We are curious to know some of the ways AI is changing your world as a graduate student. Please tell us in a few brief sentences. We will share a compilation of anonymous responses in an upcoming GradLIFE blog post.

The draft Summer 2023 list is now available at go.illinois.edu/lotrae. If your course is missing, check your instructor report against the criteria in the draft list. At least five students must have completed the relevant item(s), and you must have released your sections for inclusion on the list. For questions or corrections, email ices@illinois.edu or call 217-244-3846.

Graduate students are required to enroll as students in International Insurance for all university-related international travel. International Insurance provides benefits such as medical and evacuation costs, tele-health and tele-counseling, and quarantine coverage. Explore insurance benefits and enroll your upcoming travel here: https://go.illinois.edu/intl-insurance-grad. For travel conducted in the course of assistantship responsibility, units are responsible for paying the insurance fee by CFOP.

Not sure how to budget? Curious about accessing affordable food? Attend this helpful workshop that can guide you through budget maintenance and food resources. This is an online only event. Please register to receive a zoom link the afternoon of the event. This workshop will be recorded.https://uiuc.libcal.com/event/11290575

Many funding agencies require a personal statement in addition to an applicant’s research proposal. Why?! What on earth are you supposed to talk about? If these questions have induced writer’s block, this workshop is for you. We will assess the range of personal statement prompts you may encounter and distill their shared essence. Participants will learn the qualities of a compelling statement and practice writing techniques to arrive at a complete first draft. Please register in advance for this online workshop. 

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers scholarships for arts study in Germany. Eligible fields are music, performing arts (drama, theatre, musicals, dance, choreography), film, design/visual communication, and architecture. The scholarship duration ranges from 10 to 24 months and supports graduate study at most state and state-recognized German universities. Students apply directly to DAAD, and deadlines fall in September and November. See details in the DAAD Arts Scholarship listing in Fellowship Finder.

Interested in conducting dissertation research in Germany? If so, check out the Long-Term Research Grants offered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Grants are open to students in any discipline except fine arts (there's a separate fellowship for fine arts students here).  UIUC is a "university partner" with DAAD, which means that two of our applicants will have priority consideration in the national competition. For details, visit the DAAD Long-Term Grant listing in Fellowship Finder. 

Build connections with other thesis-writing students in the Thesis Workspace discussion boards! There's space to share tools and resources and strategies for getting organized and manageing your time. Feel free to ask questions of others or Emily in the Thesis Office. And there's even space for posting cute pet photos! If there's a topic that you want to suggest for a discussion board, email thesis@illinois.edu Please note, you will need to sign up for The Thesis Workspace in order to access the discussion boards.

We polled current graduate students and alumni from UIUC to ask what tools they thought were essential to getting off to a good start with thesis writing. The six tips they identified are small decisions that could make a big impact on your productivity! Read more in our "Six Tools to Help You Get Started" page and leave your own advice in our discussion boards. Note that you need to be signed up for the Thesis Workspace Canvas site to access this material.

This online presentation will provide tips for writing concise and professional cover letters. You’ll review common structure, audience expectations, and strategies for using the cover letter to complement the resume. We encourage you to bring a current job ad and questions about your current cover-letters-in-progress! This event is open to current University of Illinois students, faculty, and staff. Read more and register in advance here!

You know that a strong network can help you advance in your career. But using LinkedIn for networking can make you feel uncertain and awkward at times. In this workshop, you will learn strategies for using LinkedIn for your professional success. You will learn about some basics to using LinkedIn, how to find people, strategies for making first contact, and how to maintain your connection with them over time. 

What is a faculty interview actually like? What sorts of questions will I be asked? How should I talk about my research and teaching? What do I do if there are technical problems? Get answers to these questions and more as you learn the basics of the first-round faculty interviews. No registration required. This workshop will be held in person AND simultaneously broadcast online. Click here to join the workshop remotely.

The Doctoral Research Support Program (DRSP) is hosting research office hours on Tuesdays (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm) and Fridays (11:00 am - 12:00 pm) in Room 323c, Main Library Building. We are providing research support for short-term and long-term research projects and assistance with dissertation research. The DRSP also started a Publishing Consultation Service to assist early career scholars. This service is open to all current doctoral students at the University of Illinois.  

Google Scholar is an incredibly popular and useful tool for research with several features that scholars may not be familiar with. This workshop will elaborate on the difference between searching in Google Scholar and academic databases, demonstrate how to use Google Scholar’s Advanced Search, explain how to connect your library access to Google Scholar, and cover some of the other more sophisticated features Google Scholar offers to support your research. We will also discuss some of the privacy concerns related to Google and how you can mediate them. 

New to the university? Need a refresher on using the library? This hands-on workshop will introduce you to library resources and services. After this workshop, you’ll be able to navigate the library website with confidence to access print and electronic materials. Come with questions if you have them!

