News Bureau

At a noon event on Monday, May 7, at the Alma Mater statue, University of Illinois administrators will discuss their participation in the upcoming Illini 4000 annual cross-country fundraising ride and receive bicycle gear from experienced riders.

The statewide average temperature in April was 44.7 degrees, 7.9 degrees below normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois. It was the second-coldest April on record, dating back to 1895, and beaten only by 43.1 degrees set in April 1907.

Scott E. Denmark, a professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest professional honors a scientist can receive. Denmark is one of 84 new members and 21 foreign associates recognized for distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

The Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees invites all departments and units to identify and nominate individuals who have made substantial contributions to their respective academic disciplines for an honorary degree award. Information regarding the nomination procedure and criteria for honorary degree award nominations can be found on the Senate website.

The public is invited to a May 1 event designed to continue the momentum from an April 10 group conversation on Native imagery. The gathering will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. in the South Lounge of the Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Siebel Center for Design will take place Tuesday, April 24 at 2 p.m. on a site located on Fourth Street between Gregory Drive and Peabody Drive, Champaign.

Colder weather led to cooler than normal soil temperatures during the first half of April in Illinois, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring Program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

News media attending the April 17 Chancellor’s Critical Conversations event will be allowed to record content from the session.

News reporters interested in covering the sixth annual Day of Caring meal packaging event Saturday, April 14, are encouraged to go to Memorial Stadium between 10 a.m. and noon.

On Thursday, April 19 at 4 p.m., Spurlock Museum of World Cultures at Illinois presents the talk “University of Illinois Wheelchair Athletics: A Tradition of Excellence.” Adam Bleakney, the head coachof men's and women's track, field and racing, and Stephanie Wheeler, the head coach of women’s basketball, will discuss the program’s roots, its legacy and its continuing leadership and success in wheelchair sports. 

The University of Illinois has received a three-year, $1 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to continue funding for the Sloan University Center of Exemplary Mentoring at Illinois. The program, started in 2015, supports underrepresented minority doctoral students in science, technology, engineering and math fields and is one of nine UCEMs throughout the country.

Who was Robert Allerton, the creator of the English-style country house, grounds and sculpture park in central Illinois? Author Maureen Holtz will share insights about the life and estates of Allerton, called “Chicago’s Richest Bachelor” by the Chicago Tribune in 1906. The event is Thursday, May 17, at Spurlock Museum of World Cultures at Illinois, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana. Allerton’s Monticello, Illinois, estate, now owned by the U. of I., is listed as one of the state’s Seven Wonders, and his Kauai, Hawaii, estate, Lawai-Kai, is now a botanical garden.

This year’s “Ebertfest” will close with a performance by Native American artist Pura Fe following its final film, “Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World.”

Political reporting in the Trump era will be the subject of a panel discussion April 12 featuring the Washington Post’s Dan Balz and columnist Roger Simon.

University of Illinois professor of geography Jesse Ribot has been awarded a 2018 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.

Illini Emergency Medical Services, a program of the Illinois Fire Service Institute at Illinois, will be honored by the Congressional Fire Services Institute and Masimo, a medical device manufacturer, for excellence in emergency medical services. IEMS will receive the 2018 Excellence in Fire Service-based Emergency Medical Services Award at the 30th annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner on April 19 in Washington, D.C.

A new, automated system that allows flyers to pay for parking with credit cards has replaced the parking booth at the University of Illinois Willard Airport. Customers who wish to pay with cash may pay for parking inside the terminal.

The statewide average precipitation for February-March was 8.69 inches, which made it the fourth-wettest February-March on record, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

“Interstellar” in 70mm coming to 20th annual “Ebertfest,” as well as documentary on the role of American Indians in rock music.

“The Big Lebowski” is coming to the 20th annual “Ebertfest,” along with the man who inspired the movie’s central character, “The Dude,” as a guest.

Spurlock Museum of World Cultures invites visitors of all ages to the 12th annual WorldFest celebration on Sunday, April 8, from 1-4 p.m. Experience performing arts from around the world and hands-on crafts. Admission is free. The museum is located at 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana. Parking is free in lot D-22 in non-reserved spaces. 

Have you wondered how to preserve an old film of family memories or take proper care of grandma’s quilt? Bring your small items or come with images of larger pieces to the Preservation Emporium at Spurlock Museum of World Cultures at Illinois on Saturday, April 7, from 1-4 p.m., and have your preservation questions answered by experts.

Cooler, drier weather has led to declining soil temperatures and moisture levels, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring Program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

Native Pop, an organization that brings American Indian pop art and art making to widespread venues and communities, will present a weekend of events March 30-31 titled “Native Pop Presents: Strong Women: Reclaiming Imagery.” The events feature MaryBeth Nelson (Cherokee), Serena Penaloza (Navajo and Maricopa) and Brent Learned (Cheyenne-Arapaho), who will bring their art, insight and skills to a variety of programs.

Illini Emergency Medical Services, a student program under the Illinois Fire Service Institute, received national recognition recently when the U. of I. was awarded the designation of a HEARTSafe Campus. IEMS accepted the award Feb. 24 at the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation Awards Reception in Philadelphia. 

The 20th Ebert Film Festival will open with "The Fugitive" and feature Ava DuVernay, the director of the Oscar-nominated "Selma" and "The 13th," among its guests.

Illinois’ milder winter soil temperatures may have an impact on pest populations, according to researchers at the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

Overall, soil temperatures were milder than normal, according to Jennie Atkins with the Illinois State Water Survey’s Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring Program. At depths of 4 inches under bare soil, temperatures averaged 35.2 degrees this winter, or 1.4 degrees above the long-term average. Soils averaged 1.8 degrees cooler than last winter. 

