blog posts Team visualizes tumor microenvironment of human breast tissue shortly after removal Jan 2, 2019 11:45 am Photonics (Dec. 27) the visualization was made possible by using a new portable optical imaging system developed by lab of Professor Stephen Boppart Under a new deal, China would purchase $40 to $50 billion in U.S. ag products Jan 2, 2020 11:15 am Washington Post (Dec. 30) 'If the trade deal is signed and it’s real, (we'd) be looking at a China-driven miniboom in the ag sector,' says economist Scott Irwin. But, he adds, 'I don’t even know how we’d get to that number.' Despite recent tough times for farmers, cutting costs may not be a priority for '20 Jan 3, 2020 12:15 pm Kenosha News (Jan. 3) Illinois ag economist Scott Irwin says making big cuts could hurt farmers in the long term. He sees light at the end of the tunnel, especially in a tentative trade pact between the U.S. and China. Can blue-state lawmakers ban ballot access to presidential candidates who don't release taxes? Jan 4, 2017 2:30 pm Vikram Amar, College of Law dean at Illinois, says that a patchwork of ballot access requirements could violate the constitution. New study says exercise may change our gut health Jan 4, 2018 2:00 pm The New York Times (Jan. 3) Exercise may change the composition and activity of the trillions of microbes in our guts in ways that could improve our health over time, a new Illinois study finds. Federal bill aims to help Midwest produce more biofuels and bio-based products Jan 5, 2024 11:15 am High Plains Public Radio (Jan. 3) Many traditional manufacturing processes have moved off-shored, says U of I's Beth Conerty. 'But using biology as a manufacturing tool - I wouldn’t say that anybody has won that yet. It's an opportunity for the U.S.' Police should be trained to consider someone’s mental status when applying force, if possible Jan 8, 2018 11:45 am WBEZ-FM (Jan. 8) By doing so, officers can potentially step back and realize they don’t necessarily need to use force, according to the director of the Police Training Institute at Illinois A tiny implantable device detects overactivity in the bladder, uses light to reduce the urge to urinate Jan 8, 2019 1:00 pm Photonics (Dec. 7) Illinois researchers worked with colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine and the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern to create the device Researchers hack plants to increase efficiency Jan 8, 2019 8:45 am Mother Nature Network (Jan. 7) Illinois, DOA scientists discovered how to help plants avoid grabbing unnecessary oxygen molecules during photosynthesis, resulting in a 40% increase in biomass How Trump’s tariffs have - and could again - affect Illinois agriculture Jan 10, 2025 10:45 am WILL-AM (Jan. 8) Trump's first-term tariffs caused Chinese buyers to look elsewhere for soybeans. U. of I. ag economist Joana Colussi says that if China again turns to South America to replace U.S. soybeans, 'South America will be able to match this demand.' More Americans are getting high school diplomas, but fewer are enrolling in college. Why? Jan 11, 2016 11:45 am The Atlantic (Jan 11) - Illinois economist Jeffrey Brown says students were more likely to enroll and stay in college during the Great Recession, when there were fewer jobs. One simple step to raise pay and solve labor shortages: Prevailing wage law Jan 13, 2022 11:00 am Business Insider (Jan. 13) 'For four decades, we’ve been creating low-wage jobs and we can see, quite frankly, the chickens have come home to roost,” says Robert Bruno, director of the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the U. of I. Trump supported dockworkers in a labor dispute. Will he continue to support labor? Jan 14, 2025 9:00 am Politico (Jan. 10) 'There will be a point of conflict sooner rather than later' with Trump-appointed judges being opposed to powers wielded by the NLRB and Labor Department, says Illinois labor expert Michael LeRoy. Bargaining between Illinois and its largest public employees union has stalled Jan 17, 2017 12:00 pm WTTW-TV (Jan. 16) Now AFSCME Local 31 will vote on whether it should strike. “We really are in uncharted territory here,” says professor Robert Bruno of the U. of I.’s Labor Education Program. We know a lot about sodium consumption and human health, but is black pepper healthy? Jan 17, 2019 12:15 pm Time (Jan. 16) 'There are a number of animal studies that indicate some potential benefit for the gastrointestinal tract,' says Keith Singletary, Illinois professor emeritus, who wrote an overview on pepper research 2021 third-costliest year for weather disasters since NOAA started tracking them Jan 18, 2022 12:00 pm Kansas Reflector (Jan. 17) 'There’s a lot of people who seem to think climate change has not affected them...You just don’t realize that your tax money is going into having to pay for all these disasters,' says U of I climate change expert Donald Wuebbles. College admissions officials to monitor how a Trump presidency affects international applications Jan 19, 2017 11:45 am Chicago Tribune (Jan. 