Diptych image with headshot of Erik McDuffie and book cover image of “The Second Battle for Africa: Garveyism, the U.S. Heartland and Global Black Freedom.”

Illinois historian says Midwest played a crucial role in Black freedom movements worldwide

The Midwest played a crucial role in the growth of Black freedom movements in the 20th century, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign African American studies and history professor Erik S. McDuffie in his new book.

Communication professor Emily Van Duyn

How can we peacefully talk politics with people who have differing views?

Deciding in advance what one’s boundaries will be — and whether to discuss political issues at all — can be helpful prior to attending holiday gatherings that may bring together people who have vastly different views, said communication professor Emily Van Duyn. 

Photo of researchers in the laboratory.

Study offers insight into chloroplast evolution

Illinois researchers have found evidence indicating that chloroplasts may have originated as energy-generating organelles and only later evolved to support carbon assimilation in plant cells.

Portrait of the researcher

How should we view the national decline in drug-overdose deaths?

Rachel Hoopsick, an epidemiologist who studies mental health challenges and substance use in populations at risk, weighs in on the many factors at play in national drug-overdose deaths.

An illustration of Mission Illinois at work in orbit above the Earth, passing over Illinois and the Great Lakes region.

Illinois researchers to kick off new phase of program to explore space-based manufacturing

What is being billed as the most exciting phase of a space manufacturing project called Mission Illinois is set to kick off this month. The project is currently gearing up to send a specialized construction apparatus to the International Space Station for demonstration of space-based or on-orbit manufacturing during the summer of 2026. The mission is backed by four and a half years of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-funded research in space materials, manufacturing and structural design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Photo of Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law and labor relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Can birthright citizenship be repealed?

President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a promise of eliminating birthright citizenship on his first day back in office. But birthright citizenship was enacted as part of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and no president has the authority to eliminate or modify a constitutional amendment, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in immigration law and labor issues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The team standing outside the entrance to the School of Social Work on the U. of I. campus.

Digital tools show promise at providing mental health interventions to refugee youths

Mental health interventions provided through digital media to 445 displaced youths living in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, showed promise at broadening care to this high-risk, difficult-to-reach population, a new study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers found.

Diptych image with headshots of Yang Wang and Yaman Yu

Illinois researchers examine teens’ use of generative AI, safety concerns

Information sciences professor Yang Wang and doctoral student Yaman Yu examined teens’ use of generative AI and found parents had little understanding of how their children used it and that GAI platforms offer insufficient safety protections.