New Student and Family Experiences is excited to share that Dads Weekend 2025 is right around the corner! If your unit is planning to host an event during Dads Weekend (Oct. 31 – Nov. 2), we invite you to submit it for inclusion in the official Dads Weekend 2025 Calendar. Adding your event ensures families and students are aware of all the opportunities to engage and celebrate throughout the weekend. We look forward to showcasing your events and helping make this Dads Weekend a memorable experience for our Illini families!

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. We will also be at the Employee Expo on 10/23.

The Illinois Club Scholarships online application is open through 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 11. Please share with any students who may be interested in applying for the 2026-2027 academic year. Scholarships support junior and senior students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, financial need, and participation in activities that enhance academic and professional development. Interested students can apply here.

Starfleet has opened registration for brave explorers and scientists to join the Fall IT Professionals Forum on Stardate 2025.11.5 to 2025.11.6 (November 5-6, 2025). This two-day, online-only event is full of sessions accessible from anywhere in the galaxy with a working hyperspace connection - no teleporter or shuttlecraft needed. All transmissions will be captioned in real-time, and post-event caption enhancements will be made where needed. Register now to secure your spot on the bridge! 

After a full renovation, Ted's Café at the Beckman Institute is fully open! Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hot breakfast is served from 8-10 a.m. and soup, salads and daily lunch specials are available from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The cafe accepts cash and credit cards, and also offers catering.

Your input about walking, biking and rolling is needed to help create the Champaign-Urbana Active Transportation Plan. The results from this survey will help to develop a new vision for the plan and a related web map tool that will enable and encourage active transportation usage and 10-minute walking trips to parks. Provide your feedback by Monday, October 20. The plan will serve as a supplement to the existing Champaign County Greenways & Trails Plan completed in 2014. Your survey participation will be anonymous and no specific personal information will be collected or maintained.

Specific significant injuries are required to be reported immediately to the Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IL OSHA). Visit the F&S website to learn more about the injuries that must be reported, how to do so, and for a downloadable flyer. These requirements should be printed and placed in locations where other important employee information is displayed. For questions, contact oshs@illinois.edu, 217-265-9828.

CORRECTION IN DATE - Prospective families are invited to our Community Open House from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Oct. 7, for the preschool classroom or 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for the kindergarten through 5th grade classrooms. You many come any time 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.

All WEX fleet fuel cards issued to campus academic, administrative, and auxiliary units will expire on Friday, October 31, regardless of the listed expiration date, and must be replaced. Departments operating university vehicles need to acquire new cards in person at the Garage and Car Pool (1701 South Oak Street, Champaign) before the deadline. Business hours are Monday–Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For questions, call 217-333-3910. 

The Small Press Fest! is a biannual celebration of small press publications and DIY artists in Champaign-Urbana and surrounding areas. Our goal is to create a welcoming space for authors and creators to share their work and expertise, and to empower others to embrace their creativity. Events this week include a zine show and swap, a keynote, lightning talks and an expo day. Check out our website for details! 

Join us for a conversation with Cecilia Suarez. She is a trailblazing DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) educator and strategist with over 18 years of experience driving impactful organizational change through innovative solutions that empower intercultural communities. As a proud first-generation college graduate, Suarez currently serves as the senior manager of DEIB at Pixar Studios, where her expertise fosters environments of true belonging through inclusive storytelling.

Join us on the first day of the U.S. Supreme Court's new term, as a panel of law faculty experts preview cases the Court will hear and discuss the evolving role of the Court in our political system and our democracy. Free and open to the public, with lunch available for attendees (while supplies last).

Illini Wellness Week is a weeklong series of events focused on student health and well-being. From Oct. 6-10, various Student Affairs units will be hosting activities, including lunchtime bingo and trivia, ice skating, free flu shots, wellness workshops and stress-management tabling sessions across campus. View the Illini Wellness Week calendar here.

