The Committee to Advise the President on the Appointment of the New Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Vice President of the University of Illinois System is hosting an additional in-person open forum for undergraduate and graduate students in order to collect more input from you as important constituencies to inform the committee moving forward. The chancellor search webpage provides an additional avenue for your input to the committee. The portal will remain open through Wednesday, February 5.Thank you for participation in this important process!

Why should you participate in Research Live!? To refine your communication skills, to showcase the impact of your work, and maybe win some money too! Read about what it's like to compete from previous participants and why they chose to share their research with the world. Ready to take on the challenge? Register for Research Live! on our website.

From February 3-7, eat at an Illini Union restaurant and get a scratch ticket to see what you win! Blue tickets get an Illini Union sticker. Orange tickets get a prize from Coca-Cola. Golden tickets get you an Illinois plushie key-chain ($10 value). This offer is valid at Just Bee Acai, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Maize, Mia Za's Express, and Thai Fusion. Tickets can be redeemed at the Illini Union Rec Room from Noon-8pm.

The Illini Union is renovating the Lower Level sitting area. New furniture is the first step! We want your feedback on the color scheme of the furniture. On this site are the options for each area of the lower level. Click on the link “furniture survey” and select the option of your choice for each of the areas. You can also come to the lower level and see poster boards for each area.

NCSA is excited to announce Illinois Computes Consulting as a new support option to help all researchers on campus make use of the rich array of technology available to them. Not sure what type of technologies, methods and techniques to use for your work? Illinois Computes Consulting can help you figure that out! Illinois Computes Consulting is focused on providing faster response to address smaller scale needs, such as optimizing code, getting code to run on a new system, using AI tools and techniques, and so much more. Find out more and sign up for the Illinois Computes newsletter!

April 4 is the last day to change your curriculum for the current term. This includes adding or dropping a campus approved minor or concentration. Please check your student program information in Self-Service to verify your program information is listed correctly. Information on how to change your curriculum is available online. 

By the 10th Day of Classes, Feb 3, graduate students should be correctly registered for Spring 2025. Check your registration on Self Service to make sure it is correct. Feb 3 is the last day to submit a form to audit a semester course, request "in Absentia" via the Graduate College Student Portal, add a semester course via Self-Service, and drop a semester course for a refund if reducing tuition range. Students enrolled in non-standard part of term courses should refer to their program for deadlines. Questions about deadlines or submitting a form? Click here for an advising appointment!

Student Affairs Wellbeing Committee presents Fresh Check Day, an engaging and uplifting mental health check-in event that features peer-centered interactive booths, a social atmosphere, free food, and prizes on Mon., Feb. 10 at Noon-2pm in the Illini Union Rooms B&C. Explore strategies for maintaining your mental health and learn about resources on campus.

The Harm Reduction Peers and Counseling Center staff are partnering with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to provide supplies like Narcan and drug testing kits to the campus community. Find us at our rotating location, ask us about how to help in an emergency or refer a friend for services, and learn how to use these important tools. Spring 2025 Dates and Locations.

The SKY Happiness Retreat is an internationally acclaimed life-skills program that helps participants develop a relaxed, stress-free mind and an energetic, healthy body. The retreat teaches tools such as evidence-based meditation, yoga, breathwork and self-exploration in a fun and an experiential format. Join us on campus for a detox-weekend! Fully funded for all UIUC students.

Applications are open for graduate fellowships and awards at the Beckman Institute. About 400 grad students conduct research at Beckman each semester, learning alongside world-renowned field leaders, contributing unique perspectives in an inclusive environment and helping to make scientific advances that couldn't happen anywhere else. Apply by 5 p.m. (CST) Friday, Feb. 28. Visit our website to learn more.

The Robert P. Larsen Grant for Research in Career Development is accepting proposals to support research addressing career development and vocational issues. Grants of up to $1,500 are awarded to currently enrolled graduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods proposals are considered from various disciplines. Projects should be completed in a 1-year timeframe. Deadline to apply: March 16, 2025. Details and application information are available online. 

