Behind the scenes

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 Veterinary medicine students perform general wellness checks on the animals at Wildlife Prairie Park in Peoria County. Zoological resident Lauren Kane helps guide the students as they examine Molly, an American black bear.

Veterinary medicine students perform general wellness checks on the animals at Wildlife Prairie Park in Peoria County. Zoological resident Lauren Kane helps guide the students as they examine Molly, an American black bear.

Weighing bears, corralling otters and healing wild beasts

HANNA CITY, Ill. – How do you weigh a fully grown American black bear? These veterinary medicine students know the answer, and it’s a bit more complicated than just saying, “very carefully.” Watching these soon-to-be veterinarians is a bit like watching a synchronized military operation unfold in the field. The team moves into a wooded area […]

Behind the scenes Researchers can learn about the life of a river without seeing the animals that live there.

Measuring the unseen life of a river

FORT POLK, La. – It’s morning on the bayou. I’m in the Calcascieu River at the Fort Polk Joint ReadinessÂ Training Center in Louisiana, and the river is teeming with life. The bank is littered with freshwater mussel shells,Â no doubt a feast for aÂ raccoon last night. Cricket frogs bounce around at my feet as if loaded […]

Behind the scenes Serina Taluja scanned thousands of specimens belonging to the Illinois Natural History Survey Herbarium.

Bringing yesterday’s plants to digital life

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – It’s about 65 degrees Fahrenheit in the herbarium, and the archival paper on which the plant specimen is mounted feels soft between my cold fingers. My hands are instantly warmed as I place the sheet in the light box. I check the computer monitor; everything looks good. I hit the spacebar. Click. […]

Behind the scenes Sleep-deprived for science: Graduate student Ananya Sen rests briefly on the office couch.

Tracking an invisible world

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It’s 2 a.m. on a cold winter night. My timer beeps loudly, waking me up for yet another measurement. It’s been a long day; I’ve been tracking bacterial growth every two hours for the past 18 hours. I stumble off the couch that has served as a bed for countless graduate students […]

Behind the scenes Field archaeologists Marie Meizis and Doug Jackson work together to record their data.

Extracting history from a cornfield

HEYWORTH, Ill. – When I get to the archaeological site, I’m surprised to see that it’s in the middle of a cornfield. Dusty furrows studded with tiny sprigs of corn come to within about 10 feet of the dig. The researchers are already here, gently peeling back their tarps, assembling their gear, getting ready for […]

Behind the scenes Plant biology professor emeritus Govindjee, who has made key contributions to the scientific understanding of photosynthesis, is also an archivist and historian of photosynthesis research.

Plant biology professor emeritus Govindjee, who has made key contributions to the scientific understanding of photosynthesis, is also an archivist and historian of photosynthesis research.

Govindjee’s photosynthesis museum

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – I am in Govindjee’s office suite and I don’t know where to look. Govindjee, a professor emeritus of plant biology who goes by the one name only, is a collector. There are layers of history here: artifacts and papers, books and photographs. There also are homemade scientific instruments that look like plumbing […]

Behind the scenes

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