News Bureau

Schools are not adjusting their pay scales in strategic ways to make their compensation more competitive with nearby school districts and help recruit new faculty members, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign education policy professor Paul M. Bruno found in a recent study.

Engineers have found a way to eliminate the fluid flow “dead zones” that plague the types of electrodes used for battery-based seawater desalination. The new technique uses a physics-based tapered flow channel design within electrodes that moves fluids quickly and efficiently, with energy consumption that can potentially become less than reverse-osmosis techniques currently require.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor Kristin Hoganson has been awarded a 2024 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor Robert Morrissey and members of the Miami and Peoria Nations traveled to a Paris museum to reconnect the tribes with 300-year-old ceremonial robes.

A new study overcomes a key challenge to switching commercial aircraft in the U.S. from their near-total reliance on fossil fuels to more sustainable aviation fuels. The study details a cost-effective method for producing ethylbenzene — an additive that improves the functional characteristics of sustainable aviation fuels — from polystyrene, a hard plastic used in many consumer goods.

Physical neglect can be as damaging to children’s social development as abuse and have lasting impact on their ability to form friendships and romantic relationships throughout their lives, according to a recent study led by U. of I. sociology professor Christina Kamis. 

The bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act means some retirees will receive a modest increase in their monthly checks, says Richard L. Kaplan, an internationally recognized expert on U.S. tax policy, elder law and retirement issues and the Guy Raymond Jones Chair in Law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The American Veterinary Medical Association has issued recommendations for keeping pets and backyard flocks safe from highly pathogenic avian influenza, and the recommendations are also a useful guide for humans. In an interview with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates, Stephany Lewis, a professor of zoological medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and director of the University of Illinois Wildlife Medical Clinic, explains the risks of HPAI to pets and people.

An East Coast dockworkers strike during the presidential transition could snarl supply chains and lead to another spike in inflation, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor issues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

A new gene editing tool that helps cellular machinery skip parts of genes responsible for diseases has been applied to reduce formation of amyloid-beta plaque precursors in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report.

A large crane is parked on the north side of Altgeld Hall on this sunny and mild mid-December morning. The arm of the crane that extends far above the scaffolding surrounding Altgeld’s bell tower lowers a cable into the top of the tower. Minutes later, the crane lifts one of the iconic bells out of the top of the tower.

A new system architecture for e-commerce platforms excels in predicting future product ratings, flagging potentially dubious products, said Anton Ivanov, a professor of business administration at Illinois.

Notre-Dame’s restoration represents what is significant about its architecture that makes it meaningful to people, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign architecture professor Kathryn Holliday.

In a new report, scientists with the Illinois State Archaeological Survey describe how increased flooding, erosion and other effects of human-induced climate change are degrading many of the state’s cultural sites. ISAS research archaeologist Andrew White, a co-author of the report, spoke with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about the scope of the problem.

The Midwest played a crucial role in the growth of Black freedom movements in the 20th century, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign African American studies and history professor Erik S. McDuffie in his new book.

Deciding in advance what one’s boundaries will be — and whether to discuss political issues at all — can be helpful prior to attending holiday gatherings that may bring together people who have vastly different views, said communication professor Emily Van Duyn. 

Illinois researchers have found evidence indicating that chloroplasts may have originated as energy-generating organelles and only later evolved to support carbon assimilation in plant cells.

What is being billed as the most exciting phase of a space manufacturing project called Mission Illinois is set to kick off this month. The project is currently gearing up to send a specialized construction apparatus to the International Space Station for demonstration of space-based or on-orbit manufacturing during the summer of 2026. The mission is backed by four and a half years of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-funded research in space materials, manufacturing and structural design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Preliminary data suggests that U.S. drug-overdose deaths declined more than 16% between June 2023 and June 2024, the biggest drop in a decade marked by staggering increases. U. of I. health and kinesiology professor Rachel Hoopsick, an epidemiologist who studies mental health challenges and substance use in populations at risk, describes the many factors to consider when evaluating recent drug-overdose trends.

