Latest news with #UniversityofIllinois'
Axios
02-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Trump halting student visas could have $2B risk for Illinois
The Trump administration is halting student visa interviews and revoking visas for Chinese students amid a political pressure campaign against colleges and universities and a broader immigration crackdown. Why it matters: Illinois is one of the top states for international college students. International students contribute about $2.4 billion to the state economy and more than 23,000 jobs, according to data from NAFSA, an international education nonprofit. By the numbers: Of the 1.1 million international college students studying in the U.S. during the 2023-24 school year, about 5.5% were studying in Illinois, per data from NAFSA. That's about 62,000 students. The congressional district that includes the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus has the most international students in the state, with more than 17,000, followed by the district with the University of Chicago, which has about 12,000 students from abroad. The big picture: The student visa pause comes as the Trump administration has been criticizing U.S. colleges and universities for failing to crack down on what it describes as heightened antisemitism, as students protest Israel's actions in Gaza. The revocation of Chinese students' visas in particular is tied to concerns that their government is using them "to steal intellectual property on Beijing's behalf," a State Department official told Axios' Marc Caputo. The other side: Detractors argue that making it harder for international students to come study in the U.S. harms the country's global image, and risks missing out on key talent in hot fields like artificial intelligence.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tick from Asia invading the US—including Illinois. Here's what to know about tick season
Tick season is here. To learn what's happening with the parasitic, blood-sucking arachnids in Illinois, The State Journal-Register talked with Professor Brian Allan, who teaches at the University of Illinois' School of Integrative Biology. Here's what to expect this tick season. Nationwide, ticks are most active during the warmer months of spring, summer and early fall, though they can be active year-round as long as the the temperature is above freezing, according to the National Forest Foundation. More: 'All hands on deck': Petersburg arboretum faces loss of historic trees Predicting the abundance of ticks in a given season is challenging for several reasons, so Allan avoids making such predictions. He did, however, share that he has been hearing more reports than normal about American Dog Ticks so far this spring. "So that's just one data point that suggests maybe we're seeing a more abundant year for that particular tick species," he said. A number of tick species are increasing in distribution, meaning people are finding them in places where they have not previously. The Blacklegged, also known as deer ticks, are expanding from the north part of the state to the south. The Lone star tick is expanding from the southern part of the state to the north. Yes. There are two, relatively new tick species in the Land of Lincoln. The new ticks do not require additional knowledge for Illinoisans to prevent or remove them, but they carry the potential for new tick-born diseases, Allan said. One species is the Gulf Coast tick, which, as the name suggests, traveled from the Gulf Coast of the U.S. People began reporting this species in the southern part of Illinois, but it is expanding northward, Allan said. The Gulf Coast tick transmits a group of diseases known as spotted fever rickettsiosis that can cause illness in humans. Additionally, a species of tick was discovered in central Illinois last summer, dubbed the Asian Longhorned tick that is from Asia and is invading North America. "It's a new tick species and we're not thrilled that it's here," Allan said, adding that the tick has shown the ability to transmit a wide variety of diseases under laboratory conditions. "We're not yet seeing evidence that they're responsible for a lot of disease transmission to people, but we know they're capable of it, so we're concerned that that tick species has become established in Illinois because it's probably going to cause health problems in the future," he said. Females of this species can also notably reproduce asexually. More: Is Gov. JB Pritzker the wealthiest person in Illinois? Here's the top 5 Allan shared three rules of thumb for protection against ticks. When entering an area known to have many ticks, like the woods, people can wear long pants and long sleeves. By tucking your pants into your socks and by tucking your shirt into your pants, "that makes kind of like a continuous physical barrier and it makes it a lot easier to find a tick when it's crawling on your clothing before it even gets into contact with your skin," Allan said. Use tick repellent. Allan recommends permethrin. "Deet is effective at repelling mosquitoes, but it's not very effective at repelling ticks," Allan noted. Allan lastly shared that performing frequent tick checks is an effective way to prevent them from biting. "So when you've been out doing yardwork or in the woods; after you get back, giving yourself a thorough check for ticks is really helpful because a number of these tick species have to be attached to you for a while, as in hours, to transmit an infectious disease, so it's not like a mosquito bite where they bite you quickly and they're gone," he said. For more information, Illinoisans can go to the Illinois Department of Public Health's Tick Surveillance Map. There, residents can see what species of ticks have been reported in each county, as well as some basic information about the ticks. Professor Allan is broadly interested in the ecology of infectious diseases, particularly diseases transmitted via the bite of an infected arthropod, like ticks and mosqutoes Much of Allan's research focuses on the consequences of human-mediated global change, such as climate change and human land-use, on the risk of exposure to parasites and pathogens carried by wildlife, according to his biography on the university's website. Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@ This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Ticks in Illinois: What to know about species, prevention and more
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Six Illinois women honored with 2025 Order of Lincoln
