Students, faculty and staff are invited to join the All Campus Climate Assessment event series to learn more about the Fall 2023 survey results. The series will include three events with presentations, discussions and Q&As. They will be held March 6, March 13 and March 26. Join the community at one or all three events focusing on understanding the survey, experiences and the community's sense of belonging. For more information and to register, visit go.illinois.edu/allcampussurvey.

The University Library announces the opening of a new Reflection Room—a quiet, welcoming spot for reflection, meditation, contemplation, or prayer. Features include a couch and non-locking cubbies for belongings, as well as a foot washing station. The Reflection Room is located in Room 438 of the Main Library and is open to all during regular building hours—no reservation is needed. There is also a Reflection Room at Grainger Engineering Library Information Center (Room 229). 

Illinois Computes and NCSA helped University of Illinois assistant professor of anthropology LaKisha David connect families in the U.S. and Africa through the Family Roots Genealogy Pilot Program. “It’s been a great experience,” David said of working with Illinois Computes. “We meet regularly, and they really listen. Whatever features we want to roll out, or if I need anything, they are so helpful.” You can read more about David’s work here and subscribe to the Illinois Computes Connections newsletter to learn how to utilize the program’s computing resources and technical and domain expertise.

Each year, DSJE seeks to honor and celebrate folks working to dismantle systems of oppression and create a more inclusive campus. Please nominate your students, colleagues, affiliated RSOs, and programs for these awards! For more information and the list of categories, please visit go.illinois.edu/SJA

February 28 is the last day to submit a Late Registration Change via the Graduate College Student Portal to drop a Part of Term A course without a grade of "W" recorded and the last day to submit a credit/no-credit request via the Graduate College Student Portal for a Part of Term A course. Have questions about registration deadlines or submitting a Late Registration Change or Credit/No Credit request? Click here for an advising appointment!

The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network invites applications for its Global Science Scholars Program, which offers 2-year postdoctoral research fellowships in Japan for early-career scholars in bio-related fields who have earned their PhD from an American university between 7/1/21 and 7/1/25. Fellows will conduct research at a Japanese university affiliated with the CZ Network. The fellowship provides a $75K annual stipend plus $20K for institutional allowance and $5K for relocation. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until May 27, 2025.

Just a friendly reminder to back up your thesis files, including drafts, data, spreadsheets, pictures, and notes. You might consider signing up for Data Nudge through Research Data Service, which will send you monthly email reminders and tips for managing your research. Check out the Research Data Service website for more tips and to schedule a one-on-one appointment to speak with a data management expert. While backing up files might seem like a tedious task, make sure to do so regularly so you don’t lose all of your hard work!

What can you ask for and how do you ask for it? After you receive a job offer, you have a short period to evaluate it, negotiate and make your decision. In this workshop, you will learn how to develop a strategy to help you know when and how to negotiate effectively.

Are you working on a speech or presentation for a class? Preparing for a thesis or dissertation defense? Creating a poster or planning a conference presentation? The Speakers Workshop is a campus-wide resource, much like the Writers Workshop, that offers one-to-one assistance with speeches and presentations. We are happy to help with any discipline/major, at any stage in the process from brainstorming and outlining to delivery practice, and we also can address issues with communication apprehension and stage fright. 

Join us for Keep Calm and Ask Dad, an enriching evening hosted by the Illini Dads Association, who is dedicated to fostering connections and supporting student success. Meet dads eager to share their stories, offer advice, and provide networking opportunities. Enjoy a relaxed setting with pizza, great conversations, and maybe a "dad" joke or two, while gaining insights from their professional experiences. Registration is required. To learn more and to register visit Handshake.

Are you curious about what kind of sources and perspectives are out there beyond journal articles? This hands-on workshop will help you locate, use, and cite multimedia for your research. Some of the multimedia we go over includes images, podcasts and videos. You’re welcome (and encouraged) to bring a project you are currently working on!

Join us for an interactive workshop on Microsoft Copilot AI, a university-approved tool designed to enhance your research, writing, and presentations. Copilot can also assist with lesson planning, note-taking, and organizing information efficiently. Whether you need to find peer-reviewed articles, proofread your work, summarize meetings, create PowerPoint presentations, or manage data in spreadsheets, Copilot AI provides the support you need to work smarter and more effectively. 

In this workshop, you will learn the basics of Illinois REDCap and how it can be used for the collection of research data, including how to create projects, instruments, and surveys and how to start collecting research data. It is recommended (but not required) that you have a REDCap account prior to attending the workshop. Information about accessing Illinois REDCap is available here: https://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/redcap. No prior REDCap experience is necessary.

