News Bureau

Warmer weather in the second week of April brought warmer and drier soils, according to Jennie Atkins, a manager for the Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring Program at the Illinois State Water Survey.

John A. Lynn II, a professor emeritus of history at Illinois, will give a talk and answer questions covering the events depicted in the film “Dunkirk” immediately following the 1 p.m. screening Aug. 20 at the Virginia Theatre, 203 W. Park Ave., Champaign.

"Stoking the Flames of Passionate Teaching" will be the theme for the Illinois New Teacher Collaborative's Winter Leadership Summit on Jan. 26.

U. of I. professor Julie Dowling is speaking to congressional staffers July 16 about generational change, racial/ethnic identity and the U.S. census.

The Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities will hold its annual award reception honoring the faculty, graduate student and undergraduate student recipients of this year's IPRH Prizes for Research in the Humanities at 4 p.m. May 1 at IPRH Lecture Hall, Levis Faculty Center, fourth floor, 919 W. Illinois St., Urbana.

Illinois Newsroom – the statewide, seven-station journalism collaborative, spearheaded by Illinois Public Media and funded through a $715,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as well as support from the public media partner newsrooms – launches with the appointment of a new leader.

Illinois Public Media announces the launch of “Reel Midwest,” a new independent film series that aims to find the best in features, documentaries and short films in Illinois and across the Midwest. “Reel Midwest” showcases the region’s brightest talents through a selection of thought-provoking documentaries, narrative dramas and short films.

Just in time for the 2016 primary election, Illinois Public Media is providing Illinois citizens with Voter’s Edge Illinois – a free, nonpartisan online voter guide.

“Stranded by the State,” a two-part documentary by Illinois Public Media focusing on the long-term toll the Illinois budget crisis has had on everyday people statewide, will begin broadcasting on public television stations Feb. 14, the day before Gov. Bruce Rauner’s state budget address. WILL-TV in Urbana-Champaign and WEIU-TV in Charleston will air the documentary from 7-8 p.m. on that date. Other public television stations statewide will air the documentary at later dates.

NPR’s 1A, hosted by Joshua Johnson, will join the WILL-AM 580 lineup May 1, airing from 9-11 a.m. Monday through Friday. With a name inspired by the First Amendment, 1A explores important issues such as policy, politics and technology. The program delves into pop culture, sports and humor.

Illini Emergency Medical Services, a student program under the Illinois Fire Service Institute, received national recognition recently when the U. of I. was awarded the designation of a HEARTSafe Campus. IEMS accepted the award Feb. 24 at the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation Awards Reception in Philadelphia. 

Twenty-four U. of I. research teams have been awarded allocations on the National Center for Supercomputing Applications’ Blue Waters, the most powerful supercomputer on a university campus.

“The U. of I. is a tremendous university with plenty of talented people who can take effective advantage of a resource like Blue Waters,” said Blue Waters project director Bill Kramer. “It’s important for the project that our home institution has a close relationship with this great supercomputer, and we look forward to seeing more groundbreaking science come from the researchers at Illinois.”

Slavery in Illinois and the move to freedom will be the subject of a Nov. 8 lecture at the U. of I., part of a series commemorating the state’s bicentennial.

Soil moisture levels improved throughout the state during the first half of October, said Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at the U. of I.

Soils across Illinois were cooler and drier than average in the first half of August, said Jennie Atkins, the water and atmospheric resources monitoring program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

Soil temperatures increased through the first half of March, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring Program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey at the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois.

Illinois’ milder winter soil temperatures may have an impact on pest populations, according to researchers at the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

Overall, soil temperatures were milder than normal, according to Jennie Atkins with the Illinois State Water Survey’s Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring Program. At depths of 4 inches under bare soil, temperatures averaged 35.2 degrees this winter, or 1.4 degrees above the long-term average. Soils averaged 1.8 degrees cooler than last winter. 

Three University of Illinois students received U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships to study foreign languages this summer.

The U. of I. took on a leadership role to more actively respond to global climate change when Interim Chancellor Barb Wilson signed Second Nature’s Climate Resilience Commitment on Feb. 9.

Illinois Theatre continues its 2018-19 season with “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Simon Stephens. Adapted from Mark Haddon’s award-winning novel of the same name, the play follows Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old on the autism spectrum, as he explores the meanings of family and forgiveness while investigating the death of his neighbor’s dog. The play is told through Christopher’s eyes and the company has worked with The Autism Project to tell this story in a way that is truthful to families who experience life with autism spectrum disorder.

On Saturday, March 9, at 1 p.m.,  Illinois Theatre will offer a sensory-friendly performancefor adult and young adult audience members (and their families) who are on the autism spectrum or who otherwise need a less intense sensory experience. Through modifications of the lighting, sound and media designs, theperformance is intended as a safe and welcoming opportunity for adults and young adults with autism and their supporters.

The relaxed, sensory-friendly environment may also work well for those who have other chronic issues, may not be able to sit for long periods of time, or simply enjoy a more casual performance experience. “Social Story”booklets will be available in advance to help audience members know what to expect during their visit to Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and during the play itself. Audiences are invited to bring comfort items (fidget toys, blankets, etc.) with them and to use a “safe space” area outside of the theater as needed, where a live video feed of the performance will be available.

The production contains the graphic depiction of an animal’s death, which may not be suitable for all viewers. The play is based on Haddon’s young adult novel and is most appropriate for audiences age 14 and up.

Tickets are $10 and available through the Krannert Center Ticket Office, at KrannertCenter.com, or by calling 217-333-6280.

