News Bureau

University of Illinois labor professor Emily E. LB. Twarog is the recipient of a 2019 Frederick Burkhardt Fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies. The award will fund the research and writing of her second book, “Hands Off: The History of Sexual Harassment Resistance in the Service Sector, 1935-2018.”

The Midwest has a new national park at Indiana Dunes, and a University of Illinois professor explains how it happened and why the park is valuable.

Paul D. Bermingham ... William “Bill” G. Dean ... Arthur J. Harper ... Lois Ann Allhands Harpst

An arctic outbreak in late January led to widespread bitterly cold temperatures across much of the Upper Midwest, including Illinois. On the morning of Jan. 31, the cooperative weather observer at Mount Carroll in Carroll County reported a temperature of -38 degrees.  

Brazilian music educator and scholar Juliana Cantarelli Vita presents a lecture and recital on Afro-Brazilian percussion genres, Saturday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana.

The fourth annual Illini Success report documents the exceptional success of graduates from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s undergraduate programs in securing a “first destination” within six months of graduation.

David P. Gushee, a professor of Christian ethics and the director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia, will deliver the annual Marjorie Hall Thulin Lecture in Religion on Wednesday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m., in Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana.

Since at least 1906, South Asian students have attended the University of Illinois. In a talk scheduled for March 21 at 5 p.m. at Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, archivist Salvatore V. De Sando will highlight some of the first South Asian students, early South Asian student-organized events on campus and early South Asian student organizations. This presentation is based on original archival research, and historic campus photos will be featured to bring the story to life.

In March, the New York-based Mark Morris Dance Group returns to its Midwest home at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Over the course of its one-week residency, the company will conduct public engagement work with the Champaign, Urbana and U. of I. community and present two ticketed performances of “Pepperland.”

February was particularly cold and stormy in Illinois, with an almost constant succession of storms resulting in moderate snow accumulations for the northern counties and persistent rain events and widespread flooding for the far southern counties.

The preliminary average statewide precipitation was 3.33 inches, which is 1.27 inches above the long-term average, according to Brian Kerschner, a spokesperson for the Illinois State Climatologist Office at the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois. 

Illinois alumnus and philanthropist Larry Gies will serve as the May 11 campuswide commencement speaker. Gies is the founder and CEO of Madison Industries, an international manufacturing company that is one of the largest privately held companies in the world.

Paul A. Boatman ... Marcel Franciscono

Temperatures may be on the rise, but many motorists and pedestrians remain focused on the ground as they attempt to navigate safely around the many potholes that develop this time of year. Industrial and enterprise systems engineering professor Henrique M. Reis spoke with Illinois News Bureau physical sciences editor Lois Yoksoulian about how potholes form and if there are any potential solutions.

Illinois Theatre continues its 2018-19 season with “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Simon Stephens. Adapted from Mark Haddon’s award-winning novel of the same name, the play follows Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old on the autism spectrum, as he explores the meanings of family and forgiveness while investigating the death of his neighbor’s dog. The play is told through Christopher’s eyes and the company has worked with The Autism Project to tell this story in a way that is truthful to families who experience life with autism spectrum disorder.

On Saturday, March 9, at 1 p.m.,  Illinois Theatre will offer a sensory-friendly performancefor adult and young adult audience members (and their families) who are on the autism spectrum or who otherwise need a less intense sensory experience. Through modifications of the lighting, sound and media designs, theperformance is intended as a safe and welcoming opportunity for adults and young adults with autism and their supporters.

The relaxed, sensory-friendly environment may also work well for those who have other chronic issues, may not be able to sit for long periods of time, or simply enjoy a more casual performance experience. “Social Story”booklets will be available in advance to help audience members know what to expect during their visit to Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and during the play itself. Audiences are invited to bring comfort items (fidget toys, blankets, etc.) with them and to use a “safe space” area outside of the theater as needed, where a live video feed of the performance will be available.

The production contains the graphic depiction of an animal’s death, which may not be suitable for all viewers. The play is based on Haddon’s young adult novel and is most appropriate for audiences age 14 and up.

Tickets are $10 and available through the Krannert Center Ticket Office, at KrannertCenter.com, or by calling 217-333-6280.

Performances without the sensory-friendly modifications run from Thursday, Feb. 28 to Sunday, March 10.

Lois B. Guiher

“’Before the sun is set ...’: Imagining Granada between light and lines,” an exhibition of works on paper by architect Jose Vazquez representing the architecture, landscape and city of historic Granada, Spain, begins Monday, March 4, at 5:30 p.m. in Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, 611 E. Lorado Taft Drive in Champaign.

The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music will screen two silent films with new scores by composer Renee Baker in recognition of Black History Month.

Electrical and computer engineering professor Haitham Al-Hassanieh and chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Diwakar Shukla are recipients of this year's Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. According to the foundation, the awards "honor early career scholars whose achievements mark them as among the most promising researchers in their fields."

The 2019 Insect Fear Film Festival at the University of Illinois features termites – a threat to all things wooden but also a valuable part of the ecosystem.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fourteenth Biennial Black Sacred Music Symposium Concert begins Sunday, March 10, at 5 p.m. in the Foellinger Great Hall at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana.

