News Bureau

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - H. Edward Seidel, the senior vice president of research and innovation at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Moscow, has been named the director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, pending approval of the U. of I. Board of Trustees.

Professor, teach thyself. That message will provide the foundation for a series of workshops being led by 2013-14 Distinguished Teacher-Scholar Amy Woods and sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the new Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning.

The U. of I. has awarded access to the Blue Waters supercomputer - which is capable of performing quadrillions of calculations every second and of working with quadrillions of bytes of data - to 22 campus research teams.

The U. of I. will receive $16 million to fund a center focused on extreme-scale computing to predict how plasmas could be used to control combustion. The research may pave the way for cleaner-burning combustors and more reliable and higher performance jet engines.

Getting a clearer focus on the academic future of Illinois' Urbana campus is now a mouse click away as a result of the recent release of the final report on the Visioning Future Excellence initiative.

Service members often jokingly say that military intelligence is an oxymoron.

Don't expect to find a lot of books at the Undergraduate Library's new Media Commons area.

U. of I. Extension, the sponsor of a new federally funded program teaching small-scale farmers to think bigger, is starting to see the fruits of its labor - figuratively speaking.

The Summer Reading series returns to Inside Illinois. Franne Davis, the assistant director of general books at the Illini Union Bookstore, takes a look at trends in summer reading and book publishing, and offers a few personal recommendations.

Shakespeare had it right, of course: The course of true love never has run smooth. But with the publication of "The Developmental Course of Romantic Relationships," people who are baffled by love and its mysteries have a new source of wisdom.

At a May 22 special meeting, the Senate Executive Committee approved a resolution that supports Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise's stated goal of permanently dropping Chief Illiniwek and adopting a new campus symbol.

Until the U. of I. astronomy department's 117-year-old telescope is returned to full working order, Mars will just have to sit in mid-retrograde.

A university committee has recommended against adopting the Common Application for admissions on the Urbana and Springfield campuses.

While walking on campus is unavoidable, the Wellness Center is hoping to make the process more beneficial and more enjoyable with its online iWalk Toolkit. The toolkit is frequently updated, with two new walking routes and several resources added recently.

The Benefit Choice period for U. of I. employees continues through May 31. During this time, employees may make changes to their insurance coverage, such as selecting a new health plan or adding or dropping dependent coverage.

At the May 13 Senate Executive Committee meeting, Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise said that she will not support the recent efforts to revive Chief Illiniwek as the school symbol.

You couldn't swing a sheepskin during commencement weekend without hitting some likeness of the Alma Mater sculpture, currently on sabbatical at a Chicago-area conservatory.

The era of judging a book by its cover won't end anytime soon thanks to a new high-tech book-making machine being used at the Illini Union Bookstore.

Dean Carlson, the food and beverage director at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts for nearly a decade, found his "inner foodie" almost by accident.

Five years ago, with a Fulbright Fellowship funding his summer study in Malta, U. of I. architecture professor Mir Ali agreed to assist the Malta Environmental and Planning Authority and the University of Malta in determining whether more skyscrapers should be built in the tiny island nation. As one of the most densely populated countries in the world, Malta consists of a group of islands, the largest of which is the "rock" just off the toe of Italy. The Republic of Malta's government had received close to 50 proposals from developers wanting to build high-rise office buildings, hotels and condominiums.

Lately a lot of attention has been paid to campus efforts to revolutionize undergraduate education and recruit and attract faculty members from outside the university.

"Be ready to move!"

Champaign is looking forward to participating in the Ready to Respond Campus pilot program," said Lt. Todd Short, of the U. of I. Police Department. "We are strong advocates of this initiative and are encouraged by the number of higher education institutions in Illinois who are also participating. This program will undoubtedly help campuses throughout Illinois respond more effectively during emergency situations."

Babette Hiles, who has led the planning of U. of I. commencement ceremonies for 19 years, doesn't lose sleep worrying about sputtering microphones or collapsing stages.

Roy H. Campbell, a professor of computer science, will serve a one-year term as the Senate Executive Committee chairman following an online election held April 16-19.

Based on current information from the state department of Central Management Services, U. of I. employees will pay more in employee and dependent health insurance premiums, out-of-pocket maximums, copayments, deductibles, co-insurance and other health care costs, beginning July. The deductible for the dental plan and copays for the vision plan also have increased.

The small animal emergency service at the U. of I. Veterinary Teaching Hospital is one of nine U.S. veterinary hospitals and clinics to be provisionally designated as a Veterinary Trauma Center by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.

Nearly 1,100 volunteers helped make and deliver more than 81,000 meals for the Eastern Illinois Foodbank during the area's April 20 Day of Service event.

Much like the vehicles repaired each day at the Facilities and Services garage, Shawn Patterson, garage foreman, is wired to keep moving forward.

U. of I. President Bob Easter has joined 14 other state university presidents in endorsing an alternative pension plan for employees within the State Universities Retirement System.

You can't win the game if you don't show up for it.

The Senate Executive Committee is forming a subcommittee to consider a new online communications system designed to allow senators to voice their opinions virtually while maintaining compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

A record 43 students have been offered Graduate Research Fellowships by the National Science Foundation to pursue graduate studies at the U. of I. Another 38 Illinois students were accorded Honorable Mention.

Champaign County.

The seating at Beckman Institute Café is open and inviting, with skylights providing comforting sunshine for anyone sitting down to eat.

In just its first full year of operation, the publish.illinois.edu website service has led to the creation of more than 700 new campus websites - and the number keeps rising.

Vigilance is the most powerful weapon employees wield in thwarting the recent spate of "phishing" emails targeting U. of I. computers, say leaders at Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services.

Cooperation isn't the Committee on Institutional Cooperation's middle name, but it should be, says Susanne Garrison, the officer manager for the CIC's Center for Library Initiatives.

Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise told trustees March 7 that campus officials are reviewing all institutional practices to ensure diversity is getting the attention it deserves.

Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise told Senate Executive Committee leaders at their March 11 meeting that she soon would be announcing specific initiatives to promote diversity on campus.

The Graduate School of Library and Information Science and the department of civil engineering were ranked first in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report graduate program rankings released March 12.

Pressures on the university's budget will only increase in the coming year, Walter Knorr, the U. of I. vice president and chief financial officer, said at the March 7 U. of I. Board of Trustees meeting in Urbana.

Engineer and education advocate Norman Augustine is next in the Chancellor's speaker series, "The Research University in the World of the Future," and will speak at 4 p.m. April 2 in the Beckman Institute auditorium. A reception will follow in the atrium.

If your office has ever had a window replaced or new carpet installed, four-year U. of I. employee Jerry Dinnin likely had a hand in it.

The university's renewed emphasis on offering undergraduate students more research opportunities was highlighted Feb. 22 at the annual Faculty Retreat on Teaching and Learning at the Illini Union. The event was organized by the Center for Teaching Excellence and co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Online and Continuing Education.

The data-collection stage of the Visioning Future Excellence initiative has ended and leaders are nearly ready to report their findings.

For the students sitting in the back row of Foellinger Auditorium, history professor Mark Micale feels your pain.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Because deterioration to the Alma Mater sculpture is more extensive than an initial inspection of the exterior indicated, the restoration of the 5-ton bronze statue is going to cost more and take longer.

New frontiers have never frightened Juliet Youngren, who has worked in the Undergraduate Admissions Office since being hired at the U. of I. 13 years ago.

Champaign have added restrictions during Unofficial St. Patrick's Day to restrict alcohol purchase, keep underage drinkers away and minimize over-consumption.