Applications for the fall 2026 President's Research Travel Assistance Program are now being accepted. This competitive award grants up to 10 graduate/professional students a maximum of $1,000 in funding to travel to professional conferences between Oct. 1, 2026, and April 30, 2027, for the purpose of presenting papers, posters, or creative work that examine issues of representation and participation in social, cultural, political, educational, or institutional contexts. Learn more and apply by Sept. 8 at https://go.uillinois.edu/PRTA.

The University Library and the International Student and Scholar Services are delighted to welcome international graduate students and visiting scholars to participate in the 2026 Research Connection from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3. This event connects international graduate students and visiting scholars with faculty advisors and campus research services. Spouses, partners, and children are welcome!

Discovery Partners Institute invites Illinois faculty to propose interdisciplinary research spanning Artifical Intelligence, Future Computing Technologies and AI-Enabled Applications in our inaugural call for Research Themes. Bring ambitious ideas to Chicago and connect your research with DPI’s resources, industry, and national laboratory partnerships, entrepreneurship ecosystem, and student talent. An informational Town Hall will be held on at 4 p.m. Aug. 25, with both in-person and virtual participation available. View full proposal requirements and register for the Town Hall →

Exam Services (Room 151 of the Armory Building) is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The office is closed Tuesday and Thursday, except during peak testing periods: Oct. 5-16 and Dec. 7-17. When the office is closed, exams may be submitted via the Exam Services mail slot room Room 151 of the Armory. A completed exam submission form must be completed. Questions? Contact exams@illinois.edu.

It’s back! The “Artificial Intelligence in This Course” Canvas Module from the University Library now includes an updated video introduction to key AI concepts and a section on alternatives to AI use, plus clear policies on permitted and prohibited uses that you can adjust for your class. Instructors can import this module into their courses by searching “University Library” in Canvas Commons.

Help students critically evaluate artificial intelligence-enhanced research tools with the University Library’s new Canvas module, “Finding and Using Scholarly Sources with Generative AI.” This resource helps students understand AI’s impact on searching for and summarizing sources while reinforcing critical thinking and human-centered technology use. Instructors can import this module into their courses by searching “University Library” in Canvas Commons.

Gies College of Business is holding a public hearing on Zoom regarding proposals to restructure the Department of Business Administration into three departments: a Department of Marketing, a Department of Management, and a Department of Information Systems, Operations, Supply Chain, and Analytics. The Zoom hearing will take place on at 3:3 p.m. Aug. 25. Click on this link for more information, to RSVP to attend the hearing, or to provide written comments.

The College of Education is proud to announce that applications are open for The Alma Project’s Senior Faculty Fellows. The goal of the Alma Project is to create, support, and sustain a culture of neighborliness at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign through community-engaged learning courses. Project funding of $8,000 is available to fellows. Full-time tenured faculty or specialized faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, across any discipline or college, are eligible to apply. Apply by 5 p.m. Aug. 21. To learn more and apply, visit The Alma Project Website.

Faculty, staff, and campus partners, please join Career Connections, The Career Center’s biweekly e-newsletter. Keep up with our latest career readiness services, programs, workshops, events, and resources for students of all majors and class levels, with information to help you support and guide your students and enhance their Illini experience.

The Career Center is accepting fall 2026 applications for two semester-long career readiness programs: Career Certificate — International, for students pursuing global job and internship opportunities, and FOCUS, for first-generation students. Both programs are offering additional sessions this fall, creating opportunities for more students to take advantage of these valuable programs. Please share with students who may be interested. Visit the program websites for details, eligibility, information sessions, and how to apply.

As the new academic year begins, review the requirements and guidelines for university-related international travel as outlined in the International Travel Safety Policy. This message also provides information about the University of Illinois System’s International Travel Insurance Requirements. Learn more about the International Insurance coverage and enroll.

Armory Room 329 is a new extended reality lab, featuring 10 high-performance machine stations, each equipped with Meta Quest 3 VR headsets. This is an open lab for students and faculty to use during scheduled open lab hours. An iCard is required to access VR equipment. Please check in with the staff member inside the room when you arrive. Learn more on the Computer Classroom and Labs webpage.  

