blog posts

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  Why aren’t there mammals in super-vivid colors like there are birds and bugs?

  May 17, 2021 10:00 am

  Gizmodo (May 17) There are, says Illinois Professor Mark Hauber. 'These vary from the blue-red-yellow facial and anal regions of male mandrills to...the deep orange pelage of the golden lion tamarins and the algal-green fur of long-lived sloths.'

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  Congress considering adding work requirements to food stamps program

  May 21, 2018 12:30 pm

  'SNAP is this amazingly successful program, so...it would be great if we could talk about how to expand who is eligible' says Illinois professor Craig Gundersen

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  Love it or hate it, broccoli is touted as a superfood. And it’s about to get even more super.

  Jun 29, 2016 12:30 pm

  Journal Gazette and Times-Courier (June 28) - Consumption of phenolic compounds is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, asthma and several types of cancer.

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  Foods overlooked in the US may boost kids' brain power

  Jul 5, 2024 9:45 am

  Newsweek (July 2) 'No other studies have examined the association between soy isoflavones and attentional abilities using EEG...to record electrical activity generated by the brain,' says U. of I. student researcher Ajla Bristina.

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  How to make cities more livable? Selectively remove pavement

  Jul 8, 2021 11:30 am

  Next City (July 8) Professor Mary Pat McGuire writes that roads and parking lots take up about 30% of city surface. It pollutes waterways through rapid run-off, contributes to flooding, and raises temperatures through the urban heat island effect. 

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  Novel learning-based method to scoop up extraterrestrial terrain samples

  Jul 10, 2023 12:15 pm

  AZO Robotics (July 10) 'Rather than simulating how to scoop every possible type of rock or granular material, we created a new way for autonomous landers to learn how to scoop quickly on a new material it encounters,' says a U of I PhD candidate.

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  Attention naysayers: The data show Illinois' economy still growing

  Jul 17, 2023 11:15 am

  Daily Herald (July 16) The University of Illinois Flash Index – which tracks corporate earnings, consumer spending and personal income – has shown growth for 27 consecutive months. 

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  Heavy June rain brings late emergence of mosquitoes in Illinois

  Jul 20, 2021 11:15 am

  The Center Square (July 19) 'When you have a very heavy rainfall event like we have seen here in Illinois over the past couple of weeks, it’s not unusual that after that you would see large numbers of mosquitos,' says U of I's Chris Stone.

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  Everyone should have access to 'nutrient-dense' foods

  Jul 25, 2022 10:15 am

  The Pantagraph (July 22) - Even in farm country, people can lack access to nutrient-dense foods. They are especially necessary for people dealing with chronic illnesses, says Staci Coussens, an educator with U. of I. Extension. 

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  Illinois named one of top 20 universities most likely to land you a Silicon Valley job

  Jul 27, 2015 3:30 pm

  Jobvite, a recruiting platform, analyzed 7 million applications and 40,000 hires to determine the schools that had the most students hired by top companies in and around Silicon Valley. 

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  Illinois students help WHO build COVID-19 analytics tools

  Jul 31, 2020 12:30 pm

  EdScoop (July 30) 'We are matching students with skills on the technical side, data-science side, with WHO and health agencies that really need help responding to COVID,' says Ian Brooks, director of the U of I Center for Health Informatics.

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  Why opening grocery stores alone doesn't solve food deserts

  Aug 9, 2024 12:30 pm

  ProPublica (Aug. 9)  Illinois Extension economic development educator John Shadowens is part of the state-funded group surveying grocery stores across Illinois to identify their main obstacles to staying in business.

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  There are currently two parties making wheelchair racing gloves by using 3-D printers

  Aug 10, 2016 12:00 pm

  Lexington Herald-Leader (Aug. 9) One is the U. of I., a leader in wheelchair athletics whose business school has a 3-D printing lab for students. The other is the Jones family, which works out of the public library in Nicholasville, KY.

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  U of I prepares for monkeypox threat as students return to campus

  Aug 10, 2022 12:00 pm

  WFLD-TV (Aug. 9) 'We collect the samples in-house, but we don’t test in-house,' says Awais Vaid, the director of McKinley Health Center. 'It’s from an outsourced lab and the turnaround time is a couple of days.'

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  Should parents stock up on at-home COVID tests?

  Aug 18, 2021 10:00 am

  Slate (Aug. 17) U of I virologist Christopher Brooke says the OTC tests should be repeated. 'If someone takes two or three tests in the week after an exposure and remains negative, that is more convincing than if that person just takes a single test.'

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  Illinois professor in New York Times: Emmett Till death the first #BlackLivesMatter story

  Aug 31, 2015 1:15 pm

  In an interview published earlier this month, an Illinois professor, Christopher Benson, co-author of the 2003 book “Death of Innocence” about the case, made a more direct comparison: “Before Trayvon Martin, before Michael Brown, before Tamir Rice, there was Emmett Till. This was the first ‘Black Lives Matter’ story."

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  The future of higher education: What it means for students and educators

  Sep 15, 2022 11:30 am

  Forbes (Sept. 14) Gies College of Business Dean Jeffrey R. Brown: 'The idea that one can earn a degree at the age of 22 and be set for a career has become as antiquated as the pocket watch.'