Although sampling the work of others has been a natural part of image creation since humans have communicated through art, new AI tools have complicated that conversation. We will take a behind-the-scenes look at how these tools are built and discuss the ways people are using AI generated images to create new bodies of work, streamline research processes, and beautifully muddy current and future copyright waters. You’ll learn your rights as an image creator, and hopefully have a few more answers about where the machine’s art ends and yours begins. No prior experience with AI or code required!

Are you having trouble organizing all of your sources but don’t know where to start? A citation manager can help you store your files, create citations, and insert formatted citations into papers. This hands-on workshop will introduce you to three popular citation managers: Mendeley, Zotero, and Endnote. We will go over the strengths and limitations of each one and give you a preview of how they work to help you choose the best fit for your citation needs.

Looking for a new way to conduct your library research? Tired of getting zero results in your database searches? This workshop will break down how the professionals identify resources, and search for articles, books, and other scholarly works. We’ll cover chasing citations, creating optimal keyword searches, using built-in database functions to improve your searches, and other strategies to make you a more efficient researcher.

Our hybrid writing group provides graduate students with dedicated time to make progress on thesis or dissertation writing in a supportive atmosphere. Each meeting consists of a short goal-setting conversation, quiet writing time, and a concluding reflection and wrap-up. Use this time to create or return to a writing routine, make progress and meet deadlines on long-term projects, or jump-start a new writing project. You only need to register once with your U of I email to receive weekly email reminders all semester!

The Doctoral Research Support Program invites all doctoral students to this workshop, during which students will learn about general and subject-specific indexing and abstracting resources, search techniques, and interacting with collections held at the University of Illinois and beyond. Click here to register.

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation hosts weekly talks on various topics related to the responsible and ethical conduct of research.  Topics include research data management, privacy, mentorship, and more. Join us on Zoom on Wednesdays at noon this semester - please register in advance at go.illinois.edu/ovcri-rcr-register.

NCSA will offer this 2-hour workshop with hands-on exercises. We will explore how to build new parallel applications and transform serial applications into parallel ones incrementally in a shared memory environment. After completing this training, attendees will be prepared for more advanced or different parallel computing tools and techniques. Along with this workshop, we are offering the opportunity to participate in an advanced parallel computing cohort program. Register and find more info with the link in the title.

Do you need help with data, troubleshooting code, statistical analyses, or survey research? Consulting & training workshops are open to campus on the following: Stata, SAS, ATLAS.ti, SPSS, R, Python, Qualtrics, and Alchemer. All services are free through a partnership with CITL, the Library of Scholarly Commons, and Tech Services. For open consulting hours and workshop registration, visit our website.

We are looking for talented Illini to compete in the fifth annual Global Talent Show! We are looking for a variety of different talents, including singing, dancing, playing an instrument, Yo-Yoing, gymnastics, and more!  The event will be held on October 17 during the Homecoming Week! Sponsored by International Education, International Student and Scholar Services, Student Affairs, and Student Alumni Ambassadors. Please enter at https://go.illinois.edu/globaltalent. Submissions are due by Friday, September 22nd.

Would you like to be more aware of how disability and ableism are experienced in your academic, social and living environments? Join us this fall for our Disability Ally Training on Thursday, October 5; 1pm-4pm (in person and virtual). Please contact Stephanie Wheeler at slwheele@illinois.edu for more information.  https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/5885707

The Education Justice Project is hosting a 4-part panel series that brings together international and national organizations. The first panel is on Wednesday, September 27 @ 12:00p CT over Zoom. It will bring together the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) International, and Explore Maryland Cannabis to discuss the ramifications of the War on Drugs as well as the importance of advocating for drug policy reform. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions after the panel discussion, and everyone is invited to attend!

International Student and Scholar Services is excited to announce our very first Portuguese/Spanish Names Training. Learn how to distinguish between Portuguese and Spanish names and pronounce them correctly from native speakers. Register here: https://go.illinois.edu/ISSSNames.

Athletics, Facilities & Services, iSEE, and Coca-Cola are teaming up for the first comprehensive tailgate recycling program this season.Tailgaters, do your part by recycling plastic bottles & aluminum cans in containers located in Lot 31 & Grange Grove. Students can sign up to volunteer on Saturday, Sept. 23, and Saturday, Nov. 11. Volunteers receive a free "Be Orange, Go Green" T-shirt!

Graduate students are encouraged to submit a self-nomination for the Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award. The deadline to submit nominations is September 29. Self-nominations must include a brief narrative, unofficial transcript, and separate letter of support from a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty, academic advisor, or department head who is familiar with your work. Review the criteria and required documents online and submit a nomination today! >>> https://international.illinois.edu/awards-funding/achievement/nominations.html

Volunteers are needed for the 13th annual Light the Night (LTN) event, organized by UIUC and MTD. LTN takes place Sept. 24, 4-7 p.m. Approximately 800 to 1,000 bike light sets have been installed in the area each year. This year the event will be hosted at Alma Mater, Hallene Gateway, and Campus Bike Center. For more information, visit https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/6242/33385784.

The 16th annual Light the Night is Tuesday, Sept. 19, from 4 to 7 p.m., at Alma Mater Plaza, Hallene Gateway, and the Ikenberry Quad. You MUST bring your bike to get a light set. Approximately 1,100 bike light sets will be available this year. Remember, bike lights are required by Illinois law when riding at night. Sign up to volunteer for this event.