19) In Illinois, more than 50,000 foreign students brought an estimated $1.6 billion to the state in 2015. About 11,000 of those international students are at the U. of I. Consumers see more risk than reward, fear privacy breaches in online ads Jan 19, 2018 12:15 pm Study Finds (Jan. 13) Consumers see more risk than benefit, so they 'perceive more privacy concern, and finally to avoid the advertising,' says Illinois professor Chang-Dae Ham Collaborative group work on important social issues can make children better decision-makers Jan 20, 2016 11:45 am Times of India (Jan. 20) - "Collaborative group work positions students as active decision-makers, whereas direct instruction places them in a passive role," said study lead author Xin Zhang from Illinois Second year in a row: U. of I. poised to freeze tuition for new in-state undergrads next year Jan 21, 2016 12:00 pm Chicago Tribune (Jan. 20) - Officials hope the tuition freeze will help attract students who have been leaving the state as costs have increased and the state's financial outlook is uncertain. Cybercriminals are using AI to scam you – and you may not even know it Jan 21, 2025 1:30 pm CNET (Jan. 14) U of I researchers used voice-enabled AI to pull off some classic scams before safely returning money to victims. In some, the bots had greater than 60% success, and were able to pull it off in a matter of seconds. Ebert film fest to open with Guillermo del Toro, his 2015 gothic horror movie "Crimson Peak" Jan 22, 2016 12:15 pm The Panagraph (Jan. 21) - Chaz Ebert says her late husband would have approved of the choice for the 18th annual Ebertfest in Champaign. Wary, weary or both, southern lawmakers tone down culture wars with elections looming Jan 23, 2018 10:00 am New York Times (Jan. 22) 'I think people are tempering, and I think they’re thinking harder about what can be achieved,' said Robin Fretwell Wilson, a law professor at Illinois Pritzker signs Illinois law barring sub-minimum wages for disabled workers Jan 23, 2025 4:30 pm Courthouse News Service (Jan. 21) 'It's frankly embarrassing,' said labor expert Robert Bruno of the Fair Labor Standards Act's sub-minimum wage carveout for disabled workers. 'Their labor is being dramatically undervalued.' Illinois Extension receives $1.5 million grant from the IEPA to help reduce nutrient loss to waterways Jan 25, 2018 11:30 am Effingham Daily News (Jan. 24) Extension will hire two watershed coordinators to help producers implement management practices identified in the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Illinois A-G Lisa Madigan wants to stop state worker paychecks until there’s a state budget deal Jan 30, 2017 12:00 pm WIS-TV (Jan. 27) Labor Expert Robert Bruno says that action would not dampen enthusiam for a strike by AFSCME workers. 'It could only have the effect of further encouraging it.' Illinois House committee looks at $107 pension bond issue Jan 31, 2018 10:45 am Crain's Chicago Business (Jan. 29) University of Illinois' Runhuan Feng was asked to devise a solution that counted on no cuts in benefits but instead relied strictly on boosting revenues Should consumers be concerned about the price of oil plunging to $30 per barrel? Feb 3, 2016 11:30 am Marketplace (Feb. 2) - Unless you work in the oil industry, the answer is no, says Illinois economist Scott Irwin. "Commodity markets have always been prone to significant boom and bust cycles.” Chicago Tribune (Feb. 4) – Arrest made in slaying of Illinois student Feb 4, 2015 2:45 pm Chicago Tribune (Feb. 4) – U. of I. student Vicente Mundo’s slaying, which police said marked the first fatal shooting on the Urbana campus in more than 16 years, sent waves of grief between the college community and Chicago as his friends and loved ones tried to understand how this could have happened to someone with so much promise and joy. What if a single technology could boost future supplies of both water and energy? Feb 5, 2016 11:00 am Gizmag (Feb. 4) - Researchers at Illinois have designed a new battery that not only relies on salt water to store and release electricity, but removes the salt ions from the water in the process. Could Robert Mueller indict Trump? It would be the first indictment of a sitting president Feb 5, 2018 1:00 pm Politico (Feb. 2) Mueller may lack the legal standing to bring those charges, says Ronald Rotunda, a professor emeritus of law at Illinois Play provides a good brain carwash Feb 6, 2024 9:00 am NOLA.com (New Orleans, Feb. 4) Illinois recreation, sport and tourism professor Lynn Barnett co-wrote a study that concluded that playful adults report lower levels of perceived stress than their less playful counterparts. Who will pay for Americans to live to 100? The financial aspects have been ignored Feb 8, 2016 12:00 pm Next Avenue (Feb. 8) - “As a society, we have to get serious about encouraging people to stay in the labor force longer and have longer careers,” says Illinois economist Jeffrey Brown. Washington Post (Feb. 5) - We're all susceptible to 'mis-remembering' Feb 9, 2015 1:45 pm The Washington