2010-03-01
- Of all the insults you hurled at your brother as you beat his score in Pac-Man, you probably didn’t mention your nucleus accumbens. A study conducted at the U of I, however, indicates that the size of certain brain structures profoundly influences cognitive skills that are at play in video games—and in everyday life. The study found that achievement seen among men and women trained on a...
2010-02-01 - Size isn’t all that matters when it comes to the brains of chimpanzees and humans. Humans have significantly larger brains than chimps, especially in the forebrain region. But LAS researchers have found that gene expression in the brain—the way genetic information is used—sets humans apart from chimps in even more dramatic ways.Chimps and humans share most of the same genes, says Lisa Stubbs, a...
2010-02-01 - In researching how humans populated the Americas, Ripan Malhi, a U of I molecular anthropologist, has encountered the usual obstacles that come with dealing in microscopic substances. Then there’s that problem of being called a vampire. He’s not, of course. It’s just that his field of work traditionally involves asking people for tissue and blood...
2010-02-01 - Like so many students, Robin Wiszowaty suffered from culture shock when she traveled to Africa for her foreign exchange experience. But in her case, it was reverse culture shock. Her greatest shock was coming back home and trying to readjust to her culture in the United States.After spending a year riding across Kenya crammed in the back of a pickup, Wiszowaty says it felt bizarre traveling...
2010-02-01 - University of Illinois entomologist May R. Berenbaum is the 2009 recipient of the Public Understanding of Science and Technology Award from the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Berenbaum, a Swanlund Chair and the head of the Department of Entomology, created the Insect Fear Film Festival, now in its 27th year on...
2010-02-01 - The United States has led the way for decades in promoting free trade and globalization, but contrary to common wisdom, it’s now among the most vulnerable to a growing backlash against it, says U of I professor Jude Hays.The belief, especially among economists, has been that certain Western European countries supporting generous social insurance and welfare programs would experience the most...
2010-02-01 - The civil rights movement was never as unified as it often has been portrayed, says U of I professor Clarence Lang.That’s because class is often a key missing element in the story, according to Lang, a professor of history and African American studies. Lawyers, educators, and other middle-class...
2010-02-01 - Each year the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recognizes a handful of staff members and academic professionals for their outstanding contributions to the college and service to others. These individuals, who were nominated by members of the campus community, demonstrate excellence and enhance the image of the college. LAS Academic Professional Award Corinne...
2010-02-01 - Illinois is mired in a deep employment recession that could linger for years unless the state unravels the roots of its nearly decade-long job slump, a new study by a University of Illinois geographer and economist warns. Though lawmakers tout sweeping job-creation initiatives such as a statewide road and...
2010-02-01 - The Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities (IPRH) at the University of Illinois has been awarded a six-year, $1.25 million grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant will fund 10 postdoctoral fellowships in the humanities and humanistic social sciences during the next six years, with the first appointments to begin in the fall...
2010-01-01 - Even if you set aside the drug trade and terrorism, the prospects of democracy taking root in the rugged mountains and plains of Afghanistan are “not good,” according to a U of I political scientist. Democracies are generally short-lived anyway, with a life expectancy of about 40 years, political scientists say. But Professor José Antonio Cheibub says...
2010-01-01 - A new study provides “incontrovertible evidence” that the volcanic super-eruption of Toba on the island of Sumatra about 73,000 years ago deforested much of central India, some 3,000 miles from the epicenter, researchers report.The volcano ejected an estimated 800 cubic kilometers of ash into the atmosphere, leaving a crater (now the world’s largest volcanic lake) that is 100 kilometers long and...-
2010-01-01 - Six faculty members of the University of Illinois, all in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, have been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science: Gary S. Dell, Andrew A. Gewirth, Donald R. Ort, Thomas B. Rauchfuss, Philippe Tondeur, and Huimin Zhao.Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. This year 531...