This intensive session is designed for those interested in systematically advancing their database search skills, especially in social sciences areas. We will cover: An introduction to human knowledge organization system and their connection to search process, Introduce research question frameworks that help you translate your research question into search terms, and Guidance on incorporating controlled vocabulary (Thesaurus) into searches, especially for evidence synthesis projects.

MAXQDA is a licensed tool for analyzing qualitative data, including text, PDFS, audio visual, and survey data. In this workshop, we’ll walk through setting up a project, building a coding system, and explore ways of viewing coded data in order to respond to your research questions. 

High Performance Computing in Biology (HPCBio), the bioinformatics core of the Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, is offering a workshop covering steps necessary to investigate the community structure and diversity of microbial communities from ribosomal RNA amplicon data (e.g. 16S, 18S, ITS...). There are pre-requisites so please sign up early to allow yourself time to acquire any missing knowledge. This will be held in-person. Please click title link for more details. 

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!

Join us for an engaging presentation exploring the profound impact of AI on your writing process, examining both its benefits and challenges. Discover how emerging technologies are playing a role in how we conduct academic writing. (And yes AI helped write this). Register with your Illinois email by February 26, to receive the Zoom meeting details.

Join us to work on your writing projects! 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! 

Mark your calendars for the Writers Workshop's Spring Break Writing Retreat! March 17-19, we'll host productivity groups, in-person and online, from 9am-12pm. All writing groups consist of a short goal-setting conversation, quiet writing time, and a concluding reflection and wrap-up. Ideal for graduate students seeking to create a writing routine, make progress and meet deadlines on long-term writing projects, or jump-start a new writing project. Please note that you only need to register once to attend any or all of these dates. 

If you discovered that you’re missing access to a folder or file in U of I Box, rest assured that the IT community is here to support you in recovering that data. Visit the Accessing Files From Deactivated Box Accounts webpage for more information. 

When you’re planning a meeting, conference, workshop or other event, NCSA can help!   Our spaces include a 195-seat auditorium, two state-of-the-art training centers, large and small conference rooms, and a spacious atrium. The NCSA Events team provides operator-assisted AV services and logistics for events of up to 200 people.  Whether you’re videoconferencing with the International Space Station or demonstrating the human-computer connection in pursuit of the arts, let NCSA help bring a unique experience to your audience. Schedule your event or contact us with any questions.

The Center for Writing Studies invites graduate students to submit proposals for the 2025 Gesa E. Kirsch CWS Graduate Symposium, taking place on April 24 & 25, 2025. This symposium provides a space for graduate scholars to share their research and engage in interdisciplinary conversations on writing, rhetoric, literacy, discourse, media, and communication. We welcome proposals for individual presentation, panel, workshop, and other innovative formats. Please submit your proposal by the end of the day on March 14, 2025: https://forms.gle/LiqeRE1Zc8CBQNWD7

NCSA is hosting a hands-on Introduction to MPI Programming workshop presented by the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. Attendees will leave with a working knowledge of how to write scalable codes using MPI – the standard programming tool of scalable parallel computing. View the workshop's agenda and registration instructions on the PSC Monthly workshop webpage. Registration is required by Friday, February 28 at Noon Eastern time.

Join the XR + AI Empathy team for a workshop on April 10 to explore how Empathy can be trained using extended reality (VR/AR/MR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology and help to construct a roadmap for a future Center for Empathy Research and Training. Registration is free.

ISSS is excited to bring back Taste of Language in its 13th annual tradition. Stop by the Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics Building Atrium on Thursday, February 27, between 6pm to 8pm to explore a tasting “menu” of languages through short, engaging, 10-12 minute sessions that offer an introductory sampling to the sounds and rhythms of languages from around the globe. Pizza will be served. Free and open to anyone in the University community. No registration required. 

Don’t miss the final week of the Millie Wilson: The Museum of Lesbian Dreams exhibition! On view through Saturday, March 1. The museum is open Tuesday–Friday 10-5, Saturday 10–4, and Thursdays until 8 pm, while class is in session. Free admission. *Parking nearby is free on weekends and after 5 pm.*

Join us for a special evening presented in partnership with the Uniting Pride Center of Champaign County. This event celebrates queer art and artists with a mix of engaging experiences, including live music, guided tours, hands-on artmaking, artist demonstrations, and hors d’oeuvres. Featured artists include Marc-Anthony Macon, a queer artist, writer, and educator, and Jim O’Brien, the artist behind Poems on Tap. Free and open to all. We look forward to welcoming you!