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  Colleges forced to reckon with rising COVID-19 cases

  Sep 16, 2020 2:00 pm

  ABC News (Sept. 15) 'Because (U of I) had this very robust fast frequent testing, we literally saw (the rise in cases) as it was happening. And we saw those cases rising exactly where and we knew why, so we were able to make immediate corrective actions.' 

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  From novelty to necessity: How AI could open a world of accessibility for everyone

  Sep 17, 2024 9:30 am

  CNET (Sept. 12) Those with physical disabilities have the most to gain from speech technology, says Speech Accessibility Project lead Professor Mark Hasegawa-Johnson. 'Too often, those are the people for whom the technology doesn’t work.'

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  Deal averting railroad strike could still fall apart

  Sep 19, 2022 11:00 am

  The Hill (Sept. 18) U of I labor expert Robert Bruno predicts that a tentative deal to avert a national railroad workers strike will ultimately pass but with a "sizeable number of ‘no’ votes” because of sticking points around sick leave and assigned days off. 

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  IBHE approves U of I undergrad degree combining computer science, animal sciences

  Oct 1, 2019 10:00 am

  Agri News (Sept. 30) 'The way the industry is moving, our students need experience handling large datasets, bioinformatics, genomic information and data from remote sensors,' says Illinois' David Miller.

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  Donald Trump calls impeachment a coup. It's not.

  Oct 4, 2019 11:00 am

  PolitiFact (Oct. 3) Trump’s usage is 'ill-informed,' says Illinois political science professor Peter Nardulli. 'What is going on today in the United States is a constitutionally sanctioned process...' 

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  Can the next US president lower your grocery costs?

  Oct 14, 2024 11:00 am

  WMAQ-TV (Oct. 11) Inflation has cooled, yet grocery bills are still higher than they were prepandemic. 'Can politicians walk into office, flip a switch and lower food prices? No, that’s just not reality,' says U. of I. professor Jonathan Coppess.

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  Romanchuk wins Chicago Marathon as 3 Illini clinch Paralympic berths

  Oct 15, 2019 2:00 pm

  TeamUSA.org (Oct. 13) Daniel Romanchuk joined top U.S. women’s finishers Tatyana McFadden, Susannah Scaroni in earning their Paralympic berths for Tokyo. All are members of the Illinois wheelchair racing team.

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  Colleges are using sober dorms to combat alcohol and drug addiction

  Oct 16, 2017 12:30 pm

  Chicago Tribune (Oct. 13) The associate director of Illinois’ Counseling Center, says there are plans to set up a comprehensive recovery program in the next year or two

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  After three years of work, Illinois will dedicate the renovated State Farm Center on Nov. 29

  Oct 19, 2016 11:45 am

  The $170 million renovation began in March 2014, including the addition new locker rooms, new seating, air conditioning, a new sound system and scoreboard and new hospitality clubs.

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  Illinois has launched one of the least expensive online MBA programs yet

  Oct 21, 2016 11:45 am

  CNN (Oct. 20) At about one-third of the price for the U of I’s traditional, on-campus program, iMBA is among the cheapest online degrees among top MBA schools.  

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  Illinois’ most complained-about car insurance companies

  Oct 21, 2024 2:45 pm

  WBEZ-FM (Oct. 18) U of I Insurance researcher Lynne McChristian says nonstandard insurers, known for covering high-risk drivers, draw more complaints because of the 'churn' of customers seeking lower-cost policies to satisfy legal requirements.
   

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  Racial disparity in jobless aid grows as Congress stalls on COVID-19 stimulus

  Oct 22, 2020 2:00 pm

  USA Today (Oct. 22) 'For Black workers, it’s gotten worse as the pandemic has dragged on. They’ve been less likely to bounce back and find jobs than other groups,' says Eliza Forsythe, a labor economist and professor at Illinois.

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  How Reconstruction created American public education

  Nov 14, 2023 10:45 am

  The Atlantic (Nov. 13) 'At least 126 public schools in Louisiana overseen by the (Freedman's) Bureau faced closure from the combination of white terrorism, financial woes and incompetence,' U of I Professor James D. Anderson says. 

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  Illinois now second largest producer of computer science graduates in the U.S.

  Nov 17, 2017 2:45 pm

  ChicagoInno (Nov. 12) Tech employers have plenty of fresh talent to choose from, as the number of local STEM graduates, and computer science grads specifically, is skyrocketing

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  Do you overspend at the holidays? Your smartphone may be to blame

  Nov 19, 2019 11:30 am

  USA Today (Nov. 19) A study co-written by Illinois professor Yuqian Xu finds consumers end up spending more because they tend to buy more frequently when using mobile apps.

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  Illinois historian Jimena Canales writes about Albert Einstein's love of sci-fi

  Nov 23, 2015 2:00 pm

  The New Yorker (Nov. 20) - The (science fiction) authors had a profound influence on how the physicist’s ideas about the universe came to be popularized.

