The Office of the Provost, in partnership with Strategic Communications and Marketing, is hosting a series of focus groups with faculty members to better understand how faculty interact with university communications. If you are a faculty member, we invite you to share your perspectives by indicating your interest to participate in a focus group through our online form. 

The 2024-2025 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Senate is scheduled to meet at 3:10 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, in Illini Room A at the Illini Union. Meeting materials are available online at https://www.senate.illinois.edu/ss20240916a.asp. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

The Pathways Scholars Program catalyzes an early career investigator who conducts patient-centered and comparative effectiveness research to advance the equitable delivery of perinatal mental healthcare. The Scholar Program will support one early career investigator (defined as ten years within receiving doctoral degree) from minority populations. Application: Link to Qualtrics application.

Flu shots are available to benefit-eligible faculty, staff and retirees. Employees must present their university ID and proof of state health insurance. State employees must present proof of state health insurance and one other form of ID. Shots available at McKinley from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Visit link for more info and access list of outreach locations.

CSBS is pleased to announce the new Social and Behavioral Science Impact Award. This award recognizes faculty members whose research in the social and behavioral sciences holds promise for addressing societal challenges — for example: inequality, misinformation and substance use. Awardees’ research should demonstrate conceptual and methodological excellence. Nominations are due Nov. 1, 2024. 

Take part in a series with an international flavor at Wines of the World at Allerton Park from 6 - 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 25, Oct. 16, Nov. 20 and Dec. 4. Wine educator Mike Lee will share his knowledge and passion for introducing students to tasting and understanding wine. $200 per person for the entire series or $60 per class (Ages 21+). Register here by Sept. 18 or one week before each class.

The Technology Services - ICS Reservation System is now accepting reservations for the Spring 2025 semester. Classroom/lab details can be found by visiting the Technology Services-ICS Computer Lab Webpage. Classrooms/labs can be reserved for individual dates or for the same time for multiple weeks in a semester. 

University of Illinois Extension staff earned recognition through the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals (NAE4-HYDP). Carissa Nelson, 4-H Media Communications Manager; Ben Arthur, Extension Design Specialist; Amy Henschen, 4-H Youth Development Senior Program Lead, Evaluation and Staff; and Katie Buckley, Unit 12 County Director, were all named national winners.

Live on Coursera: Discovering the Basics of Wetlands! This online course explores wetland components, soil, nutrient cycling, vegetation and ecosystems. This course was developed by the Wetland Science and Conservation graduate certificate team from Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences: Piper Hodson, Jeffrey Matthews, Jocelyn Curtis-Quick, Clark Dennis and NRES instructor Caitlin Bloomer.

The draft Summer 2024 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 EU Center invites high school students from the state of Illinois to take part in a translation competition featuring German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Swedish and Ukrainian. Heritage speakers are welcome to participate. If you know any high school students from Illinois who may be interested, please direct them to http://go.illinois.edu/TranslationCompetition.

The Illini Center is the perfect location for your classes, conferences, meetings and receptions. With four fully equipped conference rooms, video conferencing options, convenient transportation options to and from campus that includes the UI Ride and Amtrak, and all-inclusive rates starting at $35 per hour, the Illini Center is a perfect fit for your next event. Click here for more information!

Five Days for Change is an intensive training program designed to provide university employees with the opportunity to acquire and strengthen cultural competencies, awareness and skills. This training will increase the visibility, skill and effectiveness of allies in the cause of social justice and campus civility as critical campus incidents arise. Applications are being accepted.

A committed mission, a bold vision, eight strategic priorities and signature initiatives and an evergreen dedication to locally responsive programming are the hallmarks of University of Illinois Extension’s new 10-year strategic plan: “Lifelong Learning. Lifelong Impact.” Discover how this plan will shape the future of Illinois.

Designed especially for undergraduates in the social, behavioral and natural sciences and engineering, but open to all majors, the Communicating Science and Technology Certificate provides an opportunity to build skills in communicating effectively about complex topics across media platforms — a huge advantage in virtually every profession. Check out the details at the link.

HRI's campus fellowships enable tenure-stream faculty and graduate students to develop research projects and participate in the yearlong interdisciplinary Fellows Seminar. Applications welcome from all disciplines and departments with an interest in humanities and humanities-inflected research. The 2025-26 research theme is "Story and Place."

The Generative AI Solutions Hub working groups have developed a set of best practices spanning teaching and learning, research and administrative operations. If you're working with Generative AI, you'll want to review these guidelines to ensure you're adopting best practices in using this new technology safely and most effectively.

