In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Project announced that it captured the first image of a black hole. A team of Illinois researchers helped interpret the massive amounts of data used to produce the image. Illinois physics and astronomy professor Charles Gammie headed the theory working group for the large, multi-institutional collaboration. The… Continue Reading
Illinois researchers achieved the highest reported rates of inserting genes into human cells with the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system, a necessary step for harnessing CRISPR for clinical gene-therapy applications. By chemically tweaking the ends of the DNA to be inserted, the new technique is up to five times more efficient than current approaches. The researchers saw… Continue Reading
A new 4,400 square-foot space is taking the College of Education’s strengths in online teaching, learning and collaborative research to new heights. Thanks to a generous private donation from Richard and Ann O’Leary, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign faculty and students have a new, state-of-the-art laboratory space to carry out research, teaching and learning. Located… Continue Reading
Illinois veterinary oncologist Dr. Timothy Fan and chemistry professor Paul Hergenrother are testing the safety of a new drug, PAC-1, to help treat patients with late-stage cancer. The compound showed promising results by reducing the size of cancerous tumors in sick pet dogs. According to Hergenrother, nearly 95 percent of cancer drugs tested in humans fail…. Continue Reading
The Institute for Sustainability, Energy and the Environment (iSEE) at Illinois leads an interdisciplinary approach to tackle the world’s pressing sustainability, energy and environmental needs of today and tomorrow. With a three-pronged focus on research, campus sustainability and outreach, iSEE is purposed to find solutions for the ever-growing demands of an increasing population without compromising… Continue Reading
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded $7,200,000 to IPRH at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to fund interdisciplinary collaboration in the humanities across fifteen research universities located in the Midwest since 2014. By leveraging strengths in the humanities across these distinctive campus ecosystems, the consortium, titled Humanities Without Walls (HWW), aims to create… Continue Reading
The Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) research project aims to equip farmers with higher-yielding crops to ensure that everyone has enough food to lead a healthy, productive life. RIPE is improving photosynthesis, the complex 170-step process in which plants convert light and carbon dioxide into the sugars that fuel growth and produce higher yields. RIPE… Continue Reading