Performances without the sensory-friendly modifications run from Thursday, Feb. 28 to Sunday, March 10.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been chosen to lead the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago – a new biomedical hub – along with the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. The three-university team was selected to lead the new biomedical hub as part of a competitive application process for a research initiative explicitly focused on measuring human biology.

The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign is now performing its new rapid, saliva-based COVID-19 test on all students, faculty members and staff.

Donna Cox, the director of the Advanced Visualization Laboratory at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the U. of I., will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award this week at the eighth annual IMERSA 2017 Summit in Denver. The event creates an opportunity to explore the converging worlds of virtual reality-themed entertainment and immersive cinema.

Global Arts Performance Initiatives will present the inaugural Sonified Sustainability Festival from April 14-May 1.

Organizers of a new independent high school, Academy High, will share details with prospective parents and students at two meetings May 18 at the I Hotel and Conference center.

The School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics at the University of Illinois is offering a unique learning opportunity in the form of the Intensive Foreign Language Instruction Program for spring 2016.

Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson will join the Council of Academic Professionals Feb 4.

Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities is accepting proposals for the 2016-17 IPRH fellowship year, which has announced the theme of “Publics.” The deadline for proposals is Dec. 4.

Anne Balsamo, the dean of the School of Media Studies at The New School in New York City, will speak on campus April 22 about the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in innovation.

The Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities has recognized outstanding humanities research in numerous ways since its inception. The IPRH Prizes for Research in the Humanities celebrates excellence in humanities scholarship at the U. of I.

The Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment will host an array of events during Sustainability Week, Oct. 19-23.

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center will host a free public information session on the Solar Urbana-Champaign’s Solar Group Purchase Program. The information session at the ISTC will begin at noon March 10 at 1 E. Hazelwood Drive, Champaign.

Illinois temperatures in January showed some very large swings in which the highs and lows tended to cancel each other out, with a monthly temperature of 26.7 degrees, or just 0.3 degrees above average, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, of the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois.

January 2019 will be a month remembered by an unseasonably warm start, followed by a torrent of winter storms and ending with a monumental Arctic air outbreak that shattered many record-cold temperatures across the state.

In the first 10 days of January, the statewide average temperature was 9 to 14 degrees above normal, according to Brian Kerschner, spokesperson for the Illinois State Climatologist Office, part of the Illinois State Water Survey at the U. of I. The highest temperature recorded for the month was 66 degrees, which occurred at two stations: one in Pulaski County on Jan. 2 and one in Jersey County on Jan. 8.

January in Illinois was colder and drier than normal without much snow, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey at Illinois.

The School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics will offer a unique learning opportunity in the form of its Intensive Foreign Language Instruction Program for winter 2016.

Japan House is auctioning more than two dozen handmade quilts. The online auction is live now and continues through Nov. 8. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will go to the Kimiko Gunji Legacy Fund to support visiting artists and teachers who will share Japanese culture.

Japan House will hold its annual Mottainai Holiday Bazaar this weekend. The bazaar will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at Japan House, 2000 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.

Mottainai is a Japanese word meaning “what a waste” or “don't waste” and is a treasured Japanese concept.

Political reporting in the Trump era will be the subject of a panel discussion April 12 featuring the Washington Post’s Dan Balz and columnist Roger Simon.

Award-winning poet, author and musician Joy Harjo, a U. of I. professor of creative writing and of English, who also is affiliated with American Indian Studies, will give a reading Sept. 16 as part of the Creative Writers Showcase of the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities. Her reading will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Knight Auditorium at Spurlock Museum. U. of I. music professor Gabriel Solis will join her for a discussion of her work. The event is free and open to the public.

Northern Illinois experienced heavy rain and widespread flooding in July. Meanwhile, parts of central and southern Illinois experienced dry weather that caused crop damage, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

On average, however, the statewide precipitation was 4.81 inches, which is 0.73 inches above normal.

Above-average rainfall continued in June, along with an elevated risk of flooding in some areas of Illinois, according to Brian Kerschner, a spokesperson for the Illinois State Climatologist Office at the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

The average temperature for June in Illinois was 72.8 degrees, 0.9 degrees above normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel with the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

The Jupiter String Quartet performs a series of three concerts this week that will feature the six string quartets by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. The string quartets are among Bartók’s greatest works and among the greatest in the genre.

A new resource is available to help guide teachers and school administrators as they reopen schools amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, assembled by researchers and experts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The K-12 Shield Playbook is based on the SHIELD Illinois program used to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic at the university.

A Los Angeles-based artist will discuss how race is represented in art in a lecture this evening, Oct. 8, at Krannert Art Museum. Ken Gonzales-Day, a professor of art and humanities at Scripps College, will speak at 5:30 p.m. The title of his lecture is "Interruption and Absence: A History of Lynching (Latinos) and How It Changed What I Think About Contemporary Art."

Stanford University Ecologist Christopher B. Field will deliver the 2016 Charles David Keeling Lecture – “Climate Change: The Road through Paris” – from 7-8:30 p.m. April 14 in Room 100 Noyes Laboratory. A reception will follow.

Robert Sapolsky, a science writer, biologist, neuroscientist and stress expert, will present his lecture “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: Stress and Health” Thursday, Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Colwell Playhouse.

Currently the executive associate dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University, Kimberlee Kidwell will be the new U. of I. dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences effective Nov. 1, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. She also will hold the inaugural Robert A. Easter Chair.

Faculty and staff members, students and other stakeholders are invited to the Strategic Plan town hall meeting from 3-5 p.m. Nov. 18 in the auditorium of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.