Drawing on her recent book, "The Heartland" (an NPR best book of the year), Kristin Hoganson challenges perceptions of the rural Midwest as quintessentially local prior to World War I. Her starting point is Champaign County, but the stories she has uncovered are surprisingly global in scope. This talk is part of ongoing programming associated with the Songs of Solidarity: The 1985 Farm Aid Concert Exhibit.

Join us for presentations by our recent Center for Advanced Study associates! At 11 a.m., Ripan Malhi (anthropology) speaks on "Salmon Stewardship: Integrating genomics with Indigenous knowledge in a community collaborative project," and at noon, Yurii Vlasov (electrical and computer engineering) will discuss "Dynamic information flows in brain cortical networks."

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Writers Workshop will host two in-person sessions to discuss the fundamentals of proposal writing to guide undergraduate students to formulate successful research projects and explain their research in a concise and compelling manner that is understandable to a general audience. This will be most useful to undergraduates who are drafting their first proposals, hoping to improve their proposal writing skills, and/or applying for an OUR Research Support Grant. Space is limited to 20 per session.

Looking for a new way to conduct your research? Tired of getting zero results in your database searches? This workshop will break down how the professionals identify resources and search for articles, books and other scholarly works. We’ll cover chasing citations, creating optimal keyword searches, using built-in database functions to improve your searches and other strategies to make you a more efficient researcher.

Join Spurlock Museum staff as we explore erotica in our collection. Take a guided tour of some of our galleries, get a closer look at some of our artifacts and enjoy some cupcakes. Audience: University students/Adults

Make plans to attend the upcoming Cancer Center at Illinois Distinguished Lecture on October 8 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm at NCSA 1040. This lecture features University of Illinois alumna Elaine Fuchs, a renowned expert in skin biology research. Her talk will focus on the role of skin stem cells in stress, inflammation, and cancer. Register here.

Join us for a free seminar on understanding your hearing loss and tinnitus (“ringing or buzzing in the ear”). Speech and Hearing Science faculty and student audiologists will present information about these disorders. There will be an opportunity to ask questions! Snacks will be provided. For more details contact tinnitus@illinos.edu. Please RSVP to help us plan. 

In this Center for Advanced Study/MillerComm talk, professor Reyes Mason will discuss examples of climate injustice in the U.S. and abroad, then suggest ways to multi-solve the climate crisis with other societal problems, discuss strategies for action including collaborating across sectors and silos and offer touchstones of hope and joy. Hosted by the Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity.

The College of Education presents its Dean's Distinguished Speaker Series for 2025-2026, titled Boldly Education: Leading the Future of Education. This year's series is inspired by the college's 2028 Strategic Vision, which aims to produce transformative research, prepare graduates to steward meaningful change and advance educational equity. Panayiota Kendeou will give a lecture titled "Learning in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and the Imperative for AI Literacy."

Access to water remains a major challenge for many Native communities in the U.S., but solutions require more than technical expertise. Xiomi Ortiz's presentation shares work in Bodaway Gap, Navajo Nation, where initial assumptions about drinking water need to shift through direct community engagement. Water for livestock — vital for subsistence and cultural identity — proved to be the most urgent concern. 

Join Health and Kinesiology faculty member Alana Harris for an introductory yoga class. Bring your own mat and join us on the front lawn of Freer. Get active with your fellow Illini. This class is subject to appropriate weather

Throughout your life you will, almost certainly, give presentations. We have all sat through presentations that were boring, confusing and drab. How do you communicate your message most succinctly? What visuals will captivate and inform your audience the best? Is it only about your slide design or are there other techniques that leave a lasting impression? In this session we distill the magic that just might take your next presentation from bland to grand.

So, you think you can sing? Now’s your chance to get behind the mic. Sign up on arrival to sing songs performed during and inspired by Farm Aid concerts. JJ from Nowhere Karaoke is hosting this fun-filled evening. Admission is free and all are welcome. Full Farm Aid artist list on our website! 

