September 20th kicks off the CCFD, the university’s annual employee giving campaign. Supporting about 600 organizations serving causes worldwide and in our local community, you can easily find a charity that resonates with you. Pledges can be made one time or as an automatic payroll deduction. See your CCFD unit leader for more info or contact ccfd@illinois.edu | 217-265-6398.

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.

The first meeting of the 2023-2024 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Senate is on Monday, September 18, at 3:10 pm, in-person in the Illini Union Ballroom (second floor). Meeting materials are available at https://www.senate.illinois.edu/ss20230918a.asp. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

The Doctoral Research Support Program (DRSP) is hosting 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 and assistance with publishing. The DRSP's Publishing Consultation Service is open to all current doctoral students at the University of Illinois.  

The 2023 University of Illinois System annual report provides powerful stories about the impact our people and programs make close to home and around the globe. The title “Extraordinary. Everywhere.” refers to our current standing as well as our goals and aspirations. The featured work – just a sampling of all we do – emphasizes the passion and pride that fuel the system’s remarkable progress.

Fall openings for low-cost treatment for adults suffering from chronic anxiety or worry, social anxiety, fear, depressed mood, or posttraumatic stress. For more information or a free screening appointment, call 217-333-0041. Psychological Services Center, 505 E Green St. Champaign.

The Division of Research Safety has published new guidance on the use of controlled substances in research. Investigators who plan to use controlled substances in their research protocols should fill out the preliminary registration form. Contact Kate Stewart with questions.

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!  Training will be online on Friday, October 6th from 12-1pm.  Please register at https://go.illinois.edu/ISSSNames. 

The EU Center invites Illinois high school students to take part in a translation competition featuring Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Swedish, and Ukrainian. Students will translate an intermediate- to advanced-level text from one of the six languages into English. Heritage speakers are welcome to participate. For more information: http://go.illinois.edu/TranslationCompetition. 

Save the date for International Education Week from Nov. 5-11, 2023! The celebration is comprised of educational, cultural, and recreational events hosted by student groups, centers, colleges, units, and local partners. All units across campus are invited to submit internationally-focused events to the International Education Week calendar: https://calendars.illinois.edu/requestEvent/1215.

Allerton Park and Retreat Center is taking applications for artists who would like their art to be considered for this year’s Holiday GLOW Dec. 1-Jan. 13. GLOW, presented by the U of I Community Credit Union, is a 1-mile illuminated outdoor lighted walk through the wonders of the Allerton Formal Gardens. If you are a light artist interested in displaying at Holiday GLOW, please apply here.

Worried about a friend, colleague or coworker? The Office of Threat Assessment receives and evaluates reports of concerning or potentially threatening behavior involving individuals who may be at risk of violence to the university community. You can always contact the team with the information you have. They will assess the situation and provide relevant assistance and support. 

The Affirmative Action Analytics and Planning Division offers trainings and workshops focused on conducting equitable and inclusive searches. Topics include understanding affirmative action and equal employment opportunity, search process key roles and inclusive job descriptions. In-person trainings and workshops can also be scheduled. Visit oae.illinois.edu for a full list of trainings.

This workshop guides program leaders in preparing for the safest possible experience abroad. Join us 9/21 (Zoom) for a 101 or 9/27 (in person) for a 201 with Dr. Jan Brooks. Those who lead or assist, short-term education abroad or other University-related travel abroad for students must attend at least one workshop a year. Visit safetyabroad.illinois.edu for more information and to register.

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

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.

This seminar is for instructors who want to teach with Human-Centered Design. This session will focus on the design thinking tools you can implement to empathize with your students, and iterate on your teaching activities and strategies. This seminar is run remotely via Zoom.

When practicing human-centered design, it is important to connect with the people you are designing for - their lives, their interests, their motivations, and their struggles. Learn how to take a human-centered approach to gathering information that will provide a compass when designing to solve complex problems.

Tuesday, September 19th is National Voter Registration Day, and we encourage every eligible Illini to register at https://illinois.turbovote.org/  Join the Voter Registration Couch Party at 6pm in the Illini Union Courtyard on Sept. 19th. You can help register your fellow Illini, friends, and peers, to meet our Big 10 Voter Challenge goals.  Register here.   

The Democracy Summit keynote lecture by Professor Daniel Ziblatt is Monday, October 23rd at 6pm in Spurlock Museum Auditorium.  Daniel Ziblatt is Eaton Professor of Government at Harvard University, New York Times bestseller and winner of the American Political Science Association's 2018 Woodrow Wilson Prize for the best book in government and international relations. Registration is appreciated. 

33rd Annual Mortenson Distinguished Lecture | 21 September 2023.  “Reciprocity, Reparative Actions, and Decolonial Work,” by Dr. Ricardo L. Punzalan. Also a keynote 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>. Learn more: library.illinois.edu/mortenson/lectures/

We will elaborate on the difference between searching in Google Scholar and academic databases, how to use GS’s Advanced Search, explain how to connect your library access to GS, 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.

