It's back! The Business Excellence Symposium will be held Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the I Hotel. Hosted by SPMO, the Business Excellence Symposium at Illinois brings you insights on how to equip your unit with a road map to operational excellence. The event will feature a keynote speaker, breakout groups and exhibitor booths lining the ballroom with approachable tips and strategies. RSVP today!

A revised policy has been posted to the CAM Website: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. A new policy has been posted to the CAM Website: Use of Controlled Substances. Also, a combined policy of HR-56 and HR-57 has been posted to the CAM Website: Performance Reviews for Academic Professional and Non-probationary Civil Service Employees.

The application for the Policy and Research Legislative Fellows Program for 2025-26 is now open. This non-partisan initiative, run by the Center for Social and Behavioral Science and supported by the Office of Public Engagement, matches graduate students with state legislators to collaborate on policy research projects. A Zoom info session will be held on Oct. 30 from noon to 1 p.m. (register).

Illinois Computes, which offers computing and data storage resources, technical expertise and support services at no cost to researchers from all domains across campus, recently launched a newsletter called Illinois Computes Connections to help researchers stay in the know on new offerings, new opportunities and all program updates. Take a peek at the first issue and sign up now!

Interested in sharing your research and building science communication skills? Consider joining the Community Seminar Series, a program that gives graduate students an opportunity to share health-related research with the public. Spring 2025 presenters will work closely with Extension mentors to develop, practice and deliver their webinar. Please reach out to mmw3@illinois.edu to participate. 

The Gies College of Business and Salt and Light partner to bring the IRS-sponsored VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program to the community. In 2024, more than 700 households’ tax returns were completed and filed for free because of this amazing program. Volunteers greet taxpayers and ensure they bring the correct documents needed. Volunteers will NOT complete tax returns.

Cardiff University and the University of Illinois System have launched the Travel Grants Program (Submission Link) for research scientists to foster academic connections and mobility between the institutions. Up to four proposals will be selected, with each awarded up to $5,000. Join the webinar to learn more (Event Page, Zoom Link).

Cardiff University and the University of Illinois System have launched the Joint Research and Innovation Seed Grants Program (Submission Link). This initiative fosters interdisciplinary cooperation in research and innovation, aiming to drive economic development. Up to four selected proposals will be awarded up to $40,000. Join the webinar to learn more (Event Page, Zoom Link).

Live on Coursera! Alternative Investments As We Age: Building Wealth. This online course will take learners on a journey exploring alternative investments for wealth building. The course was developed by Dr. Craig Lemoine and the Land, Agriculture and Alternative Investing team, featuring insights from Ailie Elmore, Presley Fee, Brodrick L., Michele Murphy and other experts. 

The Illinois Supervisory Skills Program is an opportunity to develop self-awareness of management styles, learn strategies for resolving conflict and practice leadership skills throughout the semester with a cohort of peers. Open to current academic or civil service employees with at least a 75%-time appointment who supervise status or student employees. Applications are due by Oct. 24.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is offering FREE QPR Suicide Prevention Trainings. Learn how to Question a person about suicide, Persuade a suicidal person to get help and Refer a suicidal person to the appropriate resources. Participants will receive a certificate, a QPR e-book and a printable wallet card. Register with code: ILS1837184428. Available until Dec. 31, 2024.

Self-paced, online training program for Illinois faculty, staff and graduate assistants to build their knowledge, confidence and skills about topics related to student mental health.

The Agribusiness and Sustainable Food Production Economics graduate certificate team from the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics released a new Coursera course, Agriculture as an Asset Class. Learners will examine the scale, structure and capital frameworks of the agricultural sector, investigate innovative emerging investments and explore the dynamics of ag financing.

Do multiple members of your team access the same resource(s) to work together? You might benefit from a university password manager. Team managers can complete this information and request form to help Technology Services set up appropriate access for your group. 

Need a quiet space for your virtual or phone interview? The Career Center offers a Student Interview Room exclusively for undergraduate and graduate students. It is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Rooms can be booked in one-hour blocks. Please submit your request at least three days in advance. To learn more and to submit a request, click here. 

