blog posts Alum Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET, to keynote Title IX summit May 17, 2022 9:45 am 'Sheila has been a pioneer in every sense of the word, breaking new ground throughout the course of her life in education, media, business, and sports,' said DIA Director Josh Whitman. 'Sheila has always been a proud Illini...' Alumnus Eli Murray wins Pulitzer Prize with ‘Tampa Bay Times’ team May 10, 2022 4:15 pm Murray, and his colleagues won for their series 'Poisoned,' an exposé of highly toxic hazards inside Florida’s only battery recycling plant that forced the implementation of safety measures to protect workers and nearby residents. Poulter named to U.S. Women’s Volleyball roster for 2022 VNL May 12, 2022 9:00 am Former U of I All-American, Olympic Gold Medalist Jordyn Poulter will join the U.S. Women's National Team's roster this year. The U.S. Women are three-time league champions, 2020 Olympic gold medalists, and the No. 1-ranked team in the world. War correspondent, alumnus Terrell Jermaine Starr on reporting from Ukraine Apr 13, 2022 11:15 am Terrell Jermaine Starr will visit U of I to talk about his experiences as a journalist reporting from Ukraine during the Russian invasion. The event is free and open to the public on April 19 in the auditorium of the new Campus Instructional Facility. How blockchain is disrupting business applications, personal identity Mar 14, 2022 11:00 am Those exploring the impact of blockchain on their business and personal lives should proceed with caution, according to a U of I alumnus who has pioneered enterprise blockchain technology and the adoption of digital assets. Meet the Illini Media Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Feb 16, 2022 11:15 am Journalists who documented history from World War II to the 2020 election, exposed the 'abortion underground' and covered the LGBTQ experience. A Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, TV legends, an artist best known for drawing 'Naughty Granny.' Alumna works to preserve, celebrate African American history in Bronzeville Feb 10, 2022 10:15 am 'I started the Bronzeville Historical Society with the assistance of family and friends in 1999...because my daughters grew tired of hearing me tell them about the many notable people and places in the Bronzeville community,' says Sherry Williams. Alumni launch wheelchair basketball podcast Feb 1, 2022 8:45 am Former Illini players Derek Hoot and Martinez Johnson have started “Push Podcast: Wheelchair Basketball in the United States” to reach those who have never heard of adaptive sports. Vilas Dhar: Investing in tech to create lasting social change Jan 24, 2022 10:30 am 'As we push to center technology on people, rather than products, we tap into a vast opportunity to amplify the very best of our humanity, creativity, and innovation.' Newsweek's 'Medical Marvels': U of I alum and his affordable bionic hand Dec 16, 2021 11:00 am Newsweek (Dec. 15) Aadeel Akhtar's company makes smart, durable, responsive and - this is key - affordable prosthetic limbs. 'We're... leveling the playing field for all those people who couldn't get access to this kind of technology before.' New program sends College of Education alumni abroad with students Oct 27, 2021 9:45 am 'We want to make study abroad just like all the rest of our teacher training, which relies heavily on the mentor teacher,' says director of international programs Allison Witt. 'It makes a lot of sense because it benefits both alumni and students.' First woman to fly a transoceanic jumbo jet on breaking through the 'glass cockpit' Sep 30, 2021 10:15 am 'As I quizzed those pilots—and later studied a pilot’s training manual one of them gave to me to “answer questions without bothering people”—I realized they weren’t doing anything I couldn’t do,' says U of I alumnus Lynn Rippelmeyer. Two alums shed light on the Black experience on Rt. 66 Sep 9, 2021 1:15 pm Gina Lathan (AHS ’20) and Stacy Grundy (ACES ’10) opened Route History, a tourist destinations in Springfield gives visitors a different perspective on the Mother Road as well as a look into the history of Black struggle and success in the state capital. Making air traffic safe for real-life George and Jane Jetsons Jul 15, 2021 2:45 pm 'Because these flights will operate in major metro cities...there's going to be a lot of potential for interaction between the urban air mobility flights and the commercial air traffic,' says