Behind the scenes

Dehydrating plant proteins at the speed of sound

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Almost everyone is familiar with ultrasound – the high-frequency sound waves that bounce around in the body creating echo patterns that allow expectant parents to view their babies in the womb or clinicians to capture images of tumors, cysts and internal structures. As I pull on a white lab coat and don […]

Behind the scenes Bioengineering professor and Cancer Center at Illinois director Rohit Bhargava

Rohit Bhargava: My path to Illinois

I grew up in Jaipur, India, a city that is well-known for its architecture. My father is an architect, and I grew up helping him, looking at plans and making blueprints. I was always interested in building things. In India, all high schoolers take one exam to qualify for the major colleges in engineering. I […]

Behind the scenes Photo of social work professor Will Schneider standing with arms crossed in front of the logo at the School of Social Work

Will Schneider: My path to Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Growing up in a family of social scientists in Brooklyn, New York, it may have been inevitable that I would spend my life exploring the mysteries of human behavior and misbehavior. My father is a psychology professor, and my older brother followed my mother into the sociology field, but I decided to […]

Behind the scenes

Patrick Earl Hammie: My path to Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – What do mythology, money and masculinity have in common? They’re examples of stories made real through our collective belief. And though they’re only ideas, their effects are real and lasting. Paintings of people have been key sites for negotiating issues of identity and educating cultural norms in society for centuries. We’ve learned […]

Behind the scenes Photo of U. of I. labor expert Teresa Cardador

Teresa Cardador: My path to Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Because I study careers and meaning, I’m often asked, “How do I find meaningful work?” In particular, I hear this a lot from students. It’s an issue that affects higher education because students want college to put them on a path to meaningful careers. However, faculty members and staff are often looking […]

Behind the scenes Agricultural and biological engineering professor Girish Chowdhary.

Girish Chowdhary: My path to Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – I was born in Mumbai, India, to parents who worked full-time. My mother, who was the first woman to work as an officer in the Maharashtra Civil Services, came in at a time when parental leave did not exist. Because of this, I spent my early years with my grandparents in Kumta, […]

Behind the scenes Entomology professor Esther Ngumbi describes the life events that led her to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Esther Ngumbi: My path to Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – I grew up on the Kenyan coast, in a town called Mabafweni, in Kwale County. My parents were teachers, but their income was not enough to sustain us and send us to school. So, we also farmed. I got up early every day to work on the farm before school. When I […]

Behind the scenes A female vendor in a mahila bazaar in New Delhi stares solemnly at the camera. A young man in the background is looking at the wares of a nearby vendor.

A female vendor in a mahila bazaar in New Delhi stares solemnly at the camera. A young man in the background is looking at the wares of a nearby vendor.

Building trust in a market for women vendors

NEW DELHI — This market street, like many others in the city, bustles with activity on a cold December morning as men and women set up shops on the sidewalks for the rest of the day. But something sets this market apart from the rest. This Sunday market is a mahila bazaar, a retail zone […]

Behind the scenes Illinois State Archaeological Survey postdoctoral researcher Rebecca Barzilai maps and collects soil samples from the floor of a religious shrine in Greater Cahokia, an ancient Native American settlement on the Mississippi River in and around present-day St. Louis.

Illinois State Archaeological Survey postdoctoral researcher Rebecca Barzilai maps and collects soil samples from the floor of a religious shrine in Greater Cahokia, an ancient Native American settlement on the Mississippi River in and around present-day St. Louis.

Reading history in the soil

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — “Huh.” Looking down at the material in the glass beaker, I’m perplexed. I’m trying to determine the ratio of silt to clay in my sample and something isn’t right. The sediments in my beaker came from the floor of a religious shrine in Cahokia, an ancient Native American metropolis that grew up […]

Behind the scenes Graduate student Lucas Buccafusca looks for ways to improve the efficiency of wind farms. He had a key insight on a foggy day near a wind farm in central Illinois.

Graduate student Lucas Buccafusca looks for ways to improve the efficiency of wind farms. He had a key insight on a foggy day near a wind farm in central Illinois.

Finding clarity in the fog

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – On a gusty October day, I find myself staring at my wind turbine-simulation results. I take a sip of coffee and smile: The results validate a promising hypothesis. My research focuses on the design and control of wind farms. Two key factors contribute to the power a wind turbine generates: the incoming […]

Behind the scenes Graduate student Mary Lyons studies teachers’ strategies for supporting young children’s play-based learning.

Finding time for play

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Before I step into the classroom, I hear children’s voices and feel the energy these five- and six-year-olds radiate. Once inside, I see bins of materials strewn about – a scene of organized chaos. The bins are full of toys, blocks, interactive cards, game pieces and other materials meant to develop the […]

Behind the scenes Bedlam unfolds as Illinois fans celebrate a major upset victory over heavily favored Wisconsin.

Surviving a football frenzy

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Thirty-one. That’s the number the Illinois football coaching staff writes on the white board for the players to see. Many of the fans filing into Memorial Stadium today know this number, as well. Thirty-one is the number of points by which pundits predict Illinois will lose to Wisconsin. That’s a tough number. […]

Behind the scenes

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