blog posts U of I joins group to advance civic preparedness, uphold free expression on campuses Apr 18, 2024 4:45 pm Member institutions agree to three 'civic commitments': Educating for democracy is central to our mission; We will prepare our students for a vibrant, diverse, and contentious society; and We will protect and defend free inquiry. Emotional radio ads may ease listeners’ qualms, boosting support for organ donation Apr 18, 2024 11:15 am Radio ads that feature personal stories of organ transplant recipients or patients languishing on the waiting list may overcome some of the misgivings many nondonor listeners have and persuade them to sign up. Sixteen employees honored with Chancellor's Staff Excellence Award Apr 17, 2024 10:00 am Sixteen academic professionals and civil service staff members have received the Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award recognizing exceptional performance. Why is the reparations movement gaining momentum in the U.S.? Apr 18, 2024 9:15 am Support for reparations is growing because U.S. political and corporate leaders have retreated from a commitment to racial justice, says Sundiata Cha-Jua, an Illinois professor of history and of African American studies. Seven Illinois professors elected AAAS Fellows Apr 18, 2024 9:00 am Seven U of I professors have been elected 2023 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society, for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements. Previewing the 25th anniversary of Ebertfest with Chaz Ebert Apr 18, 2024 8:45 am WILL-AM (April 16) Chaz Ebert discusses the 25th anniversary of Ebertfest, the C-U film festival founded by her late husband, Roger Ebert, who was a U. of I. journalism graduate and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic. (video) Underwood announces three additions for 2024-25 Apr 18, 2024 8:30 am Head coach Brad Underwood announced Wednesday that Carey Booth, Kylan Boswell, and Tre White have signed Tenders of Financial Aid with the University of Illinois and will join the Fighting Illini men's basketball program. TEAACH your children well: Revealing the history of Asian Americans Apr 10, 2024 11:45 am The College of Education is serving as a professional development hub to assist public school teachers in educating students about contributions of Asian Americans to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the U.S. Two Illinois professors awarded Guggenheim Fellowships Apr 12, 2024 9:15 am Evolution, ecology and behavior professor Alison Bell and architecture professor Paul Hardin Kapp are among 188 writers, scholars, artists and scientists chosen from nearly 3,000 applicants, according to the Guggenheim Foundation. Bridging the gap: Bringing cancer solutions from lab to bedside Apr 17, 2024 11:00 am A world-renowned surgical oncologist has joined the Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) to develop patient-centered solutions through collaborative research. Nothing is everything: How hidden emptiness can define the usefulness of filtration materials Apr 11, 2024 12:15 pm Researchers used microscopy, mathematical theory to unveil nanoscale voids in three dimensions. This advancement is poised to improve the performance of many materials in the chemical, energy and medical industries — particularly in filtration. A huge number of homeowners have mortgage rates too good to give up Apr 15, 2024 3:30 pm New York Times (April 15) The average American household has a fixed rate mortgage that’s a whopping three points lower than new mortgage rates. 'You could think of your locked-in rate as an asset that you own,' says U of I professor Julia Fonseca. Campus awards honor excellence in instruction Apr 15, 2024 9:00 am Awardees are cited for sustained excellence and innovation in undergraduate and graduate teaching, undergraduate and graduate advising and mentoring, online teaching and research guidance. Illini tally 19 hits in 15-5 win over Northern Illinois Apr 15, 2024 8:45 am Illinois baseball (18-13) opened its weekend series vs. Northern Illinois (11-22) with a 15-5 victory at Illinois Field on Friday night. They went on to sweep the Huskies with wins on Saturday and Sunday. Students' personalized menopause therapy solution takes top prize in startup competition Apr 10, 2024 2:45 pm A Carle Illinois College of Medicine innovation aimed at personalizing hormone replacement therapy for women experiencing menopausal symptoms has earned top honors at the Midwest’s largest student-run startup conference. Wearable sensors for Parkinson’s can improve with machine learning, data from healthy adults Apr 12, 2024 10:00 am The study shows that 'the expansion of datasets with healthy older adult motion data and integration with deep learning approaches can help improve the accuracy of detecting differences in motor impairment in persons with Parkinson's...' Illini Baseball continues homestand with weekend series vs. Northern Illinois Apr 12, 2024 8:45 am Illinois baseball continues its season-long nine-game homestand with a three-game weekend set vs. Northern Illinois. The Orange and Blue (17-13) are coming