Tea party Six-year-old Rafe and his mom, Amy Bennett, meet the Queen of Hearts, played by graduate student Tara Lyons, at the Mad Hatter Tea Party at the UI Rare Book and Manuscript Library on March 5.
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For the work-weary, the word “vacation” may conjure images of leisurely, carefree days at the beach sipping umbrella drinks. But according to published research by a UI expert in tourism and recreation, genealogical tourism is one of the fastest growing markets in vacation travel because it represents a conscious shift away from relaxation and into the realm of personal enrichment and fulfillment.
Those who value excellence and hard work generally do better than others on specific tasks when they are reminded of those values. But when a task is presented as fun, researchers report, the same individuals often will do worse than those who say they are less motivated to achieve.
With the world awash in information, curating all the scientifically relevant bits and bytes is an important task, especially given digital data’s increasing importance as the raw materials for new scientific discoveries, an expert in information science at the University of Illinois says.
For the average college basketball fan looking for an edge in a March Madness office pool, a UI expert in statistics and data analysis has some advice on how to pick winners: After the Sweet Sixteen round of play, ignore a team’s seeding, which is a statistically insignificant predictor of a team’s chances of winning.
Mastering mathematics can be daunting for many children, but researchers have found that children with visual impairments face disproportionate challenges learning math, and by the time they reach the college level, they are significantly under-represented in science, technology, mathematics and engineering disciplines.
Understanding the steps to the intricate dance inside a cell is essential to one day choreographing the show. By studying the molecules that give a cell its structure, UI researchers are moving closer to understanding one of those steps: the conga line.
Questionable lending helped sink the U.S. economy, but also provided a lifeline that kept countless firms afloat and averted an even deeper recession, according to research by a UI finance expert.
Five more review teams are examining another set of campus programs to determine possible cost savings or revenue generation as part of the Stewarding Excellence @ Illinois initiative.
Units under review, gaps in state funding, furlough days, terminal contracts. No doubt many UI employees are feeling stressed. They should be aware of a valuable resource that can help them deal with the anxiety they’re feeling.
At the March 10 UI Board of Trustees meeting in Urbana, UI President Stanley O. Ikenberry introduced the possibility of an accelerated degree program that would let students finish their bachelor’s degrees in fewer than four years.
The Assembly Hall will introduce a pilot alcohol sales program this month at select shows targeted toward adults. Alcohol sales will be limited to beer and wine. The pilot program is in effect at Cirque du Soleil’s “Alegria,” which continues through March 21, and “Cabaret” on April 24.
A series of break-ins to campus buildings resulting in theft and vandalism has shown the need for faculty and staff members to be alert.
Four people have been chosen to receive honorary degrees during the 139th commencement of the UI on May 16 at the Assembly Hall.
The Allerton Park and Retreat Center near Monticello is doing its part for the environment. Its sustainability efforts include the recent installation of an outdoor wood-burning boiler that heats five park buildings: the visitor’s center greenhouse, public restrooms, operations building and two workshops.
Six faculty members and eight graduate students from the Illinois campus have been awarded fellowships by the Ilinois Program for the Research in the Humanities for 2010-2011. The fellowships support research and writing over the coming academic year on topics proposed by the recipients.
At its March 10 meeting, the UI Board of Trustees approved the appointment of 25 faculty members as Center for Advanced Study fellows and associates for the 2010-11 academic year.
