Illinois News Bureau

blog posts

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  Illinois historian examines how emotional intimacy became politically valued in post-WWII Britain

  Mar 24, 2023 8:30 am657 views

  History professor Teri Chettiar said emotional well-being was seen as a key factor for a stable democracy in the period following World War II.

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  Book: Professional jobs have changed – but not for the better

  Mar 22, 2023 1:15 pm398 views

  The new book “Crisis in the Professions: The New Dark Age” examines the social, political and economic forces that are changing the practice and public perceptions of elite professions such as law, medicine and higher education.

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  Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative accepting freshmen applicants for fall semester

  Mar 6, 2023 11:45 am3760 views

  The Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is accepting applications from neurodiverse students who will be incoming freshmen in the 2023 fall semester.

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  What's the remedy for medical misinformation?

  Feb 27, 2023 1:45 pm613 views

  Sociology professor Kevin Leicht is co-leading the development of a software app that will alert clinicians to medical misinformation that's circulating on social media so they can address it with their patients if desired.

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  Study examines COVID-19 pandemic's effect on Black, Latina women's mental health

  Feb 27, 2023 11:00 am777 views

  Black and Latina women had high rates of anxiety and depressive symptoms during the pandemic, but prayer had differing effects, kinesiology and community health professor Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo found in a study.

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  Researchers illuminate gaps in public transportation access, equity

  Feb 15, 2023 12:30 pm1156 views

  Public transit systems offering broad coverage of stops and routes may still underserve the communities that rely on them the most, according to a new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study. The study, by former civil and environmental engineering student Dale Robbennolt and Applied Research Institute senior research scientist Ann-Perry Witmer, applies contextual engineering to help determine lapses in equity in public bus transportation access using data from the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District as a case study.

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  Geography, language dictate social media and popular website usage, study finds

  Feb 9, 2023 7:30 am514 views

  Since its inception, the internet has been viewed by technology experts and scholars as a way to access information at a global scale without having to overcome hurdles posed by language and geography. However, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign  found that how people around the world use the same popular social media platforms and websites remains vastly different based on their language and geography.

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  U of I online social work degree programs address diversity needs

  Feb 8, 2023 10:00 am742 views

  The School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is offering two new degree-completion programs – the iBSW and the iMSW – that aim to address racial and gender disparities in the school’s student population and the social work profession.

   

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  Study links exercise intensity, attentional control in late-adolescent girls

  Feb 6, 2023 8:30 am1069 views

  Adolescent girls who engage in more moderate and vigorous physical activity each day have better attentional control, a new study finds. The study focused on girls and boys aged 15-18.

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  Site of integrated Illinois town founded by former slave is newest national park

  Jan 30, 2023 11:00 am1660 views

  The New Philadelphia National Historic Site in western Illinois, commemorating the first U.S. town to be legally founded by African Americans, is the nation’s newest national park. Several University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professors were among those leading the effort seeking national park status for the site.

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  Illinois anthropology professor awarded NEH Fellowship

  Jan 17, 2023 3:00 pm666 views

  Anthropology professor Erin Riggs has been awarded a 2022 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship.

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  A strong ethnic identity can buffer or bolster the effects of online sexual racism in Black men

  Jan 13, 2023 12:45 pm594 views

  A strong commitment to their ethnic identity may be a double-edged sword for young sexual minority Black men when they encounter sexual racism online, according to a study by U. of I. social work professor Ryan Wade.

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  Does a 'fake news' label help audiences identify false information?

  Jan 11, 2023 8:15 am882 views

  Using the term “fake news” does not help audiences distinguish false information or sources and may be doing more harm than good, according to resarch by U. of I. communication professor Emily Van Duyn.

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  Why was the Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol considered an 'auto-coup d’état'?

  Jan 4, 2023 8:00 am858 views

  The Cline Center for Advanced Social Research’s Coup d’État Project initially categorized the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as an “attempted dissident coup.” But that classification has evolved to include the additional classification “attempted auto-coup d’état,” said Scott Althaus, the center’s director and a professor of both political science and communication at Illinois.

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  Implicit bias prevents women from obtaining prompt treatment for health problems

  Dec 19, 2022 1:15 pm503 views

  Communication professor Charee Thompson studied implicit bias in health care and women’s prolonged struggles to obtain treatment and emotional support for a variety of mental and physical health problems.

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  Are outspoken social media users more polarized in their views on racial equality?

  Dec 7, 2022 1:15 pm881 views

  In a study of U.S. adults’ social media activity and polarization of their views on the Black Lives Matter movement, communication professor Stewart Coles found that people low in racial resentment who expressed themselves more frequently on these media were less supportive of BLM.

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  Diagnoses of suicidal ideation surged among Black pregnant women in 10-year study

  Nov 29, 2022 8:00 am1131 views

  Diagnoses of suicidal ideation and depression increased dramatically among pregnant Black women from 2008-2018, according to a study led by University of Illinois social work professor Karen Tabb Dina.

