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Research News

Expert Viewpoints Education professor and director of the Social Studies Network Asif Wilson

Are Illinois social studies educators prepared to teach inclusive topics?

As of the 2022-23 academic year, Illinois schools were required to adopt new learning standards for social science education in kindergarten-12thgrades. Asif Wilson is a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the director of the Social Studies Network. Wilson spoke with News Bureau research editor Sharita Forrest about the […]

Social Sciences Photo of Benedek Kurdi seated at a table in front of a bay of windows.

Is unintentional bias changeable?

Psychology professor Benedek Kurdi proposes a fresh approach to confronting implicit, or unintentional, bias in diverse organizations. He speaks about the problems associated with efforts to “train” the bias out of people and offers practical guidelines for those hoping to establish a more inclusive, welcoming atmosphere in their organizations.

Arts Photo of a park with letters spelling out "Freedom Square," children playing and various structures in the background.

Architecture professors design structures with community organizations for Chicago design festival

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Chicago Sukkah Design Festival is an architectural design festival in the Chicago neighborhood of North Lawndale that brings together architects and community organizations to create gathering spaces to connect residents. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign architecture professors participating in this year’s festival built a bicycle kiosk and a pop-up theater, which will […]

Engineering Physical Sciences Science and Technology An artist's rendering of a variety of nanoparticle shapes

Atom-scale stencil patterns help nanoparticles take new shapes and learn new tricks

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Inspired by an artist’s stencils, researchers have developed atomic-level precision patterning on nanoparticle surfaces, allowing them to “paint” gold nanoparticles with polymers to give them an array of new shapes and functions. The “patchy nanoparticles” developed by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers and collaborators at the University of Michigan and Penn State […]

Announcements Photo of the researcher

Illinois chemist named 2025 Packard Fellow

Benjamin Snyder, a professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been named a 2025 Packard Fellow by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Photo by Holly Birch Photography

Behind the Scenes photo of a crane unloading two floating wetland structures into Lake Decatur.

Building a living laboratory on a lake

DECATUR, Ill. – After more than a year of planning, our team is finally ready to launch a new phase of research. We’ve designed and built two small “islands” of wetland plants that will float on Lake Decatur. These living laboratories will help us investigate how floating wetlands may affect nutrient levels and sediment dynamics […]

Expert Viewpoints

How do bacteria become resistant to antibiotics?

Pathogens like “nightmare bacteria” NDM-CRE become resistant to antibiotics by sharing resistance genes, and education about proper antibiotic stewardship is essential to slowing the spread of resistance, says microbiologist Brenda Wilson.

Arts Photo of several dancers dressed in pink costumes and tall hats onstage.

October Dance kicks off season of celebrating Black dance artists

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is celebrating the work of its Black faculty members and guest artists this season through the theme “Black on Black: A Celebration of Black Dance.” The celebration is modeled after “Black on Black on Black on Black,” a 2022 Krannert Art Museum exhibition […]

Behind the Scenes Photo of a young man being fitted with a swim cap studded with electrodes.

Monitoring stress from the surface of the body

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Today, my laboratory looks more like a scene from a sci-fi film than a psychology research space. Wires snake across tables, sensors lay carefully arranged on trays, and a bucket of ice water sits in the corner, quietly waiting its turn. This work is part of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s department […]

Health and Medicine A man wearing a dark suit stands with arms crossed in front of a server bank

New AI tool helps match enzymes to substrates

The new AI-powered tool EZSpecificity can help researchers determine how well an enzyme fits with a desired target, helping them find the best enzyme and substrate combination for applications from catalysis to medicine to manufacturing.

Arts Marching Illini director Barry Houser holds a drum top with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade logo while band members cheer.

Marching Illini to perform at 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2026

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Marching Illini will perform in the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2026. Band members learned this morning that they were selected as one of 10 marching bands for the centennial anniversary of the holiday parade. Marching Illini director Barry Houser was notified about the selection a month ago and has […]

Agriculture Photo of Aaron Staples, a a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign agricultural economist who studies food supply chains.

Study: Tariffs have potential to reshape US beer market

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The ripple effects of increased tariffs under President Trump could extend to the $117 billion U.S. beer market, according to new research from a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign agricultural economist who studies food supply chains. While tariffs could stimulate increased domestic beer production, any gains in domestic market share would most likely […]

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