A four-week wellness program focused on improving physical activity and nutrition behavior. Participants will partner with a wellness coach to learn about the eight dimensions of wellness and receive support to explore and engage in a variety of physical activity opportunities. 

Faculty member in clinical psychology offering low-cost psychotherapy ($25 per session) to members of the campus community. Support provided for those coping with life adjustments, low mood/stress and relationship problems. Sessions held via video-based telehealth. For more information or to book an initial consultation, please see website.

Don’t be alarmed if you hear an emergency warning siren at 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16. The Division of Research Safety has scheduled a siren test at the SMSF at 2006 S. Griffith Dr., Champaign. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency requires that the siren be tested annually and be capable of alerting anyone within 1,000 feet of the building. This is only a test and not an emergency.

Do you need help with data, troubleshooting code, statistical analyses or survey research? Consulting and training workshops are open to campus on the following: Stata, SAS, SPSS, R, Python, Qualtrics and Alchemer. All services are free through a partnership with CITL, the Library Scholarly Commons and Tech Services. For open consulting hours, click here. For workshop registration, click here. 

Let your students know they can drop-in for a writing consultation at the Main Library and online (Sunday through Thursday evening) or at the LAS Hub in Lincoln Hall (Tuesday through Thursday early afternoon). These 15-30 minute sessions are held on a first-come, first-served basis. Receive actionable advice on shorter documents, ask specific questions or brainstorm your next project!

Illinois faculty, staff and students can use publish.illinois.edu (P.I.E.) to create their own accessible and secure website in a matter of minutes. The website creator on WordPress is designed to help non-technical users build a fully managed site with Illinois branding and URL. Get started today by heading to publish.illinois.edu. 

Research consultations in the University Library start this Sunday! This service is for first- and second-year undergrad students who are conducting general research. Our peer consultants help with brainstorming research topics, developing keywords, finding sources and more. Consultations are 3-7 p.m. Sun. through Thurs., and are available in-person or on Zoom. Sign up for a consultation today! 

Everyone is aging, and many changes happen along the way - physically, mentally and financially - in about every aspect of our lives. This lesson will examine some of those changes and how to adopt a more accepting mindset that will result in improved well being and possibly new opportunities.

Join us to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month with special dining events featuring dishes from Spain, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean! Sept. 19: Dinner, PAR and ISR, 4:30 to 8 p.m.; Oct. 3: Cooking competition, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the SDRP, seating available upstairs near multipurpose rooms, in collaboration with La Casa; Oct. 10: Dinner, LAR, 4:30 to 7 p.m.; IKE, 4:30 to 8 p.m.

Infographics can be an effective way to convey bits of information quickly while drawing viewers in due to their visual appeal. In this workshop, we will learn about best practices for creating infographics and introduce several free online tools, including Infogram and Visme. The session will end with a practice activity where participants are encouraged to use the webtool of their choice.

Are you struggling to keep track of all your sources? Looking for an easier way to cite as you write? Mendeley is a free citation manager that helps you organize your citations, store and annotate your files and insert formatted citations into papers. You will leave this hands-on workshop with the ability to set up and use your very own Mendeley library!

JSTOR is a digital library with access to more than 12 million journal articles, books, images and primary sources in 75 disciplines (primarily focused on humanities and social sciences). Recently, JSTOR merged with Artstor, a digital image database. This workshop will focus on how to search text, images and primary resources in JSTOR and how to organize research using the workspace feature.

In this workshop, you will learn the basics of Illinois REDCap and how it can be used for the collection of research data, including how to create projects, instruments and surveys and how to start collecting research data. It is recommended (but not required) that you have a REDCap account prior to attending the workshop. No prior REDCap experience is necessary.

Looking for a new way to conduct your research? Tired of getting zero results in database searches? This workshop will break down how to 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 searches and other strategies to make you a more efficient researcher.

VL Snoeyink Distinguished Lecture, Ruby Leung, Battelle Fellow, Pacific Northwest National Lab. Some of the most consequential outcomes of global warming for societies and ecosystems are changes in extreme events. Comparing 2000-2019 with 1980-1999, extreme temperature and flood events have more than doubled globally while the number of disastrous storms and droughts has increased by 30-50%. Flyer

Find your voice as a musical performer at Allerton’s Pieces of Music: A Songwriting Workshop from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 12 through Nov. 2,  at Allerton Park. In this course, songwriter and passionate performer Paul Kotheimer will pass along his lifelong love of the writer’s craft and explore music theory with a contemporary focus talk songwriting. $175 per person. Register here by Sept. 28.