Post (Feb. 5) -- When we tell stories about our lives, most of us never have our memories questioned. NBC's Brian Williams, like other high-profile people in the past, is finding out what happens when someone does. Even scientists who specialize in memory research are susceptible to mis-remembering. New medical school will train next generation of doctors to revolutionize health care Feb 9, 2018 1:45 pm Chicago Tribune (Feb. 8) U of I's Carle Illinois College of Medicine bills itself as the nation's first medical program designed from inception to integrate engineering with medicine NYT (Feb. 9) - Illinois governor acts to curb power of public sector unions Feb 10, 2015 10:00 am NYT (Feb. 9) - Illinois professor Bob Bruno, director of the labor education program, said the governor’s action was an aggression against public unions in a state where organized labor’s influence runs deep. Research shows children's sibling relationships produce both postive and negative feelings Feb 10, 2017 12:45 pm Chicago Tribune (Feb. 9) Illinois Professor Laurie Kramer says, 'Sibling relationships are very safe relationships for children to explore,' and help children learn how to interact with people and conflict U. of I. researchers study how information moves across social media, affecting people’s beliefs Feb 12, 2018 12:15 pm Seattle Times (Feb. 11) Tarek Abdelzaher, a professor of computer science at Illinois, is leading a team that received a five-year grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Trump expansion of land mine use may cause more civilian casualties, alienate allies Feb 12, 2020 1:30 pm Los Angeles Times (Feb. 10) Illinois law professor Lesley Wexler writes about the implications of the Trump administration’s recently announced intent to expand the U.S. armed forces’ use of land mines. Illlinois is finally getting a medical school. The twist? Feb 13, 2017 12:30 pm Chicago Business Journal (Feb. 13) The Carle Illinois College of Medicine is being conceived as an engineering-based school of medicine. Did you see the Super Bowl 2023 food commercials? Feb 13, 2023 10:45 am Mashed (Feb. 10) U. of I. professor Maria Rodas says the Super Bowl is an attractive event for advertisers – despite the expensive prices – because it’s one of the few TV events where people don’t change the channel or walk away during commercials. State asks: Is carbon capture part of climate agenda? Feb 14, 2023 11:30 am E&E News (Feb. 14) 'Incentives alone are not enough for successful, responsible tech deployment, which also requires standards that provide regulatory certainty and safeguard public health and the environment,' says U of I scientist Sallie Greenberg. How can our federal government solve big problems? How about over dinner? Feb 15, 2024 8:15 am The Meadville Tribune (Feb. 14) Jim Nowlan, with the U of I Institute of Government and Public Affairs, proposes the president, cabinet, and four top congressional leaders be required to have dinner regularly to wrestle with big problems. Law Dean Vikram Amar co-writes op-ed on the Supreme Court vacancy Feb 16, 2016 2:15 pm Los Angeles Times (Feb. 16) - The situation created by the death of Antonin Scalia mirrors a similar case 28 years ago. Fungicides used to protect crops could be hurting honey bees Feb 16, 2017 11:00 am NPR (Feb. 16) A study conducted by Illinois entomologist May Berenbaum and colleagues found that fungicides can harm bees by making it harder for them to metabolize their food. 100+ researchers have taken a U of I workshop for genomics researchers, Indigenous communities Feb 17, 2020 1:15 pm Washington Post (Feb. 16) 'Having better science isn’t just about keeping science in the ivy tower of academia; science is about helping communities,' says program founder, genomic researcher Ripan Malhi How to find hope in the face of the climate crisis Feb 18, 2022 10:00 am Deutsche Welle (Berlin, Feb. 18) 'My advice is to look at the history of ecosystems on the verge of collapse – they have consistently bounced back; they are resilient,' says U of I entomology professor Esther Ngumbi. Scientists find increasing concentrations of mercury in rainwater Feb 19, 2016 8:30 am Scientific American (Feb. 19) - Several years after scientists thought they had put the problem to rest, Illinois researchers have discovered increasing concentrations of mercury, this time in rainwater. “It’s a surprising result,” says David Gay from Illinois, who is a co-author on the new study. Climate science deniers hoping to influence 2022 assessment of climate impacts Feb 19, 2020 1:00 pm Scientific American (Feb. 18) U of I professor who oversaw the last assessment says Trump science advisor Kelvin Droegemeier will work to produce an assessment free of Trump’s erroneous assertions about climate change. To make things easier for plant breeders, Illinois researchers turned to unmanned aerial vehicles Feb 21, 2017 11:15 am AZOrobotics (Feb. 21) “When drones became available, we asked ourselves how we could apply this new technology to breeding." U of I soybean breeder Brian Diers