The 2024-2025 Senate Elections and Organizational meeting is at 3:10 p.m. Monday, April 29, in the Illini Union Ballroom (2nd floor). Materials for the Senate Organizational meeting are posted at https://www.senate.illinois.edu/ss20240429a.asp. Senators will be electing Senate leaders and committee members at this important meeting. We look forward to seeing you on Monday.

Donate your bike! Campus Recreation’s Campus Bike Center (CBC) accepts used bikes. If you are leaving campus and you have a bicycle that you do not need, please donate it to the CBC at 51 E. Gregory Dr,, Champaign. CBC refurbishes bikes and cleans them up for reuse. Please consider donating your used bike before leaving campus! Call us at 217-333-0241.

Call for Submissions! The 2024-25 Art Gallery applications are now open to be one of the featured artists in the Illini Union Art Gallery. Applications will be accepted until May 31. Apply today!

The 14-week Inclusive Pedagogy Certificate engages in hybrid experiential learning to teach faculty and instructors practical tools for designing and teaching courses geared towards diverse populations of undergraduate and graduate students. Participants receive a 1-course buy-out in Spring 2025 to attend the course. Apply here by May 15, 2025.  

The Illinois Supervisory Skills Program develops self-awareness of management styles and personal biases, offers strategies for resolving conflict and builds confidence in leading others through performance feedback and coaching techniques. Open to academic or civil service employees who oversee employees with at least a 75%-time appointment at Illinois. Apply now! Applications due June 24, 2024.

The goal of the travel award (up to $1,000) is to provide opportunities for graduate students at Illinois to participate (remotely or in person) in scientific conferences, workshops or professional development activities related to personalized nutrition. The submission deadline is May 1, 2024. 

The Collaborative Mentoring Program (CMP) provides collaborative mentoring grants in support of mid-career tenure-track and instructional specialized faculty. Team and individual proposals will be accepted as well as proposals from academic units. Upload a single PDF of your proposal HERE. Proposals are due by May 15, 2024 (Extended Deadline).

University Primary School, the Preschool-5th grade College of Education Lab School, is accepting applicants for our Preschool Classroom for the 2024-25 school year. Our school has been learning with families both here on campus and in the greater community for over 50 years! Once placed at Uni Primary, Preschool children have priority for Kindergarten spots. Please visit our website to learn more.

The State Department of Central Management Services (CMS) has announced that the Fiscal Year  2025 Benefit Choice enrollment period will begin May 1 and end May 31, 2024.

ILSGC is partnering with Astronomers Without Borders to recycle eclipse glasses. The collection basket is outside of Heidi Bjerke's office, Room 306J, in the Aerospace Engineering department in Talbot Lab. Please contact Heidi with any questions at hbjerke2@illinois.edu You can find out more about the program here - Solar Glasses Recycling And Distribution - Astronomers Without Borders.

IAP’s annual Spring Flower/Vegetable Sale is available by placing orders here by April 30. Add flowers/vegetables to your cart and pay with credit card. Pick up from 4 - 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, behind the Natural Resources Building, 615 E. Peabody. Enter off Pennsylvania Avenue behind the building. Profits go to continuing projects and activities that benefit members of our campus community. 

Your graduate level tuition and service fee waivers may be taxable. Graduate level tuition and service fee waivers that are a benefit of employment are considered taxable income by the IRS. As a result, GAs, PGAs and regular employees may see a reduction in take-home pay for the months of March, April and possibly May this semester. Learn more on the Student Money Management Center website.

The Radiation and Laser Safety Committee will hold an open forum via Teams at 2:15 p.m Thursday, May 2, to present a brief overview of the radiation and laser safety program and address any community questions and concerns you may have regarding RLS on campus. Please email Lowre Young at ldyoung1@illinois.edu by 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, to receive the Teams invitation. 

Preparing to submit your final papers? The Writers Workshop will have modified hours beginning on Saturday, May 4, and will close for the semester at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8. On Wednesday, May 8, we'll host extended drop-in hours from noon to 5 p.m. See our website and social media for the full finals schedule! We will re-open on June 10.

Donate your gently used personal items and unopened foods during the Dump and Run move-out program from Monday, May 6, through Sunday, May 12. Eight drop-off locations are located near residence halls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. The transfer of university property will not be allowed. Disposal of university-procured items must be in accordance with State and U. of I. policies and guidelines.

