News Bureau

A recent racially motivated incident aimed at U. of I. minority students is a reminder that racism continues to be a serious societal problem.

The Scholarly Commons of the University Library and the Graduate College are partnering to host The Image of Research, a competition celebrating the diversity and breadth of graduate student research at the U. of I.

Two senate committees are suggesting changes to the university's new criminal background check policy, though a resolution to be presented to senators Dec. 7 calls for the policy to be scrapped altogether.

Olga Maslova is a new assistant professor of theatre in the College of Fine and Applied Arts

The U. of I. Flash Index reversed a three-month trend in November and climbed to 106.1. The index measures economic activity in Illinois and shows that the state continues to slowly recover from the Great Recession, which technically ended more than six years ago.

A new University of Illinois study reveals that distracted dining may be as dangerous to your health as distracted driving is to your safety on the highway.

A trio of decorated trees greets visitors to Krannert Center for the Performing Arts near the entry to the Colwell Playhouse. Upcoming holiday events at Krannert Center include performances Dec. 3-6 of “The Nutcracker,” presented by the Champaign Urbana Ballet and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra; “Sinfonia da Camera: Messiah and Mozart” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5; the “Annual Carol Concert” at 3 p.m. Dec. 6; and the “Winter Festival With Ginger and Spice, Harp Duo” at 4:10 p.m. Dec. 6.

Several dozen University of Illinois students of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban and regional planning are working with Danville, Illinois, city officials to look at how the city could develop the riverfront as a public space connected to its downtown.

A series of video and audio projects by University of Illinois students examines how those students feel about racism, sexism and wealth inequality.

A Minute With...™ Julie Turnock, a professor of media and cinema studies

Members of the University Statutes and Senate Procedures Committee will refine language on proposed rules changes aimed at more clearly delineating the lines of authority for hiring tenure system faculty members. 

A film screening and discussion of “This Changes Everything” will be at 5 p.m. Dec. 9 in Room 319 Gregory Hall.

KoFusion will open its doors in the Illini Union food court in late January, following the return of students from winter break. It will occupy the space next to Sbarro. This will be KoFusion’s third Champaign-Urbana location.

First Street northbound between Peabody Drive and Gregory Drive is closed for repairs and will reopen on Nov. 30, weather permitting.

The Baroque Artists of Champaign Urbana will perform a Messiah sing-along at 4 p.m. Nov. 29 at the First Baptist Church at Savoy, 1602 S. Prospect Avenue, Savoy.

Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities is accepting proposals for the 2016-17 IPRH fellowship year, which has announced the theme of “Publics.” The deadline for proposals is Dec. 4.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members. 

A ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 19 commemorated the campus’ Solar Farm being connected to the university’s electrical distribution system a week earlier. The farm is expected to produce 7.86 million killowatt-hours per year or approximately 2 percent of the average electrical demand for the Urbana campus.

Kevin Leicht is a new professor and the head of the department of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

A Minute With...™ U. of I. physicist Stuart Shapiro

The enormous, solitary leatherback sea turtle spends most of its long life at sea. After hatching and dispersing across the world’s oceans, only the female leatherbacks return to their natal beaches to lay clutches of eggs in the sand. A new study offers fresh insights into their nesting choices and will help efforts to prevent the extinction of this globally endangered giant of the sea, researchers said.

Six researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

U. of I. student Leah Matchett, of Grand Haven, Michigan, is one of more than 30 students from the United States selected as Marshall Scholars for postgraduate study at a university in the United Kingdom.

The entrance of Santa Claus at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushers in the holiday season. And this year, the Marching Illini will be ushering in Santa Claus.

A new study co-written by Madhu Khanna, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics at Illinois, found that harvesting wood pellets in the U.S. and exporting them to the EU was more environmentally friendly than burning coal in the EU to generate electricity.

U. of I. President Tim Killeen made a stop at the Urbana campus Nov. 18 during his three-campus town hall tour, engaging constituents and asking them to contribute to the 5- to 10-year university Strategic Plan.

Children in poverty from chaotic homes have better cognitive, social and behavioral outcomes if they spent 35 or more hours weekly in child care.

Ginger Passalacqua works hard to make sure area veterinarians are getting the information they need to help make animals healthier and happier.

A graphic illustration of academic and civil service retirement by the numbers, from 2009 to 2015.

John Erdman, a professor emeritus of food science and human nutrition and a part-time faculty member in the Bioacoustics Research Laboratory at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, will present the next Beckman Institute Director’s Seminar at noon Dec. 3. 

The Indian Graduate Students Association sponsored Diwali on the Quad on Nov. 13 as the kickoff for the celebration of the traditional Hindu “festival of lights.”

Mats Selen, professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been named Outstanding Doctoral and Research Universities Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

A report on honors, awards, appointments and other outstanding achievements of faculty and staff members. 

Rachel Magee is a new assistant professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

A Minute With...™ Michael LeRoy, immigration law expert 

A Minute With...™ Peter Nardulli, political scientist

A meta-analysis of dozens of studies of traditional Chinese medicine and other nonpharmacological interventions meant to improve patients’ quality of life affirms that these approaches, on the whole, help alleviate depression, fatigue, pain, anxiety, insomnia and gastrointestinal problems in Chinese cancer patients.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the second top destination for international students attending public universities in the United States, according to the annual Open Doors report, released Nov. 16 by the Institute of International Education. The report ranks Illinois as second in the nation for international students in 2014-15 (fifth when accounting for private schools) and ninth for students participating in study abroad programs in 2013-14. According to the report, there are more international students studying in the U.S. today than at any time in history.

Resource scarcity translates into enhanced consumer creativity, according to new research co-written by business professor Ravi Mehta.

All groundbreaking, earth-changing, multidisciplinary research has something in common: a starting point.

Research from U. of I. labor professor Ryan Lamare found that a legislator’s past experience with labor unions is associated with an increase in voting for union-supported issues.

According to U. of I. President Tim Killeen, the U. of I. is at "risk of deterioration" unless the state finds a budget solution soon.

A Minute With...™ Michael T. Braun, expert on family communications

Tim Nugent, who died Wednesday at the age of 92 in Urbana, Illinois, was a visionary who changed the world for people with disabilities. Starting with a small program at the University of Illinois a few years after World War II – but for years with little support, and often outright opposition – Nugent sought to change both the opportunities for people with disabilities and public attitudes about them.

The settlement agreement between the University of Illinois and Steven Salaita was approved by the U. of I. Board of Trustees at its Nov. 12 meeting in Chicago.

Cadet Lt. Col. Erin O’Neil, the cadet battalion commander, stands at attention in front of a formation of cadets gathered during the U. of I.'s Tri-Service ROTC Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 11 at the indoor track of the Armory building.

New degree programs in the College of Education will focus on the research and design of digital learning and teaching technologies and their applications across a range of disciplines. The college is rolling out its first major for students not aspiring to become licensed teachers, an emerging trend in education colleges.

Faculty and staff members, students and other stakeholders are invited to the Strategic Plan town hall meeting from 3-5 p.m. Nov. 18 in the auditorium of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.