Illinois in the News

The Seattle Times (Jan. 3) — Boeing’s new leadership faces challenges in restoring safety and quality, says aerospace engineering professor Phillip Ansell.

HealthDay News (Melville, N.Y., Jan. 3) — Self-conscious young adults are more likely to binge drink but reduce consumption as they grow older, according to doctoral student Jiaxu Han.

E&E News (Washington, D.C., Jan. 3) — Climate scientist Don Wuebbles criticizes efforts to reshape the National Climate Assessment by including biased perspectives outside mainstream science.

Marketplace (Los Angeles, Jan. 2) — Microgrids are increasingly used by universities and hospitals to maintain power during outages, says electrical and computer engineering professor emeritus George Gross.

Chicago Tribune (Dec. 30) — Illinois is at the forefront of research and treatment for turtles infected with Emydomyces testavorans, a rare fungus. “This (fungus) is a significant threat to the conservation of certain species, and especially our at-risk endangered species,” says Matt Allender, a professor of veterinary clinical medicine.

The Guardian (London, Dec. 30) — Many U.S. midwestern grain farmers will lose money this year after reaping a bumper crop, and the outlook for their future income is bleak. Agricultural economists from the U. of I. estimate that the average Illinois farm could lose $30,000 for 2024.

Chicago Tribune (Dec. 26) — “The potential for our work in the park to change the world is drawing comparisons to historic tech initiatives like the Manhattan Project or the development of Silicon Valley,” says Harley Johnson, a professor of materials science and engineering and the acting director of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.

ABC News (New York City, Dec. 24) — In 2022 and 2023, Starbucks workers at the company carried out about 100 strikes per year, says labor and employment relations professor Johnnie Kallas.

The Chicago Sun-Times (Dec. 23) — In 2019, the U. of I. started Illinois Commitment, its free tuition program for low-income households, and a growing number of private and public universities have followed suit.

NPR (Washington, D.C., Dec. 23) — Postdoctoral researcher Joseph Trujillo-Falcón studies how undocumented communities respond to extreme weather and climate threats. His research showed many undocumented people didn’t evacuate their homes during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 because of a federal law that states Customs and Border Protection agents can search vehicles without a search warrant “within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the U.S.”

Inside Higher Ed (Washington, D.C., Dec. 18) — Since 1960, the U. of I. has offered a phone-based caroling system that allows campus community members and others around the country to call and be serenaded by a student, staff or faculty member staffing the line.

Healthcare Brew (New York City, Dec. 13) — Black and Latino communities have less access to pharmacies in cities than white populations, which can make it harder for patients to access medication and care. COVID-19 vaccination rates in Chicago were lower in places with mostly Black and low-income residents compared to wealthier and whiter areas of the city, according to a study by the U. of I. and another institution.