Prospective Families are invited to our Community Open House on Tuesday, February 13th anytime from 9am-12pm for the preschool classroom or 9am to 2:30 pm for the Kindergarten through 5th grade classrooms. You many come anytime during these hours for a short visit at the school.   For more information or to schedule a visit on a different date please visit the school's website.

The BRIDGE Seed Fund provides $200,000 in funding to stimulate wider academic engagement between the University of Illinois and the University of Birmingham (UoB). Faculty members are encouraged to apply for funding to support joint activities with colleagues at UoB. Three grant types are available and more information may be found online at: https://go.illinois.edu/BRIDGE.

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences has been renamed the Department of Climate, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences (CliMAS) within the School of Earth, Society & Environment, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The Department is excited to expand its teaching, research, and engagement under our more descriptive name as the hub of weather and climate science and curricula on the UIUC campus.

Illinois Global Institute invites proposals for the New Approaches to International Area and Global Studies grant.The grant supports multidisciplinary initiatives to increase UIUC engagement w/ world regions & w/ global questions beyond the current scope of the 11 area and global studies centers and thematic programs w/in IGI. An info session will be held on February 7 at 2pm. Register here.

The STC for Quantitative Cell Biology and IDEA Lab are seeking student volunteers to help serve as facilitators for a STEAM coding club at the International Prep Academy in Champaign to provide coding activities and role models to 6-8th graders in the Spanish/English dual language programs for 2 hours every other week. Interested? Email cabada@illinois.edu.

Register for an upcoming learning opportunity at The Farms: An Allerton Folk School: Learn Afro-Brazilian Traditions on Thursdays, Feb. 1-29; enjoy Mindfulness and Meditation Wednesdays, Feb. 7-March 27; Improve Your Improv Tuesdays, Feb. 20-April 9; or experience Figure Drawing on Mondays, Feb. 26-March 25. Click the links to register. See an entire course listing here. 

Please share these Spring 2024 offerings with undergraduate and graduate researchers who may benefit from funded research opportunities at the Beckman Institute. Successful applicants will have access to world-class facilities, accomplished mentors, and hands-on research experiences. All applications close at 5 p.m. (CST) Tuesday, Feb. 27. Students can visit the website to learn more and apply.

Know a student who demonstrates financial need yet does not otherwise qualify for financial aid? Encourage them to apply for the HOPE Scholarship! To learn more, please visit hopescholarship.illinois.edu/ Deadline: Monday, January 29, at 11:59 p.m.

Subscribe to a weekly newsletter to get recommendations and learn about tools to incorporate more Universal Design for Learning into your teaching. Content is created by the members of the UDL and Accessibility Research Group. Their research is focused on understanding student needs and working towards making education accessible for all. You can also check out past UDL knowledge nuggets.

Free headshots for Illinois students!  A great headshot ensures you're making the best impression possible. The Professional Portrait Lab, located in the Illini Union, Room 335, provides free student digital headshots that you can use on LinkedIn, websites, directories, and more! Spring Semester Hours: Wednesdays from 1:15-3:15 p.m.; Thursdays from 12:30-1:30 pm.

The Sandage Social Media Lab in the Department of Advertising offers free weekly brand consults. Curious about how to use social media to help grow your business or promote campus activities? Schedule a 30-minute consult with an advertising student! Available online MWF 9-10am and in person or online MF 1-3pm, based on student availability.

Join us at the Through the Faculty Ranks workshop - Diversity & Equity in Promotion & Tenure on Feb. 27. Faculty will learn how to enhance understanding & awareness of how issues of equity & bias influence P&T decisions. We invite all faculty members to attend, especially those eligible to serve on department & College level Promotion & Tenure committees. Click here to RSVP by February 22!

A series of recruitment and hiring trainings are being offered this spring through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Topics include placement goals and good faith efforts, inclusive job descriptions and best practices for hiring managers. Visit oae.illinois.edu to view the full calendar and register.

Hear educational and inspiring keynotes, breakout sessions and workshops at the 24th annual U of I Web Conference, held online April 4-5. Talks will address web design and development; accessibility; UX/design; social and digital media; diversity, equity, & inclusion. U of I employees and full-time students get a discounted rate. Registration includes access to recordings for a limited time.