“Making Mr. Darcy,” an exhibit at the Illinois Rare Book and Manuscript Library, looks at the environment in which Jane Austen created her literary gentlemen.

Roberta A. May ... James (Jim) P. Warfield

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is among the U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2018-19 Fulbright U.S. Student Awards, as announced recently by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Top-producing institutions are highlighted annually in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Indian paintings depicting Hindu epics, royal portraits and stories of love can be seen at Krannert Art Museum’s “From Hand to Hand” exhibition, opening Feb. 28.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is taking part in a three-year institutional program to enhance faculty recruitment, hiring and retention practices in STEM fields at public research universities. The National Science Foundation-funded Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty promotes inclusive teaching practices and diversity.

Last month, the Midwest experienced record-breaking cold temperatures and many are wondering how, when the climate is experiencing an unprecedented warming trend, we can still experience such frigid cold. News Bureau physical sciences editor Lois Yoksoulian asked University of Illinois atmospheric sciences professor Don Wuebbles to explain.

E-cigarettes carry mixed messages about benefit and risk, but they’re relatively untested products with uncertain long-term health outcomes, says an Illinois professor who has studied health communication issues around vaping.

A post-World War II romance is the first film announced for this year’s “Ebertfest,” coming April 10-13 to downtown Champaign and the U. of I. The film will be shown in memory of its co-star, Scott Wilson, a frequent past festival guest. Organizers also announced an added role in this year’s festival for film critic Richard Roeper.

James W. “Jim” Chapman ... Willeta Mae Hassell Donaldson ... Elizabeth Fumiko Fujioka Easley ... Barclay George Jones ... Margaret “Eileen” Lyons ... Shirley Ann Perkins

Faculty members selected for endowed chairs deemed to be among the most distinguished honors on campus are Matthew Finkin, a professor of law; Jiawei Han, a professor of computer science; and Nancy Sottos, a professor of materials science and engineering.

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and the School of Music at Illinois are exploring the diversity of today’s contemporary music scene during the months of February and March.

Dance faculty and alumni will present new work in February Dance to celebrate the dance department's 50th anniversary.

University of Illinois Librarian and Dean of Libraries John Wilkin is being honored for his innovation in library technology, including online publishing and providing access to digital content.

Illinois political scientist Damarys Canache discusses the history and politics behind the crisis of two presidents in Venezuela.

January 2019 will be a month remembered by an unseasonably warm start, followed by a torrent of winter storms and ending with a monumental Arctic air outbreak that shattered many record-cold temperatures across the state.

In the first 10 days of January, the statewide average temperature was 9 to 14 degrees above normal, according to Brian Kerschner, spokesperson for the Illinois State Climatologist Office, part of the Illinois State Water Survey at the U. of I. The highest temperature recorded for the month was 66 degrees, which occurred at two stations: one in Pulaski County on Jan. 2 and one in Jersey County on Jan. 8.

University of Illinois professor Mara Wade has been awarded an international research prize for her work on emblems and the culture of Nuremberg, Germany.

University Primary School, the laboratory school of the College of Education at Illinois, is enrolling students in preschool to fifth grade and is holding an open house for the communityon Saturday, Feb. 16, any time between 10 a.m.-noon.

Wanda Elliott ... Norma Yvonne (Creekmur) Jackson

Chancellor Robert Jones and Provost Andreas Cangellaris unveiled “The Next 150,” a five-year strategic plan for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, on Feb. 1. The full text of the plan is now online at strategicplan.illinois.edu.

Illinois has been experiencing some of its coldest weather in decades and, in some locations, ever.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cooperative weather observer at Mount Carroll in northeastern Illinois reported a temperature of -38 degrees on the morning of Jan. 31.

Krannert Art Museum recently purchased a painting by University of Illinois alumna Louise Fishman that will be part of an exhibition of 20th century paintings at the museum.

Chancellor Robert Jones and Provost Andreas Cangellaris are inviting campus and community members to the launch of “The Next 150,” the 2018-23 strategic plan for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Edward J. Armbrust ... Paul P. Bernard ... Richard “Don” Donald Brown ... Charles “Chuck” D. Elmer ... Barbara Ann Phillips ... Marilyn G. Vizek

Eric Minor, a University of Illinois alumnus with more than two decades of experience in corporate brand marketing, will become the university’s first-ever chief marketing officer effective Jan. 31 pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

An Illinois professor looks at presidential speechmaking through one of its more-eloquent practitioners, John F. Kennedy.

World War II French Jewish spy Marthe Cohn will speak in Krannert Center’s Great Hall at 6 p.m. Feb. 13.

The Chancellor’s Commission on Native Imagery: Healing and Reconciliation is seeking input from the community to help the campus move forward on the matter of the permanently retired symbol Chief Illiniwek.

The School of Chemical Sciences at Illinois is hosting a celebration of diversity in the fields of chemical sciences and chemical engineering with two public events Feb. 5.

The American Chemical Society will designate a national historic chemical landmark for St. Elmo Brady, the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry in the United States, earning it in 1916 at the University of Illinois.

Danny L. Elam ... Randall Joseph Lutz ... Glenn Gregory Simpson ... Kent Thompson

In recognition of its innovation and leadership in climate action, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the recipient of Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Award for four-year institutions.