The Fall Doctoral Student Mixer and Potluck will take place in-person on Friday, September 8th, 2023, from 4pm-5pm CDT, on the front lawn of the Main Library Building (facing the former UGL). All are welcome to bring a dish to share. We look forward to connecting with you!

The University Library, International Student & Scholar Services, and Doctoral Research Support Program are delighted to welcome international graduate students and scholars to participate in the Research Connection event on Thursday, September 7, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm. Spouses, partners, and children are welcome!  Don't miss this fun networking event. Snacks and light refreshments will be served.

Graduate students can now apply for the Cancer Center at Illinois Graduate Cancer Scholarship Program. The program provides graduate students with experience preparing high-quality collaborative research proposals. An applicant must be a Ph.D. candidate in the lab of a current CCIL member with at least one CCIL member acting as co-mentor. Applications are due August 22. Click here to apply.

Do you know a grad student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership? Encourage them to apply for the Graduate Student Leadership Awards! One Master's student winner and one doctoral student winner will each receive $500 and be featured in a special video during Graduate Student Appreciation Week (October 9-14) to celebrate their accomplishments.

Do you have or need undergraduate student employees? Don’t forget to post your open position(s) on the Virtual Job Board. Look for the “FWS” tab in HRFE to see if they qualify for Federal Work Study (FWS). Lastly, with the new academic year comes an updated CFOAP for FWS positions. Be sure you are using the correct CFOAP when entering positions for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Help us spread the word and encourage students to take advantage of the support and resources offered by the Office of Undergraduate Research. We have in-person and online workshops, including our Getting Started in Undergraduate Research Workshop and our 15-minute Research Bites. Students can schedule an appointment with us at any time. More on our website.

F&S and the Champaign and Urbana Fire Departments offer fire extinguisher training during the fall semester. The course will include a presentation that introduces participants to the basic elements of fire extinguisher usage, and every attendee will get to extinguish a digitally simulated fire. Each university-approved event will welcome up to 25 participants.

Federal student loans re-enter repayment in September. Federal loan servicers are anticipated to be overwhelmed during this transition, so some alumni may reach out to University employees for answers. Monthly mini-webinars for borrowers are scheduled through March 2024 and an FAQ is being maintained by the Student Money Management Center. The next webinar is August 18 @ 12 PM.

 Do you have a child ages 3-5 years of age? Enroll NOW for the 2023-2024 school year! The Orchard Downs Preschool is part of Family & Graduate Housing at the University of Illinois. We offer full day preschool 8:00am-5:30pm.

 Email Marwa Abedelsalam: marwa2@illinois.edu  https://housing.illinois.edu/Living-Communities/Apartments/Orchard-Downs-Preschool

The ILC is seeking faculty and staff members to serve as Small Group Facilitators during our i-Programs. Facilitators help build community in a small group (8-12 students), find meaning in the program and ways to integrate the concepts into our daily lives. For more information, visit: https://leadership.illinois.edu/i-program-facilitation. A stipend is offered for service to those who qualify.

This event will bring together junior faculty, early career investigators, and senior researchers to discuss career advancement, research opportunities, building successful labs, and more. This discussion will feature Rohit Bhargava (Cancer Center at Illinois Director) and Eva Pomerantz (Center for Social & Behavioral Science Director). Register by Aug. 17. Attendees will receive a light lunch.

Register now for the 2023 SPaRC Retreat scheduled for September 15th!  This event is for campus research administrators to network, learn about relevant research administration topics, and celebrate their role in the campus research mission.  The day includes guest speakers, plenary sessions on new initiatives and policy updates, and breakout sessions on a variety of sponsored project topics.

The Grainger College of Engineering Institute for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access will host Dr. Oludare Owolabi from the Mitchell School of Engineering at Morgan State University. The goal of this program is to explore research synergies and strengthen inter-institutional partnerships. For more information and seminar details, visit the program website.