CampusWell provides health and wellness articles and videos for the campus community. Topics incorporate the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, ranging from nutrition, mindfulness, time management and finances. Faculty members are encouraged to share this resource on their syllabi and staff is encouraged to bookmark this site when assisting students with their wellness.

Group fitness classes, including cycle, strength, HIIT, Pilates, Sculpt and Flow, etc., at Campus Recreation are available early morning, during lunch time, and after work hours. Faculty and staff who are Campus Recreation members can receive a 10% discount for a group fitness membership using the code "GF10" when purchased between Aug. 22-24 on Active Illini.

Learn the practice of Ninjutsu Martial Arts with an experienced instructor and gain vital self-defense skills of distance, awareness and perception. Classes meet every Tuesday and Thursday from Sept. 1 - Oct. 22 (8-week course) from 5-6:30pm in the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) Combat Room. Open to all; no Campus Recreation membership necessary. Register on Active Illini.

Start your day with a low-impact, medium- to high-intensity water class at Campus Recreation! Classes meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Sept. 1 through Dec. 8, at Campus Recreation Center East. Open to all swim levels. No Campus Recreation membership necessary. Register on Active Illini.

As the new academic year approaches, anyone planning to conduct human subjects research must ensure all research team members on an IRB application have a current Sponsor Specific Questionnaire disclosure (completed within the past 12 months) showing either no related significant financial interests or a managed FCOI. Studies cannot be approved without it. Complete your SSQ at: https://mydisclosures.uillinois.edu/ (select “Start new Sponsor Specific Questionnaire”). 

The U. of I. Oratorio Society, a symphonic choir that brings together students, faculty, staff, and community members, invites singers to join it's 2026-27 roster. This season's repertoire includes Jake Runestad's "Vincent's Sky" (Midwest premiere), Handel's "Messiah," Orff's "Carmina Burana," Beethoven's "Mass in C," and Britten's "Cantata Misericordium." The Oratorio Society rehearses Tuesday evenings (7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.) in Room 2317 of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, beginning on Aug. 25. For more information, please reach out to Andrew Major (amajor@illinois.edu).

The ESL Program offers advanced 8-week courses for international graduate students, faculty, staff, and visiting scholars for individualized support in publishing an article, writing a dissertation, or presenting at a conference. ESL 592 teaches students the academic writing conventions of their discipline; ESL 593 improves skills in speaking and presenting research. Seats available!

All Illinois students, faculty, and staff can get tech support at the IT Service Desks located in the Illini Union, Room 187, or DCL, Room 1211. Get help with email, multifactor authentication, wi-fi, Canvas, and more! Walk-ins are welcome or you can submit a ticket online. Hours and helpful resources are available on the IT Service Desk webpage.

As we approach the fall semester, please note that the Writers Workshop is a free service that can support your students in many ways. Students can schedule an appointment or drop-in for writing feedback. We provide tailored presentations by request and host workshops each week. Check out our website resources, copy or adapt this syllabus statement, and encourage your students to stop by!

Technology Services provides access to high-quality, large format printing for Illinois students, faculty, and staff. It’s a fast and convenient service. Submit your poster online, and a confirmation email will be sent to you once your poster has been printed. Pick your poster up at the English Building Room 8. Document printing is available at five different computer classroom locations. 

The Illini Union is excited to announce the launch of Mazévo, our new event scheduling and space reservation system. This transition is designed to improve the reservation experience while making it easier for clients to submit requests and manage bookings online. Illinois staff can access Mazévo using the “UNIVERSITY REQUESTS” button on our reservation page, then sign into Mazévo using your NetID through the Single Sign-On option. After logging in, select the Illini Union as the venue for your request. Click on "Requests" tab and then "Add New Request" to start your submission.

See what your classroom technology can do for you. Meet with one of Technology Services’ consultants to get acquainted with the audiovisual features of your assigned general assignment classroom(s). Training sessions generally take 20 minutes. Complete this form to schedule classroom training.

