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  • Puzzling height of polar clouds linked to solar radiation

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Scientists have discovered why polar mesospheric clouds over the South Pole are nearly two miles higher than those over the North Pole. A variation in solar radiation - a result of Earth's elliptical orbit - is responsible, they say.

  • Super small nanoelectrodes can probe microscale environments

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Investigating the composition and behavior of microscale environments, including those within living cells, could become easier and more precise with nanoelectrodes being developed at the University of Illinois.

  • Two Illinois researchers to receive Presidential Early Career Awards

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Two University of Illinois researchers are among 58 young researchers named today (June 13) as recipients of the 2004 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers. They will receive their awards today in a White House ceremony.

  • High-fidelity patterns form spontaneously when solvent evaporates

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Resembling neatly stacked rows of driftwood abandoned by receding tides, particles left by a confined, evaporating droplet can create beautiful and complex patterns. The natural, pattern-forming process could find use in fields such as nanotechnology and optoelectronics.

  • Guest lecturer to speak on the physics of superheroes

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - James Kakalios, a professor of physics at the University of Minnesota, will discuss physics and comic-book superheroes during a talk Thursday (March 15) at the University of Illinois.

  • Space telescope astrophysicist to present public talk

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Mario Livio, a senior astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, will discuss the wonders of the universe observed by the Hubble Space Telescope during a talk Sept. 17 at the University of Illinois.

  • Portable sampling cart monitors emissions from wood-burning cookstoves

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A new method of measuring emissions from cookstoves could help improve human health and enhance the accuracy of global climate models.

  • State finals of Illinois Science Olympiad to be held April 7

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. The state finals of the Illinois Science Olympiad will be held April 7 at the University of Illinois. The event, which begins at 9 a.m., is part of a national competition in which middle and high school students compete in 24 events involving science concepts and engineering skills. The public is invited to attend.

  • Measurement technique can image how heat moves through material

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Infrared cameras create images by detecting the heat given off by an object, including the body of a soldier hidden in the dark of night. Now, researchers have developed a technique for imaging how fast heat can move through an object.

  • Physics professor named to NATO Science Committee

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Jeremiah D. Sullivan, professor and head of physics at the University of Illinois, has been appointed to the Advisory Panel of the Security-Related Civil Science and Technology Sub-Program by the NATO Science Committee. The appointment, which begins in September, is for four years.

  • Physics professor wins Guggenheim Fellowship

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Dale J. Van Harlingen, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois and a researcher at the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, has won a 2001 Guggenheim Fellowship.

  • Illinois scholar elected fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - James Economy, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

  • Illinois chemist receives Humboldt Research Award

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - University of Illinois chemistry professor James Lisy has been chosen to receive a prestigious Humboldt Research Award honoring a lifetime of research achievements.

  • Nation remains vulnerable to power blackouts, thanks to political impasse

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - As the peak electricity season approaches, little has been done in Washington to prevent a recurrence of last August's power failure that produced a huge blackout in the Northeast, an expert at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign says.

  • Superconducting nanowires show ability to measure magnetic fields

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - By using DNA molecules as scaffolds, scientists have created superconducting nanodevices that demonstrate a new type of quantum interference and could be used to measure magnetic fields and map regions of superconductivity.

  • Huang elected to Chinese Academy of Engineering

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Thomas S. Huang, the William L. Everitt Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been elected a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

  • Weather forecasts may be predictors for prevalence of West Nile virus

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Weather forecasts could become barometers for predicting the potential threat of West Nile virus to humans and wildlife, according to scientists at two state agencies based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  • U. of I. to host state finals of Science Olympiad April 21

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The state finals of the Illinois Science Olympiad will be held April 21 at the University of Illinois. The event, which begins at 8 a.m., is part of a national competition in which middle and high school students compete in 23 events involving science concepts and engineering skills. The public is invited to attend.

  • Sullivan receives Leo Szilard Lectureship Award from American Physical Society

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Jeremiah D. Sullivan, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois and former director of the UI's Program in Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security, has been selected as the 2000 recipient of the Leo Szilard Lectureship Award from the American Physical Society.

  • Boppart named one of the world's top young innovators by Technology Review

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Stephen A. Boppart, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and of bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been chosen as one of the world's 100 Top Young Innovators by Technology Review, the world's oldest technology magazine.

  • Professor receives Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers at White House

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Charles F. Gammie, a professor of physics and of astronomy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was among 60 young researchers named as recipients of the 2001 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers. Gammie received his award July 12 in a White House ceremony.

  • Three Illinois researchers receive Presidential Early Career Awards

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Three researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were among 56 young researchers named as recipients of the 2005 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers.

  • Five Illinois professors elected as 2003 AAAS Fellows

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Five University of Illinois researchers - Ilesanmi Adesida, Craig M. Bethke, Keh-Yung (Norman) Cheng, Jeffrey S. Moore and Robert J. Novak - are among 348 scientists elected as 2003 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  • Two elected to membership in National Academy of Engineering

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Incoming University of Illinois Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Linda P.B. Katehi and College of Engineering Interim Dean Ilesanmi Adesida have been elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering, the academy announced today.

  • Two University of Illinois faculty members earn 2010 Sloan Fellowships

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Two University of Illinois faculty members have been selected to receive 2010 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan foundation: Yann R. Chemla, a professor of physics, and Karrie Karahalios, a professor of computer science.

  • Improved dielectric developed for chip-level copper circuitry

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A new dielectric material, developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, could facilitate the use of copper circuitry at the chip level. The thermally stable aromatic polymer has a low dielectric constant of 1.85, good mechanical properties and excellent adhesion.

