LAS News Archive

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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 $...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

2009-04-01 - During college Michael Newbill developed a fondness for the dynamic cultures of South Asia that never quit. The question was how to make a career of it. The answer was the State Department.Newbill, 36, is a diplomat at the U.S. consulate in Mumbai, India, where he serves as chief of political and...

2009-04-01 - The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences gratefully acknowledges the following individuals for their excellence in teaching and advising in 2009. Their contributions are vital to maintaining LAS as a great college.Recognition of the LAS Teaching Academy Reflective Teaching Seminar Professor Alison...

2009-04-01 - David Clayton is not actually a bird watcher—a bird listener is more like it. Back in 1992, this LAS researcher discovered that when a zebra finch songbird hears a new song from a male of the same species, it triggers a specific gene in the brain. This was one of the earliest discoveries showing...

2009-04-01 - A junior majoring in chemistry was one of only two University of Illinois students to win a prestigious Barry M. Goldwater scholarship for the 2009-2010 academic year. The award will help Anthony Mazzotti, of Taylorville, Ill., finish undergraduate...

2009-04-01 - It’s possible that air traffic controllers are being put out to pasture sooner than necessary, according to new findings from LAS psychology professor Arthur Kramer. Because of the intensity of their jobs, air traffic controllers in the United...

2009-04-01 - 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. Abraham Lincoln proclaimed early in 1865 that the...

2009-04-01 - The students in Urbana High School’s math club were challenged in early April to do something they probably hadn’t done since first or second grade. They did coloring. However, this coloring task was being led by an eminent LAS mathematician, Wolfgang Haken,...

2009-04-01 - A person’s unconscious attitudes toward science and God may be fundamentally opposed, researchers report, depending on how religion and science are used to answer “ultimate” questions such as how the universe began or the origin of life. What’s more, those views can be manipulated, the researchers...

2009-04-01 - Is the communication in your relationship a little frosty? It may be that the little things you’re not doing in daily routines are playing a part, says LAS researcher Leanne Knobloch. Things like forgetting to walk the dog or fuel the car or take out the trash. Disruptions you cause in your...

2009-04-01 - A team of 24 researchers from the U.S., Europe, Taiwan, and Japan, and led by University of Illinois scientists, has engineered a new anti-cancer agent that is about 200 times more active in killing tumor cells than similar drugs used in recent clinical trials.The new agent belongs to a class of...

2009-03-01 - When it comes to the hippocampus, a brain structure vital to certain types of memory, size matters. Numerous studies have shown that bigger is usually better. Now researchers have found that elderly adults who are more physically fit tend to have bigger hippocampi and better spatial memory than...

2009-03-01 - Immigrants whittle into a broad earnings gap with American-born workers only about half as fast as long-accepted estimates suggest, according to new research by a University of Illinois economist. Darren Lubotsky says immigrants’ typically low...

2009-03-01 - When it comes time for the spotlight, Penelope Soskin prefers a low profile, joking that fortunately she’s a better advocate for students than herself. After years of thoughtful influence on the college’s honors programs, however, Soskin’s contributions have been brought to light by none other than...