Help put together the World's Largest Puzzle with the Library during dedicated co-working hours. We’ll have snacks and a hot chocolate bar to help you get cozy and unwind with friends old and new! Find the full schedule and locations listed on our Facebook event!

Our community chapter of Girls Who Code is now accepting new members. Our club is for those in 4th-12th grade. We meet on Sundays from 1-3 p.m. during the academic school year. The Siebel Center for Computer Science building Room 2405.  Club is free and fun! Registration for the Spring semester closes on February 4.  https://forms.gle/XgJM5fxbh4e4MJB59 

Uruguay's soccer success, including Olympic Golds and World Cup wins, contrasts with its small size and dark period during the 1973-1985 dictatorship. This era, marked by human rights abuses and using stadiums as prisons, saw a decline in soccer performance. This talk examines soccer's role in reflecting national distress, fostering nationalism, and as a resistance tool during the dictatorship.

Want to learn more about Illinois Computes and other NCSA resources available to researchers? Join Director Bill Gropp on Jan. 30 for a “Research Computing at NCSA” presentation hosted by the Department of Astronomy’s Astrophysics Colloquium. This hybrid event will cover the opportunities for researchers to use NCSA’s resources in their work, including Delta and DeltaAI. Also available on Zoom!

Gana Ndiaye, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Beloit College, will offer his ethnographic exploration findings of everyday life among young Senegalese followers of the Muridiyya Sufi order (the Murids) in three Brazilian state capitals. Free food will be provided, please refer to the calendar link to place your order here.

Do you have research projects that generate more data than you can manage? We will discuss foundational principles of managing research data, setting up research projects for success prior to starting to collect data, and how to rescue a messy data. Bring your questions to this session and we will connect you with research data librarians who can help you troubleshoot specific problems.

James Forman Jr. will present the David C. Baum Lecture on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights at the College of Law. In his talk, Professor Forman will argue that our current moment demands new and creative thinking about how to bring historically marginalized groups into the legal profession. Free and open to the public, with lunch provided to attendees. Livestream will also be available.

Enjoy a FREE coffee and conversation at the Illini Union Starbucks! No agenda or speeches, just an opportunity to ask questions, share concerns, and get to know our campus police officers from the University of Illinois Police Department!  We hope to see you there! 

Dr. Debbie Sharnak (Rowan University) will give a talk on her book, Of Light and Struggle: Social Justice, Human Rights, and Accountability in Uruguay, which explores how activists, transnational social movements, and international policymakers collaborated and clashed in response to the era of authoritarianism in Uruguay as well as the country's transition back to democratic rule.

John Levi Barnard (English & Comparative & World Literature, U. of I.), "Meat, Climate, and the Dystopia of the Present." Wed., January 31, noon, in Coble 306.  Moving through a century of dystopian film and literature -- from The Jungle to Soylent Green and The Matrix -- this talk will explore the role of the animal food system in both American culture and the planetary crisis of climate change. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help researchers enhance  their data management plan. There are many areas where AI can help researchers strengthen and improve data quality. In this workshop, participants will learn how to create a strategy to help with data classification, organizing data (including files and folders), naming files and planning for backup and security.

Artificial Intelligence is changing the way we write/research. What do we need to know to use them ethically + effectively in our scholarship? We’ll take a behind-the-scenes look at how AI generates text, consider its limitations, brainstorm ways to incorporate it into your writing, + discuss copyright considerations and publisher’s policies. There will be room for experimentation and questions!

Skeena Reece "Artist Talk". Reece will share a curated review of her favorite works. 

The exhibition of Pethumanity explores the ways in which people build relationships with pets. Kay Yang, Login Ingold, and Lori Fuller bring their unique perspectives and express them through a range of art practices, including drawing, painting, and film. Opening reception will be at the Illini Union Art Gallery, February 1, 2024 from 4:30 - 6:30. 

Afro D & Global Soundwaves is a socially-conscious hip hop/jazz/funk band based in Champaign, Illinois. Presented in collaboration with Illinois Soul 101.1 FM in celebration of Black History Month.

Martin Gruebele and Zan Luthey-Schulten will present "4D simulations of cell states: Bringing cells to life on a computer and in Minecraft through the integration of experiments and theory" at the next Beckman Institute Director's Seminar. Registration is required to attend and receive lunch.