  • Measurement clarifies role between protein structure and cell adhesion

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Scientists studying the adhesive properties of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) - a protein that helps bind the nervous system together - have found that two opposing models of cell adhesion are both correct.

  • Three Illinois professors elected to National Academy of Sciences

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Three University of Illinois faculty members are among the 72 scientists elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of distinguished research and continuing achievements, the academy announced today.

  • Scholars develop protocol for 'LBS,' new wireless Internet technology

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - To some, the ability to track the movements of family members using cell phones equates to a violation of privacy. Others - particularly parents, who already are tapping the new technology to keep tabs on their kids - view it as a convenient way to ensure their children's safety in an increasingly ominous world.

  • Scientist honored by French university for research on Earth's mantle

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Jay D. Bass, a professor of geology and of materials science at the University of Illinois, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 in France.

  • Illinois professor wins Packard Fellowship

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Scott K. Silverman, a professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is among 16 U.S. researchers named 2003 Packard Fellows in natural sciences by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. He will receive $625,000 during the next five years to enhance his research efforts.

  • Novel computed imaging technique uses blurry images to enhance view

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a novel computational image-forming technique for optical microscopy that can produce crisp, three-dimensional images from blurry, out-of-focus data.

  • Amtrak official to speak on future of high-speed rail initiative

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Michael Franke, assistant vice president and program director of AmtrakÕs Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, will discuss the initiative at a talk at noon Feb. 8 in Room 3269 of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana.

  • U. of I. signs commitment to combat climate degradation

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois has promised to achieve climate neutrality by joining a nationwide consortium of concerned colleges and universities that are signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. By signing the commitment, Chancellor Richard Herman pledged that the U. of I. is developing a long-range plan for reducing and neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions on campus and is accelerating its research and educational efforts to equip society to re-stabilize Earth's climate and help the U.S. achieve energy independence.

  • Climate scientist to deliver lecture in series honoring his father

    CHAMPAIGN,Ill. - Ralph Keeling, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, will deliver the annual lecture that honors his father, the late Charles David Keeling, who was an analytical chemist at the University of Illinois and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

  • Six professors at Illinois elected as 2005 AAAS Fellows

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Six faculty members of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science: David F. Clayton, Evan H. DeLucia, Dana D. Dlott, Ravishankar K. Iyer, Deborah E. Leckband and Lawrence B. Schook.

  • Researchers solve one mystery of high-temperature superconductors

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - An experimental mystery - the origin of the insulating state in a class of materials known as doped Mott insulators - has been solved by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The solution helps explain the bizarre behavior of doped Mott insulators, such as high-temperature copper-oxide superconductors.

  • Forum to look at earthquakes, including potential in central U.S.

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Should the October earthquake in Pakistan, and the widespread devastation it caused, raise concerns in the central United States?

  • Scientists identify molecular cause for one form of deafness

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Scientists exploring the physics of hearing have found an underlying molecular cause for one form of deafness, and a conceptual connection between deafness and the organization of liquid crystals, which are used in flat-panel displays.

  • Membraneless fuel cell is tiny, versatile

  • In new statistical approach, data decide model

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A data-driven computational approach developed by a University of Illinois statistician is revealing secrets about inner Earth and discovering unique gene expressions in fruit flies, zebra fish and other living organisms.

  • University of Illinois to host 'See Your Soldier' event

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois will use advanced videoconferencing technology to connect Illinois families with loved ones who are stationed in Iraq. On July 11 and 12, family members can visit one of several sites in Illinois for live, interactive 30-minute videoconferencing sessions in which they can see and talk with their soldiers stationed at either Camp Al Asad (Air Force) or Camp Taji/Cooke (Army) in Iraq.

  • Production of high-fidelity entangled photons exceeds 1 million per second

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Like virtuosos tuning their violins, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have tuned their instruments and harmonized the production of entangled photons, pushing rates to more than 1 million pairs per second.

  • Self-assembly generates more versatile scaffolds for crystal growth

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Self-organizing synthetic molecules originally used for gene therapy may have applications as templates and scaffolds for the production of inorganic materials. Using electrostatic interactions between oppositely charged molecules as the binding force, scientists are learning how to organize these synthetic molecules into more versatile complexes with large and controllable pore sizes.

  • National Science Foundation funds new nanoscale research center at Illinois

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to create a nanoscale science and engineering center with an emphasis on nanomanufacturing. The grant will provide $12.5 million in funding over five years, with the possibility of a five-year renewal.

  • Proofreading and error-correction in nanomaterials inspired by nature

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Mimicking nature, a procedure developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign can find and correct defects in self-assembled nanomaterials. The new proofreading and error-removal process is based on catalytic DNA and represents a paradigm shift in nanoscale science and engineering.

  • Microbial transport at Yellowstone: by land, sea or air?

  • New algorithm speeds simulations of complex fluids

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Computer simulations play an essential role in the study of complex fluids - liquids that contain particles of different sizes. Such liquids have numerous applications, which depend on a fundamental understanding of their behavior. But the two main techniques for the atomistic simulation of liquids - the molecular dynamics technique and the Monte Carlo method - have limitations that greatly reduce their effectiveness.

  • Three professors named fellows of American Association for the Advancement of Science

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Three University of Illinois researchers - Robert M. Fossum, Hugh M. Robertson and Peter G. Wolynes - are among 283 scientists who will be recognized Feb. 19 (Saturday) as new fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science during the association's annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

  • New polyelectrolyte inks create fine-scale structures through direct writing

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Like spiders spinning webs, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are creating complex, three-dimensional structures with micron-size features using a robotic deposition process called direct-write assembly.