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  Study: COVID-19 policies harmed minority women's perinatal experiences, magnified inequities

  Nov 15, 2022 11:30 am610 views

  A study by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign team explored the impact of health care providers’ COVID-19 mitigation policies on women of color who were pregnant or gave birth during the pandemic.

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  Nine Illinois scientists rank among world's most influential

  Nov 15, 2022 8:00 am6882 views

  Nine U. of I. researchers have been named to the 2022 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list. The list recognizes research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence – reflected through their publication of multiple papers frequently cited by their peers during the last decade. This year’s list includes 6,938 individuals from around the world whose papers rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year in the Web of Science.

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  Study shows the power of 'thank you' for couples

  Nov 14, 2022 10:15 am2155 views

  Gratitude may be a powerful tool for couples, increasing relationship satisfaction and protecting against common stressors, says research by human development and family studies professor Allen W. Barton.

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  Refugee teens in Uganda who 'sext' more likely to use condoms, studies find

  Nov 2, 2022 11:15 am672 views

  Studies led by social work professor Moses Okumu found that teens in Uganda who "sexted" were more likely to use condoms and that the online media they use may be means of providing sexual health interventions.

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  People who viewed sex as a leisure activity enjoyed more, better sex during the pandemic

  Oct 13, 2022 7:45 am2065 views

  People who viewed sex as a leisure activity used their pandemic downtime to engage in more  frequent, creative and satisfying sex, U. of I. professor Liza Berdychevsky found in a recent survey. 

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  Peer adversity may cause girls to feel their self-worth is constantly at risk

  Oct 10, 2022 8:30 am554 views

  Girls with a history of adversity may be especially sensitive to situations that threaten their self-worth, according to new research by psychologists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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  New database catalogs police shootings in Illinois to improve accountability

  Oct 7, 2022 11:00 am1666 views

  The Cline Center for Advanced Social Research and an interdisciplinary team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts have developed a statewide registry on the use of lethal force by police officers in Illinois.

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  What do we know about political advertising?

  Oct 5, 2022 1:30 pm1182 views

  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.

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  Men's experiences of sexual racism differ in two online dating communities

  Sep 28, 2022 11:30 am4198 views

  While sexual racism abounds on dating apps, Black men who are sexual minorities reported differing forms of it on the popular apps Jack’d and Grindr, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found.

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  Illinois language justice collective helping to preserve Indigenous Mayan languages

  Aug 30, 2022 2:00 pm1317 views

  An Indigenous languages collective at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is helping local Maya learn to read and write Q’anjob’al and working with interpreters for the community.

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  Study: Slogans protesting federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate displayed three themes

  Aug 26, 2022 9:00 am1386 views

  U. of I. sociology professor Tim Liao's analysis of the protest slogans about the federal COVID-19 vaccine-or-test mandate in November 2021 found three distinct themes.

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  Study: Holocaust Museum motivates visitors to create social change

  Aug 15, 2022 9:45 am1680 views

  New research suggests that exploring one of the darkest chapters in mankind’s history – the Holocaust – may inspire tourists to act on human rights and social change. 

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  Study links protecting Indigenous peoples' lands to greater nonhuman primate biodiversity

  Aug 10, 2022 1:00 pm1086 views

  By comparing geographic patterns of nonhuman primate biodiversity and human land-use, researchers discovered that areas managed or controlled by Indigenous peoples tend to have significantly more primate biodiversity than nearby regions. They also found that lorises, tarsiers, monkeys and apes whose territories overlap with Indigenous areas are less likely to be classified as vulnerable, threatened or endangered than those living fully outside Indigenous lands.

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  Study links insulin resistance, advanced cell aging with childhood poverty

  Jul 25, 2022 12:15 pm719 views

  Black adolescents who lived in poverty as children and were pessimistic about their future had accelerated immune cell aging and greater levels of insulin resistance in their mid- to late twenties, according to a study by Allen W. Barton, a professor of human development and family studies.

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  North 'plaza' in Cahokia was likely inundated year-round, study finds

  Jul 21, 2022 8:00 am2637 views

  The ancient North American city of Cahokia had as its focal point a feature now known as Monks Mound, a giant earthwork surrounded on its north, south, east and west by large rectangular open areas. These flat zones, called plazas by archaeologists since the early 1960s, were thought to serve as communal areas that served the many mounds and structures of the city.

  New paleoenvironmental analyses of the north plaza suggest it was almost always underwater, calling into question earlier interpretations of the north plaza’s role in Cahokian society. The study is reported in the journal World Archaeology.

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  Poor diet, household chaos may impair young children’s cognitive skills

  Jul 12, 2022 1:30 pm8022 views

  Young children’s development of the higher-level cognitive skills called executive function may be adversely affected by household chaos and poor nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scholars found.

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  Study examines pandemic’s impact on volunteer health care workers

  Jul 12, 2022 1:00 pm536 views

  Having high levels of compassion satisfaction buffered some temporary medical workers at a New York field hospital from stress disorders during the early days of the pandemic, a new study found.