Postdoc researcher Joseph Tingling will explore the lasting impact of Asian culture on Jamaica, celebrating the contributions of Chinese, Indian, and other Asian communities to the island's customs, traditions, and way of life. This will be encapsulated by an overview of the various known cultural aspects of Jamaica and noted events and individuals. Dinner is provided.

Enjoy some international snacks and drinks with cross-cultural learning activities. 

33rd Annual Mortenson Distinguished Lecture | 21 September 2023.  “Reciprocity, Reparative Actions, and Decolonial Work,” by Dr. Ricardo L. Punzalan. Also a keynote presentation at iPRES 2023.  LECTURE: 3:30-5:00 pm CT (iHotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. 1st Street, Champaign, Heritage Hall 2, AND online).  Reception to follow. FREE registration <here>. See the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs  website for more details and other activities: library.illinois.edu/mortenson/lectures/

The Chez Veterans Center hosts VA Illiana Health Care System Suicide Prevention Coordinator for this training on Suicide Prevention: Lethal Means Safety.  Join us as we hear about Veteran Suicide Prevention, VA Suicide Prevention Efforts, S.A.V.E. and means safety.

Responding to and Addressing Community Needs: An Evening with Champaign-Urbana Practitioners: Join HRI for an evening of conversation about inequities in health care, incarceration, and addiction recovery—all through a local lens. Hear from our panelists about their organizations, the challenges they face, and how they’re working to positively impact community health and individual well-being. This event is free and open to the public. 

As a Community of Care, we here at Illinois support one another both in times of celebration and times of struggle. The loss of any single member of our community affects us all. Please mark your calendar with this year’s date. In addition, we would appreciate your help in spreading the word. We hope to see you there.

AICE will host a Kickoff Meeting Sep 26 at the Siebel Center for CS. Through keynotes and panels, the meeting will focus on the research goals of developing intelligent conversational systems that demonstrate contextual understanding, emotional intelligence, allowing for personalization, and the ability to interpret non-verbal communication while being ethical and fair. Registration required.

Welcome to GradSWE, the Graduate Women in the Society of Women Engineers! Getting involved with GradSWE is a great way to meet outstanding women in STEM, connect to faculty, and gain valuable leadership experience. Come learn about the events GradSWE puts on throughout the year and ways to get involved. Anyone in STEM is welcome, and pizza will be provided! 

The WRC's newest program, Girl Krush, is dedicated to showing love to our talented University of Illinois women athletes. Join the Women's Resources Center cheering section at special events throughout the year to help close the gender gap in sports AND experience these dynamic and captivating teams as they compete to be the best in the BIG 10. Sign up for our mailing list to receive updates on upcoming games by email or text and tell us what you would like to see planned for future games!

Do you like hot chocolate? Do you like dogs? Do you care about your safety? If you said yes to any of these, come join us at AACC to learn more about important safety topics with the University of Illinois Police Department in partnership with ISSS while we enjoy hot cocoa and interacting with our therapy canine dogs. We will learn about being careful against financial scams, dating safety, safe modes of transportation, and more.

Sign up for the brightest 5K on campus! The Future's So Bright 5K fun run/walk kicks off on the main quad on Thursday, October 5 at 7pm. Cost is $5 and all proceeds go to the Tony Clements Scholarship Fund. Participants will receive bright swag in their race packets! Find more information about the race, and links to register, on Campus Recreation's website.

Each year at Japan House, we offer the opportunity for guests to view a tea ceremony and to celebrate the full moon together in the beauty of the gardens. Professor Emeritus Kimiko Gunji will perform a special tea ceremony in the Japan House Gardens to honor the Harvest Moon for all to watch. The tea ceremony will be followed by a special shakuhachi performance by the ponds near Japan House by Omar Francis. Note: Japan House will NOT be open to the public during Tsukimi and there are no public restrooms in the Arboretum. All activities will take place outside so please plan accordingly.

Join us for a celebration of queer BIPOC students with food, entertainment, and campus resources! Free for all students and staff.

The Native American Outreach Team of the Counseling Center will facilitate a perfectionism workshop. Many students are told that perfectionism is a good thing and necessary for success. However, studies show that perfectionistic attitudes can interfere with success. This workshop helps students realize when perfectionism is more harmful than good and develop more realistic expectations. Dr. Charlotte Davidson will include a Diné perspective incorporating the medicine wheel concept.

Identifying where to publish your research can be a daunting task. Should you write a conference paper, a journal article or both? What is peer review, an ORCID ID, a predatory journal and other publication jargon? In this session, IEEE University Partnership Program Senior Manager Jalyn Kelley, will provide insights into publishing with IEEE. Join the talk if you want to learn more! Food will be provided!

McKinley Health Center serves on-campus students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

If you or a student you know may need support with their basic needs or financial stressors, please reach out.

The University of Illinois Counseling Center provides mental health counseling and well-being education for students.