Prairie Research Institute

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  Joy Scrogum recognized as P2 Ambassador by National Pollution Prevention Roundtable

  Sep 22, 2022 3:45 pm

  The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) has recognized ISTC assistant sustainability scientist Joy Scrogum as the recipient of the 2022 Fred Granek Memorial P2 Ambassador Award.

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  Illinois soil temperatures are cool in mid-September

  Sep 16, 2022 9:45 am

  Soil temperatures fell during the first two weeks of September as cooler weather moved into the state. 

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  Cowbird chicks do best with two warbler nest mates – not four, not zero, study finds

  Sep 15, 2022 10:15 am

  A new study seeks to understand the strategies cowbird chicks use to survive in prothonotary warbler nests when they hatch with different numbers of warbler nestlings. The study reveals that a cowbird chick does better with two than with four or zero warbler nest mates. 

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  Study tracks waterbird use of Chicago-area wetlands

  Sep 14, 2022 9:30 am

  A three-year study in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana found that – even at small scales – emergent wetlands or ponds support many wetland bird species. The study also found that, at least in the years surveyed, the level of urbanization had little effect on most of the studied species’ use of such sites, provided the right kinds of habitat were available.

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  State Climatologist: A mild August wraps up summer in Illinois

  Sep 1, 2022 4:15 pm

  Mild temperatures in August this year in Illinois followed a heatwave in May, above average temperatures in June, and a cooler July.

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  Study finds minimal risk of exposure to legionella from irrigated wastewater at a safe distance

  Aug 30, 2022 8:30 am

  Potential exposure to legionella bacteria in municipal wastewater used to irrigate crop fields will likely not pose a health threat to residents living downwind, according to a postdoctoral researcher at the Illinois Natural History Survey.

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  Researchers track the invasive Asian tiger mosquito in Illinois

  Aug 26, 2022 1:30 pm

  The exotic Asian tiger mosquito, known to transmit diseases to humans, is more widespread in southeastern Illinois than previously realized, according to Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) researchers who conducted a study on how invasive mosquito communities form and shift because of different land uses.

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  A geothermal exchange system on the U of I campus proves its benefits

  Aug 24, 2022 8:00 am

  Last year, a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers helped build a geothermal exchange system to heat and cool a new building at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I), saving electrical usage and marking another step in the quest for a carbon-neutral campus. This type of heating and cooling system is also used successfully in homes, businesses, and industry, according to Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) scientist Andrew Stumpf.

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  Illinois soils are cooler in mid-August

  Aug 16, 2022 4:00 pm

  Cooler weather has led to lower soil temperatures in the first half of August in Illinois, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey.

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  How do we measure community disaster resilience?

  Aug 12, 2022 8:15 am

  In a new study, retired Illinois State Water Survey engineer Sally McConkey and Eric R. Larson, a professor of natural resources and environmental sciences, examined the metrics used at a county scale for national assessments to determine whether communities are prepared to withstand and recover from natural disasters such as floods and fires. 

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