LAS News Archive

2017-06-30 - What does the word “scientist” bring to mind? If it’s a tall man with crazy hair straight out of “Back to the Future,” you’re far from alone. That’s a big reason why Katy Heath teaches biology not only to college students, but to children during the Girls Explore Biology Camp, hosted each summer on...

2017-06-30 - The last time the state of Illinois had a total solar eclipse the University of Illinois was a mere two years old. It’s been 148 years since the state has witnessed the moon completely block out the sun in the sky.But now a total solar eclipse will occur in southern Illinois at around 1:20 p.m. on...

2017-06-28 -     The heart is a dynamic muscle that grows and shrinks in response to stressors such as exercise and disease. The secret to its malleability lies in individual cells, which get bigger or smaller depending on the heart’s needs. A new study of mouse hearts reveals a previously unknown...

2017-06-26 -     The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will award the Chancellor’s Medallion to three men who have dedicated their professional lives to preserving and making available the history of the university. Honored in a June 28 ceremony will be Winton Solberg, a professor...

2017-06-23 -     A professor of microbiology at Illinois has been named an Allen Distinguished Investigator by the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, which will bring $1.5 million over the next three years to her research of microbial...

2017-06-22 - Fourteen University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students and young alumni –including 11 from the College of LAS—have been offered student Fulbright grants to pursue international educational, research and teaching experiences this coming year throughout Eastern and Western Europe, Latin America...

2017-06-21 -     Scientists know a lot about weather. However, there is still one aspect that isn’t totally understood: the initiation and development of thunderstorms. That’s why atmospheric scientists at Illinois are soon heading to a small, geographical area in western Argentina to study what...

2017-06-21 -     These days it seems that anti-Americanism is a never-ending topic in international news, but a new book edited by anthropology professors Virginia Dominguez and Jane Desmond reveals that foreign perceptions of the United States are more...

2017-06-15 -     Research from Illinois was presented to the U.S. Senate on Thursday as advocates of agricultural research highlighted the importance of congressional support. The research of Amy Marshall-Colón, professor of plant biology, was...

2017-06-14 - Biking roughly 4,000 miles across the country might seem daunting, but to members of the Illini 4000, the reason for riding couldn’t be anymore clear.“We’re not just riding our bikes for fun,” said Dan Reeter, a student in actuarial science...

2017-06-13 - When Tim Green, editor of Rattle magazine, called Julie Price, senior lecturer in English, at her home, Price looked at the caller ID and almost didn’t answer the phone.“T. Green, hmm…that sounds like Tru-Green lawn services. I’m not going to answer...

2017-06-09 -     Researchers at the University of Illinois are contributing to the development of more environmentally friendly catalysts for the production of plastic and resin precursors that are often derived from fossil fuels. The key to their technique comes from recognizing the unique...

2017-06-08 - For a moment, put yourself in a police officer’s shoes: You arrive at a warehouse where a man is hunting his estranged wife with a gun. As you rush around a corner, you hear a gunshot and see a woman on the floor. The killer sees you, drops his weapon immediately, and says that he’s glad he did it....

2017-06-02 - For Chad Garland, reporting on the war against ISIS in Iraq requires body armor, bravery, and not a small amount of wits and wisdom—much of which he credits to his days at Illinois as he earned degrees in Russian language and literature...

2017-05-31 - Derek Hoot of Middleton, Wisconsin, a senior at the University of Illinois, has been offered an $18,500 David L. Boren Scholarship to fully cover the cost of his academic year 2017-18 study abroad experience at the Qasid Institute for Classical and Modern Standard Arabic in Jordan. A...

2017-05-31 - Three respected professors and campus leaders have been selected to serve as associate deans in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.Matthew Ando, head of the Department of Mathematics, and Kelly Ritter, professor of...

2017-05-25 -     A small, thin square of an organic plastic that can detect disease markers in breath or toxins in a building’s air could soon be the basis of portable, disposable sensor devices. By riddling the thin plastic films with pores, University of Illinois researchers made the devices...

2017-05-24 -     In wake of a terrorist attack, news organizations often showcase the blaring of the sirens, the herd of emergency vehicles, and the grieving victims affected by the violence. But according to Scott Althaus, director of the Cline...

2017-05-23 -     Zong-qi Cai, professor of East Asian languages and cultures at Illinois, is growing in prominence as an expert on understanding Chinese literature. He recently signed an agreement with Columbia University Press to be the general editor...

2017-05-22 -     Contrary to posters you may have seen hanging on the walls in science class, Lijun Liu, professor of geology at Illinois, knows that Earth’s interior is not like an onion. While most textbooks demonstrate the outer surface of the...

2017-05-19 - Twelve students in the Lincoln Scholars Initiative graduated from the University of Illinois this academic year, making them the second class of LAS students who have earned a degree with support from the successful scholarship...

2017-05-18 -     The University of Illinois recently welcomed a noteworthy alumnus of the College of LAS. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work returned to campus for a tour of several state-of-the-art research facilities.  Work (BS, ’74, biology...

2017-05-18 -     Two new studies link patterns of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the blood to the integrity of brain structures and cognitive abilities that are known to decline early in aging. The studies add to the evidence that dietary intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can ...

2017-05-16 - Stephen J. Elledge, a world-renowned leader in the field of the genetics, biochemistry, genomics, and proteomics of cancer cell biology, has received a 2017 University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award.Established in 1957, the award is presented to alumni who have attained outstanding success...

2017-05-15 -     “The Art of Yellowstone Science,” the recently published book by Bruce Fouke, professor of geology, affiliate professor of microbiology, and active member of the Carl R...