blog posts

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  Model calculates energetics of piercing fangs and claws

  Oct 25, 2022 1:00 pm

  Researchers have created a model that can calculate the energetics involved when one organism stabs another with its fangs, thorns, spines or other puncturing parts.

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  Musicians, chemists use sound to better understand science

  Feb 23, 2022 9:00 am

  A team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is using sonification – the use of sound to convey information – to depict biochemical processes and better understand how they happen.

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  Nature-loving maker converts food waste into Pyrus, a wood proxy

  Jan 24, 2023 11:45 am

  Gabe Tavas founded SymmetryWood, one of many startups born at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, his alma mater. A research powerhouse, UIUC is part of the University of Illinois System, which prioritizes innovation that improves lives in the state and beyond. 

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  New 3D inductor technology expands microchip capability

  Mar 25, 2020 2:30 pm

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign engineers introduce a micrhochip inductor capable of tens of millitesla-level magnetic induction in a new study. More...

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  New antiplatelet drug shows promise for treating heart attack

  Jul 15, 2020 9:30 am

  Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have developed a new drug that prevents blood clots without causing an increased risk of bleeding, a common side effect of all antiplatelet medications currently available.

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  New 'biohybrid' machines weave electronics with living cells

  Mar 6, 2023 12:30 pm

  A long-time staple of science fiction, biohybrid tech now appears within reach. UIUC researchers are working towards creating these machines, made from both living and artificial parts, that can behave with similar dexterity to living creatures.

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  New generation of biobots developed

  Sep 16, 2019 2:00 pm

  Urbana-Champaign researchers have developed soft robotic devices driven by neuromuscular tissue that triggers when stimulated by light – bringing mechanical engineering one step closer to developing autonomous biobots. More...

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  New polymer property could give accessible solar power a boost

  Jun 9, 2022 8:30 am

  Researchers at the Beckman Institute are the first to observe structural chirality, a biological property important to photosynthesis, emerging in achiral conjugated polymers. Their discovery could help enhance flexible solar cell design and increase access to affordable renewable energy.

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  New seizure-monitoring baseball cap innovated by Carle Illinois students

  Jan 21, 2022 3:15 pm

  A new seizure-monitoring baseball cap could help doctors diagnose patients with epilepsy more quickly and comprehensively. The innovation is called Epicap. 

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  New set of chemical building blocks makes complex 3D molecules in a snap

  Feb 9, 2022 8:45 am

  UIUC researchers developed a new class of chemical building blocks and a next-generation molecule-making machine to assemble them into complex small molecules with 3D twists and turns.

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  New smartphone clip-on can detect Zika virus in blood samples

  Aug 4, 2022 1:15 pm

  Rsearchers at UIUC have developed an instrument that can be clipped on to a smartphone to rapidly test for Zika virus in a single droplet of blood. 

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  New technique to de-ice surfaces in seconds

  Sep 3, 2019 12:00 pm

  Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign collaborated with Kyushu University researchers to develop a system that can de-ice surfaces in seconds. More...

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  New UIC Engineering Innovation Building

  Jul 22, 2019 12:00 pm

  UIC's new 57,500-square-foot building will add depth and breadth to the university’s expanding engineering footprint. It will house engineers investigating phenomena on a scale from the very large to the exceedingly small. More...

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  New UIUC ACES dean Bollero points college towards innovative future

  Aug 28, 2023 10:15 am

  “What allures me is the curiosity of learning new things. I’m still curious about the future — and that really drives me to do better,” says Germán Bollero, dean of the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

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  New UIUC greenhouse aims to incubate bioenergy crops

  Oct 16, 2023 10:00 am

  The new facility will house a high-throughput plant phenotyping facility designed to monitor the growth of grasses such as miscanthus and specialized strains of sugarcane and sorghum that could be developed into biofuels.

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  New volcanic eruption forecasting technique

  Sep 10, 2019 7:00 am

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign geologists are part of a team that has developed new computer models to help researchers better forecast volcanic eruptions. More...

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  NSF awards UIC $1.5M for new data science institute

  Mar 24, 2020 2:30 pm

  A multidisciplinary team of University of Illinois at Chicago researchers received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to form a new data science institute. More...

