blog posts

• primary for post 2038772940

  Available prairie seed mixes may fall short for pollinators

  Mar 24, 2025 2:45 pm

  As populations of bees and butterflies decline in the Midwest, native prairie restoration becomes crucial. A new Prairie Research Institute study found, however, that many commercial seed mixes used to conserve and restore prairies may not have enough diversity or spring flowering plants to fully support these pollinators.

  Share this Story

  • Share Available prairie seed mixes may fall short for pollinators on Facebook
  • Share Available prairie seed mixes may fall short for pollinators on X
• primary for post 1508402539

  How do we address the problem of PFAS in sewage sludge?

  Mar 24, 2025 11:30 am

  Communities and federal agencies are waking up to the dangers of “forever chemicals” in wastewater treatment sludge, which is often sprayed on farm fields as fertilizer. In mid-January, the federal Environmental Protection Agency warned that this practice endangers human health. A month later, Johnson County in northeast Texas declared a state of emergency over the contamination of farm fields with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from sewage sludge. John Scott, a research scientist at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center who studies PFAS in wastewater treatment facilities and landfills, spoke with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about the problem.

  Share this Story

  • Share How do we address the problem of PFAS in sewage sludge? on Facebook
  • Share How do we address the problem of PFAS in sewage sludge? on X
• primary for post 1532310997

  February’s roller coaster weather wraps up winter

  Mar 4, 2025 12:15 pm

  The month of February is known for bringing cold weather in Illinois, but it also often sees some of the biggest day-to-day temperature changes — as it did last month, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  Share this Story

  • Share February’s roller coaster weather wraps up winter on Facebook
  • Share February’s roller coaster weather wraps up winter on X
• primary for post 375931082

  Chinmoy Baroi recognized as Canada Global Executive

  Feb 6, 2025 11:15 am

  Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) researcher Dr. Chinmoy Baroi has been recognized as one of Canada’s Global Executives (CGE) by the Trade Commissioner Service at Global Affairs Canada in Chicago on behalf of the Government of Canada. ISTC is a unit of the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  Share this Story

  • Share Chinmoy Baroi recognized as Canada Global Executive on Facebook
  • Share Chinmoy Baroi recognized as Canada Global Executive on X
• primary for post 1354033011

  January brought winter weather of yore

  Feb 4, 2025 9:15 am

  January temperatures were less mild than Illinois has become accustomed to, ending the month 4.4 degrees below the 1991-2020 average, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  Share this Story

  • Share January brought winter weather of yore on Facebook
  • Share January brought winter weather of yore on X
• primary for post 1667493234

  New archaeological exhibit installed at the IDOT office in Springfield

  Jan 27, 2025 7:00 am

  A new mobile exhibit about precolonial communities in Illinois is on display at the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) office in Springfield, IL

  Share this Story

  • Share New archaeological exhibit installed at the IDOT office in Springfield on Facebook
  • Share New archaeological exhibit installed at the IDOT office in Springfield on X
• primary for post 1560434814

  The second warmest year on record

  Jan 15, 2025 9:00 am

  Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford has released the year-end climate analysis for 2024, which was the second warmest year on record in Illinois, with average temperatures between 1 and 6 degrees above normal.

  Share this Story

  • Share The second warmest year on record on Facebook
  • Share The second warmest year on record on X
• primary for post 469103557

  ISTC team makes sustainable aviation fuel additive from recycled polystyrene

  Jan 13, 2025 9:30 am

  A groundbreaking study by Illinois Sustainable Technology Center researcher Hong Lu and his team addresses a major hurdle in transitioning U.S. commercial aircraft to sustainable aviation fuels. They developed a cost-effective method to convert waste polystyrene, a common hard plastic, into ethylbenzene, an additive that enhances the performance of sustainable jet fuels. This innovative approach not only improves fuel characteristics but also offers a practical solution for reducing reliance on fossil fuels in aviation.

  Share this Story

  • Share ISTC team makes sustainable aviation fuel additive from recycled polystyrene on Facebook
  • Share ISTC team makes sustainable aviation fuel additive from recycled polystyrene on X
• primary for post 1687800287

  Mild, wet start to winter

  Jan 8, 2025 8:00 am

  Day to day temperature variability in Illinois is highest in climatological winter and December followed suit with regular dips and jumps in daily temperature, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the University of Illinois’ Illinois State Water Survey.

  Share this Story

  • Share Mild, wet start to winter on Facebook
  • Share Mild, wet start to winter on X
• primary for post 1494737776

  Flying squirrel documented in Brownfield Woods

  Dec 20, 2024 12:00 pm

  A University of Illinois student researcher recently identified a Southern flying squirrel in a university natural area for the first time in recent memory.

  Share this Story

  • Share Flying squirrel documented in Brownfield Woods on Facebook
  • Share Flying squirrel documented in Brownfield Woods on X