CITL's Exam Services will be open the following hours during final exam week for processing exams administered using Scantrons: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 3, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, May 6, through Friday, May 10. We will remain open during the lunch hour from noon to 1 p.m.

We're offering a 20% discount for professionals who register for the Cultivating Functional Safety Workshop by May 10. This three-day workshop focuses on mastering ISO 25119 compliance and preparing for autonomy in agriculture. This event offers in-depth training, insightful discussions and valuable networking opportunities. Register today and share this opportunity with your networks.

The goal of this workshop is to give you hands-on experience in leveraging foundation models through AWS Bedrock. Bedrock is a fully managed service that provides access to FMs from third-party providers and AWS; available via an API. With Bedrock, you can choose from a variety of models to find the one that’s best suited for your use case. Register and find more info with the link in the title.

The teaching gender mentorship network will hold a kickoff from 2 to 4 p.m. May 6, Illini Union Room 210. The network is interested in creating conversation and peer guidance on topics including handling questions, incorporating gender into courses and diverse experiences students bring to the classroom. To learn more and sign up to attend the event, visit https://go.uillinois.edu/mentoringnetwork

Join QCB as Luke Chao, Harvard, discusses how coarse-grained models enable large-scale simulations of complex biomolecular systems over long timescales, including elucidating the molecular determinants for the stability, internal organization and coarsening of biocondensates, and their contribution to genome organization. Light refreshments at 2:30 p.m. (by room 3151). Also on Zoom.

Abberior Instruments and the IGB Core Facilities will be hosting the 2nd annual Midwest Advanced MINFLUX Super Resolution Workshop from May 20 to May 24. Nobel laureate, Stefan Hell, will speak on the MINFLUX technique to begin the workshop, which will also have hands on sessions. Register by May 15.

Prof. Monica R. McLemore, University of Washington School of Nursing, will connect the dots between preventable maternal morbidity and mortality, infant mortality and premature Black death, explore study designs required to provide meaningful data that map assets and identify strengths and protective factors, and discuss novel structural interventions that could be operationalized in the present.

Join the U. of I. Police Department to chat and grab a free slice of pizza! We are taking a spin on our Coffee with a Cop series and looking forward to chatting with you over a slice of pizza provided by our community partner, Rosati's. No agenda! No lectures! Just open conversation! We hope to see you there! Debo! 

Join us today, April 28, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Main Library (Room 220) to celebrate the completion of the world's largest puzzle — 60 combined puzzles completed by members of the campus and C-U communities. Marvel at the sheer size of this impressive puzzle of the world while enjoying snacks, puzzle activities and more!

Art of Science celebrates the common ground between science and art by taking images gathered by researchers on campus and artistically enhancing them to develop art displays. Join us at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, to hear Julia Pollack describe her work with this amazing program and get a sneak peak at this year's show. Cafeteria and Company in downtown Urbana (208 W Main St, Urbana).

Join us in growing the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine Outreach and Public Engagement Network (STEAMM OPEN), a community of practice for faculty, staff and students passionate about STEAMM outreach and community engagement. First meeting will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2. Lunch provided. RSVP at https://go.illinois.edu/STEAMMOpenRSVP.

The IGB’s Art of Science program is a celebration of the common ground between science and art. Images from Illinois research were the starting point for these works, which were created by researchers working in partnership with current IGB artist Julia Pollack. These pieces are the result of conversations between the scientists and the artist and highlight the power of science imagery.

Join us for this special seminar with Dr. Asim Gazi, a Schmidt Science Fellow at Harvard University. He will discuss modeling and monitoring the autonomic nervous system for people with PTSD reliving their trauma.

Are you curious about entrepreneurship as a career path? MMLI is hosting an “Entrepreneurship Showcase Panel” from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 30 (with FREE LUNCH!) in 1030 NCSA. Hear from talented and accomplished individuals who will be discussing their journeys from academia to entrepreneurship and their motivations for pursuing their career path. RSVP here.

Quinn Dombrowski, academic technology specialist at Stanford University, will present "What Happens After the End? Crafting Sustainable Librarianship in an Age of AI." This lecture will draw upon several initiatives from the library and digital humanities spaces and advocate for hands-on creative play, as found in makerspaces, as a method for building networks that can help sustain libraries.