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  Scientists create artificial blood that delivers oxygen to tissues in the body

  Dec 5, 2016 12:30 pm

  UPI (Dec. 4) Researchers at Illinois and Washington University have created an artificial red blood cell that effectively picks up oxygen in the lungs and delivers it to tissues throughout the body.  

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  In 1997, two apps were in the process of taking over the internet. Both had roots at Illinois

  Dec 7, 2017 1:00 pm

  Motherboard (Dec. 6) One of those applications, Netscape, became a bedrock of how we surf the web. The other, Eudora, put a graphical twist on email

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  How the first piece of AI music was born at U of I in 1956

  Dec 7, 2021 10:00 am

  The Guardian (Dec. 7) U. of I. chemistry professor Lejaren Hiller premiered a concert recital composed by a computer and became an overnight celebrity. Hiller became an overnight celebrity, appearing in Time and Newsweek magazines. 

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  Illinois student, founder of FlipWord, a finalist of the College Elevator Pitch Competition

  Dec 9, 2015 11:30 am

  Chicago Tribune (Dec. 9) - The competition, produced by youth entrepreneurship program Future Founders, had two rounds, one with 24 semifinalists and a final round with the top six pitches.

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  Huge discovery: 'Booster' gene makes plants and trees grow 200 percent taller

  Dec 11, 2024 4:45 pm

  Earth.com (Dec. 10) U. of I. scientists have identified a booster gene in a poplar species that can help some plants grow exponentially taller and produce more plant matter.

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  Chicago to fund a passenger rail line extension to the Far South Side

  Dec 19, 2022 11:45 am

  WTTW-TV (Dec. 16)  'The red line extension…would actually generate new business development, commercial development, which would begin to circulate those dollars within the community,' says urban planning professor Lou Turner.

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  Agave is an increasingly popular substitute for honey and sugar. But is it healthy?

  Dec 19, 2023 8:45 am

  USA Today (Dec. 15)  A report from the U of I College of ACES notes that agave is 1.5 times sweeter than even table sugar, so it takes less of it to achieve the same level of sweetness as other sweeteners. 

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  Los Angeles Zoo euthanized herd of Nubian ibex infected with incurable strain of herpes

  Dec 22, 2017 1:30 pm

  Los Angeles Times (Dec. 21) Illinois Vet Med professor Jennifer Langan says the disease, usually found in underdeveloped nations, is rarely seen in the U.S,

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  Limited agreement easing trade restrictions with China seems like great news for farmers

  Dec 23, 2019 12:15 pm

  Some are still worried that ag exports will suffer for years. 'History suggests that once you break an important relationship trade wise like this, it is very difficult to fully recover your market share,' says Illinois' Scott Irwin.

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  Minimum wage rising in 26 states. That's important to many older people

  Jan 5, 2021 4:15 pm

  AARP (Washington, D.C., Jan. 5) Professor Mark Borgschulte's study of data from 1983 to 2016 found that higher minimum wages increased earnings and may have encouraged some people ages 62 to 70 to keep working. 

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  An Illinois zoo lost a snow leopard to COVID. Could your cat get it?

  Jan 11, 2022 10:45 am

  WGN Radio (Jan. 10) With big cats carrying and now dying from COVID-19, some worry about how pet cats might fare. RU. of I. veterinary pathologist Dr. Karen Terio talks about the chances that house cats can catch COVID. 

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  What is a 'passive house' in sustainable building design?

  Jan 11, 2024 9:15 am

  Green Building & Design Magazine (Jan. 9) 'Superinsulation' is a staple of passive house construction. The term was coined in 1976 by U of I professor Wayne Schick to describe insulation with a very high R-value.

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  Illinois' commercialized TerraSentia robot gathers data under crop canopy

  Jan 12, 2018 2:15 pm

  Agri news (Jan. 10) 'Since most of the important events on a field start under the canopy, we created (this) robot to help capture the actual actionable information rapidly and effectively'

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  U of I's saliva-based COVID-19 testing started at Milliken University this week

  Jan 12, 2021 10:45 am

  Herald & Review (Jan. 12) 'The difference with the saliva test is, it's much less invasive (than a nasal swab)...and the results are available in between six and 12 hours, which is a fast turnaround,' said administrator Raphaella Prange. It's also less costly.

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  Study: Exxon Mobil accurately predicted warming since 1970s

  Jan 13, 2023 9:45 am

  The Associated Press (Jan. 12) Working with Exxon scientists in the 1980s, 'It was clear that Exxon Mobil knew what was going on,' says U of I climate expert Don Wuebbles. But, 'at the same time they were paying people to put out misinformation.'

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  Following U. of I’s coronavirus-testing success, other universities adopting its protocol

  Jan 19, 2021 10:00 am

  Chicago Sun-Times (Jan. 18) 'Zero hospitalizations, no deaths, thank goodness, and kept classes open, research open and businesses open, so we were really happy with the way it all played out,' says Illinois Professor Martin Burke

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  A post-holiday COVID-19 surge? Not yet, but experts still wary

  Jan 20, 2021 2:00 pm

  Chicago Tribune (Jan. 18) 'Holiday spikes are important, but what keeps me up at night is a different question: Did holiday socializing spread the (new strain)?” says Illinois professor Nigel Goldenfeld