We will take a behind-the-scenes look at how these tools are built and discuss the ways that people are using AI generated images to create new bodies of work. 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!

The Illini Union is happy to announce the official grand opening celebration of Maize Mexican Grill and Thai Fusion in the lower level food court! Join us on Friday, September 22 starting at 10am for a ribbon cutting ceremony, samples, and then a $10 lunch special just for the day from 11am-1:30pm. 

Tired of getting zero results in your database searches? We 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.

Catch the one-of-a-kind Modular Princess at the Pygmalion Festival this Thursday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. NCSA's Advanced Visualization Laboratory created music-reactive data visualizations to pair with Arushi Jain's enchanting, electronic melodies to be performed at the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on campus. Grab your tickets now!

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.

Sign up your department or unit for our campus-wide physical activity challenge. Work units form teams and compete to see which team can average the most physical activity. Registration opens tomorrow, September 18 and the challenge starts October 2. To learn more or sign up contact us at wellbeing@illinois.edu.

Join the Physics Department for Saturday Physics for Everyone on Saturday, the 23rd. This in-person lecture series continues with Professor Cristian Proistosescu's "Climate Change 101: From Basic Physics to Global Policy". Doors open at 9:30AM for snacks and SPS demos. The lecture begins at 10:15AM. This event is free and open to all: friends, family, kids and grandparents. See you there!

Join Allerton Natural Areas staff on a weekly bird hike at 9 a.m. each Friday in September and October. Birds are starting to move south and each week the variety of bird species in the park will change. At times the hikes will leave the trails, so please dress accordingly. $ 5/person. Register here. Hikes are free for Allerton Bird Club members. Join the bird club here. 

If you are a writer looking for inspiration, register for the Allerton Writing Retreat on Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 17-19 in the Allerton Mansion. This three-day, two-night retreat will offer specialized workshops, one-on-one writing services and networking opportunities. $250/person. Register here. Hotel rooms are available at a discounted rate. Call 217-333-3287 to make a reservation.

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.

This training series is designed for faculty and staff at the University of Illinois seeking to understand race and racism in deeper ways, promote racial justice, and dismantle systems of oppression through intensive 3-hour trainings. Sessions are held in person and virtually via Zoom. Find out more information and register on our website: dsje.illinois.edu

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 calendars for this year's date. In addition, we would appreciate your help in spreading the word. We hope to see you there.

The impact of sustainability research at Illinois cannot be fully realized without social innovation that can shift decision-making and behavior in a climate-friendly manner. This half-day interactive event aims to facilitate social and behavioral scientists' collaboration with scientists in other fields on climate, environment, and sustainability on our campus. Light breakfast will be served.

Patrizia Polese "The art of thread as a common language" 

F&S, the Division of Public Safety, and the Champaign Fire Department will conduct a spill containment exercise on Thur., Sept. 28, between 8 and 10 a.m. Event coordinators will place dye in storm drains near Abbott Power Plant on S. Oak St. to simulate an oil spill during this year's mock scenario. The dye will go northward to the Boneyard Creek. The exercise is required yearly by the U.S. EPA. 

Dr. Fatima Husain, and her Graduate Students will be presenting the latest research on tinnitus, its mechanisms, and management options. This is open to the University community and the public. It will take place on 09/27/2023, at 9.30-11.30AM, at the iHotel, with complimentary continental breakfast. The event will be hybrid. To register, visit https://go.illinois.edu/TinnitusSeminarResgister. 

Enjoy FREE coffee and conversation at McDonald's located on Green St.! No agenda or speeches, just an opportunity to ask questions, share concerns, and get to know our campus police officers. 

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.

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.

Japan House offers the opportunity for guests to celebrate autumn together in the beauty of the gardens with a special tea ceremony to honor the Harvest Moon followed by a special shakuhachi performance by the ponds near Japan House. Note: Japan House will NOT be open to the public during Tsukimi and there are no restrooms in the Arboretum. Activities will take place outside so plan accordingly.

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.

Dr. Daniel Simons, co-author of his new book, "Nobody's Fool" will be our featured speaker. From phishing scams to Ponzi schemes, fraudulent science to fake art, chess cheaters to crypto hucksters, and marketers to magicians, our world brims with deception. In this talk, Prof. Simons will explain why we are so easily deceived and what we can do about it. Q&A session and book signing to follow.

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. Staff and faculty can sign up to volunteer on Saturday, Sept. 23, and Saturday, Nov. 11. Volunteers receive a free "Be Orange, Go Green" T-shirt!

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

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.

