This Week in Illinois Research
Uniquely UIUC
Every year, we ask our units to submit a high-level summary of their impact, achievements, and plans for the year ahead. It is always rewarding to take a deep dive into these reports, but this year, one point in particular just jumped off the page: More students work in the Research Park than at any other university research park in North America—more than 850 at any given time.
Many people know that the Research Park is an incredible asset that enriches our community in tangible and intangible ways. Corporate sites in the Park employ highly-skilled, full-time workers, pay taxes, develop research relationships with faculty, engage with our local community, and create opportunities for the spouses and partners of people we are trying to recruit. The impact on education might not be as obvious, but we know that students are choosing to come to the University of Illinois because of employment opportunities in the Research Park! They can pursue good-paying, career-relevant employment and enhanced job prospects once they graduate.
Our university has many “brag points” that set us apart from other institutions of higher education—terrific academic programs, cutting-edge research experiences, a productive, collaborative spirit, great clubs and sports, a welcoming and diverse community... the list goes on and on, and “employment opportunities in the Research Park” should be near the top!
Sincerely,
Susan
Featured Stories
Project to Study Anti-Black Violence in Newspapers Receives Support from Mellon Foundation
Ryan Cordell is leading a new project exploring anti-Black violence in newspapers to "provide context
University of Illinois Scientists Win $9.5M to Study Emerging Pathogens
Researchers at UIUC have been awarded $9.5M from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to study how to prevent viruses from spreading among animals and humans.
New NIH Grant to Fund Alzheimer's Research at Beckman
Jonathan Sweedler and Fan Lam will lead
Around Campus
Changes in Proposal Policies Take Effect January 30
Remember! Updates to the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide take effect January 30th. Any proposal submitted on or after January 30th must use updated versions of the biographical sketch and current and pending support forms.
Largest-Ever Study of Journal Editors Highlights ‘Self-Publication’ and Gender Gap
A first-of-its kind study highlighted by Nature finds that the percentage of women on editorial boards is approximately 14% for editors and 8% for editors-in-chief, and that many editors publish "a surprising number of their own papers in the journals that they edit."
Second Cohort of Interseminars Graduate Fellows Announced
HRI has announced the second cohort of Interseminars graduate fellows who will collaborate with faculty on research and course development. The project spans 18 months, culminating in a community event.
Investing in Research with Human Participants
Do you work with human subjects? IHSI is conducting a survey to learn how researchers coordinate and recruit research participants and collect and analyze biospecimens and biodata, and what resources and services might better support this work. The survey closes February 17.
Save the Date—iSEE Congress 2023: Addressing Crises of Planetary Scale
Save the date: iSEE Congress 2023: Addressing Crises of Planetary Scale is happening April 12-13 at the Illini Union. This year's event will explore partnerships and coordination to tackle planetary-scale challenges, including pandemics, biodiversity loss, and climate change.
Dow and UIUC Partnership Wins Awards
A partnership between UIUC and Dow has won the Industry Project Award from the Institution of Chemical Engineers, an annual award that “recognizes the best chemical engineering project ... to be implemented in industry.”
National Landscape
Abstracts Written by ChatGPT Fool Scientists
Scientists and publishers are raising concerns about ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that can "write such convincing fake research-paper abstracts that scientists are often unable to spot them."
To Reduce 'Reputational Bias,' NIH May Revamp How Grant Proposals Are Scored
The NIH is considering changes to its proposal evaluation process to reduce the impact of "reputational bias." The agency is currently accepting comments on proposed changes.
Paper-Mill Detector Put to the Test in Push to Stamp Out Fake Science
Publishers are testing systems that can automatically detect manuscripts from paper mills, according to a recent article in Nature. The tools, which will be part of an online research integrity hub, will help publishers combat fraudulent research and image manipulation.
‘GRExit’ Gains Momentum as PhD Programs Drop Exam Requirement
An investigation by Science finds that the vast majority of STEM PhD programs in the U.S. have stopped requiring GRE scores and the number of tests taken each year has plummeted.
Indictment of Monkey Importers Could Disrupt U.S. Drug and Vaccine Research
A recent article in Science highlighted the indictment of two Cambodian wildlife officials for illegally exporting hundreds of cynomolgus macaques, an endangered species, to the U.S. for research—likely exacerbating the shortage of primates for use in drug development and vaccine research.
NIH Scientific Data-Sharing Website
The NIH has added new resources to its scientific data-sharing website, including recorded webinars, informational slide decks, and a decision tool to identify which data-sharing policies apply to your research project. The agency's new Data Management and Sharing Policy goes into effect on January 25, 2023.