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  NSF, DOE grants fund UIC research to decarbonize cement manufacturing

  Jul 28, 2022 1:30 pm

  Chemical engineers at the University of Illinois Chicago are investigating new methods to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cement manufacturing.

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  NSF grants $10M for collaborative data science institute in Chicago

  Aug 4, 2022 1:00 pm

  A multidisciplinary team representing five Chicago-area university research centers will unite as part of a new data science institute backed by a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

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  NSF visits Urbana to announce two awards totaling more than $40 million

  Apr 27, 2022 8:00 am

  The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign highlights a recent visit from the director of the National Science Foundation, and shares how federally funded research at our nation’s universities creates new companies, industries, opportunities, and jobs—and the tech-savvy, educated workforce needed to fill them. 

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  Online tool speeds response to elephant poaching by tracing ivory to source

  Nov 1, 2019 5:30 am

  A new tool uses an interactive database of geographic and genetic information to help authorities quickly identify where the confiscated tusks of African elephants were originally poached. More...

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  Phase 1 human trials suggest UIC-developed breast cancer drug is safe, effective

  Aug 27, 2020 11:00 am

  A new type of breast cancer drug developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago can help halt progression of disease and is not toxic, according to phase 1 clinical trials. 

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  Portable, point-of-care COVID-19 test could bypass the lab

  Aug 31, 2020 11:00 am

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers developed a microfluidic cartridge for a 30-minute COVID-19 test. The cartridges are 3D-printed and could be manufactured quickly.

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  Potential new cystic fibrosis treatment

  Mar 30, 2019 12:15 pm

  An approved drug normally used to treat fungal infections could also do the job of a protein channel that is missing or defective in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis, operating as a prosthesis on the molecular scale. More...

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  Printing flattens polymers, improves conductivity

  Aug 9, 2019 12:00 pm

  Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found a way to use polymer printing to stretch and flatten twisted molecules so that they conduct electricity better. More...

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  Pritzker, stakeholders unveil design for Discovery Partners Institute at The 78

  Sep 23, 2022 2:45 pm

  Located on a one-acre site southwest of the Loop, the new DPI headquarters will provide more than 200,000 square feet of office, classroom, lab, and event space for DPI and its university and industry partners.

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  Promising nanoscale material captured by UIC's Electron Microscopy Core

  May 8, 2023 10:15 am

  Researchers visually captured the structure of MXenes - synthetic compounds with promise for energy storage, sensing, and superconductivity - using the world-class electron microscopy resources and expertise at UIC to reveal novel structures with intriguing properties.

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  Prosthetic arms provide sensory feedback

  Jul 18, 2018 3:00 pm

  Aadeel Akhtar, an M.D./Ph.D. student at Illinois, developed a control algorithm to give prosthetic arm users reliable sensory feedback. More...

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  Real Impact: Start-up shows what happens with the right support

  Sep 2, 2022 9:15 am

  “Distillery Labs, the network of Illinois Innovation Network hubs, iVenture Accelerator and others – we are all on his side with resources and want to see the We Hear You team succeed.”

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  Real Impact: Synchrony culture empowers next-gen innovators

  Sep 28, 2022 10:30 am

  Synchrony Financial and the University of Illinois System place great value on internships that lead to the high-tech jobs of today and the future.

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  Researchers create room-temperature 1,000+ cycle solid-state Li-air battery

  Mar 21, 2023 10:00 am

  Senior author Mohammad Asadi said the battery design could store 1 kWh/kg or more, four times more than current Li-ion batteries. 

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  Researchers reveal new way to harvest untapped fresh water source

  Dec 12, 2022 8:30 am

  A new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study is the first to suggest an investment in new infrastructure capable of harvesting oceanic water vapor as a solution to limited supplies of fresh water in various locations around the world.

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  Revealing path to better rechargeable battery performance

  Nov 17, 2022 8:30 am

  To design better rechargeable ion batteries, UIUC engineers and chemists collaborated to combine a powerful new electron microscopy technique and data mining to visually pinpoint areas of chemical and physical alteration within ion batteries.

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  Robotic pancreas transplant offers hope

  Jul 10, 2019 11:45 am

  Surgeons at UI Health have demonstrated that obese patients with Type 1 diabetes can safely receive a pancreas transplant when the surgery is performed robotically. More...