2010-01-01 - Origami is the ancient art of folding paper into delicate, intricate creations. But in University of Illinois labs, origami is also a science. Illinois researchers have found a way to fold microscopically thin slices of silicon into all kinds of useful shapes, which could have applications in many areas, including solar energy.Specifically, researchers have found an effective, efficient way for...
2010-01-01 - Rick Undesser’s elbow still ached from the injury suffered in his first judo match of the day. Now, this LAS alumnus was facing the same Russian competitor who had defeated him in that first fight—the same man who had also injured him by over-extending his elbow. Only this time, the gold medal was on the line in the World Masters Judo Championship in Atlanta last August. “My wife said she felt...
2010-01-01 - Advocates say a new Illinois state law signed on December 9, 2009, is a historic step toward campaign finance reform, but a U of I political scientist cautions that it will take one or two election cycles before state residents can accurately judge whether the legislation has triggered any meaningful change—and he’s not holding his breath.“Illinois has...
2010-01-01 - For the first time in the University of Illinois’ 142-year history, it has had to implement mandatory furloughs and other severe cost-saving measures in order to meet payroll in coming months. The measures are the result of a cash crisis that stems from a $436 million backlog in unpaid appropriations from the State of Illinois.In making the announcement about the measures, President Stanley O....
2009-12-01 - Gov. Pat Quinn made a recent stop to the University of Illinois campus to share good news—that the Lincoln Hall renovation project will be ready to bid to contractors in approximately 30 days, moving along a roughly $63 million effort to turn the nearly century-old landmark into a 21st-century learning environment. The governor spoke on Wednesday, Dec. 2, in the Illini Union, where he was...
2009-12-01 - For much of her day, Youyon Liang’s world is limited to her chemical and biomolecular engineering lab, where she is hunting for ways to multiply liver cells outside of the body—all part of a quest to discover new treatments for liver failure. To reach this goal, however, her world is much bigger than a single lab. In fact, she is drawing on the best of two worlds: Singapore and the United States...
2009-12-01 - A proposed federal prison in northwest Illinois would lock up a double dose of much-needed cash to chip away at the state’s gaping budget hole, a University of Illinois economist says.J. Fred Giertz says money from selling the largely unused state lockup and the thousands of jobs that would follow would be good tonic for Illinois’ struggling economy, but not a cure. “Obviously, the money from the...
2009-12-01 - John Gaffaney was a 56-year-old psychiatric nurse preparing for deployment to Iraq, where he planned to help soldiers cope with the trauma of war. Before he even left U.S. soil, however, he was gunned down in the November massacre at Fort Hood in Texas—one of 13 victims. In a cruel irony, the suspect, Major Nidal Hasan, was an Army psychiatrist who had been treating soldiers suffering from post-...
2009-12-01 - A grade-schooler caught concealing a knife explains, “You get or be got.” A principal wrestles with a child throwing a temper tantrum so violent that they call 9-1-1. A young boy talks about heaven after his classmate is killed by an ambulance. If school administration sounds the least bit dull to you, consider the reality captured by a U of I alumnus who co-produced the acclaimed PBS documentary...
2009-12-01 - Scaling back mail delivery from six days a week to five may be the best bet to stem mounting U.S. Postal Service losses, but could still be a gamble, says a University of Illinois economist who has studied the agency’s persistent financial decline.Seung-Hyun Hong says projected savings from weekday-only delivery could wither if the move chases away...
2009-11-01 - Confetti filled the city’s skies when Rio de Janiero was named the host of the 2016 Olympics, breaking the hearts of Chicagoans and making Brazil the first South American country to host the games. But like so many things in Latin America, the Olympics raise both hopes and fears. “We are emotionally with Rio,” says Nils Jacobsen, an LAS history...
2009-11-01 - Months after the building closed, the class bells still ring in Lincoln Hall and students still wander in looking for instructors—workers turn back three or four of them a day—but the renovation is officially underway after a ceremony to honor the iconic structure’s past and describe its future. A crowd heard speeches by University officials and learned how Lincoln Hall will look after the...