The NCSA Fall 2023 Quantum Tutorials series, intended to explore the practical aspects of quantum computing, will start on 8/30 with a Qiskit session. The tutorial will have a large hands-on component and be offered in hybrid mode. For more information about the tutorial and to register by August 25, please visit https://go.ncsa.illinois.edu/QiskitTutorialRegistration.

Do you have Second City aspirations? Then Improve Your Improv at The Farms: An Allerton Folk School should help get you ready! This fun-loving class teaches students of all experience levels the mechanics and tools used to create improvisational theater. $20/class with a discount for signing up for all eight. Get more info here.

Attend one of our Third Saturday Garden Tours and experience the beauty of Allerton’s Formal Gardens. Learn the history behind their creation as part of the Allerton Estate created between 1899 and 1946 by Robert Allerton and John Gregg. Garden tours start at 10 a.m. and meet on the Greenhouse Café patio. $5/person, ages 5 and under are free. Space is limited and tours typically sell out.

Lecturers/staff from the University of Illinois system are invited to experience how Audio Description (AD) makes visual images accessible for people who are blind or have low vision—the visual is made verbal. Describer training will be detailed according to the Fundamentals of Audio Description developed by Joel Snyder, Ph.D.

Lauren Smith, Melissa Sisneros, and Mindy Cain are the guest speakers at the F&S Diversity & Inclusion Committee event, Wed., Aug.16, at noon. They will discuss two volunteer opportunities with the local schools: CU One-to-One Mentoring and iRead * iCount. Volunteering with these programs is a university-approved use of time. Get session info at: https://go.fs.illinois.edu/diversityandinclusion. 

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Center for Social and Behavioral Science invites participation from social and behavioral scientists and technologists across the country to participate in a virtual workshop focused on advancing social and behavioral science via an open-source infrastructure for research using smart devices.

This webinar will present three case histories involving geosynthetics: rehabilitating Chambers Reservoir from a failed earthen reservoir using a reinforced geomembrane; the analysis and replacement of a 40+ year old water reservoir geomembrane floating cover, baffle, and liner system; and long term geosynthetic solutions to post earthen closure excessive landfill leachate management. 1.0 PDH

NCSA and Research IT will offer this virtual workshop introducing built-in Python profiling tools, one of the performance tuning and optimization pillars. Hands-on exercises will explore time-based and memory-based profiling techniques of simple scripts, highlighting typical routes programmers can take to make applications more efficient. Registration is required using the registration form.

Sodium is an important mineral that helps our bodies function smoothly – yet too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Take steps toward better health by learning how much sodium our body needs, its role in our bodies, and how to better manage sodium intake by identifying common food sources. Presenter: Kaitlyn Pawelczyk

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!

Are you experiencing flu, cold, or COVID-19-like symptoms? Participate in a research study at McKinley Health Center – Lower Level, Room 007 in Urbana, IL, and receive a $40 gift card. Visit Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Your participation can contribute to medical knowledge and help combat these illnesses. 

Seeking participants for a study on the effect of sweet taste on blood sugar. Participants aged 21-45, non-smokers, with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 and no diabetes will complete questionnaires, taste testing, body composition scans, and blood draws and receive up to $500 upon completion of 5 visits (between 2 to 6 hours each) and free parking. Please fill out our survey Sweet Taste Study if interested.

Do healthy arteries help us grow old gracefully? The Cognitive Neuroimaging Lab is recruiting people 50-70 years of age (native English speakers) for a multi-session study on arterial health and age. COVID-19 safety protocols are in place and lab members are vaccinated and tested twice a week. Compensation and parking will be provided. If interested, please email cnl-subjects@illinois.edu.

6 weeks of aerobic and resistance exercise 3x weekly. Body composition and fitness assessment will be evaluated before and after the 6-week intervention. Blood samples will be collected on the first and last days of the exercise intervention. Interested or have questions? Click here and fill in the necessary information to determine eligibility or email Takeshi Barnes at dillonb4@illinois.edu.