OLLI is going to the 70mm IMAX theatre at the Indiana State Museum from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 17. Seats on the bus and tickets are still available! Experience Nolan's "Odyssey" as it is truly meant to be viewed. Chuck Koplinski will offer comments on various aspects of the film as we travel to and from Indianapolis. Plus, on the return trip to Champaign, we will stop at Opa! restaurant in Avon, Indiana, to eat a late lunch. There's no better time to join OLLI and begin your lifelong learning adventures. For details and to register, visit olli.illinois.edu.

Join us for the Social and Behavioral Science Institute Grand Opening Celebration — an open house marking the transition from center to institute. Learn more about the people, ideas, and work that make SBSI an integral part of the U. of I. Enjoy food and drinks, connect with colleagues and community members, and meet the SBSI team as we celebrate this exciting milestone and look ahead to what’s next. RSVP to let us know you’re coming, so we can be sure to have enough food and drinks for everyone!

National Center for Supercomputing Applications, in collaboration with the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center, invites you to the next Quantum User Group Bring Your Own Lunch and Learn on Thursday, Aug. 27. We are pleased to welcome Laura Schulz from Argonne National Laboratory, who will present “From Quantum Processor to Scientific Resource: The Missing Middle of QHPC.” For additional details, please refer to the calendar page.

The Illinois Science Explorers Designing and Delivering STEM Outreach workshop helps graduate students build science communication, outreach, and leadership skills. Participants learn to simplify complex ideas, design engaging STEM activities for youth, and support inclusive learning. Open to all disciplines. Registration closes Aug. 25. Please share this opportunity to help students gain experience while supporting STEM learning in our community.

The Flatlands Dance Film Festival is dedicated to supporting and presenting the art of Dance Cinema, a medium that explores and innovates the intersections between filmmaking and dance-making. This year's feature film is "Last Dance at the Sundance Stompede," a documentary directed by Graham Clayton-Chance that focuses on Line Dancing within Queer communities that turned to dance — for nearly thirty years — as a means of survival, celebration, and transformation.

The 2026 Dennis H. May Mental Health Conference on Belongingness in Higher Education's theme is "Radical Reimagining: From Student Resilience to Institutional Responsibility." Join the Counseling Center and our keynote speaker, Delishia Pittman, president of APA Division 17 (counseling psychology) and professor at Temple University, on Oct. 11-12, at the Illini Union and learn about the issues impacting college students, connect with other professionals in the field, and engage in robust training related to belongingness. Register here.

Led by Dana Johnson, Ph.D., director of external fellowships with the Grad College, on Friday. Important changes this cycle include the International Fellowship is only available to students in STEM and the American Dissertation Fellowship is open to students at any stage of study. Current submission deadlines are Sept. 17 (International), Sept. 30 (American Dissertation), and Feb. 18 (Selected Professions). Register at https://go.illinois.edu/AAUWinfo.

In recognition of America 250, this exhibit explores 250 years of documenting American democracy through government information, from founding documents to the records of democracy today. It traces how documents have established institutions, expanded rights, recorded challenges, supported civic participation, and preserved our history while inviting visitors to consider these records critically and reflect on why access and preservation matter. On display in three areas of the Main Library through August. Be sure to pick up a free America 250 bookmark while supplies last!

Join us in Room 1005 of the Beckman Institute on Sept. 1, for our first Fall Tech Talk with Abdelghany Abouelnagga: "Scaling InGaN/GaN Micro-LEDs from Discrete Devices to Dense Arrays and GHz-Class Active Emitters for High-Speed Optical Links."

Join Jaclyn Schurman, program officer at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, and other faculty members for a workshop in pursuing training grants. See the full agenda and register by Monday, Sept. 28.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to build something great from scratch? Design Seedling is taking over Moonlight Bay with “Can You Rebuild It? Design Seedling Challenge." Through this interactive installation, you can explore how making an "invisible process" visible helps build value and connection. Come challenge your brain and see if you have what it takes!

