Behind the scenes

Symbols of Service

Caleb Carlson, a sophomore studying business with a concentration in international business, served four years in the Army: “I had my sun tattoo done in 2012, before my first deployment to Afghanistan, as sort of a starting bookend for the journey ahead. My father had a sun tattoo, although dissimilar to my own and on […]

Behind the scenes Joseph Spencer, center, with undergraduate student Joe Griffin, left, and U. of I. alumnus Brody Dunn, right, work to clear western corn rootworm beetle traps from a muddy cornfield.

Joseph Spencer, center, with undergraduate student Joe Griffin, left, and U. of I. alumnus Brody Dunn, right, work to clear western corn rootworm beetle traps from a muddy cornfield.

The Cornfield Death March

FORD COUNTY, Ill. – My students and I are standing at the edge of a 73-acre cornfield. Covered in mud and sweat, we are dreading the task ahead. We’ve already slogged through mud and braved ditches gushing with debris-laden storm water to retrieve 150 heavy cages. There are 75 more cages out there. We are […]

Behind the scenes Steam from an Old Faithful eruption is more spectacular in winter because of the direct contact between the steam and the cold air. There is a silhouette of a bison cow absorbing the heat from the morning sun below the steam cloud.

Steam from an Old Faithful eruption is more spectacular in winter because of the direct contact between the steam and the cold air. There is a silhouette of a bison cow absorbing the heat from the morning sun below the steam cloud.

The art and science of Mammoth Hot Springs

I was first drawn to Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park as a natural laboratory for a NASA project to study how microbes form fossilized “markers” in ancient travertine rock deposits. The water temperature, chemistry and flow at Mammoth are similar to that found on the early Earth, and the hot springs still harbor […]

Behind the scenes Dogs, cats, monkeys, rabbits, parrots, lions and horses are buried in Le Cimitière des Chiens (the Dogs’ Cemetery) in the Parisian suburb of Asnières.

Dogs, cats, monkeys, rabbits, parrots, lions and horses are buried in Le Cimitière des Chiens (the Dogs’ Cemetery) in the Parisian suburb of Asnières.

Pet burials blur the line between human and animal rites

There are many cases of formal animal burial practices worldwide. One of the earliest sites is in Palestine, dating from about 12,000 years ago, where excavation of a stone-covered tomb revealed the remains of a woman posed with her hand resting on the neck of a puppy. In Egypt, there is evidence of the mummification […]

Behind the scenes

Poetry inspired by painting

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — I wrote “Domino Players, 1943” after studying Horace Pippin’s celebrated painting, exhibited by the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. This “memory painting” depicts Pippin’s childhood in Goshen, New York. A child sits at a kitchen table watching two women play dominoes while an older woman sits piecing her quilt. As I studied […]

Behind the scenes

Backstage at an American musical

My lighting-design students and I are very excited as we wait in the side alley of the PrivateBank Theatre in Chicago. Our goal for the day is to get a firsthand look at what it takes to produce a smash Broadway hit. We were lucky enough to be invited to attend a day of technical […]

Behind the scenes Students learned about the politics and other issues surrounding the national parks through an on-site course this June in the Greater Yellowstone area. One day's "sampler" hike gave students a chance to witness several examples of unwise behavior, including these tourists hanging out on the edge of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Students learned about the politics and other issues surrounding the national parks through an on-site course this June in the Greater Yellowstone area. One day's "sampler" hike gave students a chance to witness several examples of unwise behavior, including these tourists hanging out on the edge of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Tourists behaving badly

So far this year, Yellowstone has seen a record number of visitors – and what seems to be a record number of visitors disobeying the rules. People have been charged by elk and bison while trying to get too close for a “selfie.” A Canadian father and son put a bison calf into their SUV […]

Behind the scenes U. of I. students did some experiential learning in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks this June in a course on the politics and other issues surrounding national parks. Here the class relaxes before a campfire dinner and discussion.

U. of I. students did some experiential learning in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks this June in a course on the politics and other issues surrounding national parks. Here the class relaxes before a campfire dinner and discussion.

A night in grizzly country

We spent last night in Yellowstone’s backcountry, at Grebe Lake, a lovely lake at the base of the Washburn Range, about a 3-mile hike from the road. It’s part of the “chain of lakes” region that is popular with fly fishers. For most of the students, this was their first experience backpacking: carrying a tent, […]

Behind the scenes A group of University of Illinois students spent two weeks in June in the Greater Yellowstone area, learning through on-site experience about the politics and other issues surrounding national parks. Here's the class on its first day in Grand Teton National Park.

A group of University of Illinois students spent two weeks in June in the Greater Yellowstone area, learning through on-site experience about the politics and other issues surrounding national parks. Here's the class on its first day in Grand Teton National Park.

Between wilderness, tourism and civilization

We spent yesterday in Grand Teton National Park, hiking Cascade Canyon. Today we’re in Jackson, Wyoming, just south of the park and a very different setting. My teaching assistant and I are in a Starbucks grading papers. Our students are out exploring the town. Jackson is one of a half-dozen “gateway communities” that surround Yellowstone […]

Behind the scenes

Preserving a fragile history

ALDER, MONTANA – I drive slowly over the hilly terrain in Fossil Basin and park near the remnants of an old campsite. In the 1950s and early 1960s, botanist Herman Becker camped here and collected fossil insects and plants from the Renova Formation’s paper shales. We are the first, since Becker, to explore this fossil bed. Our […]

Behind the scenes

Drawing insights from ancient plants

ALDER, MONTANA – I’m sitting near the top of our fossil excavation site in southwest Montana, my hammer and shovel ready. I have a perfect view of the mountains. A wall of fossil-laden shale lies before me, and I’m ready to dig in. This is our fourth day digging, and despite the early hour, I’m trembling with […]

Behind the scenes

The fossils of Madison County (Montana)

Standing at the foot of the mountains, I look to the east. It’s still early and I have hiked up here alone to gather my thoughts. I can see why they call this “Big Sky Country.” The tree-covered foothills of the mountains behind me give way to rolling scrubland. Stunted trees mark the edges of dry […]

Behind the scenes

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