As the new year begins, crop producers, consultants, and industry professionals already have the year’s crop on their minds. Stay up to date with research updates and opportunities impacting statewide crop production at the in-person and virtual 2024 Illinois Crop Management Conferences with University of Illinois Extension/College of ACES experts.

Dance at Illinois presents February Dance 2024. Works by Faculty members: Elliot Reza Emadian & Betsy Brandt (Dramaturg), 3rd year MFA candidates, Sojung Lim, Anna Peretz Rogovoy, 2nd year MFA candidate, Banafsheh Amiri and undergraduate BFA senior, Jaymes Crowder-Acres

Collaboration is key to sparking innovation. By bringing together people with unique sets of knowledge, skills, and experiences, you can collectively develop new ideas that will solve big problems. Join us in exploring how to best develop and facilitate a multidisciplinary team when practicing human-centered design to discover solutions to complex challenges.

Join Yong-Rak Kim of Texas A&M University as he presents in person at the Spring 2024 Kent Seminar Series Thursday, February 1, from 2-3 p.m. (CT). Food and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the ICT Classroom. 

Join DSJE & the University YMCA for our first week of our Spring 2024 Friday Forum x Conversation Café speaker series! On February 2, we'll be hosting Rev. Terrance Thomas from Bethel AME Church, a leader in our local CU and interfaith community, who will be speaking about the Radical Black Church. Free lunch from Y Thai Eatery provided!

This event has been rescheduled from November 2023. Tickets for the original date will be valid for the new date unless they have been returned. If you have any questions, please phone the Ticket Office at 217.333.6280 Tu-Fr 10am-6pm, or email kran-tix@illinois.edu. The Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet marks its 50th anniversary with the KRONOS Five Decades tour.

Join Campus Recreation and the Student Affairs Wellbeing committee for games, music, food, prizes, and fun during Polar Extravaganza and Day of Self-Care!  Participate in a one-mile run/walk as an individual or team around the Main Quad by registering here.  Walk begins at 12pm at Anniversary Plaza.

The Grainger College of Engineering Undergraduate Research is hosting the 7th Spring Engineering Research Fair on February 6, 4:00-6:00 PM in Illini Union Rooms A, B, and C. Please drop by to see the presentations!

Join Allerton Natural Areas staff on a leisurely morning of birding at Slow Birding from 9 to 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 9. Participants will take a short, slow hike to a secluded fireside spot in the woods to observie birds. Be sure to bring your thermos of coffee or tea to keep you warm! $10/person, free for Allerton Bird Club members. Register here. Join the bird club here.

Presented via webinar and in-person by J. Gary Eden - Intel Alumni Endowed Chair Emeritus in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This presentation will review rapidly-growing commercial applications of microcavity plasma devices.

Join HRI at the Graduate Student Open House & Resource Fair for an afternoon of presentations, conversations & more—a showcase of graduate student work in the humanities and arts and the opportunity to explore resources available to graduate students in humanities-based graduate education. There will be a culminating reception/happy hour at 5 p.m. Pre-register for a Writers Workshop Live session. 

Youth aged 10-13 are invited to a Comic Book Creation workshop at Allerton Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19 in the Greenhouse Auditorium. During this day-long program, Kids Clubbers will work a graphic novel: creating a hero, writing a story, learning drawing techniques and panel planning, and using a blank comic book that will be provided. $46/person (10-13). Register here by Feb. 5. 

Attend Amplify: Exploring Academic Entrepreneurship & Amplifying Research Commercialization Impact event on February 21 at the Beckman Institute, 5th Floor Tower Room. This event will provide a unique platform for gaining insights into the best practices for translating research into commercial ventures and exploring collaboration opportunities with fellow academics. 

The CDA Conference will be held on March 6th, at the iHotel. Join us to celebrate our Center’s 5th anniversary and explore topics centered around our conference theme: Future of Digital Agriculture. The conference will bring together individuals from academia, industry, and government to share and discuss trends, best practices, challenges, and opportunities that shape the future of digital ag.

Does your laboratory conduct innovative, interdisciplinary work that exemplifies the goals of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology? Is your laboratory looking to recruit undergraduate researchers? If you answered yes to either of these questions, consider exhibiting your lab at the 2024 IGB Research Showcase! Exhibitor applications are due March 8, 2024. Visit our website to learn more.