Join Paulo Pereirinha of Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (ISEC), Portugal, as he presents via Zoom at the fall 2025 Kent Seminar Series from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9. Presentations this semester focus on topics related to electrification in mobility. Food and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the Illinois Center for Transportation Classroom.

On Oct. 9, the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism will welcome basketball legend Theresa Grentz to campus as part of the Huff Hall Centennial celebration. A 2022 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Grentz is a three-time All-American and led both Rutgers University and the Fighting Illini to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. Coach Grentz will attend a screening of "The Mighty Macs." A reception will precede the screening at 5:30 p.m. in Room 114, Huff Hall, followed by the film at 6:30 p.m. in Room 112, Huff Hall.

Join us for the 33rd Annual Center for Advanced Study Annual Lecture by CAS chemistry professor Catherine Murphy, who will discuss how gold nanocrystals serve as excellent contrast imaging agents in aqueous matrices and how they impact biological systems at the protein, cell and ecosystem levels. A reception welcoming the new CAS professors, associates and fellows will follow.

Please join us for the University Archives' monthly Women in Science Lecture Series, from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 9. Karen Terio, professor and interim assistant director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, chief of the Zoological Pathology Program and professor of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, will present “Wildlife Pathology: Dead Animals Tell Tales.” This is a hybrid event and will take place in the University Archives, Main Library Room 146, or you can register for the Zoom link.

Coffee Across Cultures Hour is a monthly gathering to connect over coffee, tea and pastries while exploring global traditions. Each session features a unique theme, offering opportunities to discover customs, share stories and celebrate the richness of flavors and cultures from around the world. Our October session will spotlight fall harvest traditions from around the world, highlighting the ways communities mark the season through food, gratitude and celebration. Join us to share stories, enjoy refreshments and connect with others in this interactive event. Free and open to all. 

October Dance 2025 features Dance at Illinois' production season theme: "Black on Black: A Celebration of Black Dance," including the historic reconstruction of Katherine Dunham's seminal work "Afrique," choreographed in 1949. This production of a Dunham classic is directed by George A. Miller Visiting Artist, April Berry. In addition, choreographer Rena Butler offers a premiere along with Dance at Illinois resident artists Dr. Cynthia Oliver and Dr. C. Kemal Nance, while Associate Professor Roxane D'Orléans Juste performs with her sister, guest artist Sonia D'Orléans Juste.

In honor of LGBTQ+ History month, come by Spurlock for guided explorations of some of our exhibits and collections that document LGBTQ+ histories and cultures. Drop in any time between 4:00 and 6:00. Free admission. Everyone is welcome.

Please share with your students: Join retired Ambassador Eric P. Whitaker (’78, ’81) for two events on Oct. 10. At 9:30 a.m., he will discuss his Peace Corps service, training, village life and lessons learned. At 11 a.m., he will share insights on his Foreign Service career, from applying and training to assignments, career paths, and current developments. Registration encouraged but not required. 

Enjoy a free concert featuring the Music and Performing Arts Library’s Steinway Duo-Art Reproducing Piano! See the piano in action and learn more about the instrument and roll collection. This is an informal event and all are welcome!

You are invited to enter a playful, restorative greenspace inside the museum. Soft artificial turf covers the gallery floor, inviting visitors to slow down and stretch out. By creating a visual and tactile interruption in typical museum spaces, Rest Lab 8: Greenspace, provides a calm, grounding atmosphere for people to gather. :: Rest Lab is co-curated by Kamila Glowacki and Ishita Dharap. :: On view Oct 11–Jan 31.

The U. of I. Black Chorus with Dr. Ollie Watts Davis presents their 58th season premiere concert, "THANKSGIVING" on Sunday, October 12, at 4:00pm in Smith Recital Hall. The offering presents the sacred music of Black Americans, and will premiere Quandra L. Clark's We give You glory (in Jesus's name), along with a special tribute to the fathers of Black Chorus seniors, and an invitation to alumni and the audience to join the chorus for the performance of vintage favorites from the vault. Tickets can be purchased at go.illinois.edu/BlackChorus.

