2009-09-01
- Conscientiousness is a good thing in a mate, researchers report, not just because it’s easier to live with someone who washes the dishes without being asked, but also because having a conscientious partner may actually be good for one’s health. Their study, of adults over age 50, also found that women, but not men, get an added health benefit when paired with someone who is conscientious and...
2009-09-01 - In a finding that bodes well for treatment of diseases and conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or asthma, researchers in LAS have deciphered a molecular code that controls inflammation. The finding sheds light on a protein complex called NF-kappa B, often referred to as the master regulator of the immune system. Under normal conditions, NF-kappa B is kept at bay by an inhibitor protein in the...
2009-09-01 - If you’re looking for the ultimate survivor forget the wimps you see on television. A U of I plant biologist has discovered tropical tree seeds that can survive almost 40 years underground before germinating.James Dalling and colleague Tom Brown of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory studied seeds in the soil on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, and...
2009-08-01 - LAS alumna Nancy Brinker (AB ’68, sociology), founder of the breast cancer grassroots organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure, received the nation’s highest civilian honor on August 12 when President Barack Obama presents her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The medal is awarded to people who make a meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States,...
2009-08-01 - Click here for larger map.605 E. Springfield Ave. (Computing Applications Building) ADA accessible entrance is on the south side of the building.LAS Office of the Dean LAS Student Academic Affairs Department of Political Science Department of Sociology703 S. Wright St., Third FloorInternational Programs1001 S. Wright St., Room 1 (YMCA Building...
2009-07-01 - The long-awaited restoration of Lincoln Hall finally received the go-ahead as Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a statewide capital construction bill that included funding for the classroom building’s first renovation in 80 years. The $57.3 million state appropriation along with $8.3 million from the University will pay for a near-complete restoration of Lincoln Hall’s interior while maintaining...
2009-07-01 - Emily Pinheiro, a junior majoring in economics at the University of Illinois, has been awarded a Boren Undergraduate Scholarship to study in Ecuador, and John P. Kim, who graduated with a degree in political science and international studies in 2009, has been...
2009-05-01 - May graduates take note. In addition to spiraling stocks and mass layoffs there’s one other hurdle to landing a job after college: Facebook. When it comes to finding employment, the less you reveal about yourself—that is, beyond the basic information contained in a good resume—the better, according to preliminary results from a psychology study. Employers deluged with personal information both...
2009-05-01 - Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a membrane-penetrating nanoneedle for the targeted delivery of one or more molecules into the cytoplasm or the nucleus of living cells. In addition to ferrying tiny amounts of cargo, the nanoneedle can also be used as an electrochemical probe and as an optical biosensor. “Nanoneedle-based delivery is a powerful new tool for studying...
2009-05-01 - For every star in the universe, there are 1 billion bacteria here on earth. In the human body alone, you can find 10 times more bacterial cells than there are total human cells in the body. “The number is so big that I can’t even wrap my mind around it,” says LAS microbiology professor William Metcalf, who has long been fascinated...
2009-05-01 - The students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have claimed prestigious national awards. Aimée Carbaugh, of Urbana, a junior at the University of Illinois, is among 21 students nationwide to receive a Beinecke Scholarship. The award, valued at $34,000, is to be used toward graduate study in the arts, humanities, or social sciences. Illinois is...
2009-05-01 - By Vernon Burton Dr. Burton is a professor emeritus of history, sociology, and African American studies at U of I and is the author of Age of Lincoln.On April 11, 1865, just two days after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S.Grant, Lincoln addressed a gathering crowd from the White House balcony....
2009-05-01 - After 25 years of leading LAS graduation convocation processions, John Lynn is accustomed to playing bagpipes in the spotlight. He rather likes it; he can’t count how many graduates have taken their picture with him, and with at least a dozen songs committed to memory (and upwards of 60 when he plays more often) it’s safe to say he loves the music. Lynn is quick to claim he’s merely a “competent...
2009-05-01 - In learning their field, some geology students follow the same model as study abroad, but instead of seeing the mosques of Cairo, they hike mountain ranges and sleep in the Sonoran Desert. During spring break, Stephen Marshak, professor of geology, and his Geology 415/515 class left the books behind and traveled west to study geology firsthand. Marshak...
2009-05-01 - Hernando de Soto, the Peruvian economist, did an experiment in the 1980s in which he tried to find out how much time it would take to start a new business in Peru. He discovered that it took 256 working days just to obtain the 11 necessary permits—and two of the permits could only be obtained with bribes. As a result of such bureaucratic barriers, the Peruvian economy was forced underground and...-
2009-05-01 - Hillary learns about Illini football (remember this is pre-2008 Rose Bowl)“I must confess, though, that after I accepted the invitation to speak here, I learned that this campus has two commencement ceremonies, both of which take place in this arena—one, this one; and another, later in the afternoon. We have a number of graduates of the University of Illinois in Washington and at the White House...
2009-05-01 - Video description Fifteen years ago, Hillary Clinton received an honorary degree from the University of Illinois. The University of Illinois holds a special place in the heart of Veronica Shenshin. Growing up in Finland with Russian ancestry, she felt the effects of old tensions between the two countries even though her family had lived in Helsinki for three generations. When she arrived in...
2009-05-01 - The LAS Alumni Association has selected three new members to join its board of directors. Michael K. Brandt, David H. Hays, and Walter W. Kurczewski will begin their four-year term in May, and will bring diverse professional and educational backgrounds and a collaborative spirit to board efforts to build lifelong connections between LAS and alumni. Brandt (AB ’75, political science), of Savoy,...
2009-05-01 - In radio, program hosts joke that if you’re ever at a loss for words just give the local forecast because everyone stays tuned in for the weather. So you can understand why Eric Snodgrass puts so much emphasis on vodcasting in his atmospheric sciences honors course (ATMOS 120). There are times when his course on severe weather sounds like a lesson in...
2009-05-01 - It’s a bug’s world—at least if you go strictly by the numbers.In 1758, scientists had counted 4,203 species of animals and more than half—2,102—were insects. Today, that number keeps rising by leaps and bounds, with roughly 950,000 species of insects described, says May Berenbaum, head of the Department of Entomology in LAS.Scientific...
2009-05-01 - Show a photo of a toothy-grinned teenager to a shopkeeper in Moscow or Tokyo and they’ll both recognize a happy customer. Ask them why he’s smiling and neither will have a clue as to whether it’s because the bloke’s got money to spend or because he’s just ripped off an I-Pod. The subtle differences that distinguish a friendly smile from, say, a sinister one, or the truth from a lie, can’t be...-
2009-05-01 - The generosity of our alumni and friends has made it possible to recognize excellence in our talented faculty, including the following new professorships and chairs in the 2008-09 academic year:Ralph Nuzzo, G. L. Clark Professor of ChemistryHuimin Zhao, Centennial Chair in Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringEvan Delucia, G. William Arends Professorship in Integrative BiologyKara Federmeier,...
2009-05-01 - By now we’re all aware of the flaw in your basic fairytale. That is, a fragile woman breaks down in the face of adversity, and her only hope is a rational, steely eyed man. Hillary Clinton may have lost the Democratic primary, but after centuries of acceptance it’s safe to say that stereotype is under review. What Mark Micale uncovered, however, challenges the male side of that stereotype. The...
2009-05-01 - The next six weeks will be better than a journey to Oz for storm chaser and U of I meteorologist Glen Romine. Instead of riding a Kansas twister over the rainbow, he and graduate student Isaac Hankes are part of an international team of researchers—some coming from as far as Finland and Australia—that hopes to learn just what gives tornadoes their deadly...
