2023-11-30
- The slabs of sandstone that make Altgeld Hall one of the most recognizable buildings on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus have been covered in scaffolding for months. But the results of the renovation work going on there are apparent, as the dark gray stone is restored to a pinkish hue.
Standing near Altgeld, I can see...
2023-11-21 - A new study led by chemists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign brings fresh insight into the development of semiconductor materials that can do things their traditional silicon counterparts cannot – harness the power of chirality, a non-superimposable mirror image. Chirality is one of nature’s strategies used to build complexity into structures, with the DNA double helix perhaps...
2023-11-20 - The American Ornithological Society recently announced that it will change all English language common names of birds that honor people, to avoid recognizing historical figures with ties to slavery, racism, and colonialism. In 2020, the society...
2023-11-20 - Christopher V. Rao, professor and head of the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, was invested as the Ray and Beverly Mentzer Professor. The professorship was established by ChBE alumnus Ray Mentzer (BS, '74, chemical and biomolecular engineering) and his wife, Beverly...
2023-11-17 - Six researchers in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences have been named to the 2023 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list. The list recognizes research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence – reflected through their publication of multiple papers frequently cited by their peers during the last decade. The highly cited LAS researchers...
2023-11-14 - Mirelsie Velázquez learned at the University of Illinois, and now she’s helping others learn here. Velázquez (BA, ’04, political science; MA, ’07; PhD, ’10; educational policy studies) earned three degrees before leaving to start her career in academia. In 2023 she returned to Urbana-Champaign as a faculty member in the ...
2023-11-14 - The College of LAS welcomed 53 new tenure-track professors for the 2023-24 academic year. The new positions range from assistant to full professors in almost 24 academic units, ranging from Asian American studies to religion, sociology, statistics, atmospheric sciences, and several others. Most of the faculty members started their new roles at the beginning of the fall semester, but some arrived...
2023-11-02 - A University of Illinois team led by chemistry professor Joaquín Rodríguez-López is launching a new project that aims to produce clean hydrogen, sequester carbon dioxide, and store renewable energies like wind and solar inexpensively and sustainably by packaging electrochemical reactions in smaller-than-standard serving sizes....
2023-10-27 - Researchers report that a single, simplified model can predict population fluctuations in three unrelated realms: urban employment, human gut microbiomes, and tropical forests. The model will help economists, ecologists, public health authorities, and others predict and respond to variability in multiple domains, the researchers say. The new findings are detailed in the Proceedings of the...
2023-10-26 - As if frogs aren’t reason enough to leap into this profile, researchers are starting to see more clearly what the creatures can tell us about animal behavior and biological organization. Eva Fischer, professor of evolution, ecology, and behavior and Lincoln Excellence for Assistant Professors Scholar, is uncovering...
2023-10-24 - Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker recently announced new funding to support communities working to preserve and celebrate their unique cultural heritage. The “State Designated Cultural District” initiative will provide $3 million to selected cultural districts to aid such efforts. U of I anthropology professor Helaine Silverman, whose work focuses on the...
2023-10-23 - As much of the U.S. has dealt with record-setting temperatures, wildfires, and fierce storms, a new study suggests that the science learning standards for many public schools are not preparing young people to understand and respond to problems such as climate change that will dramatically impact their lives and those of millions of people around the globe. Published in the Proceedings of...
2023-10-23 - In the late 1950s, two talented students, both originally from China, arrived at Illinois’ College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Hung-Chao "Paul" Tai had earned a prestigious scholarship for graduate study in the United States and was pursuing a degree in political science, while Ming-Jen “Julia” Chow had completed her master’s at the University of Oklahoma before selecting Illinois for her PhD...
2023-10-20 - After 16 years on campus, Don Marrow, associate director of budget & resource planning for the School of Chemical Sciences, said he’s been a part of great projects, opportunities, and professional growth.
2023-10-20 - Graduate students in the humanities and social and behavioral sciences spent part of last summer supporting worthwhile causes: They worked with community organizations in the Urbana-Champaign area to help them achieve everything from running shelters to preparing incarcerated individuals for life outside of prison. They did so through the...
2023-10-18 - Charles S. Parker was a pioneering Black botanist who traveled all over the country collecting plants. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign English professor Janice Harrington wrote a children’s biography of Parker, “Rooting for Plants: The Unstoppable Charles S. Parker, Black Botanist...
2023-10-17 - According to a new paper, ancient Maya reservoirs, which used aquatic plants to filter and clean the water, “can serve as archetypes for natural, sustainable water systems to address future water needs.” The Maya built and maintained reservoirs that were in use for more than 1,000 years, wrote anthropology professor Lisa Lucero in a...
2023-10-10 - Xinzhu Yu, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology, is a recipient of the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award from the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. According to the NIH, the New...
2023-10-05 - When she arrived at the U of I as an undergraduate student, Cydnee Weber had not yet considered what her role could be as a descendant of the Cherokee and Pamunkey tribes. After she experienced some of the tension over the university mascot and other matters, however, she began to explore her own heritage in a way that would expand awareness of Native American influence on campus. Weber (BA, ’...
2023-10-04 - From LAS Liftoff to seminar courses throughout the academic year, Darrell Hunter II helps incoming students adjust to campus life through community building events and programs. He is the director of first-year experience with the Student Academic Affairs Office and has played an instrumental role in creating new programs including We Got Each Other and My Auntie's House.
2023-10-04 - When Eryn Schneider joined the LAS Leaders organization as a student, she had no idea how it would lead to a decade-long (and counting) successful career at one of the largest energy companies in the world. Schneider (BS, ’09, chemical engineering), a Waukesha, Wisconsin native, came to the U of I with plans to pursue chemical engineering. Her parents’...
2023-10-02 - Intelligence can mean many things. For most people, it describes the general ability to learn and use knowledge in different areas, such as technology, science, and even personal relationships. At the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, researchers study the origins of human...
2023-09-28 - Ruby Mendenhall’s unwavering energy toward her work and community outreach has become a hallmark of her highly successful academic career. She was recently named the Kathryn Lee Baynes Dallenbach Professor in Liberal Arts & Sciences. Mendenhall is a professor of sociology and African American studies. She...
2023-09-27 - Joe Bonomo (BS, ‘12, statistics) has a number of skills listed on his resume. However, he’s built his career on being a creative problem solver, a skill he honed during his undergraduate studies in the Department of Statistics. Eleven years later,...
2023-09-27 - When huge herds of bison roamed the Great Plains, the animals were not only a source of livelihood for Native Americans. They also were a vital part of the ecology and a religious icon. History professor Rosalyn LaPier is featured in the forthcoming Ken Burns documentary “The American Buffalo...