Join the IDEA Lab in this informational session through the basics of 3D printing, best practices and resources on campus as well as digital resources.

In this session, new podcasters learn how to create an intentional, personalized brand to really make their show their own. We cover promoting and marketing podcasts through social media and other ways to get word out!

Civic health measures how healthy a community is in a civic sense, including how much people vote, volunteer, talk to neighbors, trust government and feel they belong and matter. Using the Community of Practice framework, we will explore what civic health is, why it matters, how to measure it and how students, faculty and staff can contribute to their own community’s civic health.  

Join us for an interactive cooking demonstration Tuesday evening featuring salsa and guacamole, as part of our Chef Cooking Series. Discover our chefs’ secrets to great salsa and guacamole and sample their culinary creations! This fun, flavorful event will take place at ISR's Table 1867 at 5:30 p.m. Guests can enjoy a meal in University Housing dining halls by using Illini Cash or credit card.

Illinois is competing in the We Give Blood Drive. The winning school will receive a $1 million donation toward student health from Abbott! We’re hosting a blood drive at the State Farm Center from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 23. If you can't join for that event, visit a local blood center or another campus blood drive before Dec. 7. Just make sure to upload your proof of donation to bigten.org/abbott. 

The Civic Café is a conversation series by scholars, educators and community advocates to advance pillars of democracy and civic education. Join Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, and Will Creeley, legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, as they share their thoughts on the landscape of expressive activity on campus.

Join us for a free screening of "The Guide," a film that follows a young boy and a blind man as they navigate the treacherous landscapes of Ukraine during the 1930s, escaping from Soviet authorities and seeking safety amidst the backdrop of the Holodomor famine. The screening is free and open to the public and is part of the Stand With Ukraine Through Film Initiative.

The Democracy Summit kicks off with Jill Wine-Banks.  Known as the Watergate Girl, Jill is a distinguished attorney, MSNBC Legal Analyst and prominent figure in political and legal discourse. She is the author of the Chicago Tribune opinion piece “Former Watergate Prosecutor: Comey’s Firing Is As Bad as the Saturday Night Massacre" and co-host of the popular podcast "#SistersinLaw."  

Interested in learning how to identify hazards and prevent injuries in the laboratory or shop while enjoying a free sandwich and soda? The Grainger College of Engineering, in collaboration with ThermoFisher Scientific, is holding a lunch-and-learn session on Conducting and Writing a Job Safety Analysis. Registration is required and limited to 30 seats: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1755198123

In this presentation, titled "Free to Exist: Insights into the Participation of LGBTQIA+ Young People in Sport and Physical Activity," Dr. Ryan Storr (Swinburne University, Australia) will share data on factors influencing LGBTIQA+ young people’s engagement in sport/physical activity and share recommendations for creating inclusive and welcoming sports environments.

Join us for an exciting day of presentations, breakout sessions and networking with colleagues. Our annual workshops bring together directors of graduate study, graduate faculty and staff to discuss topics in graduate education. This year’s workshop focuses on holistic admissions. Julia Kent from the Council of Graduate Schools will be our keynote speaker. Lunch provided. Registration required.

Professor Alzate explores ways of “entering the body” as something that can be mapped, along with place: family spaces, hospitals, the space where we migrated from and larger social spaces. She will describe the affordances of body maps to explore the body as storage of trauma, maps as narratives and pushes for communal aesthetics in graphic design. Join us for lunch, learning and conversation!

Make plans to attend the Illinois Women's Club Hockey upcoming Pink in the Rink game for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Admission is $5. All proceeds will support the Cancer Center at Illinois. 

Join us for a FREE screening of "Padauk: Myanmar Spring" followed by a discussion led by CEAPS director, Matt Winters. "Padauk: Myanmar Spring" takes the viewer to the streets of Myanmar during the heady days following the February 2021 military coup. Through Nant, a young, first-time protestor, we meet three human rights activists whose lives have been turned upside down by the coup.

The campus will mark sustainability milestones and outline plans for the 2025 Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) at a Sustainability Celebration on Oct. 23! All are invited to recognize contributions from students, faculty and staff, hear about sustainability progress from iCAP teams and Facilities & Services, and provide input for iCAP 2025 — and enjoy a reception afterward!