off of a midweek win over Illinois State, 10-6, on Tuesday. Molecules scramble quantum information as well as black holes Apr 12, 2024 8:30 am Earth.com (April 9) 'Chemists are conflicted about scrambling in chemical reactions, because scrambling is necessary to get to the reaction goal, but it also messes up your control over the reaction,' says Professor Martin Gruebele. Five Illinois students honored with Goldwater scholarships Apr 8, 2024 12:00 pm U of I students Sylvia E, Daniel Feng, Alice Gao, Amelia Korveziroska and Riley Trendler were awarded Goldwater scholarships for their potential to contribute to the advancement of research in the natural sciences, mathematics or engineering. The downside of 'branded access offers': Perceived lack of consumer commitment Apr 11, 2024 12:30 pm 'Brands are constantly pursuing new customers, and the leading trend is a focus on branded access offers... moving away from ownership to more of a short-term rental mode,' said U of I business professor Tiffany Barnett White . Research examines tweets during Hurricane María to analyze social media use during disasters Apr 9, 2024 9:45 am Understanding how social media is used during a disaster can help with disaster preparedness and recovery for future events, says urban and regional planning professor Omar Pérez Figueroa. Perinatal women of Mexican descent propose solutions to pandemic stressors affecting Latinos Apr 4, 2024 3:15 pm The women in the study had difficulties accessing mental health treatment, child care and food. Their insights were used to identify programs that could help meet the needs of Latino communities during future emergencies. Illini Success report spotlights postgraduation outcomes, rising starting salaries for recent grads Apr 10, 2024 8:45 am We know U of I provides a world-class educational experience. This data 'demonstrates that the decision to come here is also a great investment in your life and career after you graduate,' says Chancellor Robert Jones. Curiosities from our collections: 1893 Chicago World's Fair Apr 9, 2024 1:00 pm According to Winton Solberg, a renowned historian of the university, it took our faculty two and a half years to prepare our exhibit, 'which consisted of nine freight carloads...and occupied eight thousand square feet in the Illinois State Building.' You don’t have to type anymore: Welcome to the golden age of voice dictation Apr 9, 2024 1:30 pm The Atlantic (April 8) 'For a long time, we were making gradual, incremental progress, and then suddenly things started to get better much faster,' says U of I electrical and computer engineering professor Mark Hasegawa-Johnson. Fighting Illini Athletics set to host Spring Sports Fest Apr 9, 2024 9:00 am Fighting Illini Athletics is set to host Spring Sports Fest from April 12-14, featuring 11 home events across four sports - Track & Field, Softball, Baseball, and Women's Tennis. Union wave is picking up at Chicago, suburban libraries, cultural institutions Apr 8, 2024 1:30 pm Chicago Sun-Times (April 5) Overall union membership has fallen dramatically since historic highs in the 1950s. 'Employers spend a lot of money trying to stay union-free. They have a lot of tools to do that,' says U of I's Robert Bruno. Can genetic genealogy restore family narratives disrupted by the transatlantic slave trade? Mar 28, 2024 10:15 am African Americans descended from enslaved ancestors are working to trace their family histories and are finding a new sense of identity rooted in specific ancestral lineages and homelands, says anthropology professor LaKisha David. Illinois art history scholar awarded 2024 ACLS Fellowship Apr 4, 2024 2:00 pm The fellowships support scholars with the potential to make original and significant contributions in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. They provide up to $60,000 for 6-12 months of sustained research and writing. Moms Weekend 2024, April 12-14 Apr 8, 2024 8:00 am Celebrate over 100 years of inviting Moms to the Illinois campus! WBIT Inaugural Champions! Apr 4, 2024 8:15 am Behind a big second-half surge, Illinois clinched the inaugural WBIT title in a 71-57 victory over Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. The victory marked the program's first-ever postseason title. AI chatbots will never stop hallucinating Apr 5, 2024 3:00 pm Scientific American (April 5) When generative AI models produce responses that don’t match reality, it's called 'hallucination.' U of I professor Dilek Hakkani-Tür, says AI hallucinations spring from their fundamental construction. Environmental scientist escapes Cameroon conflict as part of U of I Scholars at Risk program Apr 3, 2024 10:00 am 'It’s not a good feeling when guys with guns say you will die if you don’t comply. Mostly they will keep you until they get the ransom money. There are so many groups fighting that the next week another group can catch you, and then another. It’s crazy.' Book: How scholars can thrive in the competitive world of research, creative enterprise Apr 2, 2024 9:15 am A new book by Illinois meteorology professor Kelvin Droegemeier seeks to empower researchers and