News Bureau – The News Bureau works with faculty and researchers to produce news about the innovative research and expertise at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Health and Medicine

Avian influenza spread beyond a backyard coop on an Illinois farm, analysis finds

The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory found spillover from a backyard flock to a cat and a rat on an Illinois farm.

Health and Medicine

Lu receives NIH Director’s New Innovator Award

Xiaotang Lu received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award for her work mapping connections within the brain.

Ilana Redstone standing outdoors on the university quad with a building with columns in the background.

Social Sciences

Paper explores systemic racism as the default explanation for disparities

Sociology’s treatment of institutional racism as the default explanation for racial disparities has stymied research and debate, a new study says.

Micrograph of three very different-looking pollen grains.

Life Sciences

Pollen study reveals the hidden history of grasses

A new approach allowed scientists to trace the changes in grass abundance and diversity in one site over a period of 25,000 years.

Library and Information Sciences Photo of the Morrow Plots in 1940 with the Observatory in the background.

University Archives exhibit highlights history, impact of Morrow Plots on its 150th anniversary

The University Archives is hosting an exhibit of its records on the Morrow Plots, showing the history of the longest-running agricultural experiment in the U.S.

Social Sciences "Hearts Divided" book cover on the left and author Emily Van Duyn on the right wearing a white jacket and blue top

New book explores how political polarization affects close relationships

Those in politically divided relationships discuss how they navigate differences with those they love in new book

Arts

Photo of a dancer in a colorful costume with a mesh top.

Triptych of works by dance professor, choreographer Cynthia Oliver features Illinois dance alumni

Illinois dance professor and choreographer Cynthia Oliver’s work “Turn. Turning. TURNT.” is a meditation on negotiating time and relationships.

Announcements A researcher standing in an agricultural field

U. of I. researcher and alumnus both named 2026 MacArthur Fellows

Illinois professor Kaiyu Guan and Illinois alumnus Liangfang Zhang have been named 2026 MacArthur Fellows, commonly known as a “genius grant.”

Arts

Image of a blue and pink drawing featuring a map with various graphics, people, lines and sculptures at different angles.

Illinois researchers look at how graphic design can transform the built environment

Joseph Altshuler and Nekita Thomas reimagine how graphic design can transform public spaces in their new book “Supergraphic Landscapes.”

Health and Medicine Photo of researchers in a hallway at Beckman.

Studies offer insight into common chemical exposures and child cognitive development

Researchers have tracked the health of hundreds of children, focusing on the effects of chemical exposures in the womb and after.

Behind the Scenes

Photo of the author standing in the gym and speaking with a tall man.

Bringing wheelchair rugby to Armenia

Health and kinesiology Ph.D. student Kaitlyn Thornton and a team of researchers bring
wheelchair rugby to Armenia.

Two students with butterfly nets peer into the rainforest.

Chasing insects in the heart of the Amazon

Visit the Peruvian rainforest with graduate student Wardah Noor Syeda as she and her colleagues capture insects for study.

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