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  • On the Big Screen

    Screenwriter and Illinois alumnus David Magee wrote the script for "Mary Poppins Returns."

  • At right, Catherine Best, a research professor of bioengineering, supervises students, including REU participant Javier de Jesus Astacio, center, who is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and Yujin Lee, an Illinois junior in bioengineering.

    Summer Study: Program provides undergrads with research experience

    This summer, 10 undergraduate students performed research using advanced imaging and microscopy technologies through the Discoveries in Bioimaging Research Experience for Undergraduates.

  • Sociology major Denise Branch gained valuable perspective from her internships at local law firms.

    LAS in C-U: Liberal arts fair connects students with internships

    Fall semester fair helps students find local employers.

  • Journalism professor Janice Collins, advising students in a Hear My Voice meeting, said she started the website and organization to provide "a platform where we can all come together to learn."

    Hear My Voice: News project makes space for inclusive conversation

    Journalism project creates a space for dialogue.

  • Chronic Wasting Disease afflicts white-tailed deer (pictured), mule deer, moose, reindeer and elk.

    Undergrads choose their own adventure in this wildlife research group

    Don’t be fooled by the name, the wildlife and chronic wasting disease research group has a broader mission than you might think. Yes, the research focuses on white-tailed deer, primarily, and on CWD, a baffliing affliction of deer and elk. But for the dozens of undergraduate students who have joined this collaborative effort over the years, the group also is a portal, of sorts, to wide-ranging adventures in research.

  • Interactive Projects

    Interactive art studio at University of Illinois teaches students coding, building circuits

  • "The School of Social Work has become my home on campus, and it's nice to share that experience with other students," said senior Anne Coulomb, who is serving her second appointment as a Social Work Ambassador.

    Social Work Ambassadors: Students welcome peers to their field of study

    Social Work Ambassadors promote the School of Social Work programs, courses to students curious about the major and the careers available to alumni with degrees in the field.

  • Physics professor Paul Kwiat (left) and his team of undergraduate students: Shaurya Anuj Singhal, Ben Fields, Jack Bernard and Julia Spina.

    LabEscape: Science feeds adventure through escape room

    Escape the room if you can, but the physics is inescapable.

  • Researchers at the U. of I. found that plants vary a lot in the efficiency with which they uptake carbon dioxide and conserve water. Plant biology professor Andrew Leakey, left, mentored Kevin Wolz, who was an undergraduate at the time he conducted the research. Wolz now holds degrees in civil engineering and biology and is pursuing a doctorate in biology.

    Two undergrads improve plant carbon-cycle models

    In the summer of 2012, two undergraduate students tackled a problem that plant ecology experts had overlooked for 30 years. The students demonstrated that different plant species vary in how they take in carbon dioxide and emit water through stomata, the pores in their leaves. The data boosted the accuracy of mathematical models of carbon and water fluxes through plant leaves by 30 to 60 percent.

  • Toheeb Okenla, IT senior with the College of Business and computer science minor, South Holland, Ill.  Jesus Fernandez-Ortiz, junior computer science student with the College of Engineering, South Holland, Ill.

    Illini Success

    Students, alumni share what shaped them most 

  • Oasis Design Project

    University of Illinois students designed a seating area inspired by zen gardens for a major art and design show in Chicago last fall.

  • U. of I. animal sciences students spent nine weeks studying wildlife in Botswana's Okavango Delta and Chobe Enclave Region.

    Okavango Odyssey: Study abroad students study wildlife in Botswana

    It was 6 a.m. and the campers were quietly preparing for the day. Suddenly, a voice called out from the camp manager’s tent.

    “Girls? We’re going to have to wait. I can see a lion from my window.”

  • Birthday cake with the numbers 150

    Celebrating our sesquicentennial

    Milestones and relevant connections to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's 150th anniversary. 

  • Professor Laura Payne gave her communication in recreation, sport and tourism class a unique assignment: Perform a random act of kindness and post about it on social media using the hashtag #RAKLexiTurner, an online campaign in memoriam of an Illinois teen killed by a train. Payne, left, is shown with one of her students, Meghan Hannigan, who used the assignment to remind recruits to her sorority to be cautious around railways.

    Good Deeds, Safety Reminders

    Recreation, sport and tourism class creates public service messages about railway safety

  • Illinois computer science students Quinlin Chen and Mark Craft created a plug-in for the Chrome browser that verifies news articles and flags fake news – and they did it in only 36 hours, as part of a hackathon event.

    Ferreting out fake news

    Illinois computer science students Mark Craft and Qinglin Chen created an extension for the Chrome web browser to verify articles and pictures posted to Facebook. Even more impressive? They did it in less than 36 hours, as part of a student hackathon event hosted by Princeton University in November 2016.