Join Jane Lin of the University of Illinois Chicago as she presents via Zoom at the Fall 2023 Kent Seminar Series Thursday, September 21, from 2-3 p.m. (CT). Pizza and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the ICT Classroom. 

Inspired by the literary concept of the unreliable narrator and the medieval bestiary, The Unreliable Bestiary is an ark of stories about animals, humans, and planet Earth. For more information, please click here.

The 2023 Law School Fair is on October 5, 2023, at the Illini Union from 11 am – 3 pm, with a Law Admission Panel in Room 104 from 3:30 - 4:30 pm. Meet with law school representatives from across the country and/or attend the panel after the Fair. Junior and senior students considering attending law school are highly encouraged to attend.  You can learn more about the Law Fair by clicking here.  

Responding to and Addressing Community Needs: An Evening with C-U Practitioners: Join HRI for a 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 impact community health and well-being. This event is free and open to the public. 

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!

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.

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. 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.

Yousif Hassan, postdoctoral research associate at the iSchool at Illinois, will present "Fixing development with data: Responsible AI and state building in Africa." We continue the CIRSS speaker series in Fall 2023 with a focus on "Knowledge Graphs and Semantic Computing". 

Jeanine Bensken, president of the Healthy Champaign County board, is the guest speaker at the F&S D&I Committee event, Wed., Sept. 20, at noon. She will give an interactive talk on "Physical Activity for Health: What does it really mean as we age?" The discussion will explore topics in physical activity and health across the lifespan. Register at https://go.fs.illinois.edu/diversityandinclusion. 

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

The Collaboration Cafe is a monthly webinar, hosted by the NCSA-led Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub, to explore funding opportunities and foster collaborative proposal development. On Wednesday September 20 at 3:00pm CT, the webinar will discuss the NSF "Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (CyberTraining)" program with an NSF program director and prior awardees.

The Education Justice Project is hosting a 4-part panel series bringing together international and national organizations. The first panel is on Wednesday, September 27 @ 12:00p CT. It will bring together the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, Students for Sensible Drug Policy International, & Explore Maryland Cannabis to discuss the ramifications of the War on Drugs & drug policy reform.

Benjamin Sovacool - Founding Director, Institute for Global Sustainability, Boston University & Professor, University of Sussex, UK - will discuss the urgency, emergency, & necessity of low-carbon transitions. But low-carbon transition can unintentionally exacerbate inequities/inequalities. Just Transitions is a novel framework looking at demographic, spatial, interspecies, & temporal inequities.

Chemical engineers, learn how you can develop the skills to advance in your career with the Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering Leadership at Illinois. Register for one of our upcoming webinars for more information:

• Tuesday, September 19, 8pm
• Wednesday, October 4, 8pm
• Thursday, November 30, 8pm

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, beginning July 24th 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.

We are examining the effects of vary amounts of fat in a meal on the rate of building muscle proteins. The study requires 3 days of participation including 2 full-day trials with blood and muscle sample collection. You get $300 upon completion, information about your body composition (muscle and fat), and results of your lower body strength testing. Contact zanz3@illinois.edu for more information!

Last call! We are looking for adults 30-60 years old with a BMI between 25 - 35 who are free of metabolic and GI disorders to participate. You will be asked to consume a pre-prepared snack twice daily for 12 weeks. You will also be asked to visit the laboratory three times for blood draws and questionnaires, as well as provide six stool samples. You will receive up to $500 for participating.

We are exploring challenges encountered in daily activities by adults aged 60+. If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulty with thinking, memory, or concentration or has mild cognitive impairment, we would like to learn from your experiences to develop solutions. The study will be conducted using video chat. Participants will be paid. Contact KCH-HFA-ENACT@illinois.edu or 217-265-0885.

Participants needed for a study on health technology that supports BP medication adherence. Participants must be 65 years of age or older, take at least 1 medication for high BP, and use an iPhone. Participants will receive compensation. Please spread the word to family and friends. (Study in partnership with the University of Arizona). Email bp-system@pharmacy.arizona.edu or call (217) 300-544 

Help make the Next Alcohol Fitbit! The Alcohol Research Lab is looking for frequent drinkers to participate in a validation study of transdermal biosensing bracelets. Participation involves attending three laboratory sessions, wearing a transdermal bracelet, and filling out surveys for two weeks. Up to $300 in compensation for participation.

Looking for adults (ages 25-50) who are native speakers of American English and have normal hearing. Participants will listen and respond to speech samples and receive a hearing test during a single 1.5 to 2-hour visit. Compensation of $15/hour will be provided at completion. To learn more, fill out our screener or email: anex-lab@illinois.edu.

The iCONS research study involves 7 2.5-hour visits & a daily gummy for 9 months.  Activities include height, weight, & eye health measurements, reading & math related questions, computer tasks, & parent questionnaires. Families will receive up to $370 with parking provided. To learn more, email iconstudy@illinois.edu