U of I alum named USA Today Woman of the Year
Temple Grandin graduated with a PhD from Illinois' College of ACES in 1989. She's known as an advocate for the humane treatment of livestock, a professor in animal science and a voice for neurodiversity.
Rain threatens to put Central Illinois planting behind schedule
In the early 1970s, Grandin studied cows in Arizona. While she faced adversity at the time, Grandin also said that her autism allows her to think primarily in pictures, which in turn helps her see what cows are seeing, and connect with how they are behaving.
This helped Grandin realize that animals might be sensitive to distractions in their facilities, which can lead to injuries and losses. And, it helped her design facilities that were less threatening to livestock, transforming industry standards.
U of I named emergency host of IHSA Baseball State Finals
When Grandin was at the U of I, some of her research focused on how environments impact the visual cortex in animal brains.
Today, Grandin still works to develop better ways to support people who are neurodivergent. Through her work over the years, Grandin challenged the world to value different perspective, and has written several books on her experiences and research. You can find some of her books here.
Nearly $1 million in funding coming to expand workforce training in Sangamon County
In 2010 Grandin was one of Time Magazine's most influential people in the world. In 2016, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the next year she was named to the National Women's Hall of Fame.
You can read more about this year's USA Today 2025 Women of the Year honorees here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
These 14 states may see Northern Lights this week. See the list.
The night sky may be illuminated over the next few days in more than a dozen northern US states, courtesy of a natural phenomenon known as the Northern Lights. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) researchers report that the celestial glow should be visible through Wednesday, Aug. 20, in at least 14 states. Formally known as the aurora borealis, according to the National Weather Service, the colorful night skies are caused by the interaction between Earth's magnetic field and the Sun's plasma. What is the K-index? According to the agency, NOAA is predicting a geomagnetic K-index of 5. The index, according to NOAA, indicates how far away from the poles the Northern Lights might be visible. The K-index (also called Kp) stands for 'Planetary Index' and is an indicator of disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field. It ranges from 0 to 9, according to NOAA, and a Kp score between 3 and 5 indicates brighter activity. Using the geomagnetic storm scale, NOAA ranked the expected event as 1 − considered a minor occurrence. Which states will see Northern Lights this week? Here's what states could catch a glimpse of the aurora this week, according to a NOAA map: Northern Lights photos Contributing: USA TODAY's Melina Khan Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Indianapolis Star
Star Trek's 60th anniversary to be celebrated with waves of toys
For its 60th anniversary, the Star Trek franchise is going where it's never gone before – in terms of action figures. The groundbreaking original TV series debuted on NBC back on Sept. 8, 1966, spawning a fleet of subsequent movie and TV enterprises, including "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," currently in its third season on Paramount+, and the in-production "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," set to arrive on Paramount+ in 2026. With the space franchise's upcoming 60th anniversary looming, fans will likely engage in a massive celebration. Collectors already have plenty to get excited about. The first wave of figures, expected to be due later this year, includes characters never made available as action figures before, among them Capt. Jellico ("Star Trek: Prodigy"), Peter Preston from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and Valkris, a female Klingon from "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". The Nacelle Company, perhaps best known for TV specials such as "Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History" and "Down to Earth with Zac Efron" (both on Netflix), acquired the rights to market Star Trek playsets and accessories in 2024. The company has already announced that a host of action figures is in the works. Anniversary cruise: 'Star Trek' cruise will celebrate show's 60th birthday with William Shatner and more stars Those figures, which are one-twelfth size (roughly six or seven inches tall) can be pre-ordered now (priced individually at $28.99), will be followed by three additional waves: The arrival of a new line of Star Trek action figures "indicates how meaningful, and relevant, this series is, even 60 years later. And that makes me very proud," said Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, son of the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, in a statement to USA TODAY. "The Original Series holds a special place in the history of Star Trek, in the history of science fiction, and in the history of television," Roddenberry said. "I am thrilled to see it being honored in conjunction with Star Trek's 60th." Roddenberry wasn't ready to share other aspects of the 60th anniversary just yet. "But rest assured it's Roddenberry's intention to provide Trek fans the opportunity to be part of the celebration and engage in the Trek community," added Roddenberry, who suggested Trekkies follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube. Nacelle CEO and founder Brian Volk-Weiss comes by his interest in Star Trek toys honestly, as the owner of a collection of more than 5,000 toys. He chose the company's name based on a word for the housing of a starship's warp engines. "I'm a lifelong Star Trek toy collector and a lifelong fan," Volk-Weiss told USA TODAY. When meeting with Paramount to secure the licensing, Volk-Weiss said he told the studio he planned to cater to Trekkies who want action figures beyond the obvious characters, such as Kirk and Picard. "Where's Captain Garrett? Where's Captain Jellico? Where is Peter Preston?" he said. "That was my pitch. …. What I basically said was, 'I believe the base of the Star Trek community is strong enough to give them what they want – and Valkris is the greatest example – even if it's a character that was on screen for 81 seconds, 35 years ago.'" The company's plan for releasing action figures is to alternate waves of figures who commanded a starship bridge with waves of assorted characters. When Nacelle announced it would be releasing Star Trek toys, it included an email address in the news release encouraging fans to chime in on figures they would like to see. Decisions on which ones to produce were "absolutely 100% influenced by that," Volk-Weiss said. Nacelle has announced a total of four waves of action figures to "assure the community this is not going to be a two-wave line," Volk-Weiss said, adding that "we have to make everybody feel confident we're going to go the distance." The toys, which