blog navigation

News Bureau - Illinois in the News

blog posts

  • Veterinary clinical medicine

    by   news@illinois.eduJun 8, 2018 10:45 am1 View

    Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Ill., June 7) – While the national opioid epidemic claims 115 human lives a day according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there’s growing concern about another group of potential victims – police dogs. Police canines searching for dope or taking part in a drug raid face the risk of accidentally ingesting opioids, with possibly deadly consequences. “A poppy seed size of the powder can kill a dog,” says Maureen McMichael, a professor of veterinary clinical medicine at Illinois.

    Share this Story

  • Atmospheric sciences

    by   news@illinois.eduJun 7, 2018 1:15 pm1 View

    The New York Times (June 6) – A new study shows that tropical cyclones, which include storms and hurricanes, are staying in one place longer, much like Hurricane Harvey did last year. “The really, really high rainfall totals were because the storm moved so slowly,” says Deanna Hence, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Illinois who was not involved in the study. “The large amount of rain that is going to come out of a tropical storm or hurricane anyway fell in the same place over a long period of time.”

    Share this Story

  • Agricultural and consumer economics

    by   news@illinois.eduJun 6, 2018 11:00 am1 View

    The Washington Post (June 5) – President Donald Trump’s tweet about Mexican trade barriers refers to “massive trade deficits.” In 2016, the United States exported $18.7 billion in agricultural products to Mexico and imported $23.8 billion, a deficit of $5.1 billion. Trade economists say there’s a good reason for that deficit, and it doesn’t have anything to do with trade barriers. “The trade deficit is increasing because we’re coming out of a recession and people are consuming more things in the United States,” says Kathy Baylis, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics at Illinois.

    Share this Story

  • Media and cinema studies

    by   news@illinois.eduJun 5, 2018 11:45 am1 View

    WBFF-TV (Baltimore, June 4) – New data indicating far more people died on the island of Puerto Rico because of Hurricane Maria than previously reported has reignited debate over the media’s coverage of the storm and its responsibility to communicate the scale of a natural disaster that decimated a U.S. territory more than 1,000 miles southeast of Florida. “In general, the news media doesn’t cover Latino issues, if at all, except in the case of immigration,” says Isabel Molina-Guzman, a professor of media and cinema studies and Latina/o studies at Illinois.

    Share this Story

  • Computer science

    by   news@illinois.eduJun 4, 2018 11:45 am1 View

    The Daily Beast (New York City, June 2) – YouTube’s algorithm seems by default to be flagging videos containing the word “transgender” as something not suitable for all audiences. “The hard part as an outsider is figuring out if it is happening internally, meaning that explicit rules were set, or if it has to do with behavior from clicks from the outside world,” says Karrie G. Karahalios, a professor of computer science at Illinois.

    Share this Story

  • Chinese student visas

    by   news@illinois.eduJun 1, 2018 11:15 am1 View

    Voice of America (Washington, D.C., May 31) – The Trump administration says the U.S. will limit Chinese students who study in high-tech fields to one-year visas starting June 11. The State Department says that under the new policy, U.S. consular officers may limit how long visas are valid, rather than the usual practice of issuing them for the maximum five years. “I think we are facing increased competition from universities around the world, and it is important to be a welcoming and supportive educational environment for students from all countries and cultures,” says Wojtek J. Chodzko-Zajko, the dean of the Graduate College at Illinois.

    Share this Story

  • English

    by   news@illinois.eduMay 31, 2018 11:15 am1 View

    The Lewiston Tribune (from The Associated Press; Lewiston, Idaho, May 31) – Many English speakers today have no idea that gender neutral pronouns such as “they” were on the cultural radar centuries ago, according to Dennis Baron, a professor of English at Illinois who specializes in the history of the language. “The question today is are we in a blip or is this going to get stronger,” he says. “What’s working against it getting stronger is the lack of agreement on what pronoun. If everybody got behind one pronoun, that would give it a fighting chance.”

    Share this Story

  • Fundraising

    by   news@illinois.eduMay 30, 2018 1:00 pm1 View

    Herald & Review (Decatur, Ill., May 29) – Allerton Park and Retreat Center in Monticello, Illinois, announced a fundraising goal of $8 million to improve the park. The “All In for Allerton” campaign is part of the U. of I.’s $2.25 billion fundraising campaign called “With Illinois.” The university owns Allerton Park.

    Share this Story

  • Alumna

    by   news@illinois.eduMay 25, 2018 11:30 am1 View

    Chicago Tribune (May 25) – After years of surprising fans of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” with their contest winnings, Westchester native and Illinois alumna Jeannie Klisiewicz was shocked when DeGeneres surprised her with a Ford EcoSport and an audience seat dedicated in her name to celebrate her 10th anniversary working for the show.

    Share this Story

  • Food science and human nutrition

    by   news@illinois.eduMay 24, 2018 11:30 am1 View

    Eater (Washington, D.C., May 23) – Bruce Chassy, a professor emeritus of food science and human nutrition at Illinois, says there’s a short explanation for why people have turned to a fermented tea called kombucha to be healthy, or at least for a whiff of wellness: “More and more people are mistrusting of many, many different things, whether it’s politicians or corporations or traditional medicine.”

    Share this Story