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Six women from Illinois were honored for their professional achievement and public service on the University of Illinois' campus over the weekend. The Order of Lincoln recognizes individuals whose contributions have led to the betterment of humanity in Illinois. The 2025 recipients were honored on Saturday, May 3, at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. PREVIOUSLY: Six Illinoisans to be honored as 2025 Order of Lincoln recipients This year's honorees include: Olympic speed skater Bonnie Blair, born in Champaign Poet Sandra Cisernos Architect Jeanne Gang, U of I graduate Emmy-award winning Chicago journalist Carol Marin, U of I graduate Julieanna Richardson, whose organization The HistoryMakers collects African-American oral histories former CEO of Chicago Public Schools Janice K. Jackson The six recipients are now among the more than 350 distinguished Illinois residents who have joined the Order of Lincoln over the last fifty years. Champaign-born Bonnie Blair was the first American woman to win five gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games. Her first Olympic appearance was at the 1984 Sarajevo Games. Four years later in Calgary, Blair earned her first gold medal in the 500 meter speed skating event. In the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville Blair added two more gold medals, and in 1994, Blair stood atop the podium and received another two gold medals at the Olympic Games in Lillehammer. After retiring from speed skating, Blair became a motivational speaker and an advocate for the Alzheimer's Association, the American Brain Tumor Association and the Leukemia Association, in honor of her family members that had been impacted. Remembering Jerry Schweighart: Bonnie Blair's story Jeanne Gang graduated from Illinois with a degree in architecture in 1986. Since then, she's founded international architecture and urban design practice Studio Gang and is known for designs across the Americas and Europe, including the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History; a new United States Embassy in Brazil; and an expansion of the Clinton Presidential Center. Gang is also a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and has been named one of TIME Magazine's most influential people in the world. In 2024, she served as the U of I's commencement speaker. Carol Marin graduated from the University of Illinois and went on to become a journalist and Emmy Award-winning reporter. She's worked at WMAQ-TV Chicago, CBS News, the Chicago Sun-Times, among others. Marin has won numerous awards, including multiple Peabody Awards, the Gracie Award, as well as two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards. In 2016, DePaul University launched the Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence with Marin as co-director. Pro-Palestine student protestors return to Alma Mater at U of I Sandra Cisernos is a poet and writer who explores the lives of the working-class. Her novel 'The House on Mango Street' has sold over eight million copies, has been translated into over twenty-five languages, and is required reading in elementary, high school, and universities across the nation. Julieanna Richardson is the founder and president of The HistoryMakers, a Chicago-based nonprofit, which is a nonpartisan, digital, archival collection of African-American oral histories. Richardson started her career as an attorney for a Chicago law firm. Later, she became a cable administrator for the City of Chicago Office of Cable Communications, founded Shop Chicago, and created a production company. In 1999 Richardson began compiling African American oral histories. Now, her archive contains over 348 Illinoisians, more than any other state on record. Janice Jackson, EdD, is the CEO of Hope Chicago and former CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS). She also founded and led two Chicago public high schools. Her 22-year career with CPS is most notable for the district's results in advancing equitable student outcomes. Now, her work with Hope Chicago seeks to create economic mobility for disinvested communities through scholarships. You can read more about the event and this year's honorees here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U of I Soybean Innovation Lab saved with $1 million anonymous donation
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — University of Illinois' Soybean Innovation Lab will keep its doors open for another year. The Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab was scheduled to close on April 15. The Trump administration cut funding for all of the USAID foreign aid contracts in February, which is where the laboratory received its funding. Race Recap: 2025 Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend University officials announced Monday that an anonymous donor stepped up and pledged a $1.02 million donation to fund the lab and its core staff for 12 months. SIL director Pete Goldsmith said the grant will continue some essential work and allow them to apply for different funding sources. 'We will use the gift to restart our efforts with our partners and clients bringing soybean to the Lower Shire Valley of southern Malawi diversifying the Lower Shire economy and leveraging recent World Bank irrigation investments,' said Goldsmith, who also is an emeritus professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois. Champaign man, ALS advocate reflects as ice bucket challenge comes back for a new cause The work of SIL does not only help African countries, but is also a boon for the U.S. and global economies with more places growing soybeans. 'Africa is the last frontier for soybean. It`s one of the fastest-growing areas and has huge potential. But someone has to go in and de-risk commercial interests. That's what SIL does,' Goldsmith added. 'We go in and de-risk, build the market, and reduce uncertainty so that farmers in trade can follow on. And it's not just farmers, it's traders, it's processors. We've been very effective at it. Without us, there's no plan B.' Anyone interested in donating to SIL can visit UIUC's GiveCampus page and selecting other, and writing 'Dr. Peter Goldsmith Support Fund – 11335457.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Social Media Hype and the Weather
Meteorologist Jacob Dickey sits down with Jessie Choate, a Senior Instructor and Academic Advisor and the Broadcast Meteorologist instructor at the University of Illinois' Department of Climate, Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences to talk more about how social media has become a source of weather information that can be hard to distinguish and understand. Get more stories and content like this from the 2025 WCIA Weather Special by visiting Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