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  Scavenger nanoparticles could make fuel cell-powered vehicles a reality

  Apr 7, 2022 10:00 am

  Engineers at the University of Illinois Chicago are among a collaborative team that has developed a material that could give fuel cell systems a competitive edge over the battery systems that currently power most electric vehicles.

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  Scientists crack upcycling plastics to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

  Oct 6, 2022 2:45 pm

  Scientists from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and its partners developed a breakthrough process to transform polyethylene into polypropylene, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

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  Scientists develop environmentally safe, frost-resistant coatings

  Apr 7, 2022 9:00 am

  UIC researchers have developed a longer-lasting alternative to conventional deicers, like those used on airplanes. They say it could also benefit other industries.

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  Scientists work on new metals for everything from cars to lightpoles

  May 19, 2022 3:15 pm

  CBS Chicago goes inside the UIC Advanced Materials and Microstructures Lab, where researchers are researching how to make stronger metals.

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  Shrimp-inspired camera

  Jul 21, 2018 2:45 pm

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign electrical and computer engineering professor Viktor Gruev led a study demonstrating underwater global positioning made possible by a bio-inspired camera that mimics the eyes of a mantis shrimp. More...

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  Spinal cord gives bio-bots walking rhythm

  Apr 28, 2020 10:30 am

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers developed tiny walking “spinobots,” powered by rat muscle and spinal cord tissue on a soft, 3D-printed hydrogel skeleton. 

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  Students build solar charging station for sustainability vehicle

  May 26, 2022 8:45 am

  A team of students from the UIC chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World designed and built a solar charging station for Gemma, an electric vehicle used by the Office of Planning, Sustainability and Project Management.

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  Students build solar-powered home in Rantoul for DOE Decathlon

  Apr 18, 2023 12:00 pm

  The student-led Illinois Solar Decathlon is competing with more than a dozen national and international collegiate teams to design and build the most sustainable, cutting-edge house powered by renewables.

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  Students dream it, build it and patients benefit

  Feb 23, 2022 9:15 am

  Wearable Tech is a 400-level course at UIC where students dream it, build it and patients benefit. It is the brainchild of clinical associate professor Hananeh Esmailbeigi.

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  Study pushes design limits on rotary blades in quest for quieter copters/drones

  May 19, 2022 3:30 pm

  Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign tested the limits of rotary blade design to find an efficient, but quieter option.

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  Sunlight polarization patterns may be effective underwater substitute for GPS

  Jul 24, 2023 2:00 pm

  The UIUC team's method uses the polarization angle of incoming sunlight, matched with precise time-of-day and geographic coordinates, to find a location on Earth down to almost 1,000 feet underwater.

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  Team uses digital cameras, machine learning to predict neurological disease

  Oct 14, 2022 10:45 am

  In an effort to streamline the process of diagnosing patients with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, researchers used digital cameras to capture changes in gait – a symptom of these diseases – and developed a machine-learning algorithm that can differentiate those with MS and PD from people without those neurological conditions.

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  Third time's the charm for Illinois Space Society student rocket

  Dec 2, 2022 2:45 pm

  A rocket named Intrepid III might imply that it’s the third in a series of successful rockets. But the truth is, Intrepid III was born out of the failed launches of Intrepid I and II. The “III” reflects the determination and resiliency of the students who overcame two devastating failures with one outstanding success.

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  True lithium-air battery

  Jul 20, 2018 2:00 pm

  Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and at Argonne National Laboratory have designed a new lithium-air battery that works in a natural air environment and still functioned after a record-breaking 750 charge/discharge cycles. More...

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  Trustees approve purchase of new UIS Innovation Center home

  Jul 22, 2022 9:45 am

  The University of Illinois Board of Trustees has approved the purchase of a property in downtown Springfield that will become the new University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Center.

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  Tunnelbot on Juipiter's moon

  Jan 24, 2019 9:00 am

  Researchers at the Unviersity of Illinois at Chicago, part of a NASA team of scientists, presented a nuclear-powered tunnelbot solution to drill below the icy surface of Europa, Jupiter's moon, for possible evidence of life. More...