We want to support you throughout the thesis process, so we have created a Canvas workspace just for you! Our Thesis Workspace is broken into several modules that are designed to help you navigate the process of writing your thesis and learn more about available campus resources. We've included space for you to record your thoughts and created handouts to help you plan and prioritize. The thesis process can sometimes feel challenging or lonely, so this workspace has discussion boards where you can connect with a community of graduate students. Visit our website to learn more!

Join the Writers Workshop's upcoming presentations for advice on drafting and tailoring your cover letters (2/6, 4-5pm) and networking professionally through email & LinkedIn (2/12, 4-5pm). Please register in advance and we'll send the Zoom info the morning of the event.

If you are starting (or jumpstarting) your job search, we've got you covered. This workshop will provide an overview of the entire job search process including tips for writing application materials, navigating the interview process, evaluating and negotiating an offer, and more. This session will be held on Zoom at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/eventspace

GradSWE and Graduate College collaborate to organize Research Pitching Seminar to help you prepare and shine in the upcoming Research Live event. In this engaging session, you’ll learn how to craft a compelling 3-minute research talk, tips to captivate a general audience, strategies to boost your confidence and communication skills. Whether you're a seasoned presenter or new to public speaking, this seminar is your chance to refine your skills and make your research shine. Your research deserves to be heard, let’s make it unforgettable.

ORCID@Illinois provides all members of the campus research community with an easy way to obtain an ORCID iD and link it to their Illinois identity. ORCID iDs are unique, persistent identifiers that are being increasingly requested by funding agencies, publishers and professional associations worldwide. Whether you need an ORCID iD or already have one, get connected at ORCID@Illinois!

Graduate College Career Development advisors specialize in the needs of grad students and postdocs. Meet one-on-one to revise application documents, prepare for interviews, get ready to negotiate, explore new career paths, develop a job search strategy, and more. We work with students/postdocs on any kind of job search, including industry, nonprofit, faculty, and government. Appointments are available in person or on Zoom. 

Putting together your dissertation or thesis proposal and not sure where to start? Gearing up for a research trip? Join Digital Humanities Librarian Mary Ton for a hands-on workshop on project design. We’ll discuss how a project charter can help you refine your research questions, identify models, and create a timeline. We’ll also identify tools to help you organize your citations, files, and photos. Space is limited and registration is required. Visit go.illinois.edu/DinnerDH

Getting started can be the hardest part of writing. Join the Writers Workshop to learn strategies for brainstorming, building momentum, time management, overcoming writer's block, and self-care in the writing process. This event will be most useful for undergraduates, but all writers are welcome!

Start the semester the "write" way! Our biweekly writing group provides grad students with dedicated time to make progress on any writing project in a supportive atmosphere. Each meeting consists of a short goal-setting conversation, quiet writing time, and a concluding reflection and wrap-up. You only need to register once with your U of I email to receive weekly email reminders all semester! 

Are you a student with little ones? Do you have young siblings or cousins you're seeing soon, or do you babysit? In recognition of "Take Your Child to the Library" day, stop by the Orange Room to pick up a free goodie bag, put together by the RSO, Volunteer Illini Projects. Each bag include different toys, books, coloring, and more, and is varied by age group (geared towards 2-12 year olds). Available while supplies last.

Campus Recreation is hosting its second Mermaid Pool Party for children to swim with the mermaids, play with toys in the pool, participate in arts and crafts stations, and get their faces painted. Miss Mika from the Adventure Recreation team will read a story to all participants at the end of the night! Parents are required to stay with their children during the entire event. Kids under the age of 7 who want to swim with the mermaid must be accompanied by a parent in the water. Register in Active Illini using your NetID and password. The event is $5 per child.

First Gen Forward is hosting the 8th Annual First-Generation Graduate Student Symposium. This virtual symposium is open to any student who identifies as a current first-generation graduate or professional student and is studying any discipline. They define a first-generation graduate/professional student as someone whose parents, guardians, or caregivers have not completed an advanced degree, e.g. master’s, doctoral, or professional degree (like a JD or MD). Registration is free. 