Join us for Global African Art Gallery Talk and Tour as part of the Global Relations’ Diaspora Talk series celebrating Black History Month! Explore the powerful stories behind the art—from historical forms to contemporary creations—and learn about the global connections these works represent. Cosponsored by Illinois International and Krannert Art Museum, this event will highlight the rich and diverse collection of African art housed at the University of Illinois. Reception to follow.

Studiodance re-imagines the relationships between space, sound, and movement as choreographers reinvent the visual environs of the magical “black box” theatrical laboratory. Premieres from faculty members Professor Jennifer Monson and Assistant Professor Serouj Aprahamian; MFA candidate and ballroom champion Alex Tecza; and fellow graduate students, e g Condon, Nik Owens, and Maggie Segale conjure new takes on kinesthetic performance art.

Learn to dance Kazakh folk dance Kamazhai and enjoy folk instruments and Kazakh songs. Make origami paper tulips and cut traditional patterns for national clothing. Halal dishes will be served during lunch with Kazakh bread baursak prepared by our very own Bolashak scholars. All are welcome! 

Get ready for a time of fun and friendly competition at our Global Games Get-Together on Tuesday, March 4 from 6pm-8pm at Grainger Commons (Rooms 233/235) in the Grainger Engineering Library! Join us to explore a collection of board games from different regions around the world and enjoy some snacks. Come test your strategy and learn different games while connecting with other students before the spring break for an afternoon of laughter and global camaraderie! Feel free to bring board game(s) from your own country or culture that you would like to teach and share with others as well.

All students and scholars are welcome to join this free social afternoon of ice skating on Friday, February 28, 3:30pm-5:30pm at the UI Ice Arena for some winter fun. Delicious hot chocolate and food will be provided for free as well! A professional skating instructor will be present to offer mini-lessons on skating basics to beginner and first-time skaters, so now is the perfect time to learn if you've ever wanted to try but were never sure how to start, or simply want to improve upon your skills.

This powerful documentary reveals intercepted calls from Russian soldiers, exposing the brutality of war and Russia’s imperialist aggression. Juxtaposed with footage of Ukraine’s destruction and resilience, it captures the war’s devastating human toll. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Markian Dobczansky and Olha Khometa.

The Music and Performing Arts Library is having a player piano demonstration on Friday, February 28, 2025 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. Come hear the  Steinway Duo Art reproducing player piano and learn about the history of the instrument. This is an informal event and all are welcome! Note that the player piano is on the second floor of MPAL (1300 Music Building). If you need assistance accessing the second floor, please ask at the service desk on MPAL's first floor. 

Looking to expand your network and connect with fellow students? Join us for Speed Friending: Networking Edition! This event offers a unique opportunity for graduate students to meet and connect with peers from various departments and for undergraduates to learn about graduate programs in a fun, fast-paced setting while enjoying a free popcorn bar. The event is on March 1 from 7-9pm in the Illini Union Lower Level! Please fill out this form if you are interested in participating in the event as a liaison for undergraduate students: https://forms.gle/DYcuN2WvEfKEVzSYA.

On Saturday, March 8, actor, author, humorist, and woodworker Nick Offerman will generously share his musings and reflections on life and his own personal history in an interview with Emmy Award Winning Documentarian Alison Davis at an intimate gathering filled with humor, stories, and perhaps a song or two. This exclusive fundraising event offers a special opportunity to support Japan House while enjoying an afternoon of entertainment, engaging conversation, delicious food, and cultural appreciation. Registration is required.

Japan House depends on the generosity of our friends and community to keep sharing traditional Japanese arts and culture, with the goal of fostering a deeper appreciation for diverse cultures and practices. We are delighted that Nick Offerman is returning to campus for this special book signing in which proceeds will go towards supporting Japan House programming. Registration is required.

The Counseling Center will host events for students to learn about safer substance use as they approach Unofficial St. Patrick's Day and Spring Break. Interested students can stop by, take a brief assessment, and talk to a counselor about strategies customized to their personal habits. There will also be prizes, games, and t-shirts!

Join us for a lecture in the Illinois Forum on Human Flourishing in a Digital Age Speaker Series with John Durham Peters. Both in journalistic coverage and everyday life, there is now a striking level of detailed judgment about the minutiae of nonverbal and nonpublic expression. What does this incessant documentation mean for the possibility of forgiveness and also forgetfulness (which of course is not exactly the same thing)? 

