blog posts

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  Marrying Math and Art through Outreach

  Apr 7, 2016 10:15 am

  When Michelle Delcourt was presented with the choice between math or art summer programs in high school, she knew that by choosing mathematics, she’d never leave art far behind. “For me, math is a very creative process,” she said. “Math and art are very similar, the process of doing research in doing mathematics is similar to the way that I approach making a painting or seeing a piece of artwork.”

  Now, the 5th year PhD candidate and winner of this year’s Graduate Student Leadership Award uses her love of math and art to engage young girls and underrepresented minority students in math through community outreach programs. She hopes that her approach could help attract students who might not otherwise choose mathematics.

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  Resilient and Ready to Lead, Teachers Make the World a Better Place

  Apr 20, 2020 1:15 pm

  In a time of uncertainty, as instruction and learning transition to digital technologies, College of Education students have an important message to share.

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  On the Job Hunt: How to Keep Your Options Open

  Jun 30, 2020 7:15 pm

  In the coming months, facing uncertainty head-on and doing what you can to prepare for multiple possible job outcomes is the best thing you can do for your future self, advises Derek Attig.

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  AI @ Illinois: Complex Conversations Around Generative AI

  Oct 6, 2023 12:00 pm

  The proliferation of generative AI products has led to a wide variety of opinions about the efficacy, ethicality, and potential impact of AI on different dimensions of our lives. We asked Illinois graduate students for their thoughts.

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  Ask the Grad College: How Much Time is Enough Time?

  Feb 28, 2024 8:30 am

  I spent about 2 hours completing my first homework assignment. After I turned it in, I learned that my friend spent 6 hours on the assignment. Should I be spending more time on each assignment?   

  
  

  
  
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  HRI Interseminars Spotlight: Toyosi Tejumade-Morgan

  Nov 9, 2022 8:00 am

  Toyosi Tejumade-Morgan (Theatre) shares her experiences as a member of the 2022–2023 graduate cohort for “Imagining Otherwise: Speculation in the Americas,” the inaugural Interseminars initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation. 

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  Mentorship Is Intentional: Establishing a Mentor-Mentee Relationship in Graduate School

  Oct 26, 2023 12:30 pm

  Claire Baytas (PhD, ’23; comparative literature) is back with a second post in our mentoring series that focuses on the processes of choosing a mentor, agreeing on mutual expectations, and maintaining productive lines of communication.

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  Navigating the Surprising Stress of a Job Offer

  Feb 13, 2020 9:30 am

  Looking for a job can be pretty terrible, and it’s often a long slog. Amid that stretched-out stress, it’s easy to start thinking of a job offer as a kind of holy grail, a singular solution to all your problems. But what I see over and over again, among the hundreds of graduate students I advise each year, is that the job offer is often its own source of emotional turmoil. A sudden offer, or the sense that one might be incoming, can prompt as much panic as delight.

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  Making AI Legible with Clara Belitz and Ali Zaidi

  Mar 5, 2024 1:00 pm

  Bri Lafond (Writing Studies doctoral candidate and Graduate College Career Exploration Fellow) sits down with Clara Belitz (School of Information Sciences) and Ali Zaidi (Computer Science) for a dynamic conversation about how generative AI has the potential to affect a lot of different aspects of our day-to-day lives.

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  New Year, New You: Taking a Holistic Approach to the Academic Year

  Jan 16, 2024 1:00 pm

  New Year’s resolutions always seem out of place on an academic calendar. January is more of a pause, not the fresh start we see advertised in every grocery store checkout. Andrea Bridges is here to convince you that now is the perfect time to do some self-reflection.

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  Teaching and Performing to Find Her Voice

  Apr 16, 2019 9:15 pm

  The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is a hub for exquisite music, cultural performances, ballet performances, theater, opera and lively events. From performances by musical virtuosos, symphony orchestras, ensemble groups to events like PechaKucha Night and Noche de Baila- Krannert is bustling with performers and audience goers year-round! The Lyric Theater at Krannert brings colorful and vibrant pieces of opera from throughout the ages alive to the audience!

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  Ask the Grad College: On Taking Time off from a Busy Schedule

  Jan 15, 2024 9:15 am

  I haven’t seen my parents in two years, and I would like to plan a trip home. I have an RA in a lab with year-round research. How do I approach taking time off for this trip?