Krannert Art Museum at the U. of I. has published a multiauthored catalogue in conjunction with the exhibition “World on the Horizon: Swahili Arts Across the Indian Ocean.”

On view at the museum, located at Sixth Street and Peabody Drive in Champaign, until March 24, “World on the Horizon” will travel to the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., in May and then to Fowler Museum at UCLA in October.

Spurlock Museum of World Cultures at Illinois invites faculty, staff and graduate students to attend an open house on specialized research and learning opportunities on Thursday, March 8, from 3-6 p.m. The museum welcomes proposals for collaborative exhibitions, research projects and public programs. The event highlights opportunities for using the museum’s collection of more than 50,000 objects from six continents for classes and outreach.

Spurlock Museum of World Cultures at Illinois will hold its annual Winter Tales concert, a celebration of American Indian storytelling, on Sunday, March 4, from 1-2:15 p.m. The featured storyteller is SleepyEye LaFromboise of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota and Tonawanda Seneca tribes. This family concert is free and no advanced reservations are required.

The University YMCA announces the Friday Forum lecture series “Art + Activism: Transforming Silence into Action.” The series begins Feb. 16 with Ricardo Levins Morales’   discussion of how art can be used to address personal and historical trauma, challenge common beliefs, assist in building alliances and contribute to culture change.

The university’s Solar Farm resumed full electricity production Jan. 25 after repairs to the site’s three inverters were completed. Inverters change direct current to alternating current to prepare energy for delivery to the campus electrical grid. The installation went offline Oct. 29 after a malfunction of the array’s electrical system.

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts has announced a five-year, $30 million fundraising initiative.

January in Illinois was colder and drier than normal without much snow, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey at Illinois.

The exhibit “Cahokia’s Religion: The Art of Red Goddesses, Black Drink and the Underworld” is on display at the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures at Illinois. Created in cooperation with the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, the exhibit features objects from the ancient city of Cahokia, which was located near what is now Collinsville, Illinois, as well as objects from surrounding areas.

The University YMCA’s Art at the Y initiative presents “Seeds of Resistance,” featuring works by artist Ricardo Levins Morales, from Jan. 25 to March 2 at Murphy Gallery, 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign. The display is a selection of Morales’ work for social justice and liberation. Admission is free and the display is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Audiology Clinic at Illinois is offering free adult hearing screenings Jan. 23 through April 27. Appointments may be scheduled by calling 217-333-2230. No scheduling is available by email.

University Primary School’s preschool to fifth-grade classrooms are now accepting enrollment applications for the 2018-19 academic year. University Primary School is the U. of I. College of Education’s lab school. The curriculum is meaningful, engaging and project-based. For more information, visit the school website or call 217-333-3996. University Primary School is located on campus at 51 Gerty Drive, Champaign, in the Children's Research Center. Children must be 3 years old on or before Sept. 1 to enroll in the preschool classroom and 5 years old on or before Sept. 1 to enroll in kindergarten.

"Stoking the Flames of Passionate Teaching" will be the theme for the Illinois New Teacher Collaborative's Winter Leadership Summit on Jan. 26.

2017 was the sixth-warmest year on record in Illinois, with a statewide average temperature of 54.3 degrees, or 2 degrees above normal, in spite of the extremely cold ending to December.

Eight of the 12 months in 2017 brought above-normal temperatures, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois. The state experienced the warmest February on record with a statewide average of 41 degrees, 10.1 degrees above normal.

More than $44 million in student funding will go toward modernizing teaching and learning environments that will benefit the Illinois campus, Facilities and Services announced. Capital improvement projects were selected and approved by the Academic Facilities Maintenance Fund Assessment Oversight Committee and are in development. 

Illinois experienced wide temperature swings in November, with colder-than-normal temperatures canceling out the warmer-than normal days. By month’s end, November was slightly cooler than average in Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

The Dads Association at the U. of I.  named Christopher Thilmany of Schaumburg, Illinois, King Dad 2017 during the annual Dads Weekend on Nov. 11. Thilmany was recognized on the field during the football game with Indiana University. He was nominated by his daughter Gabriella Welch, a sophomore studying public policy and law.

Japan House will hold its annual Mottainai Holiday Bazaar this weekend. The bazaar will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at Japan House, 2000 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.

Mottainai is a Japanese word meaning “what a waste” or “don't waste” and is a treasured Japanese concept.

On Nov. 14, the International and Area Studies Library at Illinois hosted a ceremony to celebrate a new Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies. The center was established through a memorandum of understanding between Illinois and the National Central Library of Taiwan

Soil temperatures were above normal in mid-November, according to Jennie Atkins, the Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring Program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

Several faculty musicians from the School of Music will perform a concert this weekend with donations going to help victims of natural disasters in Mexico and Puerto Rico. The concert is 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, 309 W. Green St., Urbana.

Spurlock Museum of World Cultures and the Illinois Alumni Association will present “Music at Illinois,” a special program on popular music written especially for or about the university. The free program will be presented by retired Alumni Association Vice President Joe Rank at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, at Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Drive, Urbana.

In 2018, the University of Illinois Press will mark its 100th anniversary with numerous events in Champaign-Urbana, Chicago and Springfield. A founding member of the Association of American University Presses in 1937, the UIP has published more than 4,500 books in its first century.

 The statewide average precipitation in Illinois for October was 4.94 inches, 1.70 inches above normal, and the 10th-wettest October since 1895, said Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.