Through a series of town halls facilitated by Provost Fellow Geoffrey Herman, we hope to hear more about what faculty believe excellent teaching looks like in their disciplines, and the concerns they have about how to conduct peer evaluations. Town halls will be held: May 2, 7, 8 and 9, across campus. RSVP is encouraged but not required.

On Friday, May 10, Chemistry at Illinois alum and convocation speaker H.N. Cheng will present "Plastic Pollution: How to Tackle this Problem,” which explores the role research and development can play in the fight against plastic pollution. Light refreshments provided.

You are invited to the Forum on Finishing the Unfinished Business of Brown v. Board of Education. This event will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education (1954) with a luncheon keynote and panel with distinguished scholars and change agents connected to this critical history.  

Over two days in Chicago, iSEE and partners on campus and at UIC are bringing together a diverse group of researchers, educators, industry professionals and activists to discuss urgent questions about transitioning to low-carbon transportation systems — whatever they might be — while addressing the needs of all populations regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic standing. Register >>>

The Intensive Language Instruction Program (ILIP) offers classes in 13 different languages. ILIP classes combine language and culture via engaging activities led by skilled instructors. No grade, just for fun! Students receive 30 hours of enjoyable language instruction, which maximizes exposure to the target language to help them meet their own personal learning goals. Register for ILIP today!

The annual School of Art and Design fashion show is back! Re-Fashioned will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, in the Siebel Center. Admission is free. Students from the Studio Arts Fashion Concentration will be presenting over 100 one-of-a-kind ensembles. Wearable works of art walk the runway, combining sustainability and creativity in a fun event for the whole family. 

Professors Kevin Scharp (Philosophy) and Rob Kar (AAUP Local Chapter President) will discuss current challenges and opportunities for Academic Freedom brought on by Artificial Intelligence at the U. of I. AAUP Chapter Annual Meeting. All faculty and staff are invited. Registration required.

Professor Jacob Sherkow will walk through some of the science of antibodies, traditional claiming strategies and Federal Circuit jurisprudence and recent strategies to draft broad enabling claims covering antibodies. Learn more and register to attend (Zoom link will be provided upon registration). This course has been approved for 1.0 Hour of Illinois MCLE General Credit.

The Frank Center will host a Q&A on May 1 with Michael Steele, former Republican National Committee Chairman and current co-host of MSNBC's The Weekend, discussing Donald Trump's campaign and trials, the future of the GOP, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's future and more. Register to join us via Zoom. Q&A led by Colleen King, Frank Center director and clinical assistant professor of journalism.

About half of students at the University of Illinois take out loans to fund their degrees. Make sure your students aren't surprised by the amount of student loans they have taken out by completing the Know What You Owe module in Moodle. Learn how to enroll and the requirements for students to win one of five gift cards on SMMC's blog. Ends May 1. 

Debt can be distressing. If you have debt or are planning on taking on debt, do you have a plan on how to pay the money back? Explore different strategies for prioritizing debt repayment. Join us on May 8, 2024, for this free webinar!

Recruiting ages 8 to 14 for the Behavioral indices of Resilience to Early Experiences Study (BREES) to learn how early experiences affect mental, cognitive and physical health. Subjects will visit six times over 12 months for 2.5 hours each and receive about $210. Please email bcnnlab@gmail.com or see the BREES website for more information: https://publish.illinois.edu/brees-stress-study/

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 mamidappstudy@illinois.edu

Recruiting persons 60 years or older who take a prescribed medication for high blood pressure/hypertension, have mild problems with memory, thinking or concentration, and use smartphones for a study on supporting medication taking using smartphones. You will be compensated for participation. For more information, please contact us at 217-244-7383 or medmanage@illinois.edu.

Help us learn how nutrition supports eye health and school performance. The iCONS study involves seven 2-hour visits and a daily gummy for nine months. Activities include height, weight and eye health measurements, reading and math questions, computer tasks and parent questionnaires. Families will receive up to $300 + $10 per visit for travel costs. Parking provided. Email: iCONStudy@illinois.edu

Looking for adults aged 60-75 to participate in a study into prolonged sitting and how adults think. The study's aim is to test the feasibility of interrupting sitting with short bouts of high-intensity exercise in older adults and measure brain and cognitive functions before and after sitting. Compensation for participation is $280. If you are interested, please click here.