The ASABE Student Chapter is reviving the Lawnmower Winterization Clinic on Nov. 8 and 9. This event offers students hands-on experience while serving the local community. Services provided include: blade sharpening, oil change and more! For event information and sign-up, click here. For questions, contact Audrey Frost (aefrost2@illinois.edu) or Hannah Sundararajan (hss5@illinois.edu).

Join Nutrition Educator Rachel Mannen and Family Life Educator Emily Harmon for Wellness Walks! From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Oct. 24, we will meet behind Carle at The Fields Administrative Center (3310 Fields S. Dr, Champaign, IL 61822). The Principal Investigator for the SITLess Study will be our speaker! Wear comfy shoes, bring water and enjoy a stroll. Register at: go.illinois.edu/Wellness-Walks

Join us for Dr. Claire Jiménez's lecture "Noise As Meaning: An Exploration of Voice." Drawing upon the Barbadian scholar and poet Kamau Brathwaite’s assertion that the “noise” is part of the meaning, Jiménez, author of What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez, explores the pedagogical implications of teaching “voice” in the creative writing workshop.

This workshop, hosted by the Center for Writing Studies, is intended for participants to share their lesson plans, classroom activities and teaching strategies, with a focus on writing instruction, multimodal composition and engaging students with readings.

Join us on the Quad and prepare for the upcoming election by enhancing your digital and civic literacy skills. Learn how AI impacts elections and political discussions, and test your ability to spot AI-generated content. Visit our table for interactive quizzes, helpful handouts and fun activities. Plus, grab some cool library swag as you sharpen your skills for the election season.

The Red Oak Rain Garden Team presents ILLUMINATING ART IN NATURE! Join us for a nature-themed art exhibit Oct. 29 to Oct. 31 featuring glowing jack-o'-lanterns by Unit One/Allen Hall students and fine art sculptures by ARTS 252 and ARTE 475. Visit our event booth on Tuesday and Wednesday nights from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for cider, sustainable event tips and to meet the artists and rain garden team! 

Please join the EU Center this Halloween for a screening of the critically acclaimed Swedish horror film, "Let the Right One In,” which tells the story of the friendship between a bullied boy and a child vampire, Eli. Dr. Theo Malekin (Germanic) will give brief opening remarks. Watch the trailer here. Cookies will be served after the film.

Join the Writers Workshop and the Rhetoric Program to celebrate National Day on Writing! We will have opportunities for students to share writing you’re proud of, learn about opportunities to get writing published on campus and enter to win raffle prizes. Come celebrate and learn about the vibrant and diverse writing happening in our campus community.

Kristen Houch, SURS director of legislative and stakeholder relations, will address the Fall SUAA Chapter Meeting on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, at the I Hotel and Conference Center. She will discuss current initiatives and challenges facing SURS and how they may affect SURS members. Social time starts at 2:30 p.m. The Program starts at 3 p.m. and will be followed by the Business Meeting.

Well-designed presentations are about balance. The problem? Balance is a hard thing to strike. How much text is too much? How do I craft a coherent visual narrative? Students can join the Speakers Workshop to learn practical skills for creating a standout slide deck and more. Share this resource with your students! Pre-registration is required using the link above.

Have you studied abroad? Here's how to make the most of it! Learn how to identify and articulate the skills and career competencies gained through your study abroad experience. An alum will share their real-world experience and insights on applying their experience in today’s job market. Registration is encouraged but not required. To learn more and to register, visit Handshake.

Join the Physics Department for this fall's Saturday Physics for Everyone Saturday, Oct. 26. This in-person lecture series continues with professor Kirk Barrow's "The First Light: Unravelling the Origins of Stars, Galaxies and Black Holes in the Early Universe." Snacks will be served at 9:45 a.m. with SPS Physics demos, and the lecture begins at 10:15 a.m. This event is free and open to everyone!