     

  • Photo of U. of I. computer science lecturer Anna Yershova and a student peering through a virtual reality headset.

    Virtual Reality Project

    Have you ever been on the field at Memorial Stadium, standing next to the cheerleaders as they lead an “I-L-L” call-and-response during a football game? Or have you been onstage at Foellinger Great Hall at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts while world-class musicians play?

    With the help of a new interdisciplinary project from students in advertising and computer science, those and a few other quintessential Illinois experiences are just a mouse click – and a pair of virtual reality goggles – away.

  • Students in a “Reacting to the Past” course, each in the role of a historical figure, replay a scenario from a century ago in New York City.

    History Games

    Students learn about the past by replaying it, in a different kind of history class.

  • Students in U.S. Congress class, each in the role of a House member, debate a bill during a floor session.

    Act of Congress

    Students play the role of U.S. House members for a semester and gain insights on process, politics and power.

  • Only Connect

    Student groups offer camaraderie, opportunities to lead

  • Actif

    Startup develops wearable systems for road safety

  • Like Fish in Water

    Underrepresented students make the most of fellowships in animal biology

  • Advertising is Us

    Student group leads in membership, awards and enthusiasm

  • A Community of Peers

    Resources await at the Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education

  • Josh Talks

    TED Talks have nothing on Illinois Athletic Director and Illinois alumnus Josh Whitman

  • Top Dogs

    U of I team designs “bark park”

  • Dear Parents: Letter from the Chancellor

    By the time this issue of Postmarks is in your hands, we'll be well into the fall semester at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  • Students Dawn Haken, Jos Tuason and Osamu Miyawaki work on assembling and testing solar panels that will provide power for a CubeSat mission slated to launch in the fall.

    Ten…Nine…Eight...

    CubeSat students prepare for launch

  • Jason Yue, a senior in engineering, and Eric Pursley, a Presby Hall chef, became friends when Yue first started out as a resident adviser for Presby. Yue, whos been helping those he meets fulfill their bucket lists, took Pursley flying for the first time. The video, posted in September 2015, has received more than 518,000 views.

    Jason's List

    Student uses YouTube to help others finish bucket lists

  • Volunteers who helped with the build were encouraged to write uplifting messages on a wall at the park to underscore the importance of physical activity in community members lives.

    Play for Change

    Sport-focused RSO is a Slam Dunk

  • History professor John Randolph instructs students in a SourceLab course on how to investigate and verify online images, video, texts and other artifacts  often of sketchy origin  to get them ready for history.

    Finding the Source

    History students unearth the unknown about artifacts on the Web

  • Tara Zumwalt (left) and Eve Zumwalts family has been attending Illinois for more than 140 years.

    A Family Affair

    Celebrating five generations of Illinois students

  • Camp attendees expanded their cultural knowledge at the Education building.

    Chinese for a New Generation

    Chinese culture and language camp promotes international outlook

  • Mayank Kale Student Entrepreneur

    iVenture Accelerator

    Nurturing student entrepreneurs' startup ambitions

  • 2016 Campuswide Commencement

    Exercises set for May 14

  • Chemistry professor Catherine Murphy, seated at the microscope, explains the work of her research team to Peggy Flavin, an environmental design student.

    Art Meets Science

    Murphy Lab Participant/Observer Program creates interdisciplinary learning environment

  • Interim Chancellor Barbara J. Wilson

    Dear Parents: Letter from the Chancellor

    As you get this issue of Postmarks in the mail, we’re moving into the final couple of months of our academic year here at Illinois.

  • Juniors in education Rachel Granzin (left) and Lindsay Duffy go kayaking near Sydney during a study-abroad trip to Australia.

    Education Students Down Under: Australia study trip gives future teachers a global education

    Visiting Australia was on Lindsay Duffy’s bucket list since the seventh grade, the U.of I. junior said. So Duffy “did a little happy dance” when she learned she’d be studying abroad Down Under.

  • Sophomores Miranda Dawson, left, and Pierce Hadley, right, work in bioengineering professor Rohit Bhargavas lab as part of the Illinois Cancer Scholars Program.

    Illinois Cancer Scholars: Cancer Scholars Program links education to real-world issues

    When Pierce Hadley came to the University of Illinois, he wanted access to professors, a chance to do research in a lab, and a perspective on how his classes and research in bioengineering could relate to medicine. He found all of that when he became one of 12 students who are the first cohortof the Illinois Cancer Scholars Program, a new undergraduate training program launched in fall 2014 in the department of bioengineering.

  • Alex Tran and Angela Annarino are members of the U. of I. Student Patrol, a team of trained students who provide campus safety services.

