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  • Photo of Ann-Perry Witmer

    What is place-based adaptation to climate change?

    A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll states that roughly half of registered voters say climate change is either “very important” or “one of the most important issues” in their vote for Congress this year. However, many citizens struggle to understand their place in this global issue. Applied Research Institute senior research scientist Ann-Perry Witmer, also a lecturer in agricultural and biological engineering, spoke with News Bureau physical sciences editor Lois Yoksoulian about a more digestible approach to the climate crisis and encouraged readers to participate in a public panel discussion this week.

  • Professor Eboni Zamani-Gallaher

    Is affirmative action in college admissions under threat?

    An Illinois expert on affirmative action in higher education talks about the Justice Department’s plans to investigate possible racial discrimination in college and university admissions policies

  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign atmospheric sciences professor Deanna Hence discusses how some hurricanes become so large, the paths they take and how global climate change may affect these factors.

    Monster hurricanes: Why have recent storms been so huge?

    Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, as the first Category 4 storm in recorded history to reach shore in the northeast Gulf Coast. News Bureau physical sciences editor Lois Yoksoulian spoke with Illinois atmospheric sciences professor Deanna Hence about the storm’s size, strength and path, and the impact of global climate change on future hurricanes. 

  • Illinois political science professor Brian Gaines has some suggestions for choosing how to cast a ballot this fall – by mail or in person – and what to watch for in the election.

    In person or by mail? What to consider in choosing how to vote

    Voters this fall must determine not only who they’re voting for, but also the safest way to cast a ballot. Brian Gaines, a political science professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, maps out some risks to consider and mistakes to avoid. He also cautions against leaping to conclusions about any alleged irregularities on Election Day.

  • Photo of Jacob S. Sherkow, a professor of law at Illinois who studies the ethical and policy implications of advanced biotechnologies

    Should the government implement a vaccine passport system?

    Vaccine passports strike the right balance between letting life go on for the vaccinated while still being realistic about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said Jacob S. Sherkow, a professor of law at Illinois and bioethics expert.

  • Rob Olshansky

    How the massive mudslide in Oso, Washington, might have been prevented

    A Minute With™... Rob Olshansky, a professor of urban and regional planning

  • Midwest volcanologist and geology professor Susan W. Kieffer holds a Charles R. Walgreen Jr. Chair at Illinois.

    What makes Merapi such a dangerous volcano?

     A Minute With™... Midwest volcanologist and geology professor Susan W. Kieffer

  • Kevin Coe

    When did religion become a political weapon in America?

    A Minute With™... Kevin Coe, a doctoral student in speech communication

  • Professor Sheldon Jacobson

    Can data analytics help you fill out a March Madness bracket?

    Fill in your March Madness bracket from the center out, says bracketologist Sheldon H. Jacobson.

  • Physics and astronomy professor Stuart Shapiro used data from a computer simulation that solves Einsteins equations of general relativity to create a visualization of merging binary black holes.

    100 years of relativity: How has Einstein's theory shaped modern physics, astronomy?

    A Minute With...™ U. of I. physicist Stuart Shapiro

  • The major shift underway from broadcast and cable to streaming is also bringing targeted advertising to mainstream media, an Illinois professor says.

    Targeted ads are coming to mainstream media. Should we care?

    Targeted advertising is coming to mainstream media, says an Illinois professor of digital media, bringing concerns about equality, division and “total surveillance.”

  • Emeritus professor of business and legal policy John Kindt

    Four years later, what effect has expanded video gambling had on Illinois?

    Giveaways to gambling interests in Illinois have robbed state coffers of billions of dollars, says John W. Kindt, an emeritus professor of business and legal policy at the University of Illinois.

  • Photo of Robin Fretwell Wilson

    What's the significance of the Respect for Marriage Act?

    The bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act requires states to recognize same-sex marriages while balancing the interests of religious groups, says Robin Fretwell Wilson, the director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs and the Mildred Van Voorhis Jones Chair in Law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Photo of Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and the director of the Labor Education Program in Chicago.

    Should the workweek be shortened to four days?

    There’s nothing sacrosanct about the five-day workweek, which is long overdue for an overhaul, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

  • James Barrett

    Why did St. Patrick's Day become such a big deal in America?

     A Minute With™... historian James Barrett

  • Bruce Levine

    Gettysburg at 150 (Vicksburg, too): Neither a turning point in the Civil War

    A Minute With™... Civil War historian Bruce Levine

  • Brian Ogolsky

    'Positive illusions' in romantic relationships

    A Minute With™... Brian Ogolsky, a professor of human development and family studies, who studies romantic relationships

  • Photo of Researcher

    Can pet dogs be infected with coronavirus?

    Researchers at the U. of I. diagnosed a pet dog in Chicago with infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans. This is the first dog in Illinois to test positive for the coronavirus. A team led by pathobiology professor Ying Fang made the diagnosis. She talks about the findings and future research in pets.

  • Photo of Ian Brooks, the director of the Center for Health Informatics

    Where does the U.S. withdrawal leave the World Health Organization?