Learn a no-fuss technique for printing flowers onto cloth at Flower Pounding from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Wednesday, Sept. 25, in The Studio at Allerton Park. Remington Rock of Delight Flower Farm will present a brief history and the science of using flowers to create ink, then students will use mallets to pound flowers into a print on a cotton bandana. $65 per person. Register here by Sept. 18. 

Learn about Allerton Park’s 14 formal gardens — created between 1899 and 1946 — at a Third Saturday Garden Tour at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. These guided tours start at the Greenhouse Patio and last between 45 and 60 minutes. $5 per person (5 and under free). Register here. Space is limited and tours typically sell out.

Join Erik Scott for a discussion of his book, "Defectors: How the Illicit Flight of Soviet Citizens Built the Borders of the Cold War World." This groundbreaking book, recently published by Oxford University Press, explores how defectors, pursued by their home states and coveted by the U.S. and allies, influenced global borders and intelligence rivalries. 

Do you like bats? Do you like Batman? Do you like vampires, myths and mayhem? If you and your friends have any random nerd knowledge rattling around your noodles on these topics, come out and join us for a night of bat-themed trivia. Teams of up to six, free to play; prizes for the winners.

Day-long symposium for faculty and staff at the Siebel Center for Design celebrating Engaged Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom. Concurrent sessions on multiple teaching topics as well as hands-on activities, a campus resource fair and a keynote presentation. Lunch included. Vendor Showcase cocktail party exclusively for facilities staff (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.). Registration required.

Come celebrate Health Care Simulation Week, sponsored by the Society for Simulation in Health Care! This year’s theme is “Launchpad to Legacy: What’s *Your* Next?” From Sept. 16 to Sept. 20, we will celebrate Simulation Professionals with fun competitions and games. Head over to the Jump Simulation Center Urbana to experience immersive medical simulation!

Research talk by Dr. Jason Morphew, an assistant professor of engineering education at Purdue University. Purdue University has redesigned the introductory physics labs to include authentic engineering design tasks, and redesigned the introductory engineering courses to include microelectronics as a way to introduce engineering design and coding. Results and lessons learned will be shared.

We welcome the American Psychology Association CSO to give his talk, titled "Social Media and Adolescent Mental Health: The Current Science and Recommendations." 

Join Elizabeth Irvin, Illinois Department of Transportation Deputy Director — Office of Planning and Programming, as she presents via Zoom at the Fall 2024 Kent Seminar Series from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19.  Food and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the ICT Classroom. 

Are you passionate about user experience design? Curious about how UX shapes the future of innovative products at a global company? Join us for an exclusive recruiting session with Dr. Eui Yang, UX Lead at John Deere, and discover the exciting opportunities available in the world of UX.

Join Sinfonia da Camera for the season opener at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, celebrating the centennial anniversary of George Gershwin’s beloved "Rhapsody in Blue!" Featuring Ian Hobson as soloist and conductor, pianistic virtuosity takes center stage in this bluesy and brazen work for solo piano and orchestra. Program includes masterworks by Smetana, Martinů and Dvořák. Tickets at KCPA webpage.

Practicing Human-Centered Design is about adopting certain mindsets that are critical for problem solving. In this two-hour workshop, learners will engage in activities that foster collaboration, communication, creativity, experimentation, human-centeredness and metacognition. Develop the right mindset to tackle any design challenge with confidence and creativity.

Ride your bike to campus on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and stop by one of eight U. of I. welcome stations (map) for snacks, refreshments and a free T-shirt! Stations at Alma Mater Plaza, CRCE and other Champaign-Urbana locations will be set up between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. You must bring your bicycle and preregister at https://go.fs.illinois.edu/BiketoWorkDay to get the shirt (while supplies last)! 

Register now for the 2024 SPaRC Retreat on October 18!  This free 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, sessions on new initiatives and policy updates and breakouts on a variety of sponsored project topics. Breakfast and lunch included.

F&S, the Division of Public Safety and the Champaign Fire Department will conduct a spill containment exercise from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18. Dye will be placed in storm drains near the National Petascale Computing Facility on South Oak Street to simulate an oil spill that flows to the Embarras River during this year's mock scenario. The exercise is required annually by the U.S. EPA. 