Create art out of locally sourced alpaca fiber at Needlefelt Pumpkin on Monday, Oct. 13, from 1 to 4 p.m. in The Studio. Stephanie Block of Sundrop Alpacas will walk students through the needlefelting process to make a pumpkin, which can be customized to make them look authentic, whimsical or anything in between. $65/person + $10/person for add-on (limit one). Register here by Oct. 6.  

Join us for an event in the Latina/Latino Studies Speaker Series featuring Angelica Waner, assistant professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Waner's talk is based on her current book project which argues that Zapotec literary magazines published in Mexico City and Oaxaca across the 20th century can be read as sites of autonomy for Isthmus Zapotec intellectuals. The talk will then connect these magazines to preliminary research on zines published in California by Oaxacan youth and students, exploring the thematic connections that cross borders and time. 

Join CDA, NCSA and CROPPS on Oct. 13 from 1–2 p.m. CDT for a hybrid seminar on “The Curious Case of the Silicon Strawberry” with Davide Sosso, CSO & Co-Founder of Heritable Agriculture. Come learn how AI, germplasm collections, and innovative breeders are transforming strawberry breeding to accelerate selection, enhance yield, flavor and resilience, and shape the future of data-driven berry excellence. Free to attend – register today!

The Courtyard Café welcomes New Souls to the stage for Musical Mondays. New Souls is a local Champaign-Urbana soul band known for their R&B, soul, funk and hip-hop sound. The core trio of Mike Ingram, Brandon T. Washington and Cii La’cole has built a following with their silky three-part harmonies covering some of the greatest Motown, ’90s, and modern songs. This free event is open to the campus and community.

The RST 130 Foundations of Sport Management course is hosting a special panel discussion on Abbott Laboratories and the Big Ten’s “We Give Blood” campaign, designed to spread awareness and educate students about the initiative’s vital mission and the unique partnership behind it. Panelists include Megan Davis, American Red Cross representative; Chantelle Thompson, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Operations and Chief Communications Officer, University of Illinois; Andrew McCarthy, Group Director, TSMGI, and representatives from the Big Ten Conference.

Join us for a lecture in the Illinois Forum on Human Flourishing in a Digital Age Speaker Series with John Durham Peters, the María Rosa Menocal Professor of English and a professor of film and media studies at Yale University. Peters will consider what the new mode of incessant documentation of raw behavior means for the possibility of both forgiveness and the collective learning process essential to public deliberation.

Learn how to bring new life to an old lamp at Fix It! Basic Lamp Re-Wiring on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. in The Studio. Instructor Lou Ann Koebel will lead students through changing out the plug, adding a switch and/or replace wiring in lamps. This hands-on course will cover basic electrical wiring. $55/person. Register here by Oct. 13.

The Center for Writing Studies is happy to host Dr. Toby Beauchamp! He will be giving a lecture titled "Embracing Trans Regret under Authoritarianism." Please join us on Thursday, October 16! 

Steven Hyman, director of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, will give the 2025 Kellner Lecture on "The hard road from genetics to mechanisms to therapeutics for psychiatric disorders: The challenge of research designs in the absence of biological ground truth." This lecture is sponsored by the Kellner Center for Neurogenomics, Behavior and Society in connection with the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, the Center for Social and Behavioral Science and the School of Social Work.

SHIFT Studio returns to Siebel Center for Design on Friday, October 17! This full-day in-person workshop introduces educators to human-centered design, an empathy-driven approach to problem solving. Participants will explore tools like empathy maps, "How Might We" questions and low-fidelity prototyping while reflecting on their own teaching contexts. You'll leave with practical strategies and immediate takeaways to bring human-centered thinking into classrooms and academic work.