President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a promise of eliminating birthright citizenship on his first day back in office. But birthright citizenship was enacted as part of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and no president has the authority to eliminate or modify a constitutional amendment, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in immigration law and labor issues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Mental health interventions provided through digital media to 445 displaced youths living in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, showed promise at broadening care to this high-risk, difficult-to-reach population, a new study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers found.

More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults provide unpaid care to another individual. Caregivers to loved ones with aging, disability or health concerns face challenges within the healthcare system and in their personal lives, but policy and culture changes can help, said Mina Raj, a professor of health and kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

A tiny, four-fingered “hand” folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report. Dubbed the NanoGripper, the nanorobotic hand also could be programmed to interact with other viruses or to recognize cell surface markers for targeted drug delivery, such as for cancer treatment. 

Brilliant white male characters in TV shows and movies are more realistic than those played by Black actors or white women, even when they depict real people, some viewers said in a new study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign communication professor Matea Mustafaj.

Were the results of the presidential election a “change” election or a fundamental realignment of the electoral map? Although President-elect Donald Trump made inroads with some demographics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign political science professor Brian Gaines says he’s “not confident that those swings reflect enduring changes of party loyalty rather than short-term candidate effects.”

Illinois scientists find that most of the microplastics and the "forever chemicals" known as PFAS cycle through landfills and wastewater treatment plants and end up back in the environment.

The University of Illinois Extension just released a 10-year strategic plan that commits to serving the state by focusing on food and agriculture as well as the economic, community, environmental and health sectors through partnerships, discovery, technology and workforce excellence. In an interview with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates, Illinois Extension director Shelly Nickols-Richardson explains how one of the largest Cooperative Extension Systems in the nation tackles so many issues at once.

A group of students is gathered around a table in the basement of the Campus Instructional Facility at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, looking at boxes filled with beetles, walking sticks, spiders, dragonflies and other insects.

The students are searching for inspiration for what creatures might look like on a swampy alien planet. They are designing the characters and environment for a Concept Art for Video Games class offered through Illinois Informatics and taught by Michael Curtin, the innovation coordinator for campus information technology and a former video game industry artist.

Outbreaks of foodborne pathogens, such as the E. coli linked to fast-food hamburgers in several states, expose vulnerabilities in the food supply chain but also present opportunities to learn new prevention strategies, said Matt Stasiewicz, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study is the first to describe an electrochemical strategy to capture, concentrate and destroy mixtures of diverse chemicals known as PFAS — including the increasingly prevalent ultra-short-chain PFAS — from water in a single process. This new development is poised to address the growing industrial problem of contamination with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, particularly in semiconductor manufacturing.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor Marc Hertzman examined the longest-lasting society formed by people who escaped slavery and their descendants in Brazil and how its memory shapes concepts of Black resistance and national identity today in his new book, “After Palmares: Diaspora, Inheritance, and the Afterlives of Zumbi.”

The new book "Crisis by Design: Emergency Powers and Colonial Legality in Puerto Rico," by U. of I. sociology professor and College of Law affiliate Jose Atiles explores Puerto Rico's struggles with colonialism, corruption and various crises.

Go Behind the Scenes with U. of I. Pollinatarium educator Lesley Deem and beekeeper Nathan Beach as they move honey bees from their glass-fronted summer observation hive to a warmer winter hive.

Materials scientists can now use insight from a very common mineral and well-established earthquake and avalanche statistics to quantify how hostile environmental interactions may impact the degradation and failure of materials used for advanced solar panels, geological carbon sequestration and infrastructure such as buildings, roads and bridges.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor of gender and women’s studies Mimi Thi Nguyen explores the relationship between beauty and crisis, and how examining beauty can point to the social and political conditions necessary for a good life. Her new book is “The Promise of Beauty.”

