The finalists for Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost have been invited to make public presentations. Carol Fierke, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, will present on Monday, Feb. 13 from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m., Levis Faculty Center, Room 300. 

The Council of Academic Professionals (CAP) has openings for CAP representatives and AP senators. CAP is the voice of all APs on campus. We need dedicated APs to contribute to the campus conversation about policies and practices that affect us all. Please consider nominating yourself . Elections will be held March 1-7. Look for an email next week with instructions.

The Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees invites nominations for honorary degree awards. You are urged to nominate, through your unit, outstanding candidates. The nominee should have made distinguished contributions in a relevant field or have shown sustained activity of uncommon merit. Nomination procedures are detailed at: https://www.senate.illinois.edu/hd_criteria.asp

Nominate your students for the $20,000 Illinois Innovation Award. Awarded by The Grainger College of Engineering through the Technology Entrepreneur Center, the Illinois Innovation Award honors students for excellence in cutting-edge innovation or translational research that addresses real-world problems and has the potential to make a significant impact. Nominate now. 

Want to give back to the community? Build your network? The United Way and the university have partnered to create Emerging Community Leaders at Illinois. Learn about Champaign-Urbana and needs we face through the eyes of nonprofit partners and volunteers. Open to employees of any age who work as faculty members, academic professionals, or in civil service. Application deadline is March 10.

Learn about a new flexible hybrid/online program offered through the journalism master’s degree that has a focus on science and technology. Coursework can be completed entirely online and in as few as two semesters. Journalists and other professional communicators who want to boost their skills are welcome to enroll in online modules as non-degree students.

STANDARD continues the two-year celebration of the 55th year of Black Chorus on the UIUC campus, and commemorates the 41st year with Dr. Ollie Watts Davis as conductor. Highlights include the Legacy Awards presentation, celebrated guest performances, Urbana-Champaign community participation, and the Black Chorus alumni presence. Tickets are available at: www.go.illinois.edu/blackchorus

Technology Services is offering three workshops to enable researchers with cloud solutions, February 22nd, March 1st, and March 8th. Registration is limited to 50 people per workshop. On the Monday prior to each workshop, registrants will receive an email that includes the virtual meeting link, and instructions for accessing the AWS lab account. See summaries, schedules, and register here

Waste Transfer Station (WTS) operations help the campus recycle more than four million pounds of material annually. Take a WTS tour to see how the plastics and cardboard you use at the university are sorted and kept from the landfill, and learn what steps you can take to help campus reach zero waste goals. Register above or use the form if interested in research opportunities at the facility. 

In this workshop we will learn about best practices for creating infographics, and be introduced to several free online tools that allow users to create their own infographics, including: Piktochart, Infogr.am, and Visme. The session will end with a practice activity where participants are encouraged to use the webtool of their choice. 

The Aizuri Quartet has established a unique position within today’s musical landscape, infusing all of its music-making with infectious energy, joy and warmth, cultivating curiosity in listeners, and inviting audiences into the concert experience through its innovative programming, and the depth and fire of its performances.

Theatre Studies New Works Project is a space for stories students desire to tell and ideas they are curious about exploring. This biennial project nurtures the relationship between the playwright, the dramaturg and the director in shaping new stories. This year we offer three different experiences for our students and our audiences. The three shows are: Close, A Dance In The Dark, and Valiente.

Created in Ireland this Irish dance production features Irish champion and World champion dancers together with Ireland’s finest musical and vocal virtuosos. Original music and choreography, infused with world dance and musical influences, the performance will thrill audiences with its emotional energy and imaginative design. Witness great dexterity and skill as these dancers defy gravity.

