Photo by L. Brian Stauffer
Keeping their heads
Alma Mater, Labor and Learning pose from the neck down at a Chicago-area conservatory – their heads removed to be laser cleaned and to replace fasteners. The sculpture, which was removed from its pedestal last year to fix extensive water damage, originally was cast in bronze in 30 pieces. The sculpture is expected to be back in place by commencement 2014.
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The Benefit Choice period for U. of I. employees continues through May 31. During this time, employees may make changes to their insurance coverage, such as selecting a new health plan or adding or dropping dependent coverage.
At the May 13 Senate Executive Committee meeting, Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise said that she will not support the recent efforts to revive Chief Illiniwek as the school symbol. “I’m a biologist,” Wise said. “I believe you can’t go backwards.”
You couldn’t swing a sheepskin during commencement weekend without hitting some likeness of the Alma Mater sculpture, currently on sabbatical at a Chicago-area conservatory. On campus, Alma Mater was everywhere.
Commencement: Missing campus icon brought home, virtually
While walking on campus is unavoidable, the Wellness Center is hoping to make the process more beneficial and more enjoyable with its online iWalk Toolkit. The toolkit is frequently updated, with two new walking routes and several resources added recently.
The era of judging a book by its cover won’t end anytime soon thanks to a new high-tech book-making machine being used at the Illini Union Bookstore.
Once derided as barbaric and tantamount to human cockfighting by many lawmakers, the mixed martial arts industry was on the fringe of the sports landscape during its early years in the U.S. and was banned in 36 states.
When trouble approaches, what do you do? Run for the hills? Hide? Pretend it isn’t there? Or do you focus on the promise of rain in those looming dark clouds?
Research in the wake of Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious malady afflicting (primarily commercial) honey bees, suggests that pests, pathogens and pesticides all play a role. New research indicates that the honey bee diet influences the bees’ ability to withstand at least some of these assaults. Some components of the nectar and pollen grains bees collect to manufacture food to support the hive increase the expression of detoxification genes that help keep honey bees healthy.
Budget and pension woes in Illinois are inextricably linked to giveaways to “Big Gambling,” a U. of I. expert in legal policy says.
The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is a symbol of spiritual purity and longevity. Its seeds can survive up to 1,300 years, its petals and leaves repel grime and water, and its flowers generate heat to attract pollinators.
Stephen P. Long, the Gutgsell Endowed Professor of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology and a faculty member in the Institute for Genomic Biology, has been elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London, the world’s oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Members are elected for life on the basis of excellence in science, through a thorough peer review process.