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor Melita Garza is a journalism historian who studies news as an agent of democracy. News Bureau editor Lois Yoksoulian discussed the history and future of presidential endorsements with Garza in light of recent nonendorsement decisions within some news organizations. 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign political science students navigate ways to defuse and open dialogue in a polarized political environment as part of the Richard G. and Carole J. Cline Symposium “Bridging Political Differences in a Polarized World” held Oct. 24 at the Illini Union Ballroom.

Millions of Americans suffer from chronic pain and its emotional burdens. Feeling heard and emotionally supported by doctors during consultations dispels patients’ uncertainty, instilling hope and self-efficacy, U. of I. professor Charee Thompson found in a new study.

No matter which candidate wins the presidential election, there’s a strong case to keep existing sanctions on Russia in place, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign adjunct law professor Taisa Markus.

I stand at the edge of an archaeological excavation, watching in disbelief as students dig up the remnants of a structure I helped build 22 years ago as an undergraduate student in an experimental archaeology course. This structure was modeled on one recovered from a true archaeological site I helped excavate in 1999 — a log-and-thatch dwelling dating back 900 years from a Mississippian mound site near present-day St. Louis. This site is associated with the nearby UNESCO World Heritage site known as Cahokia.

Eliminating the U.S. Department of Education might not be cataclysmic, but other changes on the Project 2025 agenda could have profound implications for public schools and their students, said Paul Bruno, a professor of education policy, organization and leadership at the U. of I.

Thin, stretchy skin — like that of a pig or human — significantly lessens the underlying damage that occurs when it’s punctured. Pig skin even outperforms synthetic materials that are designed to mimic skin, a new study finds. Its special qualities, in particular its ability to dissipate the energy of a puncturing object, greatly reduce the damage to deeper tissues, researchers report.

New research led by Bo Zhang, a professor of labor and employment relations and of psychology at Illinois, points to a better way of helping researchers and employers identify the differences in how people respond to personality tests.

A new mouse model mimicking the liver symptoms of myotonic dystrophy type 1 — the most prevalent form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy — provides insight into why patients develop fatty liver disease and display hypersensitivity to medications, making treatment difficult. The new model opens avenues for screening new medications for liver toxicity prior to patient trials, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers said.

A team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed a framework for youth participatory action research projects that integrates young participants into all facets of these projects, enriching their learning experience and the potential impact of their work.

It’s a blazingly sunny September Saturday afternoon at Riggs Beer Company, a family-friendly brewery located on the edge of Urbana. It’s not surprising to see crowds of families basking in the dog days of summer with their food truck lunches and locally brewed pints of beer. Unexpected, however, are the patrons donning medieval and fantasy garb, accompanied by young children, some in princess dresses and others carrying around foam swords. 

These aspiring adventurers are here on a quest, recruited to take part in a training regimen to combat the incursion of invasive species from the Feywild, a magical plane that exists adjacent to our own that is full of weird and wonderful wildlife. 

New vaccinations against influenza and the virus that causes COVID-19 are available and arriving at physician offices and pharmacies. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign microbiology professor Chris Brooke, a virologist who studies respiratory viruses, discusses what’s in the new vaccines, the best time to get them and why we need them at all. 

By combining visible light and electrochemistry, researchers have enhanced the conversion of carbon dioxide into valuable products and stumbled upon a surprising discovery. The team found that visible light significantly improved an important chemical attribute called selectivity, opening new avenues not only for CO2 conversion but also for many other chemical reactions used in catalysis research and chemical manufacturing. 

Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is an economic engine and an important civic building for the community as well as a site for football games, say Illinois architecture professors Kevin J. Hinders and Benjamin A. Bross.

In 1898, two male lions terrorized an encampment of bridge builders on the Tsavo River in Kenya. The infamous Tsavo “man-eaters” killed at least 28 people in the camp before the civil engineer on the project shot them dead. The lions’ remains were sold to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in 1925.

In a new study, Field Museum researchers collaborated with scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on an in-depth analysis of hairs carefully extracted from the lions’ broken teeth. The study used microscopy and genomics to identify some of the species the lions consumed.