Make your own drink mixer from natural ingredients at Creating Cordials on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium. Instructor Heidi Leuszler will introduce students to three plants, then teach them how to prepare the ingredients into cordials to take home and mix with their preferred beverage to make a tasty refreshment! $95/person (Ages 21+). Register here by Oct. 8.

Join us to Celebrate, Explore and Engage with CREA and ITEL (Campus-Recognized Centers in the College of Education). The Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) is an interdisciplinary, international community dedicated to advancing research, evaluation and assessment that foregrounds culture and context. The Center for Research and Innovation in Technology-Enhanced Learning (ITEL) is a campus hub for designing and investigating the impact of new technologies on learning and education in authentic contexts in K-12, higher education classrooms and beyond. 

Celebrate autumn at Fall Cookie Decorating on Friday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House. Instructor Jennifer Holhubner will teach students how to use frosting and butter cream to decorate fall-themed cookies like footballs, pumpkins and more! $75/person. Register here by Oct. 16.

This event will offer a space to create, collaborate, discuss and assess practices that transform classrooms and leadership across Illinois. Spend the day engaging in interactive sessions, networking with peers and discovering ready-to-use strategies that will support your work as an educator and/or leader.

Join leaders from the Illinois State Board of Education to give your input on the first draft of the Illinois Comprehensive Numeracy Plan, a statewide initiative to strengthen math learning and outcomes for all students. Share your expertise to provide guidance to support educators, schools and districts in aligning efforts and advancing student success in mathematics. Teachers, administrators, parents/families, community advocates and all other education leaders and practitioners are welcome to provide feedback to inform the final plan. Register for this free event on Eventbrite.

It's Exercise is Medicine Month! Post a photo or video of how you move and tag @illinoishealthkin and a friend for a chance to win prizes. Let's move together, all month long! October is Exercise is Medicine Month. Exercise is Medicine® On Campus (EIM-OC) calls upon universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health. Let's work together to "Move More," Illini!

Are you having trouble organizing all your sources but don’t know where to start? This hands-on workshop will introduce you to three popular citation managers — Mendeley, Zotero and Endnote. We will go over pros and cons of each one and give you a preview of how they work to help you choose the best fit for your citation needs.

Join this session to learn about what Open Educational Resources (OER) are and how to find and create them. Also learn about an exciting opportunity to earn a small grant (up to $10,000) to create OER for campus.

Join Writers Workshop for an engaging presentation exploring the profound impact of AI on your writing process, examining both its benefits and challenges. This presentation will discuss GenAI writing tools, offer strategies for different stages of the writing process, give you a chance to practice those strategies and provide tips to ensure you're using GenAI as a supplement rather than substitute for your writing. This presentation will be most useful to early-stage students who are curious about the basics of using GenAI in academic writing.

Join us for a special Names Training focused on Turkish names from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 7! This interactive session will explore the diverse linguistic and cultural influences that shape Turkish names. You’ll gain insight into name structures, pronunciation tips and cultural context — guided by our presenter with lived experience and knowledge of Turkish naming customs. Registration is required for this virtual training, so secure your spot now! This training is open to faculty, staff and graduate students.

Family caregivers are vital in supporting older adults with diet-related chronic conditions but struggle with nutrition guidance, cultural preferences and daily care. This session shares study findings on caregivers’ nutrition challenges and their support preferences. Attendees will learn practical strategies and resources to help caregivers manage nutrition-related care effectively. Presenter: Jemimah Bakare 

Please join us on Wednesday, October 8, at 1 pm for the next Interest Group for Educational Technology at Illinois meeting. We will have highlights of the Grad Academy, information on the Fall Into AI presentations, and general updates. Join via Zoom

In this workshop we’ll explore examples of how AI has been used in qualitative data analysis & factors to consider as you decide whether to use AI tools in your own work. By the end of the workshop, we hope you'll be able to: 1) Describe at least two different ways that researchers have used AI in published qualitative research. 2) Identify how AI has been integrated into QDA software. 3) Assess the ethical implications of AI use in research. 4) Identify AI use policies & practices. Offered twice: 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 9 (in-person) and 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Oct. 10 (online).