aerospace engineering alumna Heather Arneson. Interview with alumnus, astronaut Lee Archambault Jul 7, 2021 6:00 pm 'The research is phenomenal. The instruction is outstanding. The faculty we have here is second to none. This is an engineering program that was always great and it’s even better than it was when I was here. It continues to improve.' Passes for 22nd annual Ebertfest now on sale Jun 9, 2021 10:45 am Festival passes cover all of the screenings during the festival, which runs September 8-11 at the Virginia Theatre, a restored downtown Champaign movie palace, with related talks and panel discussions at other Champaign or University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign venues. Alumna with a passion for national forests challenges students to seek adventure Jun 9, 2021 11:00 am With a bachelor’s degree in forestry and a love for adventure, Nora Rasure’s life and career have been nothing short of exciting. Forber-Pratt appointed by White House as institute director May 24, 2021 4:15 pm Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt, a wheelchair racing star who holds three degrees from the U of I, has been appointed Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. Illinois alumna oversees NASA's Ingenuity helicopter mission Apr 7, 2021 9:30 am NASA's Ingenuity helicopter recently landed on Mars along with the Perseverance Rover. Once the helicopter detaches, it will conduct several test flights on the surface, marking the first powered flights on another planet. Advertising alum creates two highest-rated Super Bowl ads Mar 5, 2021 9:45 am The winning ads this year were two commercials for Rocket Mortgage starring Tracy Morgan, demonstrating the difference between being 'pretty sure' and 'certain' about buying a home. Patrick Burke was the writer of both ads. Showtime! Remembering the old campus-area movie theaters Oct 7, 2020 10:45 am The Co-Ed on Green Street was 'full all the time.' Students flocked to the Thunderbird Theatre on Goodwin, too, as well as the Rialto, with its massive steel-and-glass marquee; the art-deco Princess; and the Orpheum, with its 24 Greek columns. Remembering Pro and Illini Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell Apr 13, 2020 9:45 am 'Bobby...reminisced about everything from his recruitment out of Hot Springs, Arkansas, his Illini football and track careers, his pro playing career... He spoke about how he met his wife, Gwen, on the UI campus.' Public Health alums on the front line of COVID-19 battle Apr 10, 2020 11:45 am 'The (epidemiology) knowledge and biostatistics prepared us for how a pandemic is going to come in waves, how we can track cases. ...Knowing the science and the (epidemiology) behind it really helps.' Alumnus Jack Welch, former General Electric CEO, dies at 84 Mar 2, 2020 1:45 pm Welch became a chemical engineer at GE immediately after completing his doctorate at Illinois. He was named chairman and CEO in 1981 at the age of 45. He remained at the helm for the next 20 years. Alumnus Pablo Serrano: The city is his canvas Jan 27, 2020 2:45 pm With close to 20 murals adorning buildings in Chicago - as well as walls U of I's La Casa Cultural Latina - Serrano embraces his Mexican-American heritage in his art with an eye toward how we share our stories. Shaping the narrative Jan 15, 2020 9:45 am Illinois alumnus Carey Cranston oversees the only national museum dedicated to celebrating the written word. Doris Derby: Alumna, photographer documented Civil Rights Movement Dec 23, 2019 1:30 pm 'When I came here, the University of Illinois embraced me in terms of my interests and my values. I see this as the home for the kind of things I value.' 'Do we want to get to the moon or not?' Nov 22, 2019 10:00 am He called himself 'a voice in the wilderness.' He sat in conference rooms filled with scientists who ridiculed his ideas. But Houbolt was going to be heard. And we were going to land on the moon. Making big waves Nov 19, 2019 9:15 am From Illinois graduate to CEO of CurlMix, Kim Lewis is on a mission to empower curly-haired women. 