Illinois Featured Content

Nebraska Public Media (July 21) Insects might find themselves out of sync with plants they rely on, says U of I's May Berenbaum. 'If you’re an insect with one host plant and you emerge when the leaves are no longer edible, you’re out of luck.'

For Coleman Hawkins, Fighting Illini power forward, family is at the heart of everything. To really know him, you have to know his family.

WGN-TV (Nov. 21) New research from the U. of I. may help doctors do a better job of detecting concussions. U. of I. medical student Annabelle Shaffer discusses the new study.

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.

New York Times (April 15) The average American household has a fixed rate mortgage that’s a whopping three points lower than new mortgage rates. 'You could think of your locked-in rate as an asset that you own,' says U of I professor Julia Fonseca.

Cameron Jones, a major in the U.S. Air Force, is originally from Savanna, Illinois. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2012 and a master’s degree in 2018.

'I think this strike will last much longer than three months. In 1988, the writers were on strike for nearly 22 weeks. This time, they're striking over job-killing issues, such as the use of artificial intelligence in generating creative works.' 

Horror films dominate Netflix queues right now. English professor Jim Hansen spoke about why we love horror. He says it’s because horror films let us 'choose the shape of our fears and then to face up to those fears.'

Forbes (April 2) The U. of I. System hopes to increase transfer rates from community colleges to its universities. The program will provide eligible students with academic coaching, financial assistance and career advice as they transfer to the U. of I.

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. 

The Microbiologist (Jan. 6) That’s why researchers at U. of I.'s National Center for Supercomputing Applications are developing ways to map the microbiome to help create personalized nutrition plans for individuals. 

Duck Choo Oh’s Homecoming coronation in 1955 symbolized the blossoming of an international era for the University of Illinois. The seeds of that growth started nearly five decades earlier with President Edmund Janes James (1904–20).

For the first time in program history, the U. of I. men's golf team will host an NCAA postseason tournament as of one of six NCAA Regional sites from May 12-14 at Atkins Golf Club.

Illinois women's basketball has re-entered the national rankings, coming in at No. 25 in the AP Top-25 poll. On an eight-game winning streak, the Fighting Illini hold a 21-5 record overall,11-4 in Big Ten play. 

The Midwest played a key role in incubating and expanding the ideas of political activist Marcus Garvey, not only in the U.S., but globally,  Professor Erik McDuffie writes in his new book.

WTVO-TV (Dec. 19) 'The risk to humans is incredibly small... from the dairy products that we’ve consumed from stores,' Professor Jim Drackley says. 'I'd always recommend that people don’t consume raw milk ... the virus could still be there.'

According to Winton Solberg, a renowned historian of the university, it took our faculty two and a half years to prepare our exhibit, 'which consisted of nine freight carloads...and occupied eight thousand square feet in the Illinois State Building.' 

The New York Times (March 2) U of I anthropology professor Laura Shackelford said her team's discoveries raised the possibility that Denisovans and modern humans coexisted and interacted for tens of thousands of years. 

Eight more Illini stars have been elected to the Athletics Hall of Fame. This is the eighth Hall of Fame class and includes one coach and representatives from basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, and fencing. 

'If you want to find all the cancer, imaging one biomarker is not enough. It could miss some tumors. If you introduce a second or a third biomarker, the likelihood of removing all cancer cells increases,' says Professor Viktor Gruev.

Chicago Tribune (June 26) 'They are now using E15 fuel, which has lower emissions.... But, at the end of the day, (race cars) are still having a very low efficiency. So there’s no way around that,' says atmospheric sciences professor Nicole Riemer.

We have a whole week of activities planned to welcome new students to the campus and to the Illinois family. Check the schule of events here.

L.A. Times (Dec. 7) The Mexican League fully integrated pro baseball. It 'meant that you see each other as equals,' says U of I's Adrian Burgos. 'You share the locker room, the dugout space. It is a different dimension.'

Smithsonian Magazine (May 31) Longer growing seasons can be problematic, says Christopher Evans, a U of I forest ecologist. 'The birds don’t have the food sources at the right time, or the pollinators that may pollinate these plants aren’t out yet.'