Would you like to learn about the latest initiatives in sustainability, social responsibility, and resilience in Supply Chains from both academia and industry? Come join us at the 2024 Illinois Supply Chain Management Conference, February 23-24, 2024.  For details and registration information, visit: https://giesbusiness.illinois.edu/scm-conference-2024.

The Writers Workshop will review genre expectations, provide examples, and share strategies for drafting and tailoring personal statements. This virtual workshop is open to current U of I students, faculty, and staff. Please register with your Illinois email account by 11:59pm on 1/29, and we'll send the Zoom invitation on the morning of the event.

Invite your graduate students to attend an upcoming info session about the Humanities Without Walls Summer Bridge program. 2023 Summer Bridge participants Priyanka Zylstra (History) and Omar Agustin Hernandez (Anthropology) will share their experiences working with community partners in CU. Learn more about the Bridge program and view the 2024 application form.

Yahya Ashour was born in 1998 in Gaza, Palestine. He was a 2022 IWP Fellow in Writing at the University of Iowa. He spoke and read poetry in several American universities and organizations. He studied sociology and psychology and worked at several organizations in Gaza as a creative writing mentor for children and young adults. 

Join Kristine McCoskey (I-Promise) and first-gen students Feb 1 on Zoom as they discuss their experiences at the University of Illinois for the Art of Teaching Lunchtime Seminar Series. As first gen and FGLI (first-gen, low/limited income) numbers increase on campus, how can we understand their academic challenges and how do external factors directly affect scholastic performance and tenacity?

Cheryl Thompson, Research Data Archivist at the H.W Odum Institute for Research in Social Sciences, University of North Carolina, will present "Curating for Transparency and Verification in Political Science."  Based at the iSchool,CIRSS Trustworthy Computational Science Speaker Series addresses the challenges of enabling researchers to build on prior computational research with confidence.

Explore the evolving impact of AI on job searching and hiring, leveraging tools like ChatGPT. Delve into the current AI landscape, address challenges, and discover best practices for ethical use in resumes, cover letters, and interviews. Gain insights into employer perspectives and discuss the future of these tools. Join our virtual event on Zoom. Register on Handshake.

You have a strong financial foundation, and now you're ready to take the first steps into investing. New trends in the world of securities necessitate reviewing new insights as we cover the basics of beginner investing. Join us on February 7, 2024, for this free webinar! NOTE: This webinar is meant to be educational and will not offer individual investing advice.

Need karma points?... Participation includes: A focus group discussing assessment. (45-60 minutes). Honorarium - $20 gift card from Amazon. If you are able to participate in the focus group (time TBD) please email stuartm3@illinois.eduf If unable, Short survey to help triangulate info: https://illinois.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3C07vdl19PGMsmi (anonymous link) Contact for more information. Thanks!

Do you or someone you know identify as a Spanish-speaking, middle-aged Latino (50+)? Join our FREE virtual Latin dance program! This is a 6-month, twice-per-week program that will cover bachata, merengue, salsa, and many more Latin dance styles. If interested, please click on this link to fill out an interest form and our team will reach out to you with more information.

The U. of I. Meat Science Lab is recruiting adults (18+) who regularly consume pork products to rate pork chops visually. Only one in-person visit is needed at the ACES Library on campus. Participants will be compensated with $15 at the conclusion of their visit. Click here for more information if interested! 

Looking for adults aged 18-75 with a BMI of at least 28 and above who want to lose weight and often experience food cravings. The study is a 12-week online weight loss program, and you will be randomly assigned to receive one of two coping strategies to manage food cravings. For more information, please visit our website here. 

Is drinking causing problems in your relationship? The University of Illinois is conducting a research study for people with alcohol use disorder and their partners. Participants will receive 12 sessions of science-backed alcohol couples treatment and complete phone-based study assessments during their enrollment. Qualified individuals will be compensated for their time . 

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.

Are you a Latina woman who had a planned cesarean delivery in the past 12 months? We are looking for women (aged 18-45) to help us develop a mindfulness intervention for Latina women who plan to deliver by cesarean. Eligible participants will complete a brief online survey and receive a $10 electronic gift card. Contact us today at (217) 244-9363 or mamidapp@illinois.edu