2024-02-01
- The 41st Annual Insect Fear Film Festival (IFFF) will be held on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at Foellinger Auditorium, on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Hosted by the Entomology Graduate Students Association in the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign, this year’s theme is Ant-Men—movies featuring...
2024-02-01 - Plants produce a range of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds that influence their interactions with the world around them. In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign investigated how the type and amount of these VOCs change based on different features of tomato plants. The smell of cut grass is one of the defining fragrances of summer. Smells like...
2024-01-12 - Eight alumni of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences will receive recognition during the college’s 2024 alumni awards at a celebration in April. They are researchers and entrepreneurs who have made incredible impacts in their fields and communities. LAS Alumni Achievement Award Lisa Monteggia (BS, ‘89, ...
2024-01-12 - Five College of LAS faculty members have been named as university endowed chairs or professors, an honor awarded to the highly distinguished scholars for their excellence and prominence in research, teaching and service. They are among nine professors chosen across campus. “An endowed chair is among the highest honors bestowed to faculty at our university,” said Vice Chancellor for Academic...
2023-12-18 - Congratulations to Sarah Winnicki, who received the A. Brazier Howell Award from the American Ornithological Society for their presentation on how egg-laying order impacts the growth of American Robin nestlings. Sarah presented work following up on their previous findings that robin eggs varied with laying order (hormone content, size), that nestlings hatched asynchronously, and...
2023-12-18 - It has long been known that exposure to pesticide sprays is harmful to honey bees. In a new study, researchers have uncovered the effect of such sprays on the sense of smell in bees, which could disrupt their social signals. Honey bees live in dynamic communities and constantly communicate with each other using chemicals that serve as social cues. For example, nurse bees—that are responsible for...
2023-12-16 - In a newly released TED Talk, Stephen Long, a professor of plant biology and crop sciences, detailed...
2023-11-17 - Six researchers in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences have been named to the 2023 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list. The list recognizes research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence – reflected through their publication of multiple papers frequently cited by their peers during the last decade. The highly cited LAS researchers...
2023-11-13 - Ozone (O3) in the troposphere negatively impacts crop growth and development, causing significant decreases in crop yield worldwide. This airborne pollutant does not come directly from smokestacks or vehicles, but instead is formed when other pollutants, mainly nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, react in the presence of sunlight. In an increasingly polluted atmosphere, understanding...
2023-10-26 - As if frogs aren’t reason enough to leap into this profile, researchers are starting to see more clearly what the creatures can tell us about animal behavior and biological organization. Eva Fischer, professor of evolution, ecology, and behavior and Lincoln Excellence for Assistant Professors Scholar, is uncovering what “charismatic frogs”—her affectionate term...
2023-10-25 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers report that a single, simplified model can predict population fluctuations in three unrelated realms: urban employment, human gut microbiomes and tropical forests. The model will help economists, ecologists, public health authorities and others predict and respond to variability in multiple domains, the researchers say. The new findings are detailed in the...
2023-09-27 - Representatives from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign broke ground Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, on a state-of-the-art greenhouse in the Research Park. The planned greenhouse will support the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), which is led by Illinois Professor Andrew Leakey and nearly 60 other investigators across the country. CABBI is a $252.5M U.S....
2023-09-18 - Dr. Andy Suarez spoke with Book Club Chicago about the recent increased activity of flying ants in the Chicago area. The sudden onslaught of flying ants likely means the tiny winged creatures were having their annual “nuptial flight." BEVERLY — Morgan Park resident Tim Blackburn was enjoying a lovely picnic with his family last weekend when they were swarmed by hundreds of...
2023-08-31 - Four SIB professors are participating in the Team Science Leadership Program offered by the IGB this fall. The Team Science Leadership Program is a new program being offered by the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, consisting of a series of workshops that bring together faculty from all over campus. The workshops are tailored to mid-career faculty, and focus on...
2023-08-31 - URBANA, Ill. — Artificial roosts for bats come in many forms — bat boxes, condos, bark mimics, clay roosts, and cinder block structures, to name a few — but a new conservation practice and policy article from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests the structures haven’t been studied rigorously enough...