Expert Viewpoints

What’s the significance of the Respect for Marriage Act?

The bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act requires states to recognize same-sex marriages while balancing the interests of religious groups. Robin Fretwell Wilson is the director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs and the Mildred Van Voorhis Jones Chair in Law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A letter co-written by Wilson urging bipartisan […]

Expert viewpoints Photo of communication professor Emily Van Duyn standing in front of a campus building

Does a ‘fake news’ label help audiences identify false information?

Editor’s note: Emily Van Duyn is a professor of communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and co-wrote recent studies that examined the effects of labeling information “fake news” on public perceptions of journalists’ and news organizations’ credibility. Van Duyn spoke with News Bureau research editor Sharita Forrest about this trend. When politicians use the […]

Expert viewpoints Photo of Scott Althaus, director of The Cline Center for Advanced Social Research and a professor of both political science and communication at Illinois.

Photo of Scott Althaus, director of The Cline Center for Advanced Social Research and a professor of both political science and communication at Illinois.

Why was the Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol considered an ‘auto-coup d’état’?

The Coup d’État Project of the Cline Center for Advanced Social Research initially categorized the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as an “attempted dissident coup d’état.” It also recently announced an additional classification: “attempted auto-coup d’état.” Scott Althaus is the director of the Cline Center, a nonpartisan research center at the […]

Expert viewpoints Thomas O'Rourke portrait.

How can we tame the gun violence epidemic?

Thomas O’Rourke, a professor emeritus of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, spoke with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about how previous efforts to institute public health measures succeeded and how the same approaches can be employed to reduce the scourge of gun violence in the U.S. Briefly, what […]

Expert viewpoints Josie Rudolphi standing outdoors with a tractor in the background on the U. of I. farms

What is driving the high suicide rate among farmers?

Josie Rudolphi is a professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign whose research examined suicide among farmers and ranchers, as well as the mental health of their children. She is the co-director of the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center, a 12-state, 15-partner collaborative based in Illinois Extension […]

Expert viewpoints Photo of communication professor Stewart Coles

Are outspoken social media users more polarized in their views on racial equality?

Stewart Coles is a professor of communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also is the co-author of a recent study that examined political polarization in the context of social media users’ support for Black Lives Matter or All Lives Matter and the influence of racial resentment on users’ views on these movements. Coles […]

Expert viewpoints

How can academia help implement lessons from the 2022 climate summit?

The 27th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference concluded Nov. 18 at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, after two weeks of deliberations. Ashish Sharma, an atmospheric sciences professor and climate and urban sustainability lead at the University of Illinois System’s Discovery Partners Institute, spoke with News Bureau physical sciences editor Lois Yoksoulian about the key takeaways […]

Expert viewpoints Photo of Brian Gaines, a professor of political science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a senior scholar at the U. of I. System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

Photo of Brian Gaines, a professor of political science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a senior scholar at the U. of I. System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

What message did voters send this midterm election?

Brian Gaines is a professor of political science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a senior scholar at the U. of I. System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Gaines, who studies elections and public opinion, spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about the results of the 2022 midterm elections. […]

Expert viewpoints Photo of Robert Brunner, the associate dean for innovation and chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he helped spearhead efforts to create iBlock, the first blockchain created by a business school.

Photo of Robert Brunner, the associate dean for innovation and chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he helped spearhead efforts to create iBlock, the first blockchain created by a business school.

What’s the business potential of the metaverse?

Robert Brunner is the associate dean for innovation and chief disruption officer at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Brunner spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about the transformative potential of the metaverse, an immersive 3D environment that seeks to blend the physical and online worlds. […]

Expert viewpoints

How can the 2022 Global Carbon Budget report help inform UN Climate Summit?

The Global Carbon Project published the Global Carbon Budget 2022 today, giving world leaders access to data on atmospheric carbon concentrations, emissions and trends for the 2022 United Nations Climate Summit – or COP27 – in Egypt. Illinois atmospheric scientist Atul Jain was among the many scientists worldwide who contributed data to the report. Jain […]

Expert viewpoints Photo of Vikram Amar, the dean of the University of Illinois College of Law and the Iwan Foundation Professor of Law.

Is the independent state legislature theory constitutionally valid?

Vikram Amar is the dean of the University of Illinois College of Law and the Iwan Foundation Professor of Law. Amar, an expert in constitutional law, spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about the independent state legislature theory, a controversial legal interpretation that some backers of former President Donald Trump invoked […]

Expert viewpoints Photo of U. of I. law professor Patrick Keenan

How has national security policy changed in the Biden administration?

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign law professor and Heidi Hurd Faculty Scholar Patrick Keenan is an expert in counterterrorism law and international criminal law. He spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about the implications of the Biden administration’s new national security and counterterrorism policies. The Biden administration released several important new policies […]

Expert Viewpoints

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