This image shows a laboratory prototype of a new type of electrode that will help desalinate sea water.

New research helps eliminate dead zones in desalination technology and beyond

Engineers have found a way to eliminate the fluid flow “dead zones” that plague the types of electrodes used for battery-based seawater desalination. The new technique uses a physics-based tapered flow channel design within electrodes that moves fluids quickly and efficiently, with energy consumption that can potentially become less than reverse-osmosis techniques currently require.

Headshot of Kristin Hoganson

Illinois history professor awarded NEH Fellowship

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor Kristin Hoganson has been awarded a 2024 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship.

Paris research trip reconnects Native American tribes with historic painted robes

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign history professor Robert Morrissey and members of the Miami and Peoria Nations traveled to a Paris museum to reconnect the tribes with 300-year-old ceremonial robes.

Photo of Hong Lu in his laboratory. He is holding a jar full of dark liquid (ethylbenzene) and surrounded by materials and equipment related to the process he and his colleagues developed.

Team makes sustainable aviation fuel additive from recycled polystyrene

New research turns waste polystyrene into a sustainable aviation fuel additive.

Christina Kamis standing behind a handrail on a staircase in a university building

Physical neglect as damaging to children’s social development as abuse

Physical neglect can be as damaging to children’s social development as abuse and have lasting impact on their ability to form friendships and romantic relationships throughout their lives, according to a recent study led by U. of I. sociology professor Christina Kamis. 

Photo of Richard L. Kaplan

New law could mean bump in Social Security benefits for some public pensioners, expert says

The bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act means some retirees will receive a modest increase in their monthly checks, says Richard L. Kaplan, an internationally recognized expert on U.S. tax policy, elder law and retirement issues and the Guy Raymond Jones Chair in Law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Portrait of Dr. Stephany Lewis examining a turtle.

Is the highly pathogenic avian influenza a threat to pets?

Dr. Stephany Lewis, a veterinary expert in wildlife medicine, describes the threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza to pets and other animals and how to keep them safe.

Photo of Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law and labor relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Will presidential transition affect potential East Coast dockworkers strike?

An East Coast dockworkers strike during the presidential transition could snarl supply chains and lead to another spike in inflation, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor issues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.