This Week in Illinois Research
"Singing" with the Stars
It can be intimidating to think about performing in front of a "superstar"—and when the topic is advancing the understanding of neurodiversity, and the star is alumna Temple Grandin, the pressure is really on! Temple, known for her work in the seemingly divergent fields of animal science and autism education, participated in a recent panel discussion at the Beckman Institute to mark World Autism Month. Organized by Laura Hetrick, panelists Tracey Wszalek, Stephanie Ceman, Nien-Pei Tsai, Marie Channell, and Amy Cohen highlighted the complexity of autism through molecular, cellular, social, and education research, while Temple offered insightful, in-the-moment commentary and observations. As Amy noted, presenting her work from the Illinois Autism Clinic before Temple Grandin was like singing in front of Taylor Swift!
Laura reflected that we are only going to move forward in understanding autism, how it works, and what it can be by bringing all voices and perspectives to the table. The panel's truly generative dialogue was a powerful example of how faculty across different disciplines, and with neurodivergent minds, can collaborate with great impact—in ways that benefit our campus, our communities, and beyond.
Sincerely,
Susan
Featured Stories
New leadership and increased visibility add up to a defining moment for CSBS
During the height of the pandemic, U.S. researchers worked around the clock to roll out a vaccine in record time. It was a triumph of scientific achievement – one capable of preventing serious illness and slowing the spread of COVID – yet nearly half of eligible Americans chose not to get a vaccine in the first nine months of availability.
Gerald Wilson joins Illinois as its first director of entrepreneurship
Turning research and innovation into tangible benefits to society has always been a priority and strength at UIUC. Now, with the hire of Gerald Wilson as Director of Entrepreneurship, the university’s commitment and impact are being elevated to new heights.
New NIH Grant to Fund Alzheimer's Research at Beckman
Jonathan Sweedler and Fan Lam will lead
Around Campus
Mary Schlembach has been elected as the North American representative
Mary Schlembach has been elected as the North American representative to the international Executive Committee of the Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in…
NASA officials visited campus last week
NASA officials visited campus last week to learn more about the university's role in ACRES, a consortium that is focused on using satellite data to address agriculture and food security challenges in the U.S. …
Using context-aware deep learning
Using context-aware deep learning, a new technique developed by Pengfei Song’s lab makes ultrasound localization microscopy for microvascular imaging faster and more precise.…
HRI has announced Summer 2024 Faculty Fellows
HRI has announced Summer 2024 Faculty Fellows. The program is designed to support research, course development, or professional training over the summer months.
Congratulations to Lisa Olshansky
Congratulations to Lisa Olshansky, one of 18 newly announced Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars. The award supports the research and teaching of talented early-career faculty in the chemical sciences.
National Landscape
NIH is revising the application and peer review process for research training fellowships
NIH is revising the application and peer review process for research training fellowships. The changes aim to enhance participation from applicants at smaller schools, mentors relatively early in their careers, and well-qualified students with less-conventional academic backgrounds.
The NAS has established the Science and Innovation Fund for Ukraine
The NAS has established the Science and Innovation Fund for Ukraine to cultivate a robust “science and technology enterprise capable of rebuilding Ukraine and fueling its long-term economic prosperity and national security.”
A new study from the Beckman Foundation
A new study from the Beckman Foundation shows that removing applicants’ institutional affiliations from their submissions could help funding agencies address a common disparity: "prestige privilege," or the bias toward funding applicants from institutions that are perceived as more distinguished than others.
Webinar on NSF's new mentoring requirements for graduate students
The Council of Graduate Schools is offering a webinar on Tuesday focused on NSF's new mentoring requirements for graduate students.
The Department of Defense has sworn in its first Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer
The Department of Defense has sworn in its first Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, charged with accelerating the Pentagon’s adoption of data, analytics, and AI.
A new vision for high-quality preschool curricula
A report from the National Academies lays out a new vision for high-quality preschool curricula that support equitable early education and calls for the development of new curricula around this vision.