Join Women@NCSA at 3 p.m. via Zoom for "Tick Tock...Important Time for a Tick Talk," featuring University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Nancy Kuhajda. Ticks have been a hot topic this year. The CDC says weekly visits to the ER due to tick bites have been higher than usual across the U.S. There’s so much info available, but what is hype and what is real? Attend this event to learn all about ticks in Illinois and get tips on how to be proactive and prepared. Nancy will cover tick identification, related diseases, tick prevention, and the latest tick research. Add to your calendar!

"Get Savvy - Grow Your Green Stuff" is an annual webinar series by the University of Illinois System Student Money Management Center, in partnership with financial educators and organizations like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. New topics are added yearly, and past webinars and resources are available on YouTube and through the University of Illinois Financial Literacy Digital Badges Program. Learn more and register at http://go.uillinois.edu/getsavvywebinars.

Improve your health, mobility, and confidence through this 8-week beginner virtual Tai Chi workshop. Participants will learn evidence-based Tai Chi movements that enhance balance, increase strength and flexibility, relieve stress, and elevate mood. Session dates are: Sept. 21 and 28; Oct. 5, 12, 19, and 26; Nov. 2 and 9. Register here.

Learn how to manage pain, communicate effectively with healthcare providers and loved ones, and utilize tools for long-term disease management. All sessions will be held online from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays from Sept. 2 through Oct. 7. Register here.

Join Resources for Researchers Office Hours from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, via Zoom to meet campus experts who support your research. Hear short introductions from Sara Benson (University Library), Maryalice Wu (CITL Data Analytics), Chuck Thompson (Illinois Computes), and Amy Hovious (Research Enablement, OCIO), covering the tools, platforms, and expertise each brings to research on campus. Stay for an open Question and Answer session to ask questions specific to your project. No registration needed, all are welcome. Zoom: go.illinois.edu/R4R-Office-Hours-ZOOM.

Scholars in Human-Centered, Innovative, and Forward-Thinking (SHIFT) Teaching Spark is back! This fall, Siebel Center for Design is hosting a series of introductory human-centered design workshops tailored to faculty, staff, and graduate students. In just 1-2 hours, each session applies design thinking methods to audience-tailored challenges. Join us online for interactive sessions that explore new perspectives and prototype practical tools for your team!

The Learning and Language Lab is looking for parents to participate with their 3- to 6-year-old-children in an online study to understand how children learn new words. Children will be asked to complete a short online activity, and parents will be asked to complete a survey about their child’s speech. We offer a $5 Amazon gift card as a thank you. Please email marasli2@illinois.edu or call 412-726-1222 for details. To identify this study: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institutional Review Board #IRB26-0683.

The Parasol Lab in the Siebel Center for Computer Science is seeking participants for a research study. You will experience interacting with robots in virtual reality and answer survey questions. The study will take approximately 2.5 hours to complete. Participants can choose to enter into a raffle for a $50 Amazon gift card as compensation. More information can be found at: https://forms.gle/kGf3SG2ZhWmjwo95A.

The iSchool SALT Lab at the U. of I. is recruiting participants for a research study on how artificial intelligence-assisted tools can support qualitative research design. Participants must be 18+, able to communicate in English, and have qualitative research experience. Participants who have published qualitative research are preferred, including scholars in the social sciences and interdisciplinary fields such as HCI. The Zoom lasts 90–120 minutes, at a $20-per-hour rate. Participants will use an AI-assisted research tool and share feedback on benefits, limitations, and risks. Sign up here!

Seeking participants (21-64 year olds) who had a sleeve gastrectomy 1-5 years 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 four 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 alcoholstudyuiuc@gmail.com.

The Nutrition and Exercise Performance Research Group is recruiting recreationally active adults (19–40 years old) to participate in a 2-day study examining how food combinations affect muscle protein synthesis and whole-body protein utilization. Participation includes four free meals, resistance exercise, muscle biopsies, and blood, breath, and urine sampling across two lab visits. Participants who complete the study will receive $300 and information on body composition and caloric needs. Interested individuals may contact Calvin at (cw148@illinois.edu) to learn more and see if you qualify!