Behind the Scenes

Building a prairie and watching for bees

CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. – It’s early evening as I follow the researchers to their work site on the Phillips Tract, just east of Urbana. When we get there, I immediately notice two things: We are standing in a vast grid of prairie plots with neatly mowed paths between them, and there are tents – dozens […]

Behind the scenes Tommy McElrath stands in tall prairie and swings his net after a bumble bee.

Chasing bumble bees on a patch of prairie

CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. – It’s hot and the key to the gate doesn’t work, but I can see the deep shade of mature woods and a swath of tall prairie plants just beyond the fence. Heavy clouds hover to the north and east, and a distant rumble warns of potential rain. “Looks like you’re going […]

Behind the scenes Gary Stitt, 61, stretches his arms to the sky as people gather for a Dance for People with Parkinson’s class at Krannert Center.

Grace and healing: Parkinson’s dance class opens pathways to body and mind

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Laughter ripples across the dance floor. Bodies bend in an arc. For some, that arc is much less pronounced, but that’s not important. Any expansion of movement is a celebration for these dancers – they have Parkinson’s disease. Piano music echoes down a long corridor from a rehearsal hall in the lower […]

Behind the scenes “All these native stories talk about what happens when you die: Your soul goes to the edge of the world, jumps into the Milky Way and climbs into the sky,” says Illinois State Archaeological Survey director Timothy Pauketat.

“All these native stories talk about what happens when you die: Your soul goes to the edge of the world, jumps into the Milky Way and climbs into the sky,” says Illinois State Archaeological Survey director Timothy Pauketat.

Rediscovering a path to the Milky Way

CAHOKIA MOUNDS STATE PARK, Ill. — We’re standing on a roadside at the edge of a muddy expanse. I’m wearing rubber boots, but Tim Pauketat is going to get his feet wet. He left his waterproof boots in Indiana, but this won’t stop him from tromping out into the soggy, overgrown remains of the ancient […]

Behind the scenes The team: Doctoral students Amir Malvandi and Nahla Kreidly, and food science professor Graciela Padua standing in their lab at the Agricultural Engineering Sciences Building.

The team: Doctoral students Amir Malvandi and Nahla Kreidly, and food science professor Graciela Padua standing in their lab at the Agricultural Engineering Sciences Building.

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

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