    Safety in Numbers: Student Patrol plays dual role as community service, career training

    U. of I. students Alex Tran and Angela Annarino prefer to work in the dark. While their peers are studying, sleeping or unwinding at the end of a long day of class, Tran, from Chicago, Illinois, and Annarino, from Lamont, strap on their work vests and radios. It’s during the night when they are needed the most.

  • Nora Benson, a junior from Chicago majoring in engineering, displays a prosthetic hand created at the Illinois MakerLab.

    Illinois MakerLab: 3-D printing lab fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, interdisciplinary teamwork

    The next industrial revolution has arrived at the Universityof Illinois, but it’s not happening on the side of Green Street that anyone familiar with the Urbana campus would expect. Located on the third floor of the Business Instructional Facility, the Illinois MakerLab is touted as the world’s first 3-D printing lab in a business school.

  • Jonas Kurniawan and Simone Heo received hands-on experience and equipment training as undergraduate researchers in professor John Rogers lab.

    Laboratory Learning: Research teaches students about flexibility—in electronics and in life

    “Fabricating flexible electronics is my thing. I love it!” said Seung Yun “Simone” Heo, her enthusiasm evident even while speaking about the technical processes of metal vapor deposition and electron beam lithography. “We’re making everything from scratch. I can do it myself from step one. It’s not that hard to do, it’s more about time and effort.”

  • KEEPING IN STEP: Marching Illini Head to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

    The first time Angela Kucharski saw the Marching Illini perform, she knew she wanted to be a part of it.

  • Illinois student and I Pay It Forward scholarship recipient Dexter Smith came to campus with $100 and a laptop. Its a beautiful thing when you help someone who is struggling to turn their life around, he said.

    I Pay It Forward: Student by student, ACES ‘pays it forward’ through month-long scholarship campaign

    Illinois student Dexter Smith knew he wanted to study at the U. of I. since the eighth grade. But he needed financial help to stay at Illinois, and found it through some fellow classmates.

  • Comparative biosciences professor Matthew Allender, left, makes use of John Ruckers Boykin spaniels, which can sniff out box turtles.

    The Turtle Team: Veterinary students use dogs to study turtles

    They show up in rubber boots and load their backpacks with gear: GPS units, latex gloves and data collection notebooks. The other equipment–calipers, syringes, scales and folding tables–will be used later when the students bring turtles here to their temporary laboratory alongside a park road.

  • Mylissa Zelechowski, who says English is where Im meant to be, has interned writing for a video gaming company, and sees numerous career options ahead.

    Lit Skills, Job Skills: Students learn more than they often realize in studying English

    The student who chooses English as a major should be prepared. Prepared for the questions, concerns and even mocking about the value of their degree.

  • Interim Chancellor Barbara J. Wilson

    Dear Parents: Letter from the Chancellor

    By the time you read this issue of Postmarks, we’ll be nearing the middle of the fall semester here at Illinois.

  • Members of Girls Next Door, the first all-female a cappella group on campus, rehearse the songs in their repertoire.

    Voices in harmony: Student a cappella groups enjoy close-knit community

    Attend a charity fundraiser on the University of Illinois campus, and you might hear one of the many student a cappella groups singing a classic song such as “Blue Skies.” Or you might hear a group at a student event performing a recent Rihanna hit, or singing a blend of Indian and American pop music at the chancellor’s pre-game party on a football Saturday.

  • Yanchen Shi (left), a senior in bioengineering from Dunlap, Illinois, gets his resume reviewed at The Career Center by Rameez Siddiqui, a student paraprofessional there.

    Career prep starts early: Even freshmen, whether certain or searching, have things they can do

    The Career Center at the U. of I. is in a handy spot, across the street from the Alma Mater sculpture on the edge of Campustown.

  • Kayla Keehn of Algonquin, Illinois, a senior in business, was one of the students in business professor Eric Neumans human resource management course. She worked with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District on recruiting a new dentist as part of the Community Learning Lab.

    New program puts knowledge to work solving community needs

    When Morgan Tarter was an undergraduate in the bachelor of social work program, she wanted to work in the addiction and recovery field. But her career aspirations changed after she gained some “real world” experience through service learning.

  • Jessica Weston studied disaster relief in New Zealand. Months later, when her hometown was ravaged by a tornado, she was ready to help.

    Illinois study abroad program prepares student for real life disaster

    When Jessica Weston was choosing a study abroad location, she had two qualifications: beautiful weather and English-speaking. So, she chose the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, where she was able to fulfill her academic requirements, as well as develop her interest in volunteer work through a course called “Rebuilding Christchurch.” The New Zealand city was recovering from a series of violent earthquakes.