Join us for a conversation with Emeritus Dean Vikram Amar and Professor Lena Shapiro. Panelists will speak followed by a discussion among audience members. The event will be from 3 to 4 p.m. followed by a reception with light refreshments from 4 to 5 p.m. Co-sponsored by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Senate, the Office of the Chancellor and the Office of the Provost. RSVP by Oct. 21.

"Effective Fellowship Writing Workshop" will be led by Dr. Dana Johnson, director of external fellowships at the Graduate College. Lunch will be available for registered attendees starting at noon. The workshop will run from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Please register at https://go.illinois.edu/Fellowshipworkshop. 

The Forum on the Future of AI in Education will host a discussion on recent developments in AI in teaching and learning in the field of education. There Forum will also highlight the policy implications for K-12 education, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State Board of Education. 

Join us for a discussion with Jeanne Kramer, Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative, to further your understanding on planning study abroad for all types of students. This workshop offers you a chance to dive into potential issues abroad and provides an opportunity to discuss questions or concerns with our staff and other program leaders. Visit safetyabroad.illinois.edu for more info and to register.

Noon to 5:15 p.m. at State Farm Center - Abbot Blood Drive. The winning Big Ten school receives $1 million to advance student or community health. Donors are entered for a trip to the 2024 Big Ten Championship. Orange Krush tip-off event will immediately follow from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with meet the teams, get free student section "Fast Pass" for the lower bowl, Orange Krush t-shirt pickup and more!

Campus Recreation is hosting a Faculty and Staff Free Day on Monday, Oct. 28. All faculty and staff will have free access to both the Activities & Recreation Center (ARC) and Campus Recreation Center East (CRCE). Remember to bring your i-card. Experience the state-of-the-art workout facilities right on campus and consider purchasing a membership at only $42 per month via payroll deduction.

The Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program Speaker Series welcomes professor Seán O'Connor of George Mason University, a world renowned expert on copyright licensing in music. He will speak about "Copyright as a Matter of Style." Free and open to the public; a limited number of lunches provided.

Join us for a public talk by Dr. Jennifer Raff, author and professor of anthropology, titled "Linking Life Sciences and Humanities." Raff's research focuses on understanding human history through the lens of genetics, working with Indigenous communities and tribes across North America who wish to use ancient and contemporary DNA to investigate questions of recent and distant histories.

Join us for the Latine Studies Graduate Student Conference "Reclaiming Insurgency." The conference will feature interdisciplinary graduate research and keynote speakers Joshua Briond and Akua N. Learn more and register here.

Join us for two talks by recent CAS Associates! At 11 a.m., Brett Kaplan (Comparative and World Literature) discusses her latest book project, "Epiphany’s Lament," and at noon Ben Grosser (Art and Design) speaks on "Finite Social Media, Degrowth Aesthetics, and Reimagined Digital Futures."

Join Scott Moura of the University of California, Berkeley as he presents in person at the Fall 2024 Kent Seminar Series Thursday, October 24, from 2-3 p.m. (CT).  Food and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the ICT Classroom. 

Attendees will become familiar with the differences between a dissertation and first book manuscript and will further learn about identifying points of revision, creating a revision plan/timeline, approaching editors/presses, writing a book proposal and the publishing process at a glance. 

MAXQDA is a software for analyzing qualitative data, including text, image and video, survey and web-based data. With MAXQDA, you can code data by hand, automatically using keyword searches, and via AI. You can view the results of your coding in different configurations, write memos about your developing analysis, create concept maps, quantify qualitative data and use AI to “chat” with your data. 

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 your research using the workspace feature.

This workshop provides an overview of legal considerations for researchers, creatives and professionals navigating the evolving landscape of AI. We will learn about ownership, fair use and legal obligations when using copyrighted material. We will discuss how AI is shaping the academic publishing landscape, particularly its impact on text mining for research purposes. 

Web of Science is a large multidisciplinary platform of abstract databases for articles, book chapters and conference proceedings. This session provides insight and strategies for getting the most use out of the platform. We will highlight how to search for literature and authors as well as where to find citation and grant information.

This workshop will elaborate on the difference between searching in Google Scholar and academic databases, demonstrate 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 GS offers to support your research. We will also discuss some of the privacy concerns related to Google and how you can mediate them.