UIUC will host the 2025 Illinois Academy of Science State Exposition on May 2-3, 2025. This is the premiere statewide science research competition for grades 7-12. We are seeking volunteer judges for the exposition. All levels of expertise are welcome. All volunteer judges must have completed high school. Please click HERE to learn more about volunteer shift opportunities and HERE to learn about judging. Additional information, training, and example rubrics will be sent in early April 2025, along with a final volunteer confirmation.

Learn more about the cultural background and pronunciation of commonly used Bangladeshi names, guided by our student presenters from Bangladesh. Feel free to submit or bring names to practice! You must register in advance in order to receive the Zoom meeting link to attend this training.

Join us for an inspiring presentation by two students who will share their unique experiences studying abroad in Spain and the Netherlands. Discover how living and learning in these culturally rich countries shaped their academic, personal, and professional journeys. Whether you're curious about immersing yourself in a new language, adapting to a different education system, or navigating life abroad, this session will provide valuable insights and practical tips to help you make the most of your own study abroad adventure! 

Celebrate Black History Month with a performance by Ball in the House, titled "And Now I See". Bring a friend to share in an entertaining, informative, and eye-opening experience. Delve into the rich tapestry of African American music, including Spirituals, Gospel, Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop, and R&B.  Gain insight into the origins, evolution, and cultural significance of each genre, tracing their influences through time. Celebrate African American musicians and their music, shedding light on their influence while addressing the impact of racism on musical styles and artists alike.

Presented by the First-Generation Student Initiative and the Speakers Workshop. Topics include preparing and participating for conferences, understanding the culture of awards, and research and poster presentations. Please RSVP if you would like to join virtually. Zoom link will be emailed day-of event. Food will be first come, first served. 

Illinois Extension is proud to partner with Healthy Champaign County for the Feeding Champaign County Food Summit 2025, happening February 26, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the I Hotel and Conference Center. The summit, now in its 3rd year, addresses the need for collaboration on food access and security in Champaign County. Join us for presentations, workshops, and networking as local food system leaders work toward community solutions. Register by February 12 to reserve your spot. To learn more and register, visit https://go.illinois.edu/champaignfoodsummit.

Accessing data about the socioeconomic and environmental factors that make up U.S. neighborhoods is increasingly vital. To advance resilient communities, we need resilient technological infrastructures that make SDOH data easily accessible and contextualized. We propose a human-centered approach to gathering and accessing SDOH data using design thinking, intelligent search tools, and spatial data science infrastructure. The HeRoP team shows their development behind an upcoming, open-source SDOH & Place Data Discovery Platform, developed with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

This hands-on workshop will introduce you to parallel computing with MATLAB®, so you can solve computationally and data-intensive problems using multicore processors, GPUs, and computer clusters. Examples will be presented on the NCSA Delta cluster which participants can follow during the session in their own MATLAB instances.  By working through common scenarios to parallelize MATLAB algorithms, you will gain an understanding of parallel computing with MATLAB and learn about best practices. 

NCSA is hosting an onsite workshop provided by the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC)  on Shared Memory Programming Using OpenMP. This workshop will give C and Fortran programmers a hands-on introduction to OpenMP, a shared-memory application programming interface. You will learn about parallel loop scheduling, explicit data declarations, reduction clauses, and several OpenMP library functions. Hands-on exercises will use PSC's supercomputing cluster. Register by Monday, February 17 at Noon Eastern time. Registration information and the agenda can be found on the PSC website.

Join us for the annual Latinas in STEM panel and discover how to navigate a successful career in STEM as a Latina! The event will be hosted in Noyes Lab 157, at 3:00 pm on February 7th, 2025. Panelists will share insights into their career paths, research interests, and experiences in industry and academia. Our distinguished speakers include: Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff, Prof. Kelly J. Vazquez and Prof. Markita Landry. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable advice and inspiration from these accomplished leaders! 

Join UC Reproductive Justice online for 2025's Reproductive Justice Summit lunchtime presentation "Reproductive Justice : What Now?" by keynote speaker, Gaylon Alcaraz, PhD. This presentation will be livestreamed on Zoom from 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

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

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.