are made in China, would fall under President Trump's unsettled tariff policy. But Volk-Weiss said the company plans to "keep everything on schedule and keep the prices locked," with Nacelle's other divisions helping to manage any impact on the profit margins. "My goal is to make this the most successful Star Trek (toy) line ever or at least tie Playmates from their original '90s run," Volk-Weiss said. "So if I want to do that, I can't raise my prices and I can't slow anything down because keeping the trust of the community – this sounds cheesy, but it's true – if we lose (that), the line will fail." Wave One is available for pre-order and is expected to ship out this fall. Available for $28.99 each; $225 for a bundle of all eight figures: Watch: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Wave Two figures, announced in March 2025 at WonderCon in Anaheim, California, will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Wave Three figures, which features the "Star Trek" original series cast in their duty uniforms and a 60th anniversary surprise two-pack of unannounced characters, was made public in July at the San Diego Comic-Con and will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Wave Four figures, also announced in July at the San Diego Comic-Con, will be going on sale in mid-to-late 2026: Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@
USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Star Trek's 60th anniversary to be celebrated with waves of toys
For its 60th anniversary, the Star Trek franchise is going where it's never gone before – in terms of action figures. The groundbreaking original TV series debuted on NBC back on Sept. 8, 1966, spawning a fleet of subsequent movie and TV enterprises, including "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," currently in its third season on Paramount+, and the in-production "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," set to arrive on Paramount+ in 2026. With the space franchise's upcoming 60th anniversary looming, fans will likely engage in a massive celebration. Collectors already have plenty to get excited about. The first wave of figures, expected to be due later this year, includes characters never made available as action figures before, among them Capt. Jellico ("Star Trek: Prodigy"), Peter Preston from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and Valkris, a female Klingon from "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". The Nacelle Company, perhaps best known for TV specials such as "Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History" and "Down to Earth with Zac Efron" (both on Netflix), acquired the rights to market Star Trek playsets and accessories in 2024. The company has already announced that a host of action figures is in the works. Anniversary cruise: 'Star Trek' cruise will celebrate show's 60th birthday with William Shatner and more stars Those figures, which are one-twelfth size (roughly six or seven inches tall) can be pre-ordered now (priced individually at $28.99), will be followed by three additional waves: The arrival of a new line of Star Trek action figures "indicates how meaningful, and relevant, this series is, even 60 years later. And that makes me very proud," said Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, son of the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, in a statement to USA TODAY. "The Original Series holds a special place in the history of Star Trek, in the history of science fiction, and in the history of television," Roddenberry said. "I am thrilled to see it being honored in conjunction with Star Trek's 60th." Roddenberry wasn't ready to share other aspects of the 60th anniversary just yet. "But rest assured it's Roddenberry's intention to provide Trek fans the opportunity to be part of the celebration and engage in the Trek community," added Roddenberry, who suggested Trekkies follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube. 'Lifelong' Trekkie commands Star Trek toy-making mission Nacelle CEO and founder Brian Volk-Weiss comes by his interest in Star Trek toys honestly, as the owner of a collection of more than 5,000 toys. He chose the company's name based on a word for the housing of a starship's warp engines. "I'm a lifelong Star Trek toy collector and a lifelong fan," Volk-Weiss told USA TODAY. When meeting with Paramount to secure the licensing, Volk-Weiss said he told the studio he planned to cater to Trekkies who want action figures beyond the obvious characters, such as Kirk and Picard. "Where's Captain Garrett? Where's Captain Jellico? Where is Peter Preston?" he said. "That was my pitch. …. What I basically said was, 'I believe the base of the Star Trek community is strong enough to give them what they want – and Valkris is the greatest example – even if it's a character that was on screen for 81 seconds, 35 years ago.'" The company's plan for releasing action figures is to alternate waves of figures who commanded a starship bridge with waves of assorted characters. When Nacelle announced it would be releasing Star Trek toys, it included an email address in the news release encouraging fans to chime in on figures they would like to see. Decisions on which ones to produce were "absolutely 100% influenced by that," Volk-Weiss said. Nacelle has announced a total of four waves of action figures to "assure the community this is not going to be a two-wave line," Volk-Weiss said, adding that "we have to make everybody feel confident we're going to go the distance." The toys, which are made in China, would fall under President Trump's unsettled tariff policy. But Volk-Weiss said the company plans to "keep everything on schedule and keep the prices locked," with Nacelle's other divisions helping to manage any impact on the profit margins. "My goal is to make this the most successful Star Trek (toy) line ever or at least tie Playmates from their original '90s run," Volk-Weiss said. "So if I want to do that, I can't raise my prices and I can't slow anything down because keeping the trust of the community – this sounds cheesy, but it's true – if we lose (that), the line will fail." Star Trek action figures: Wave One Wave One is available for pre-order and is expected to ship out this fall. Available for $28.99 each; $225 for a bundle of all eight figures: Watch: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Star Trek action figures: Wave Two Wave Two figures, announced in March 2025 at WonderCon in Anaheim, California, will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Star Trek: The Original Series action figures in Wave Three Wave Three figures, which features the "Star Trek" original series cast in their duty uniforms and a 60th anniversary surprise two-pack of unannounced characters, was made public in July at the San Diego Comic-Con and will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Star Trek action figures: Wave Four Wave Four figures, also announced in July at the San Diego Comic-Con, will be going on sale in mid-to-late 2026: Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@ What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
