News Bureau

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine Professor Robert O'Brien has developed the VetMouseTrap™, a device that constrains cats and small dogs to allow for easier imaging.

University of Illinois students deliver the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln Hall to celebrate the rededication of Lincoln Hall on Abraham Lincoln's 204th birthday.

Chancellor Wise announced on December 18, 2012 that the Bernard Osher Foundation has awarded a $1 Million endowment to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Illinois.

They're soft, biocompatible, about 7 millimeters long – and, incredibly, able to walk by themselves. Miniature "bio-bots" developed at the University of Illinois are making tracks in synthetic biology.

In a new study, UI researchers investigate how making text disfluent (hard to read) affects biases people have about what they're reading.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act by reflecting on what it means to be a Land Grant University today.

The Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) and Timothy J. Nugent Hall at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been selected to receive the 2012 Barrier-Free America Award from Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). Dr. Brad Hedrick, Director of DRES, accepted the award at PVA’s Americana Gala in Washington, DC, on October 2.

Watch a demonstration of a new optical method of etching semiconductors. For more information: http://www.nature.com/lsa/index.html http://light.ece.illinois.edu/ http://psl.mntl.illinois.edu/

Illinois Professor John A. Rogers demonstrates a new type of electronics; made of silk, magnesium, and silicon, these electronics completely and harmlessly dissolve in water. The potential applications of this new technology are endless - from implantable medical devices to environmentally friendly electronic devices. For more information, visit: http://rogers.matse.illinois.edu/

On September 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. UI Scholar Bruce Levine discusses the history and legacy of Emancipation as we celebrate its 150th anniversary. Levine's new book "The Fall of the House of Dixie" analyzes the social transformation of the South during and after the Civil War.

On August 7, 2012, the Alma Mater sculpture was removed from its pedestal at the corner of Green and Wright Streets for a full restoration at Conservation Sculpture and Objects Studio Inc. in the Chicagoland area. For more information about the Preservation Working Group, who organized the restoration effort, visit http://will.illinois.edu/pwg/

Birds of a feather flock together and – according to a new analysis – so do their lice. Illinois Natural History Survey ornithologist Kevin Johnson describes his work building a family tree of avian feather lice.

Learn more about the restoration of historic Lincoln Hall. Current students and alumni will be astounded at the rediscovered beauty of this landmark campus building. For more information about the Lincoln Hall project, visit www.lincolnhall.illinois.edu

Professor Joe Lyding has recently developed a new method for sharpening probes for Scan Probe Microscopes. Using ions to sharpen the tip to an atomic level, the ultrasharp probes allow for an extremely high, atomic resolution in the microscope's images.

Veterinarian and Visiting Instructor Matt Allender brought in the "Turtle Dogs" - that is, Boykin Spaniels trained to sniff out turtles and bring them to people - to gather box turtles for his research on the health of local turtle populations. All turtles in this project are returned unharmed to the location they were found. For more information: www.vetmed.illinois.edu www.turtledogs.org

Emeritus professor of biochemistry Robert Switzer’s new memoir traces the 75-year history of his family’s dairy farm in northwestern Illinois.

UI reseachers develop technique to better view 3-D microscopy of biological tissues.

Professor Aron Barbey discusses his research on using brain injury data to map intelligence in the brain.

The 14th Annual Roger Ebert's Film Festival returns to campus and the Virginia Theater this April. For more details, please visit www.ebertfest.com

Join us as we visit Engineering Open House 2012. This annual student-led event features two days of exhibits and competitions that showcase the talent and ingenuity of engineering students. The exposition attracts thousands of visitors to the Illinois campus each year and stands as the largest event of its kind in the country. EOH brings together students, faculty, and corporate sponsors to feature cutting-edge innovation in the fields of science and technology.

UI scholar and tango enthusiast Melih Sener discusses the regular tango dances held at the Krannert Art Museum. The next Tango at Krannert Art Museum event will be held March 3, 2012 from 12-5 PM. The public is welcome. For more information about tango dancing in Champaign-Urbana, please visit: http://www.cu-tango.com For more information about Melih Sener, please visit: http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/~melih/219/

Christopher Lehmann discusses recent research on radioactive fallout in U.S. rainwater samples following the disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan in March 2011.

Professor Scott White and his team of scientists have developed a new way for electronics and batteries to repair themselves.

A new tool designed by professor Mats Selen could revolutionize the way students learn physics.

Aviation security expert Sheldon Jacobson talks about airport security in post-September 11th America.

As part of Illinois Sights and Sounds, Dining Services broke the Guinness World Record for world's largest smoothie.

A new form of electronics, small enough to fit under a temporary tattoo, changes the way scientists think about gathering data from the human body.

The easiest time to learn a new language is while you are young so the University of Illinois Language Academy for Children has opened a summer camp to teach kids Spanish.

John Kindt, an expert on gambling, talks about the effects internet gambling will have on the economy.

Professor Bruce Levine discusses the start of the Civil War.

Speech scholar John Murphy talks about the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's inaugural address.

Alma Mater has her own cap and gown to wear Graduation Week . It was donated by gown manufacturer Herff Jones.

A team of divers, led by University of Illinois anthropology professor Lisa Lucero, begins to survey the pools of Cara Blanca, in central Belize. These water-filled sinkholes in the limestone bedrock were sacred to the ancient Maya, who believed that any openings in the earth were portals to the underworld. This video tells the story of the expedition, the first deep-water exploration of these mysterious pools.

The authors of the Atlas of World Hunger developed a new method for assessing hunger around the world, one that captures those at risk of hunger as well as those who are already suffering the ill effects of hunger. They also challenge some common assumptions about the root causes of hunger.

Hands on experience and guest speakers show participants in the Police Training Institute's Citizen Police Academy what its like to be a police officer in Champaign County.

A new study of songbirds by Professor David Clayton might change the way we think about memory formation and speech development in the human brain.

Using photos from the Obama White House's Flickr site, communication professor Cara Finnegan comments on the history of White House photography and the messages being conveyed in certain images. She makes note of how the Obama administration is breaking new ground in making photos so publicly accessible through a social networking site.

The February dance production "Astral Convertible" features new technology created by the Illinois eDREAM Institute. The technology is designed to interact wirelessly through sensors in the dancer's costumes to cue lights and sounds on the set.

A collaboration between the School of Architecture and the Department of Dance will result in a new graduate dance lab in one of the campuses older buildings.

Four years ago the first students came to Illinois through the Illinois Promise program, which finds resources to bring some of the highest achieving students of lesser means to the Illinois campus. Today the first of those students are approaching graduation.

Christy Lleras, a professor of human and community development, says such skills as sociability, punctuality, and conscientiousness are better predictors of success than good grades.

Frances Kuo, a professor of natural resources and environmental science and psychology at Illinois, reports her findings on how environmental factors, such as access to nature, may influence social, psychological and physical health.