The Sky Happiness Retreat is an internationally acclaimed life-skills program that helps participants develop relaxed, stress-free mind and healthy body through evidence-based meditation, yoga, breathwork, socio-emotional development in a fun and an experiential format. The retreat is for all UIUC staff, faculty, and is fully funded for all UIUC students. Sign up using link: linktr.ee/skyatuiuc

Speech anxiety affects nearly 90% of speakers and manifests in dramatically different ways—from butterflies in your stomach to tremors. This Speaking Center Workshop focuses on building practical skills to stave off and cope with speech anxiety, no matter the situation. This workshop is open to anyone in the university community. Registration is encouraged but not required.

Join us for a comparative conversation about pilgrimage and travel in the premodern world, from England to Japan.  Prof. Christina Laffin (University of British Columbia), Prof. Shannon Gayk (University of Indiana), with a response from Prof. Adam Newman (UIUC, Department of Religion)

Dr. Carlos Alberto Torres, Unesco Chair on Global Learning and Global Citizenship Education at UCLA, Dr. Ana Elvira Steinbach Torres, Paulo Freire Institute at UCLA, and Dr. Linda Herrera, College of Education at UIUC will present. In-person space is limited. Zoom available. Registration is required.

R is an open-source programming language that can be used for analysis and visualization of text data. If you'd like to learn more about using R for qualitative or liberal arts research, join us for a workshop with Research Data Librarian Sandi Caldrone aimed at those with no coding experience. Register to get the Zoom link or attend in-person in Library 314. 

Join us on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 12:00 pm, as  Dr. Felisa Reynolds discusses French colonialism and post-colonialism history by analyzing the lyrics of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's (The Carters) Apeshit song at the Louvre Museum, Paris. This event will be offered via Zoom and in person in room 108 of Coble Hall. All are welcome! Visit CAS website for more. 

Register to join the ADA Coordinator to learn the answers to the most frequently asked questions on campus about service animals & emotional support animals, including how to manage employee requests to utilize them in the workplace & best practices for inclusion. Visit the OAE website for other learning opportunities & for more information about the ADA Coordinator Lunch Hour Drop In on 2-14-23.

Join the IAS Library over Zoom on Wednesday, February 15th at 2:00 p.m. CST for the first International Cooking Show of the Spring 2023 semester! For this installment, Sydney Khemtonglang will be making Kang Keaw Wan, a Thai green curry, for us! The recipe (and a recorded version of the show) will be shared after the event so that you can cook along and try the dish out for yourself!

Conversation Cafe + Friday Forum "Envisioning Equity and Excellence in Public Schools.  A panel discussion with Angela Ward, Amy Bloomberg, and Brandon Caffey; moderated by Imani Bazzell, Root Causes. A free lunch will be offered to attendees.  Conversation Cafe is part of the Student Affairs Lunch on Us series and is paid for, in part, by the Student Cultural Programming Fee (SCPF).

Robin McDowell "Plant, Prison, Port, and Pigment: Histories of Environmental Racism in Southeast Louisiana" 

Please join us for a presentation by Jason Finkelman on "Nikkeijin Illinois: An Exhibition on the Japanese American Experience". A guest curator for the Spurlock Museum, Jason will share stories he discovered exploring the history of Japanese Americans at the University of Illinois and our state. This talk is also a part of the AACC's Stop Asian Hate program.

We want to help make the transition to Microsoft Teams as seamless as possible. Attend Microsoft Teams Day on Feb. 17 to see phones, headsets, and other hardware, take introductory Microsoft Teams trainings, learn tips and tricks, and consult one-on-one with Microsoft Teams Ambassadors. The event is free, but registration is required for trainings. Training will be offered in person and virtually.

Dr. Irvin Manuel Gonzalez examines quebradita dancing, a Mexican/ Mexican American social dance form first cultivated during the 1990s through transborder exchanges, as a tool for the development of rasquache pedagogy, kinship, and survival. Supported by the Lorado Taft Lectureship.

Please join us for our next Food for Thought on February 24th from 11 am - 1 pm. At 11:00am we have, David Wilson, with his presentation titled, Chicago's Gentrifying South Side: Blues Clubs and Political Resistance. At Noon we have, Barry Bradlyn, and his presentation titled, A New Spin on Topological Quantum Materials. For more information, please click here.