    A global response, such as that organized by the World Health Organization, is needed to control the COVID-19 pandemic, says Ian Brooks, a research scientist whose focus is global health informatics.

  • U. of I. psychology professor Eva Pomerantz studies the factors that promote children’s motivation and achievement at school.

    How to foster children’s learning while sheltering at home

    Parents sheltering at home with their kids sometimes struggle to foster their children’s continued engagement with learning. Eva Pomerantz, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studies the factors that promote children’s motivation and achievement at school. She spoke to News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about her research on the topic and her own efforts to keep her children academically engaged while at home.

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

    Do labor laws need to be modernized with rise of gig economy?

    The Protecting the Right to Organize Act would be the most significant revision of U.S. labor law since 1947, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Photo of Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and the director of the Labor Education Program in Chicago.

    Are generous unemployment benefits to blame for worker shortages?

    As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes and employers look to restart businesses at full capacity, workers have leverage that they’re using to temporarily stay out of the labor market in certain industries, says U. of I. labor expert Robert Bruno.

  • Law professor Christine Hurt discusses sports betting and its potentially costly implications.

    Why don't they just legalize my office Super Bowl pool?

    A Minute With™... law professor Christine Hurt

  • Check yourselves and your pets for ticks after spending time in wooded or grassy areas, says Illinois entomologist Brian Allan.

    Should we worry about ticks this summer?

    Editor’s note: The number of tick-borne illnesses diagnosed annually in the United States doubled between 2004 and 2016, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Summer is prime tick season, and people spending time outdoors should be vigilant, says University of Illinois entomology professor Brian F. Allan. An expert in the spread of insect- and tick-borne diseases, Allan discussed ticks in Illinois, how to prevent bites and when to seek medical attention in an interview with News Bureau biomedical sciences editor Liz Ahlberg Touchstone.

  • University of Illinois researcher Ben Grosser

    Will hiding 'like' counts and other numbers improve social media?

    Social media companies are experimenting with hiding metrics on their platforms – something University of Illinois art professor Ben Grosser has been exploring since 2012 with his Demetricator projects.

  • Illinois history professor Kevin Mumford says historians debate how much the Stonewall riots were a watershed moment for the gay rights movement, but for those involved, “everything seemed to change overnight.”

    What happened at Stonewall 50 years ago? And why did it matter?

    An Illinois historian describes how everything changed for those involved in the Stonewall riots 50 years ago, and the event’s place in the history of gay rights.

  • image of visiting professor Jamie Jones

    What the true story of the Essex - the inspiration for 'Moby-Dick' - teaches us today

    A Minute With...™ Jamie Jones, who is writing a book on the literature, art and culture surrounding the whaling industry

  • Efforts to 'control' the Mississippi River and modern flooding

    A Minute With™... Marcelo Garcia, an expert in river hydrology

  • Photo of Richard L. Kaplan, an internationally recognized expert on U.S. tax policy and the Guy Raymond Jones Chair in Law at Illinois.

    Would changes to capital gains taxes spur the economy?

    Indexing capital gains to inflation could be a simple fix to stimulate a teetering economy, but several significant implementation hurdles remain, said Richard L. Kaplan, an internationally recognized expert on U.S. tax policy and the Guy Raymond Jones Chair in Law at Illinois.

  • Portrait of Jon Hale dressed in a suit and tie

    How might Freedom Schools promote educational equity in Illinois?

    Educational history professor Jon Hale discusses how Freedom Schools promote civil rights and educational equity and the implications for Illinois in funding these schools as part of the state's education reform initiative.

  • Sociology professor Ilana Redstone with her arms folded, leaning against a wall outdoors

    How are social media changing higher education?

    Fear of reprisals from outraged parties on social media and unspoken rules about acceptable discourse on college campuses constrain what faculty members teach, research and discuss, says sociology professor Ilana Redstone.

  • Professor Thomas Rudolph

    What makes political distrust such a problem?

    The polarization and dysfunction in Congress has spread in recent years to the voting public, says professor Thomas Rudolph, but it’s more about simply disliking political opponents than differences over ideology.

  • Demographer and Illinois professor of sociology Cynthia Buckley is part of The Census Project.

    How worried should we be about the 2020 census?

    An accurate census is essential for public and private planning, but the 2020 effort is underfunded and behind schedule, an Illinois expert says.

  • Schools must regularly collect data about the educational needs of students with disabilities to write meaningful Individualized Educational Plans for them every year, University of Illinois special education professor James Shriner said.

    What quality of education are schools required to provide to students with disabilities?

    Special education professor James Shriner on a case recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the educational benefits that public schools are required to provide to students with disabilities.

  • Nonprofit newsrooms are providing a significant new source for news, says University of Illinois journalism professor Brant Houston.

    Are there alternatives to declining, disappearing newspapers?

    As many newspapers decline and disappear – highlighted by two Chicago Tribune reporters recently sounding the alarm about a perceived threat to the Trib – a journalism professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign touts the growth and viability of nonprofits and other alternatives.