'Readers will find a healthy variety of subjects and genres, and we even have a bonus of short story collections, a format we are always thrilled to see thrive,' says editor Kate Quealy-Gainer. 

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.

The New York Times (Jan. 29) Trump’s science adviser during his first term was U. of I. professor of climate sciences Kelvin Droegemeier. The president’s current nominee, Michael Kratsios, does not hold degrees in science or engineering.
 

Illinois' premier pregame tailgating location will once again be open with a full slate of entertainment planned for the season. 

The list recognizes research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence – reflected through their publication of multiple papers frequently cited by their peers during the last decade.  

National Geographic (March 14) Some Americans plan to sauté some of this year’s double cicada brood. Cicadas are edible, according to U. of I. Extension. People eat them alongside other bugs – such as silkworms, locusts and crickets – worldwide. 

Electrical and computer engineering professor emeritus Tamer Başar, materials science and engineering professor David Cahill and physics professor Vidya Madhavan – have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

A new framework for studying the intersection of climate anomalies and social conflicts finds a strong link between temperature fluctuations and aggregated global conflicts, says Gies College of Business professor Ujjal Kumar Mukherjee.

Today (April 21)  Prebiotics and probiotics aren’t the same. U. of I. professor Kelly Swanson says prebiotics help support overall health and may have a number of benefits when consumed at a sufficient dose. 

Shannon is a major addition to the 2023-24 Illini lineup. He averaged 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals in his inaugural season in Champaign, earning first-team All-Big Ten accolades. 

An increasing number of states are proposing anti-transgender bills aimed at issues affecting children. They will lead to more legislation limiting the rights of transgender adults as well, says Professor Toby Beauchamp.

Events throughout the week include a student dinner on the Quad, the Global Talent Show, Saturday Night Live: Homecoming Edition in downtown Champaign,  two concerts at State Farm Center and - of course - football on Saturday.

The Illini open the spring schedule with a match against DePaul on March 8. First serve from Huff Hall is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT. Admission is free. 

Five U of I professors have been named University Scholars in recognition of their excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. The award is presented by the University of Illinois System to faculty members from the Chicago, Springfield and Urbana universities. 

Murray, and his colleagues won for their series 'Poisoned,' an exposé of highly toxic hazards inside Florida’s only battery recycling plant that forced the implementation of safety measures to protect workers and nearby residents.

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.

Illinois wrestler Lucas Byrd has been selected to wrestle in the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic on November 22 in Austin, Texas. 'This group is the elite of the elite in college wrestling,' said Illini head coach Mike Poeta. 

'(Edmond) Ruth is really starting to cement himself as a national title threat. Him becoming the first Big Ten champion for us since (now-assistant coach for the Illini) Isaiah Martinez is truly incredible,' said head coach Mike Poeta.

The National Security Education Program selects students to add international and language components to their education by studying overseas in world regions critical to U.S. interests.

Professor Yang Wang and doctoral student Yaman Yu examined teens’ use of generative AI and found parents had little understanding of how their children used it and that GAI platforms offer insufficient safety protections.

Chicago Sun-Times (Dec. 14) 'What these results demonstrate is how inconsequential Illinois has become, by drawing a House of Representatives map to guarantee that certain party candidates will win,' writes Professor Sheldon Jacobson.

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.

The New York Times (March 20) 'I have not experienced, across 46 years of higher education, a period where there’s been this much distance' between the agendas of university leaders and Washington, says U. of I. chancellor Robert Jones. 

Popular Mechanics (March 21) U of I Astronomer Brian Fields discovered remnants of a kilonova - the collision of two neutron stars - believed to have happened relatively close to Earth about 10 million years ago. 

Fighting Illini Athletics is set to host Spring Sports Fest from April 12-14, featuring 11 home events across four sports - Track & Field, Softball, Baseball, and Women's Tennis.

These pinwheel-shaped structures self-assemble from nanoparticles and exhibit a characteristic called chirality – one of nature’s strategies to build complexity into structures at all scales, from molecules to galaxies.