Europe was the principal battleground in the Cold War conflict that pitted nuclear superpowers against one another. Join the EU Center for this book talk by Susan Colbourn (Duke University), who will tell the story of the height of nuclear crisis and the remarkable waning of the fear that gripped the globe.

CSBS invites faculty to a networking lunch hosted by the Illinois Diversity and Equity Science (IDES) interdisciplinary network on Sept. 18. IDES focuses on elevating diversity and equity science, fostering collaborations and developing long-term impact strategies. This lunch will offer an opportunity to network with colleagues, explore potential collaborations and learn more about IDES.

Amit Schejter is a professor of communication studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In his talk, he describes legal tools used to limit press and speech freedoms in the Israel-Hamas war and sets them in the context of similar and dissimilar tools used by other regimes in times of war in recent years. Lunch provided.

This group of award-winning, nationally and internationally acclaimed solo dance artists, all women ages 50 and above, defy our expectations of aging and push the proverbial glass ceiling, including Charlotte Adams, Analia Weber, Beth Corning, Simone Ferro, Heidi Latsky, Li Chiao-Ping, Debra Loewen, Sara Hook, Endalyn Taylor, Jennifer Monson and Roxane D’ Orléans Juste.

Come to the Asian American Cultural Center to hear award-winning author Paula Yoo present her book "Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire" at the noon Food for Thought (lunch included) and also at 6:30 p.m. in conversation with Sarah Park Dahlen (iSchool) and Edith Campbell (Indiana State University).

Come and visit the new space for the Center for Children's Books in the School of Information Sciences and hear about all we have to offer campus. Free galleys, donuts and cider available until supplies last.

The film screening will be followed by a discussion with director Judy Maltz, George Gasyna (associate professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures) and Brett Ashley Kaplan (Director of HGMS).

Judy Maltz is a senior correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. She will share some of her takeaways from an intensive year of writing about the repercussions of Oct. 7 on Jewish Americans for one of Israel's leading newspapers, as well as her reflections on what Americans don't get about Israel and vice versa.

A panel featuring local practitioners from government, nonprofit organizations and volunteer groups sharing the latest updates on the Champaign County Welcoming Plan. Since 2021, the plan focuses on five key strategic initiatives: Economic Integration and Employment; Education and Language; Citizenship and Civic Engagement; Health and Well-Being.

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 an ikebana demo and shakuhachi performance by the ponds. 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.

This workshop is an interdisciplinary collaboration designed to build the capacity of social work and legal professionals and students to serve the immigrant community in Illinois. Through building the capacity of professionals, we aim to expand access to justice and healing for the ever-growing immigrant community. Free and open to the public, with meals provided. Learn more and register.

Join the Research Tech Support Community - we are people from across campus who support researchers with technology and data solutions. We meet monthly to discuss topics and share experiences related to research support. Our next meeting is Monday, Sept. 16, and is hybrid. Reach out to learn more.

The Imaging Technology Group and the IGB Core will be co-hosting a half-day X-ray CT workshop. Talks covering theory, the instrumentation available on campus and current research projects will be presented, along with tours of both the ITG and IGB facilities. Workshop Agenda: https://www.igb.illinois.edu/corefacilities/news/core-xrayct-workshop-2024

The 2024 Law School Fair is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 1, 2024, at the Illini Union, with a Law Admission Panel in Room 104 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Meet with law school representatives and attend the panel after the Fair. Junior and senior students considering law school are highly encouraged to attend, however, the event is open to all. Learn more about the Law Fair by clicking here. 

Join us for two talks by recent CAS Associates: 11 a.m., David Molitor (Finance),"The Health Burden of Wildfire Smoke in the United States," and at noon, Kathryn Clancy (Anthropology) "Pregnancy, Interrupted: The New Science of Miscarriage."

Steven Chu will present "The challenges in getting to net-zero GHG emissions." A professor at Stanford University, Chu received the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics. Previously, Chu directed Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and was the U.S. Secretary of Energy, where he began ARPA-E, the Energy Innovation Hubs and was tasked by President Obama to help BP stop the Macondo Oil spill.

All doctoral students are invited to join the Doctoral Research Support Program team for a potluck on Sept. 26. This is an informal opportunity to meet fellow doctoral students and bring your research needs to librarians who are dedicated to supporting your doctoral journey. We encourage all to bring something to share but, most importantly, bring yourself! Click here to register.

Please join us for a CAS/MillerComm presentation by Mahzarin Banaji on Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People. Professor Banaji is Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics, Department of Psychology, Harvard University. Hosted by the Department of Psychology.