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  Book examines role of racial justice work in progressive policy changes

  Jul 11, 2022 9:30 am343 views

  Grassroots organizing efforts strengthen their campaigns for economic policy changes by collaborating with racial justice groups, says urban planning professor Marc Doussard in his new book “Justice at Work: The Rise of Economic and Racial Justice Coalitions in Cities.”

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  Study examined COVID-19 policies' effects on people with disabilities

  Jun 20, 2022 12:00 pm558 views

  The closures of gyms and other facilities to contain COVID-19 negatively affected the mental and physical health of some people with disabilities, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found.

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  Staring at yourself during virtual chats may worsen your mood, research finds

  Jun 13, 2022 1:00 pm1878 views

  A new study finds that the more a person stares at themself while talking with a partner in an online chat, the more their mood degrades over the course of the conversation. Alcohol use appears to worsen the problem, the researchers found.

  Reported in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, the findings point to a potentially problematic role of online meeting platforms in exacerbating psychological problems like anxiety and depression, the researchers said.

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  Older Latinos redefine family to include friends, neighbors, other community members

  Apr 28, 2022 1:00 pm448 views

  Latinos view the support of friends and neighbors as so vital to their well-being in later life that they redefine these relationships as family, researchers say in a new study that explored older Latinos’ perspectives on positive aging.

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  Parents' reactions while helping with math shape young children's achievement

  Apr 25, 2022 10:30 am5221 views

  Cultivating a love of math – and inspiring the next generation of numbers-oriented professionals – may start with activities that promote enjoyable parent-child experiences, say U. of I. researchers.

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  Study examines impact of DNA evidence in sexual assault prosecutions

  Apr 7, 2022 8:00 am1292 views

  DNA evidence has a dramatic relationship with sexual assault prosecutions and convictions, says a new study of one city's data co-written by U. of I. senior research specialist and social work professor Ted Cross.

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  How does Russian invasion exacerbate Ukraine's humanitarian crisis?

  Mar 29, 2022 11:45 am571 views

  The damage sustained by Ukraine will require years of rebuilding efforts, says Illinois sociology professor and demographer Cynthia Buckley.

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  Can historical racism in medicine help explain current racial differences in medical care?

  Mar 22, 2022 8:00 am1134 views

  Acquiring new medical knowledge and assessing health are not as objective as people think, said history professor Rana Hogarth, who is the adviser for a new series of podcasts by the Science History Institute in Philadelphia to explore issues of racism in science and medicine.

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  Study ties present-day Native American tribe to ancestors in San Francisco Bay Area

  Mar 21, 2022 2:00 pm1959 views

  A genomic study of Native peoples in the San Francisco Bay Area finds that eight present-day members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe share ancestry with 12 individuals who lived in the region several hundred to 2,000 years ago.

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  Project helps East St. Louis residents overcome barriers to COVID-19 testing, vaccination

  Mar 11, 2022 8:15 am1275 views

  A project that is underway in East St. Louis, Illinois, is investigating strategies for overcoming barriers to COVID-19 testing and vaccination among more than 548 medically and socially vulnerable residents of St. Clair County.

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  Vigilantism is an identity for some people, researchers report

  Mar 10, 2022 8:15 am1911 views

  A new study finds that some people routinely monitor the behavior of others and are eager to punish those who violate laws or societal norms, especially when they believe authorities have failed to do so. These self-appointed enforcers willingly embrace the job of keeping order, aren’t particularly concerned about accidentally punishing innocent people, and consider themselves kind and moral actors, the researchers found.

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  Private investment in California's solar energy industry increases climate vulnerabilities, study finds

  Mar 9, 2022 10:30 am1790 views

  The large-scale infrastructure needed to attract private investment in solar energy makes it more vulnerable to climate extremes, said urban and regional planning professor Sean Kennedy.

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  Study examines accuracy of arrest data in FBI's NIBRS crime database

  Feb 18, 2022 1:15 pm932 views

  A study of one state's arrest data in the FBI's NIBRS database found that while the majority of the cases were correct, the timings of arrests and other factors may lead to inaccuracies.

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  Study: High COVID-19 rates in older Latinos linked with economics, outside help

  Feb 9, 2022 8:15 am528 views

  Financial hardship and outside help were significantly associated with COVID-19 diagnoses among older Latinos, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign social work professor Lissette Piedra and her team found.

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  Study: Lower acculturation linked with poorer cognitive function in older Hispanics

  Feb 9, 2022 8:00 am1025 views

  A new study on culture and cognition found that long-term Hispanic immigrants who were less acculturated to the U.S. performed significantly worse on cognitive function tests than their highly acculturated peers.

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  Study: Brain mechanisms involved in learning also drive social conformity

  Dec 21, 2021 8:00 am3329 views

  Some of the same brain systems known to play a role in learning from trial and error also are engaged when people conform to social norms, scientists report in a new study. The findings are important, the researchers said, because changing one’s behavior to align with one’s peers can contribute to community-building or – depending on the goals and values of the group – societal breakdown.