University of Illinois African American Studies and History Professor, Erik S McDuffie, will join the HRI Social Movements Reading Group on Monday Feb 24, 5-6:30 p.m. at the GEO Office in the McKinley Foundation Building and Online, for a Q&A on his recent book, “The Second Battle for Africa: Garveyism, The US Heartland, and Global Black Freedom”, which establishes the importance of the US Midwest to 20th Century global Black history, internationalism, and radicalism. Lunch will be provided. RSVP via BIT.LY/READMOVEMENTS 

Centering narratives of illness and healing, Kalindi Vora explores what “essential care” could look like. Her project elaborates the need for an approach to care that is informed by the unique knowledge held by people with chronic and hard-to-diagnose conditions. Vora is a professor of Ethnicity, Race and Migration, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Yale. 

Join us on Wednesday, March 5th from 4-6pm in Murphy Lounge at the University YMCA (1001 S. Wright St.) for a book discussion with the authors of Abolition Labor and a panel discussion with EJP alumni on their experiences with prison labor. Dinner will be served and copies of the book will be distributed. Email policy@educationjustice.net with any questions or accessibility requests. 

The F&S Diversity and Inclusion Committee is virtually hosting guest speaker Daniel Gray-Kontar, the new associate director of Arts and Cultural Programming at the university's Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center in honor of Black History Month. He will speak on the topic "Imagination for an Imagined Nation: Centering young artists as catalysts for liberatory democracy." To join the Zoom meeting at noon Tuesday, Feb. 25, register at https://go.fs.illinois.edu/diversityandinclusion

We would like to invite you to the next talk in our series "Women Environmental Defenders and Climate Change in the Amazon". Panelists include Laiane Santos, an Activist, feminist, and human rights defender of Acre, and Bruna Picanço Neves, a member of the Rural Education Movement and the Quilombola Movement from Amapá.

Join A-WIS for our monthly seminar series, Science Uncorked. Our next event will be Thursday, February 27 at 6 p.m. at The Literary in downtown Champaign. Our presenter will be Elena Pelech, University of Illinois Postdoctoral Researcher, Plant Physiology, who will present "What can we learn from the ancestors of domesticated plants?". All are welcome!

Communities and healthcare professionals need trusted connections to stay informed of emerging advancements in health sciences. Gain research-based insights into complex health issues as researchers from University of Illinois deliver forward-thinking, holistic solutions for addressing today’s health challenges. 

Join us for a weekly Friday Forum + Conversation Cafe lunch series with local and national speakers tackling some of our most pressing social justice issues. Topics this semester include DEI, democracy, immigration, environmental justice, interfaith, and more. Free lunch provided! This week’s speaker: Rev. Terrance Thomas, Bethel AME Church, Champaign.

Through an analysis of several key points of scholarly contention regarding the study of antisemitism, this presentation will highlight some of the central dilemmas that scholars of antisemitism face today and propose one possible avenue for the potential resolution of the intersecting interests and pressures that influence the study and understanding of antisemitism and other contemporary issues that straddle - for better or for worse - the academic and the public realms. Delivered by Scott Ury, Associate Professor in Tel Aviv University's Department of Jewish History.

Damocles's Switchboard: Information Externalities and the Autocratic Logic of Internet Control - February 27th, 2025 - 12 PM - Hybrid (on Room 306 and Zoom.) - Join UIUC School of Information Sciences Professor Meicen Sun and explore how politically motivated internet control shapes economic and research outcomes in autocratic states. This talk will be based on a paper that advances a theory for the autocratic logic of internet control and concludes with a discussion on the role of knowledge diffusion in internet control’s impact on research.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures is delighted to announce the upcoming Kang Lecture featuring Professor Dali L. Yang of University of Chicago, on Yang’s book Wuhan: How the COVID-19 Outbreak in China Spiraled Out of Control (2024). On April 17th at 4:30 p.m., Prof. Yang will lecture at Spurlock Museum. On April 18th at 12:30 p.m., he will give a lunch seminar at the Illini Union. Please RSVP for the lunch seminar to Jingling Chen jingling@illinois.edu or Yingzhi Lu yingzhi3@illinois.edu by March 3. Participants who sign up will receive a copy of the book and a box lunch.

The Status and Future of Nuclear Energy Policy and Deployment with Dr. Katy Huff, from the Department of Nuclear, Radiological, and Plasma Engineering. She  with speak with students and faculty at Coble Hall and also via Zoom. To find out more about this seminar and our upcoming seminars, go to the ACDIS website. 

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

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

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