creative professionals and give them a broader view of the world early in their careers. Illini trio named to WBIT All-Tournament team, Cook named Most Outstanding Player Apr 4, 2024 8:30 am Fighting Illini women's basketball's Kendall Bostic, Genesis Bryant, and Makira Cook were all named to the WBIT's all-tournament team. The trio helped guide the Illini to their first postseason title in program history. Digital twin of patient's heart could lead to targeted treatment Mar 26, 2024 9:00 am A digital model that uses machine learning could simulate various patient-related factors, heart function, and treatments 'to identify the risk of developing heart failure and novel treatment options,' says MD/PhD student Pranav Dorbala. What can researchers learn about ecosystems, the environment during the solar eclipse? Apr 3, 2024 8:00 am Professor Carl Bernacchi describes the coordination of scientific instruments across the U.S. and Mexico that will be used to measure the physical, atmospheric and ecological changes that occur during the solar eclipse. Gymnast Brandon Dang earns Big Ten Freshman of the Year award Apr 3, 2024 10:30 am 'Brandon is the first single event specialist in my memory to win the Big Ten Freshman of the year - an award that is typically reserved for the highest-ranking all-around freshman. This just makes his accomplishments even more impressive.' 'We have a great opportunity to finish strong': Illini seek first postseason title Apr 3, 2024 10:30 am After taking down Washington State in the final four, Illini Women's Basketball booked their ticket in the WBIT championship game, their first appearance in a non-conference postseason title game ever. They face Villanova tonight at 6 p.m. How to regrow your age-shrunken brain in just six months Apr 2, 2024 2:15 pm Newsweek (March 29) 'We can see older people on these exercise interventions gain brain tissue in as little as six months,' says U of I professor Brad Sutton. 'And usually by the time we can see it in an image, it’s a pretty big effect.' Lyric Theatre at three venues to perform ‘Fugitive Songs’ about people on the run Mar 28, 2024 10:15 am The Lyric Theatre program takes audiences on a road trip throughout the country when it presents “Fugitive Songs” at the various locations in the community. Exhibition explores contradiction between material culture, our animal bodies Apr 1, 2024 11:30 am 'Junk Drawer,' an exhibition of work by U of I art professor Guen Montgomery, features prints made from fur pelts and family clothing as a meditation on the conflict between our material culture and our animal biology. Fighting Illini play for WBIT Championship against Villanova on Wednesday Apr 2, 2024 8:15 am In the WBIT semifinals, Illinois took on a Washington State team that had earned a No. 1 seed. The Illini led for the final 38 minutes in its 81-58 win on Monday evening, sending them to the championship game later this week. Illini loss to top-ranked Connecticut in Elite Eight caps great season Apr 1, 2024 10:15 am After advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005 and for the 10th time in program history, Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois finished the 2023-24 season with a 29-9 record, its third-most wins in program history. After Covid, survey shows nursing profession remains in crisis in Illinois Apr 1, 2024 9:00 am Illinois Business Journal (3/27) 'The underlying conditions that nurses faced during the pandemic have not abated, and additional interventions are likely needed to retain this critical segment of the labor force,' says U of I's Robert Bruno. CI MED students establish new free eye care clinic Mar 20, 2024 10:15 am 'We have a lot of patients who are excited to see us because they often do not have vision insurance... Many patients have waited over three or four years to be seen because they simply cannot afford new glasses or an eye exam.' Illini prepare for WBIT semifinals, program's first-ever appearance in April Apr 1, 2024 8:45 am Earning a spot in the semifinals of the inaugural WBIT, the Fighting Illini will take on Washington State at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Monday evening. Illini Close Strong, Earn Spot in Elite Eight With Gritty Win Over Iowa State Mar 29, 2024 8:30 am Never trailing in the contest, third-seeded Illinois battled to a 72-69 win over No. 2 seed Iowa State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night at TD Garden to secure a spot in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005. After the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse: Are other bridges in danger? Mar 27, 2024 6:00 pm Architectural Digest (March 26) The Francis Scott Key Bridge catastrophe in Baltimore has been a shock to the nation – but not a surprise to experts. 'This incident could happen again,' says U of I structural engineering professor Bassem Andrawes. Learning by listening to the people who live it Mar 18, 2024 9:15 am Experts from Illinois visit a cooperative prawn and rice farm in Southeast Vietnam to hear the farmers' stories about their challenges and adaptations to a changing climate.