2021-08-06
- Social isolation is not a good situation for anybody, but for teenagers it’s particularly hard. Studies have long indicated that teens who are socially isolated are at higher risk for mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and showed that, sadly, the studies were not mistaken.
Since shutdowns began in March 2020, rates of anxiety and depression...
2021-08-06 - Most of us have, at some point, experienced workplace incivility – small, rude behaviors of ambiguous intent. Recent work from the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and collaborators has theorized on the biological consequences of workplace incivility, both from the perspective of the uncivil act itself, and the recipient’s response...
2021-07-30 - Dozens of online videos document an unusual behavior among tufted titmice and their closest bird kin. A bird will land on an unsuspecting mammal and, cautiously and stealthily, pluck out some of its hair. A new paper in the journal Ecology documents this phenomenon, which the authors call “kleptotrichy,” from the Greek roots for “theft” and “hair.” The authors found only a few descriptions of...
2021-07-29 - Four professors from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences have been named 2021 Conrad Humanities Scholars. They will use the award, funded by a gift from the late Arlys Conrad (AB, ’44, education), for research ranging from classical Judaism to the U.S. expansion in the Pacific Ocean. The Conrad Humanities Scholars Award recognizes promising mid-career scholars and provides financial...
2021-07-28 - Venetria K. Patton, head of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Purdue University, has been named the Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Patton, who has served in faculty and administrative roles at Purdue and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, since 1996, will assume her new role on Aug...
2021-07-26 - The Midwest offers many National Parks and monuments worth exploring.
2021-07-22 - A new approach to treating breast cancer kills 95-100% of cancer cells in mouse models of human estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers and their metastases in bone, brain, liver and lungs. The newly developed drug, called ErSO, quickly shrinks even large tumors to undetectable levels.
2021-07-16 - The COVID-19 pandemic has been a disaster for the world, but efforts to control the disease have produced at least one silver lining in terms of the environment: a decrease in global emissions. Efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, such as lockdowns, social distancing, and closures, resulted in a drop in the emissions of several harmful gases, most notably carbon dioxide, throughout much...
2021-07-14 - Heather Ana Hathaway Miranda (BA, ‘95, Spanish) knows the pain of being marginalized. In her life she has experienced racism and fear of differences, including during her time as an undergraduate at UIUC; however, in these challenging moments, Hathaway Miranda, of Downers Grove, Ill., found allies and built friendships around...
2021-07-14 - Nikia Brown recalls the last year as a season of transition for LAS International Programs. “We were all hands on deck,” recounted Brown, associate director of intercultural and global learning, international student experience. Within weeks before the 2020-2021 academic year, the team built supports for international...
2021-07-13 - With a graduate degree in economics, Carla Tighe Murray knows how hard school can be. With a family, she also knows how challenging caregiving can be. That’s why she’s giving support to graduate students who are trying to balance both responsibilities. Murray (PhD, ‘89, economics) recently committed a gift to the Department of Economics to help...
2021-07-13 - If you were to rank the people least likely to encounter an explosive device during their work shift, librarians might be near the top of your list. But on the evening of March 1, 1970, Linda Rogers (then Chapek) was approached by a man during her shift at the Altgeld Hall Library and told that there were bottles of what appeared to be gasoline in a nearby classroom. Perched atop the containers...
2021-07-13 - Late nights under deadline. Smoky rooms. Protesters. Eagerly awaiting the roll of the presses. This is part of the history of Illini Hall, which for many years housed the offices of The Daily Illini. Now a group of former reporters, editors, and photographers who worked at the student newspaper want to pay homage to the building before its demolition. They worked at The Daily Illini during 1970s...
2021-07-09 - Many members of the LAS community find inspiration and pleasure in reading a good book. We asked a few of our own faculty to share the books that they’re excited to dig in to this summer! Leslie Looney (professor and chair of the Department of Astronomy) As an astronomer, it may not come as a surprise but I like to read science fiction. I like the sense of scale and the ability to juxtapose...
2021-07-07 - The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has received the inaugural Research Response to Community Crisis Award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for its COVID-19 testing program. The university’s SHIELD: Target, Test, Tell program combined a campus-developed saliva-based COVID-19 testing protocol with statistical modeling and a...
2021-07-07 - Two University of Illinois professors have been awarded funding in the first year of an initiative to better understand the connections between the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system. Professors Mei Shen, from the Department of Chemistry, and Kai Zhang, from the Department of...
2021-07-06 - Various economic and political forces are steering some young people away from studying for degrees in disciplines such as science, law and medicine, while some new graduates face a shrinking pool of entry-level jobs. Kevin Leicht, a professor of sociology, studies issues surrounding economic inequality, prosperity, and the...
2021-07-01 - The chance of detecting the virus that causes COVID-19 increases with more frequent testing, no matter the type of test, a new study found. Both polymerase chain reaction and antigen tests, paired with rapid results reporting, can achieve 98 percent sensitivity if deployed at least every three days. “This study shows that frequent testing can be really effective at catching COVID-19 infections...
2021-07-01 - For decades, researchers have been working toward mitigating excess atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. One promising approach captures atmospheric carbon dioxide and then, through carbon dioxide electrolysis, converts it into value-added chemicals and intermediates—such as ethanol, ethylene, and other useful chemicals. While significant research has been devoted to improving the rate and...
2021-06-25 - Initiatives within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are being supported by the second round of funding through the Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities, announced by University of Illinois President Tim Killeen. The new round of funding will provide $1.54 million to support 10 projects, including three within LAS. The LAS projects include an...
2021-06-18 - Who thought insurance and financial planning could become so complicated? Okay—that doesn't surprise anybody—but in a country where people, on average, outlive their savings by eight to 10 years, Runhuan Feng’s goal is to advance innovation and technology so that financial stability and security is the norm in an area of life that seems to grow more daunting every year. Name:...
2021-06-14 - Two students from the College of LAS and two recent graduates were offered Fulbright grants to pursue international education, research, and teaching experiences around the globe this coming year. Another three Illinois students were named Fulbright alternates. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program builds international relationships to help solve global...
2021-06-14 - Reconciliation is an odd thing. It seems ideal to replace anger and conflict with warmth and respect, but, historically, people aren’t always ready to embrace the word. While many Americans have become weary of the nation’s political divisiveness, particularly in the wake of the November 2020 elections, experts in the College of LAS caution that there remain issues of race in the United States...
2021-06-10 - Advocates from across the country are partnering with universities, including the University of Illinois, to include the study of Jainism, a South Asian religion that emphasizes nonviolence, non-possessiveness, and respect for other viewpoints. The Department of Religion at the University of Illinois is receiving $1 million from a group of donors to...
2021-06-09 - The story behind the construction of Altgeld Hall reflects some of U of I’s most rooted principles. Currently home to the Department of Mathematics, and with previous lives as the university library, administration building, and College of Law, the campus icon is marking the 125th anniversary of its groundbreaking on June 10, 1896. The need for Altgeld...