2019 World Series contenders share Illinois connections Nov 14, 2019 8:00 am The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences was well-represented in the 2019 World Series. Alumni Interview: Temple Grandin Nov 6, 2019 8:00 am The animal-facilities designer and autism-community icon on why we should nurture people who think differently and abandon hope of a Disneyland for pigs. Taylor Rooks: Coming Home Oct 28, 2019 2:30 pm Rooks is only five years out from graduation, but she has already landed her own Bleacher Report web series, 'Take It There with Taylor Rooks.' LAS alumna Alison Kirby rethinks school-based health clinics Oct 21, 2019 9:00 am She co-founded a school-based health clinic that has drawn nationwide attention, even being featured in 'Paper Tigers,' a documentary about Lincoln High School directed by Robert Redford’s son, Jamie. Illinois Alumni Association to present awards during Homecoming Week Oct 7, 2019 9:15 am During Homecoming Week, the Illinois Alumni Association will recognize Illinois alumni and friends with awards. Alumnus launches bionic hand Sep 25, 2019 11:45 am Millions of hand amputees around the world are now closer to receiving a life changing prosthetic device. Rashard Mendenhall: Gridiron writer Sep 9, 2019 9:45 am For Mendenhall, 'capturing a vision—a line or a scene' in the HBO show, Ballers, 'pulling inspiration out of the air and putting it on the TV screen, that’s as good as any touchdown.' Couldn't get to Illini Fest? Check out the video Aug 8, 2019 9:00 am We painted Chicago orange and blue, with drinks, live music, notable Illini, and more! Enjoy watching a celebration of Illini pride in downtown Chicago at Illini Fest! July 18 at Millennium Park, RSVP now Jun 18, 2019 2:00 pm Celebrate your Illini pride in downtown Chicago at Illini Fest! Drinks, live music, notable Illini, and more! First 1,000 registrants receive a free Illinois flag at the event. Alejandra Carrillo-Estrada: Interweaving technology and tradition Jun 19, 2019 9:45 am 'I am especially captivated by the fretwork designs of the archaeological site of Mitla, Oaxaca,' the author writes. She uses 3D modeling to recreate the designs, then uses the models to cast them in silver. The many Illinois memories of alumnus Fred Stahl Jun 17, 2019 10:15 am Fred met his wife in the Illini Union. One day they walked up to the door at the President's House and asked President David Henry’s wife if they could marry in the garden. They were one of the first couples to do so. Meet a spring grad who's already helping people at the U.S.-Mexico border Jun 12, 2019 9:30 am I was a psychology major when I first enrolled but my I-Promise mentor suggested that I look into Human Development and Family Studies because it seemed like a better fit, and it was! Illinois grads who care for Brookfield Zoo's menagerie Jun 5, 2019 10:15 am The work of Drs. Michael Adkesson and Jennifer Langan helps keep the more than 3,000 animals at Brookfield Zoo healthy and helps ensure the survival of their cousins in the wild. Chicago Illini of the Year Awards to Rich Sieracki, Jill Wine-Banks Jun 3, 2019 10:15 am Chicago Illini of the Year Awards recognize outstanding alumni who live and work in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Nigerien Connection: Top diplomats between the U.S., Niger are Illini May 31, 2019 12:00 pm Eric Whitaker and Hassana Alidou took very different paths to reach their similar posts - but both paths led through Illinois and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Alum Elias Waddington: Using skills to help police SWAT team Apr 9, 2019 1:00 pm Elias Waddington designs, tests, and flies the world’s longest-flying production electric quadrotor. Designing the iconic Chicago Theatre Mar 11, 2019 11:45 am Illinois graduates played center stage in designing this State Street landmark in 1921...and in rescuing it sixty years later. Alumnus Larry Gies to deliver commencement address Mar 4, 2019 10:15 am Gies will encourage each graduating student to 'find your why' at the May 11 ceremony. 'It’s about being able to connect the dots from what you are doing each and every day to a higher purpose.' The courage to be first Feb 26, 2019 8:30 am When she graduated from Illinois in 1906, Maudelle Brown Bousfield was the only African American woman on campus. Later, she continued to break barriers in education in the Chicago Public Schools. Memory Lane: The 2007 Valentine’s Day blizzard Feb 1, 2019 12:15 pm On Feb. 13, 2007, Chancellor Richard Herman cancelled classes at Illinois for the first time in almost 30 years. For some, it was the best snow day ever Alum Ed Jackson, Jr.: Chief architect, MLK National Memorial Jan 19, 2019 4:45 pm Ed Jackson, Jr. shares insights into how he and his team brought the memorial from the original vision to its permanent place on the National Mall