With only two Korean Americans elected to U.S. Congress since 1903, five Korean Americans run for U.S. Congress in 2020. CHOSEN offers a glimpse within the campaigns of these candidates with vastly diverse backgrounds and competing political views including David Kim, the only underdog with limited resources vying to be the first gay Korean American representative.

Join the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and the DRIVE Committee for the Illinois Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship Annual Symposium. Our fellows are among the most talented and accomplished emerging scholars in the country, representing a broad array of disciplines. The Symposium celebrates their accomplishments and features presentations of their research.

Join us for the 5th annual Women Lead WITH Illinois Law Summit, featuring keynote speaker Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Kay O’Brien ’94. Panel discussions will cover a variety of topics, including career paths, mental health, and the post-Dobbs landscape, and we will close out the day with a reception. Free and open to the public. Learn more and register to attend.

iSEE Congress 2023 "Addressing Crises of a Planetary Scale — Lessons from Pandemics and Climate Change" is April 12-13 in Illini Union Rooms B/C. Two keynotes and four panels will address the need for partnerships and coordination to tackle planetary-scale challenges including infectious disease emergence, biodiversity loss, and climate change. More details.

Come enjoy a relaxing hour of yoga in the Allerton Mansion Library. Josie from Yoga Off the Square will lead students through strengthening poses and breath work designed to invigorate the body and mind while resetting the nervous system to a balanced state. Register here. Community classes are donation-based to help support the Park and public programs.

Enjoy live music, a bloody mary and mimosa cash bar, a fun photo booth, a delicious brunch and keynote speaker Sally K. Carter at a Garden Party Brunch from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Allerton Park Mansion. Cost for the brunch is $45/person, and we expect it to sell out quickly! Register here. Wristbands for bottomless drinks will be available at the door for an extra $15.

NASA Astronaut Scott Altman, BS ’81 in aerospace engineering, will be on the UIUC campus to give a talk entitled “Reach for the Stars” and officially present two students with awards from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Altman was on four missions with over 50 days in space and was a pilot in the 1986 Top Gun film.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine created acute challenges for patients requiring lifesaving medical care, particularly children with cancer and blood disorders. Please join the EU Center for a panel discussion on an international collaborative effort in response to the largest military emergency in Europe since World War II.

David Wright Faladé (Creative Writing, English) will read excerpts from his collection of work, including highlights from Black Cloud Rising, which was featured in the New York Times, NPR, and the New Yorker. A former Fulbright Fellow to Brazil, Faladé was also the 2021–22 Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow of the NY Public Library’s Cullman Center for Writers. Part of the Un/Doing Event Series

Erin Leahey, Professor and Director of Sociology at the University of Arizona, will present "Papers and Patents are Becoming Less Disruptive over Time."

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!

Are you having trouble organizing 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 pros and cons of each one to help you choose the best fit for your citation needs.

R is an open-source and flexible programming language used for data analysis, data visualization, text mining, and even document creation. For anyone interested in using R for qualitative or liberal arts research, this workshop will show you how to get started in R with absolutely no coding experience necessary. If possible, install the latest version of R and RStudio prior to the workshop.

Dr. Ruby Mendenhall, the Kathryn Lee Baynes Dallenbauch LAS Professor in Sociology and African American Studies at the University of Illinois, will speak about microaggressions at a virtual event in honor of Black History Month. The webinar, hosted by F&S' Diversity & Inclusion Committee, will be on Wed., Feb. 15, at noon. Register for login info: https://go.fs.illinois.edu/diversityandinclusion. 

