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Head of cell and structural biology department at Illinois is honored
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Martha U. Gillette of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign has been recognized for “her career achievements in neuroscience as a scientist, teacher and mentor.” She received the 2004 Mika Salpeter Lifetime Achievement Award by Women in Neuroscience during the recent Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego. […]
Five at U. of I. named Fellows of American Association for Advancement of Science
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Five faculty members of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science: C.K. (Tina) Gunsalus, Paul B. Kelter, Harris A. Lewin, Benjamin W. Wah and John H. Weaver. Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon […]
Munching microbes could cleanse arsenic-contaminated groundwater
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -Microbial processes ultimately determine whether arsenic builds to dangerous levels in groundwater, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Remediation may be as simple as stimulating certain microbes to grow. Arsenic contamination is a serious threat to human health. In the Ganges Delta of Bangladesh, for example, chronic exposure to arsenic […]
New surface chemistry may extend life of technology for making transistors
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a technique that uses surface chemistry to make tinier and more effective p-n junctions in silicon-based semiconductors. The method could permit the semiconductor industry to significantly extend the life of current ion-implantation technology for making transistors, thereby avoiding the implementation of difficult […]
Low-cost climate-change insurance could help ensure better future
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Doing a little now to mitigate long-term climate change would cost much less than doing nothing and making an adjustment in the future, say scientists whose paper appears in the Oct. 15 issue of the journal Science. Implementing a carbon tax of five cents per gallon of gasoline and gradually increasing the […]
Safety of isoflavones in dietary supplements targeted by Illinois initiative
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A multidisciplinary team of scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is embarking on a comprehensive five-year study of the effects of soy isoflavones found in dietary supplements on various body tissues. At the heart of the project is the safety of phytoestrogens – estrogen-like compounds in plants that are generally […]
At molecular scale, vibrational couplings define heat conduction
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Too much heat can destroy a sturdy automobile engine or a miniature microchip. As scientists and engineers strive to make ever-smaller nanoscale devices, from molecular motors and switches to single-molecule transistors, the control of heat is becoming a burning issue. The shapes of molecules really matter, say scientists from the University of […]
Strano named one of the world’s top young innovators by Technology Review
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Michael S. Strano, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been chosen as one of the world’s 100 Top Young Innovators by Technology Review, the world’s oldest technology magazine. Selected by the magazine published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the TR100 comprises people […]
Information system to help scientists analyze mechanisms of social behavior
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With a $5 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will create BeeSpace, a system to help scientists analyze all sources of information relevant to the mechanisms of social behavior. The complex society of the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, will drive the information system. […]
Byproduct of water-disinfection process found to be highly toxic
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A recently discovered disinfection byproduct (DBP) found in U.S. drinking water treated with chloramines is the most toxic ever found, says a scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who tested samples on mammalian cells. The discovery raises health-related questions regarding an Environmental Protection Agency plan to encourage all U.S. water-treatment […]
Serotonin metabolites in mollusks suggest pathways for human therapies
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – From mollusks to mammals, newly discovered chemical pathways of serotonin in the nervous system are paving a path toward future pharmaceutical treatments for depression and other disorders. “Understanding novel serotonin pathways in a tissue-dependent manner is useful for the development of pharmaceuticals intended to preserve serotonergic signaling,” said Jeffrey N. Stuart, a […]
Illinois biologist among 57 Presidential Early Career Award winners
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Carla E. Cáceres, a professor of animal biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is among 57 young researchers named today as recipients of the 2003 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research […]