10:30 am Illinois students from a variety of disciplines developed a comprehensive urban stormwater redesign for a 300-acre neighborhood in Calumet City, Illinois, a suburb southeast of Chicago. Carle Illinois' first ever Make-a-thon: Conceiving the 'health mirror' Dec 19, 2018 11:00 am Participants spent a day brainstorming solutions to a simple question: 'What if healthy living was as simple as looking in a mirror?' CI MED student elected national delegate to prestigious medical education group Jan 23, 2024 12:00 pm Alexa Lauinger has been elected to represent medical students nationwide on policies affecting diversity and mentorship within medical education through the American Association of Medical Colleges. U of I online social work degree programs address diversity needs Feb 8, 2023 4:00 pm U of I has online bachelor and masters of social work degree programs for community college transfer students. 'This is another way to reach some of the communities and prospective students ... and in turn, increase access to social work services.' Robotic arm gives architecture students more fabrication options Mar 15, 2017 3:30 pm The School of Architecture has a new fabrication tool for students to use in building objects they’ve designed. Building a traditional Japanese boat Apr 6, 2022 3:30 pm Japan House offered a Japanese boatbuilding apprenticeship, where students worked with boatbuilding expert Douglas Brooks to build a traditional riverboat in six days. Undergraduate Research Week, April 15 - 21 Apr 14, 2018 8:00 am A celebration of student innovation and excellence Undergraduate Research Week, April 26-May 1 Apr 19, 2021 8:45 am Undergraduate Research Week showcases the best of undergraduate research and creative inquiry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A celebration of student innovation and excellence at Illinois Apr 22, 2024 8:15 am Campus events include workshops on getting started in research, special exhibits, and colloquia sponsored by individual departments, programs, and units, highlighting the best of our students’ work. #ILLINOIS2020 Outstanding Graduates: Emma Taylor May 8, 2020 2:15 pm Emma Taylor’s introduction to the jazz program at the University of Illinois came through a jam session at the Iron Post, a downtown Urbana live music venue. Searching for an ancient Maya pilgrimage path: Fire and water Jul 30, 2017 4:15 pm You can't just walk to the edge of the Mayan underworld. You have to beat a path to it. U of I student named Young Innovator of the Year for gynecological cancer innovation Oct 4, 2023 10:45 am A Carle Illinois College of Medicine student was named Young Innovator of the Year for her presentation on a new way to detect human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer with a simple test that provides results within 15 minutes. Foellinger Auditorium: Lecture hall by day, concert hall by night Nov 3, 2023 5:00 pm For the legions of Illinois alumni who’ve attended concerts at Foellinger—shoulder-to-shoulder, hot, sweaty, their ears ringing from the terrible acoustics—there’s always one show that’s burned into their memory. The challenges, triumphs of a Deaf physics grad student Nov 26, 2019 8:15 am The exhilaration of performing cutting-edge research was accompanied by a sobering discovery: the lack of a common language model for scientific discourse in sign language was going to be a greater challenge than he’d anticipated. C-U resident benefits from ‘perfect’ Mechanical Science & Engineering student project Dec 12, 2019 9:15 am The 'gait trainer' project team designed and modified a walker-like device for the course, and then presented it to client Jasmine Brown, a single mother of two who has cerebral palsy. Classics course uses Greek tragedies to provide war insights Dec 20, 2019 10:15 am Classics professor Angeliki Tzanetou and her students explored issues of war and trauma through Greek tragedies and learned how the themes presented in the ancient dramas are connected to present-day crises. U of I students bring volunteer force to Special Olympics’ 'Medfest' Jan 17, 2024 12:45 pm 'Thinking back to when I was at the U. of I., I wish I would’ve done stuff like this. They drove up two hours to spend the day with us—the athletes loved them,' said Melissa Garritano, senior director of Special Olympics in the Chicagoland area. History class organizes to fight hunger Apr 4, 2017 9:00 am It started as Leslie Reagan taught her United States history class about the Great Depression and the New Deal. “A third of the country was out of work, and people were starving.” Two decades of student investment in campus sustainability Apr 19, 2023 11:30 am In 2003, U of I students approved a 'Cleaner Energy Technologies Fee' of $2 per semester. Its overwhelming approval marked one of the first times a university’s student body financially committed to funding renewable energy sources. U of I named a top Peace Corps volunteer producer Apr 29, 2024 10:45 am Matt Coughlin, the campus Peace Corps recruiter, thinks that Illinois students are poised to be good volunteers. 'There is a commitment to serving others instilled in U. of. I. students.' Bad-science busters shift keen minds to COVID-19 May 13, 2020 10:45 am As the class went online, they carefully waded into the maelstrom surrounding COVID-19, weighing the science-based merits of each claim and counterclaim. To date, they’ve examined almost a dozen COVID-19-related issues. Where the wild turkeys aren’t May 19, 2017 8:45 am Wild turkeys are not endangered or dying out, but environmental officials want to know how forest management may be tailored to increase turkey populations and harvest. Beckman Institute Research Image Contest winners May 28, 2021 10:45 am 'Every year, I’m amazed at the quality of both the research being conducted, and the beautiful images that result,' said Beckman Institute Director Jeff Moore. This year’s contest included a special category on COVID-19-related research. Lessons learned from starting a teaching career in a pandemic Jun 2, 2021 9:30 am 2020 Elementary Education graduates began their teaching careers during this most unusual, pandemic-affected school year. Six spoke with Lynn Burdick, ElEd program coordinator about the ups and downs of their first-year experience. Searching for turtles in a sea of grass Jun 5, 2018 10:30 am To survey local Ornate Turtles, one has to find them. Turtle tracking dogs help a lot.