This presentation will provide tips for writing concise and professional cover letters. We’ll review common structure, audience expectations and strategies for using the cover letter to complement the resume. Bring a current job ad and questions about your current cover-letters-in-progress! Register with your Illinois email by Sept. 16, and we'll send the Zoom meeting on the morning of the event.

In this hands-on workshop, we’ll discuss strategies you may use to analyze your data and explore the tools you can use to put your analysis plan into action. Strategies discussed include: coding and viewing coded data, quantifying qualitative data, comparing data across categories and using writing and mapping to develop your interpretation. 

Unlock the power of studying text on a large scale through this beginner-friendly introduction to text mining. In this workshop, we’ll provide an overview of analytical techniques, identify datasets that you can use for your research and play with easy-to-use tools for understanding linguistic patterns in text. No prior experience needed!

Thomas Stoeger, assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at Northwestern University, will present a talk on "Science of Science as a Tool for Biomedical Discovery."  Based at the iSchool, more information about the CIRSS “Studying Science Scientifically: State of the Art and Prospects for the Science of Science” Speaker Series is available here.

Building upon their recent article, “What Is Information History?,” Bonnie Mak and Allen Renear (Information Sciences) introduce ways in which the humanities can engage in the critical examination of AI. By situating AI as a site of humanistic inquiry, this seminar series highlights the unique contributions of the humanities to the study of AI and the human condition. Zoom registration

Learn how to use parallel and distributed computing in MATLAB with a focus on speeding up application codes and offloading computers. By working through common scenarios and workflows using hands-on demos, you will gain a detailed understanding of the parallel constructs in MATLAB, their capabilities and some of the common hurdles that you'll encounter when using them. Register here.

NCSA invites you to a virtual workshop Sept. 26 on CUDA-Q, NVIDIA’s platform for high-performance hybrid quantum-classical computing, featuring speakers and tutorials from NVIDIA, qBraid and Infleqtion. This is a hands-on workshop using NVIDIA GPUs. However, if you have your own resources or just want to listen in, you are also welcome. Registration deadline is Sept. 22.

Join for the September Web Con Workshop! The RIPE project team received a grant from the Institute for Genomic Biology Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force to develop an internship program for students from underserved communities. Allie Arp (RIPE) and Amanda Nguyen (iSchool) will share their program outline, lessons learned and tips for setting up your students for success.

Are you interested in XR? Join our research study "Impact of Computation Offloading on the End-User Experience in Extended Reality (XR)." Participants must be 18+ with normal or corrected-to-normal vision and no known AR/VR aversion. Participation involves experiencing cutting-edge XR technologies and completing feedback questionnaires in a 30-minute to 2-hour session. Learn more and register here

Recruiting persons 60 years or older who take a prescribed medication for high blood pressure/hypertension, have mild problems with memory, thinking and/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.

We are looking to interview parents of LGBTQ+ child(ren) who can recall at least one memorable message other family members have made about their child(ren)’s LGBTQ+ identity. We’d like to hear your story through an interview of approximately one hour over Zoom. Participants will receive a $25 Amazon gift card after the interview. Express interest here. 

Help make the Next Alcohol Fitbit! The Alcohol Research Lab is looking for participants for 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 $400 in compensation for participation. 

The EyeCARE study investigates the relationships between nutritional supplementation and visual and cognitive function. Participation involves five lab visits involving visual and cognitive assessments. You will also consume a daily supplement (two soft gels) for four months. You will receive $400 as compensation. If interested, please email eyecare.nhb@gmail.com for more information. IRB23-0196. 

We are seeking participants ages 50+ for a two-hour study ($35 compensation) to explore how people learn to use virtual reality and their training support preferences. Participants should have prior hands-on VR experience, be fluent in English and be willing to visit the U. of I. campus. For more info, please contact us at vrsupport@illinois.edu or 217-300-5445, or click here to sign up!

This study explores your knowledge and understanding of ChatGPT. You will answer questions about your knowledge of and ChatGPT usage. This study involves a one-time 15-minute survey. By participating, you'll enter into a raffle with a guaranteed 10% chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Participate by following this URL: https://illinois.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cVdh076qz76mJ4q

Looking for adults ages 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.

Are you a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty member, staff or a postdoc who is currently conducting research? We want to learn about how you do or do not use software in your research via a brief online survey. This survey will be used for research purposes. Contact us today: Daniel S. Katz at dskatz@illinois.edu or Stephanie Besser at sbesser3@illinois.edu.