  • Professor Craig Gundersen

    Would replacing food stamps with food boxes reduce hunger?

    Swapping food stamps for food boxes would mean scrapping 'the most successful government program we have going today,' said U. of I. professor Craig Gundersen

  • Photo of Amit Kramer, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who studies the relationship between work, family and health.

    Will pre-pandemic office life ever make a comeback?

    As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes and remote work gradually turns into hybrid work, organizations will pay close attention to which workers and occupations function well in a hybrid-work arrangement, said Amit Kramer, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who studies the relationship between work, family and health.

  • Illinois professor Jay Rosenstein directed a 1997 documentary on the use of American Indian mascots in sports, and says “nothing compares” to the retirement of Redskins by the NFL team in Washington, D.C.

    Why is the NFL team in Washington, D.C., changing its name?

    The NFL team in the nation’s capital will no longer be the Redskins. It’s the highest-profile retirement of an American Indian name by a sports team in decades, says Jay Rosenstein, an Illinois professor of media and cinema studies. His documentary on the use of American Indian mascots in sports aired in 1997 and he has closely followed the issue since.

  • Portrait of journalism professor Brant Houston.

    What does the Chicago Tribune sale mean for the future of newsrooms?

    As more newspapers are purchased by “vulture” hedge funds – highlighted by the recent acquisition of Tribune Publishing Co. by Alden Global Capital LLC  – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign journalism professor Brant Houston touts nonprofit news organizations as a viable alternative to traditional newspaper business models.

  • Photo of Patrick Keenan, an expert in human rights law and international criminal law.

    What will result from the war crimes arrest warrants for two top Russian officials?

    The International Criminal Court’s recent issuance of arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin effectively means any country cooperating with Russia is now cooperating with an accused war criminal, says Illinois law professor Patrick Keenan, an expert in human rights law and international criminal law.

  • Michelle Nelson

    What do we know about political advertising?

    It can be challenging to distinguish between a paid political ad and one that is not in today’s media environment, especially on social media. News Bureau editor Lois Yoksoulian spoke with advertising professor Michelle Nelson about the topic. New research from Nelson and her colleagues found that most adults – even those who are politically engaged and educated – do not fully understand online targeting, sources and funding for political ads, or the unique regulatory environment for political speech that is different from commercial speech.

  • Universities decisions to no longer require ACT/SAT scores and to award reverse-transfer degrees to students could make college degrees attainable for more students, according to Eboni Zamani-Gallaher, the director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at the U. of I.

    How is higher education making college degrees more attainable?

    Eboni Zamani-Gallaher, the director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at the University of Illinois, discusses initiatives that are making college degrees attainable for more students.

  • Dual-earner families, gender roles, and the economic recession

    A Minute With™... Amit Kramer, a professor of labor and employment relations

  • Headshot of Lisa Janicke Hinchlifee in a library.

    How will termination of research partnerships with Russia affect global scientific research?

    University Library professor Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe said the actions are a significant shift in policy from a long tradition of scientific diplomacy.

  • Photo of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign political science professor Nicholas Grossman, the author of “Drones and Terrorism: Asymmetric Warfare and the Threat to Global Security” and specializes in international relations.

    What are the consequences for US interests in Russia-Ukraine conflict?

    The brewing Russia-Ukraine conflict will have significant consequences for U.S. interests in Eastern Europe, said University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign political scientist and international relations expert Nicholas Grossman.

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

    Would court ruling mean college athletes are employees?

    A ruling in favor of college athletes in Johnson v. NCAA could potentially herald the most consequential change in college athletics since the NCAA was formed in 1906, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Professor Michael Leroy

    How do employers combat a resurgent white supremacy movement?

    Labor and employment relations professor Michael LeRoy discusses his research about confronting a resurgent white supremacy movement.

  • The Kurds are unlikely to fully realize any hopes of autonomy, says Illinois political scientist Avital Livny, who specializes in the politics of religion and ethnicity in the Middle East.

    Will anything ever change for the Kurds?

    A U. of I. specialist on Middle Eastern politics explains why Kurds often feel they have “no friends but the mountains,” why they’re a political threat to Turkey’s president and motivations for the recent Turkish attack on the Kurds in Syria.

  • If enacted, a bill now in the Illinois Legislature could have a transformative effect on history curricula  and on youths  in Illinois public schools, according to Leslie K. Morrow, the director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center at the University of Illinois.

    How might teaching inclusive history affect the educational, social climate in Illinois' public schools?

    Leslie K. Morrow, the director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center, discusses the impact that a proposed law could have on the curricula and students in Illinois public schools.

  • COVID-19 has added to trends working against theaters, but they won’t disappear, says Derek Long, a professor media and cinema studies at Illinois.

    Will movie theaters survive COVID-19?

    Summer is normally a season for blockbusters, but movie theaters will have special challenges this year, starting with a gamble on a few July releases. Derek Long, a professor of media and cinema studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, looks at the present and future of the business.