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  Ask the Grad College: On Changing Career Plans in Graduate School

  Jan 20, 2024 8:00 am

  I started my program thinking I wanted to go into academia, but I feel less and less interested in an academic job. I’m committed to finishing, but I don’t know what kinds of jobs I should look for. What do I do? 

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  Staying Organized During a Job Search

  Mar 26, 2019 10:15 pm

  In his newest article on Inside Higher Education, Director of Career Services, Derek Attig, gives his tips for staying organized on the job search. 

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  One Story: Byron Juma, PhD Student in Recreation, Sport & Tourism

  Jan 29, 2024 9:15 am

  Originally from Kenya, Byron has travelled the world in the pursuit of higher education. 

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  Exploring Multispecies Relationships by Walking 'with' the Forest in Sri Lanka

  Dec 8, 2023 3:45 pm

  Emma Lundin, a U. of I. doctoral student in tourism, spent two months in a rainforest reserve in Sri Lanka shadowing forest guides. Lundin sought to understand how the guides interact with other-than-humans to create tourism experiences.

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  Managing Stress in a Job Search

  Oct 3, 2023 11:00 am

  You came to grad school seeking knowledge and skills that would prepare you for a meaningful career. Through hard work you’ve developed expertise in your field. While you can’t avoid the stress of a job search, you can make a plan to deal with it.

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  Ask the Grad College: On Reading Teaching Evaluations

  Dec 10, 2023 9:00 am

  The last time I read my teaching evaluations, I dealt with some complex emotions. Some of the feedback felt constructive, but a lot of it felt mean. How do I sift through the comments and find what's helpful within them?

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  Rest Lab: In Search of Rest

  Apr 29, 2024 12:45 pm

  Rest Lab, a creative, experimental pop-up space that invites resting with intention, came to the Graduate College office on Green St for a few weeks in April this year. Co-created by Krannert Art Museum’s Education Coordinators Ishita Dharap and Kamila Glowacki, Rest Lab has occupied various galleries of Krannert Art Museum (KAM) to consider what resting means, and what it can look like.

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  We've Got a New Study Playlist!

  Dec 5, 2023 3:45 pm

  Kamau Grantham curates this year's finals study playlist to keep you grooving.

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  Negotiating the Ups and Downs of Graduate School with Your Mentor

  Nov 7, 2023 12:45 pm

  Communicating openly with your mentor network can be a challenge. There’s no ready-made script for having effective conversations with a mentor, but building communications within a network of mentors allows you to advocate for yourself, source helpful feedback, and ask for the mentoring you need.

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  Fellowship Creates Space for Community-Centered Work

  Feb 13, 2023 2:00 pm

  Career exploration is time-consuming. For Heather Ennis, this period of discernment has been a slow, necessary evolution—one that has provided an opportunity for self-reflection about her graduate education in the humanities.

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  Get in the Groove with our Spring '24 Finals Playlist

  Apr 16, 2024 11:00 am

  Every semester the Graduate College assembles a Finals Study Playlist to keep you rocking during your study sessions. For this installment, we're featuring a guest contributor: John Moist, Communications Specialist at the University of Illinois Graduate College.

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  What's It Like to Compete in Research Live? Hear From Some Winners!

  May 20, 2024 3:15 pm

  The winners of this year's Research Live! stunned us with their brilliant presentations and creative projects. We caught up with them a few weeks "post-victory" to hear about their experiences. 

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  Let's Finish Strong!

  Apr 18, 2024 11:15 am

  Emily Wuchner shares tips and resources for decreasing stress and making the most out of the end of the semester. 

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  Maximize Your Sleep, Rest, and Work

  Oct 22, 2019 10:30 pm

  In our first post on sustainability and productivity, Daniel Wong outlined three principles for a sustainable and productive life and introduced how they can apply to each of three key areas of your life. In this post, we’ll explore some actionable ways that you can implement these principles in the areas of sleep, rest, and work.

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  Alexandra Spitzer's "Inspired by Plants"

  Jun 26, 2024 2:30 pm

  Graduate student Alexandra Spitzer reads aloud her award-winning 2024 Image of Research entry and shares how she created it.