Join a virtual discussion with Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton and the Academic and Economic Opportunity Subcommittee of the IL Council on Women and Girls! This session, part of the We Thrive initiative, will focus on fostering financial freedom and well-being for women in Illinois. Share your insights and help shape the future for women in college. Email Maria Peterson to RSVP.

The Doctoral Research Support Program and the Writers Workshop are hosting "Writing in the Disciplines," an online series that connects graduate students with faculty, journal editors and publishers to discuss writing styles and skills in specific disciplines. These events are open to all current graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. 

Do you want to make sure your documents are accessible to everyone? Attend a Quick Start Workshop to learn how to create documents that meet state and federal accessibility standards. Online sessions for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or PDF will guide you through the essentials. Sign up for one, two or all three topics. Workshops on Excel, Canvas, Moodle and Coursera will be coming in the future.

Community-engaged faculty and staff interested in submitting research projects and becoming an academic mentor for the 2025 Community-Academic Scholars (CAS) program are invited to learn about program benefits, project selection and insights and Q&A with Prof. Minakshi (Mina) Raj and Dr. Meaghan McKenna about their experiences as CAS academic mentors.

Join Mary Ton for a presentation on how AI is rapidly transforming how we discover and share information. This talk will provide a beginner-friendly overview of how AI tools interpret pictures and sound to generate new images, videos and voices. We'll explore how these techniques are used in research, film and across campus to support new scholarship and creative work.

Did you know that the Writers Workshop can help you with data, figures and table design, too? Learn effective ways to present and explain your data in research posters, papers and presentations. Register by Oct. 23. You can also review our science writing resources here and read more about our consultants here.

Jesse Erickson, Astor Curator of Printed Books and Bindings at the Morgan Library, joins the RBML virtually to discuss Black bibliographical exploration and trace the migrations of Black Vernacular English (BVE) from 18th-century literature to that of the hip hop generation. This Zoom presentation is open to the public; please pre-register at go.illinois.edu/Erickson. 

As part of the College of Media series “Bridging Divides: Conversations on Media and Disagreement,” join us to hear a talk on "What Does it Mean to be an Informed Critic?" Panelists include Media and Cinema Studies Professor Jenny Oyallon-Koloski and Chicago Tribune Film Critic Michael Phillips. Register to join via Zoom.

Delve into how agroforestry-based programs produce fresh, nourishing food while enhancing socio-emotional wellness and environmental stewardship. By transforming school garden sites into multi-functional systems, these initiatives also offer high-capacity food production, mitigate negative environmental impacts and provide opportunities for stress relief. Presenter: Tomas Delgado.

This workshop elaborates on teaching practices useful for facilitating students’ engagement in collaborative problem-solving activities. We will also introduce assessment tools for evaluating students’ performance and learning during human-centered design challenges.

Testing the effect of soy flour on hunger, blood sugar and insulin responses. Participants ages 21-45 who are non-smokers, BMI 25-40 kg/m2 and no diabetes will complete questionnaires, product tasting (bread, tortilla or arepa), body composition scans and blood draws. Receive $260 upon completion of four visits for 3-4 hours and free parking. Please fill out our Online Screening if interested 

The Alcohol Research Lab is looking for social drinkers to participate in our study. Participation involves attending one 6- to 9-hour laboratory session and completing cognitive, social and communicative tasks while EEG brain responses are recorded. A referral of at least one same-gender friend is required at the time of sign up. Up to $100 in compensation. Fill out our interest form!

The U. of I. is seeking public input on the Campus Bicycle Master Plan; it serves as the framework for future improvements to the campus bike network and programming. Using this feedback form, make general comments or on specific infrastructure improvement projects. The form will be available until Oct. 31, 2024.

The FLUdetect study aims to understand the dynamics of virus shedding, immune function and symptom development of influenza. Participants provide twice-weekly nasal swab samples and monthly blood draws for up to four months. If tested positive, provide nasal, saliva and blood samples. Eligible for compensation of up to $1,450. Sign up link or email: FLUdetect@illinois.edu; Phone: 217-244-6562. 

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.

We are seeking participants ages 50 and older 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!