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Nick Holonyak Jr., pioneer of LED lighting, dies
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Nick Holonyak Jr., a renowned innovator of illumination, died Sept. 18 in Urbana, Ill. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor was 93 years old. Holonyak (pronounced huh-LON-yak) is credited with the development of the first practical visible-spectrum LED, now commonly used worldwide in light bulbs, device displays and lasers. One of the […]
Can we evacuate from hurricanes in electric vehicles?
As emergency coordinators across the U.S. prepare for the upcoming hurricane season, they are busy planning evacuation routes. Currently, these plans don’t anticipate the needs of people driving electric vehicles, which have shorter driving ranges than gas vehicles and require recharging at stations with charging ports. Civil and environmental engineering professor Eleftheria Kontou spoke with […]
Layered limestone deposits give unique insight to Roman aqueducts
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Mineral-rich waters originating from the Apennine Mountains of Italy flowed through ancient Rome’s Anio Novus aqueduct and left behind a detailed rock record of past hydraulic conditions, researchers said. Two studies characterizing layered limestone – called travertine – deposits within the Anio Novus are the first to document the occurrence of anti-gravity […]
Nanoscale observations simplify how scientists describe earthquake movement
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Using single calcite crystals with varying surface roughness allows engineers to simplify the complex physics that describes fault movement. In a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, researchers show how this simplification may lead to better earthquake prediction. Scientists describe fault behavior using models based on observational studies that account […]
SHIELD program a model for effective pandemic management, data show
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In the fall of 2020, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign welcomed students back for in-person instruction amid the powerful first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The university successfully maintained operations throughout the semester – with zero COVID-19-related deaths or hospitalizations in the campus community – thanks to its “SHIELD: Target, Test, Tell” […]
Lake Michigan water-level rise affects inland waterways, study finds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — 2020 marked Lake Michigan’s highest water level in 120 years, experts said, and climate variance makes future water levels challenging to predict. Coastal impacts are well-documented, but the effect of lake level rise on the area’s inland waterways is poorly understood. A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study examined how Lake Michigan’s rising […]
Illinois astronomers help capture first image of Milky Way’s black hole
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers led by physics and astronomy professor Charles Gammie is part of a large international collaboration that unveiled the first image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This result provides evidence that the object is indeed a black hole […]
Engineering professor Nancy Sottos elected to National Academy of Sciences
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign materials science and engineering professor Nancy Sottos has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest professional honors a scientist can receive. She is among 120 members and 30 international members elected this year to recognize their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. […]
Two Illinois faculty members elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign materials science and engineering professor Nancy Sottos and history professor Maria Todorova have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest honor societies in the nation. They are among 261 new members elected to the academy this year in recognition of their […]
Portable, point-of-care COVID-19 test discerns alpha variant from earlier strains
Editor’s note: This is an update to the news release originally posted April 19, 2022, at 11:30 a.m., to include a correction in study authorship. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A point-of-care COVID-19 test developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign can now detect and differentiate the alpha variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from earlier strains […]
Why is the use of hypersonic missiles in the Russia-Ukraine conflict significant?
The U.S. recently confirmed that the Russian Ministry of Defence fired a hypersonic ballistic missile to destroy an underground arms depot in western Ukraine. This event marks Russia’s first use of the Kinzhal ballistic missile in this war and the first known use of a hypersonic missile in combat. Mechanical science and engineering professor Kelly […]
New approach to flexible robotics and metamaterials design mimics nature, encourages sustainability
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study challenges the conventional approach to designing soft robotics and a class of materials called metamaterials by utilizing the power of computer algorithms. Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Technical University of Denmark can now build multimaterial structures without dependence on human intuition or trial-and-error to produce highly […]