Join Fulbright U.S Scholar webinars to learn about awards and the application process. Here is the schedule:February 15: The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program: Opportunities for 2024-25

• February 22: East Asia and the Pacific
• March 1: South and Central Asia
• March 8: Europe and Eurasia
• March 16: Western Hemisphere
• March 22: Sub Saharan Africa
• March 30: Middle East and North Africa

Fulbright offers a full scholarship for part time co-teaching in Taiwan.  An online information session for the English Teaching Flagship (ETF) Scholarship Program will be on Wednesday, February 15th, 2023, 9:30 am- 10:30 am (UTC/GMT+8:00). If you're interested in applying for this scholarship, please join the Online Information Session (via Zoom), for more info please check Here.

Join NCSA Research Scientist Shirui Luo for a training session Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. to help users to get started with deep learning projects on HAL, the hardware accelerated learning cluster at NCSA. This tutorial walks through distributed data parallel training in PyTorch by starting with a simple, non-distributed job and ending by deploying a job across several GPUs in a single HAL node. Sign up!

Join us as we learn from alumnus Salvatore De Sando’s research on international student groups at the UIUC. Sam will be the first in the Library's Inclusive Speaker Series that will highlight members of the UIUC community who have done important work highlighting underrepresented voices. This is a zoom only event. To receive the zoom link the morning of the presentation, please register.

This webinar will focus on nutrition for children affected by poverty. Many children are at risk for obesity and challenges developmentally. The discussion provides steps providers can implement to improve health and developmental outcomes for children in low-income families. 

Do you have questions about Google Analytics 4? Attend the February Web Con workshop to learn from campus experts about best practices and experiences from the implementation of GA4 at the University Library. You can submit your GA4 questions before the presentation. Register for the workshop! 

We are recruiting children for a paid research study focused on how to improve children's speech understanding in noisy environments. We’re looking for children who are 8-12 years old and who speak English as their first language. The study lasts approximately 1 hr. Participants are paid $15. Free parking. Daytime, evenings, and weekends are available. Email child-SRL@illinois.edu for more info!

Participants needed for a study about a new medication management app designed for older adults with mild cognitive challenges. Participants must be age 60+, have mild problems with memory, thinking, or concentration, take medications for hypertension or high cholesterol, use a smartphone, and speak and read English. Participants will be compensated. If interested, contact nila@illinois.edu. 

Individuals aged 60 years and older who care for a family member with dementia are needed for a paid research study. Participants will engage in fun, social events with other people over Zoom for 4 weeks. For more info, please contact us by email at shs-caregiver-engage@illinois.edu, by phone at 217-333-5262, or fill out our contact form: https://redcap.link/cgengage.

Looking for adults aged 21-64 years with high weight for height to participate in a study into prolonged sitting and how adults think. The study involves 3 visits to Freer Hall, wearing activity monitors, and screening. Measures include cognitive tests, electroencephalography, a body scan, maximal exercise test, and blood draws. Compensation up to $350.Click here if interested!

A longitudinal study of relationships, psychology, and well-being inclusive to ALL adults and romantic partnerships! The study is monthly, so please enter an email and return to be eligible for $30 gift cards by your 3rd month and each month after. Start the survey: https://redcap.healthinstitute.illinois.edu/surveys/?s=DPTWTKEJYT. Check us out on Instagram: @power_relationship_study. 

Participants are needed for a 90-min experiment in a controlled environment. Participants will be asked to perform work-related activities (e.g., reading, using computer) in an office setting while being video recorded. NO audio will be recorded. You will have the opportunity to enter in a raffle to win a $50 gift card. A total of 10 cards will be gifted. More info Here or at nidiaib2@illinois.edu

The FSHN Sensory Group is conducting a 45-60 minute consumer test on ketchup. Test sessions will be held February 15-17 and February 20-24. To participate, you must be 18 or older, have no known dietary restrictions, and frequently consume ketchup. Compensation will be provided for eligible participants who complete the evaluation.

Interested in improving course accessibility for all? The SIIP project, “UDL based best practices including utilizing Canvas for the needs of students with disabilities”, is looking for survey responses! ALL FACULTY are invited to fill out this quick survey (< 5 min) on their opinions on various course elements. All responses are much appreciated! Link to survey: http://go.illinois.edu/udl2