Systematic reviews require a rigorous and systematic approach to reviewing existing literature and discovering new knowledge. As the number of scholarly publications rapidly increases across all disciplines, AI tools hold promise for keeping pace with the expanding literature. This presentation will explain how AI tools work and discuss their practical use in the systematic review process. Topics include: 1) AI tools for systematic reviews and their effectiveness. 2) Evaluating methods for AI tools. 3) Use cases for using AI tools in the systematic review process.

Join the Cancer Center at Illinois Cancer Research Advocacy Group for an online seminar focused on supporting mental health during a cancer diagnosis. Seth Errion, oncology clinical counselor with Illinois CancerCare, will share helpful resources and strategies for coping and finding empowerment through the journey. Register here.

The Education Justice Project looks forward to hosting a discussion about the new documentary The Freedom of Fierro. César Fierro has just become a free man and he needs to rebuild his life after being wrongly sentenced to death in Texas. Despite the challenges, César remains determined to find true freedom. The Freedom of Fierro is a sequel to the documentary The Years of Fierro, directed by Santiago Esteinou. After you register, you will receive a link to view the documentary. We ask that all attendees view the documentary prior to attending the discussion.

To understand how personal experience is related to how people read, we invite teens (14-17) who speak English at home for an in-person study. We record the eye-movements while they read on a computer. Time: 70-90 minutes. Compensation: $30 & parking. To learn more and schedule your appointment, contact Dr. Anastasia Stoops, PI at: agusico2@illinois.edu

We are looking for males with no known hearing loss to participate in research exploring how information received by the left and right ear is combined by the brain. Compensation of $15 an hour; an estimated 2-3 hours of participation. Email binauralhearinglab@gmail.com or call (217) 244-2154.

Seeking participants (21-64 y/o) who had a sleeve gastrectomy 1-5 yrs. ago or have not had any bariatric surgeries (control group). Participants must not smoke and drink alcohol at least once a month. There will be blood draws, body composition assessments, alcohol challenge tests and questionnaires. Compensation will be provided (up to $850 upon completion of 4 visits and free parking). Please fill out our online pre-screening form if you're interested, using the following link: https://illinois.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7R2VUEoOuh2cTXw or contact ornella2@illinois.edu.

Are you curious about the future of VR as a potential empathy machine? We're conducting a VR study to explore how people interact with simulated environments and the potential of VR technology for various applications. You will be compensated with a $15 Amazon gift card for your time and participation. Interested in learning more? Please fill our experiment registration form at: https://forms.gle/gquytghGMX5CmHJx9. We appreciate your interest in our VR research!

Study on preschool child stress response interventions! The Family Resiliency Center is looking for 3–5 year-olds and a caregiver to attend one session and complete a follow up survey. We are studying the effects of nature and mindful movement on child stress response. $50 in compensation for completing study components. If interested, contact study lead, Rachel Jackson-Gordon, at racheljg@illinois.edu. 

The Infant Cognition Lab is conducting a brief, one-time, in-person study on young infants’ ability to understand that agents can hold false beliefs about objects. Infants sit on their parent's lap and watch a live show while their looking times are measured. Parking is provided. In thanks, choose $15 in cash or a child’s gift. If interested, email infantlab@illinois.edu or call 217-333-5988.

The Nutrition and Exercise Performance Research Group is looking for participants to partake in a 2-day study to establish the utility of the indicator amino acid oxidation method in adults. Participation in this study involves 2-day habituation lead in with all meals provided, muscle biopsies and blood, breath and urine sampling during two all-day trials. Upon completion, you will receive $150 and information about your body composition and caloric needs. Contact our lab (NEPRESEARCH@mx.uillinois.edu) for more information!