This Week in Illinois Research
Melting Down, Looking Up
I spent the long Memorial Day weekend dealing with a failing minus-80 freezer—a vital part of my lab that preserves biological samples that I use in my research with RNA. It certainly wasn't the way I had planned to spend five hours over a holiday weekend! As I uncovered lost "treasures" and agonized over whether to keep or toss old samples, I thought fondly about the students and postdocs I've mentored over the years. This big, unexpected job ended up being quite nostalgic as I sorted through the past and reflected on the way things used to be.
That failing freezer seems like a good metaphor for the present moment in higher education. Research is in jeopardy, and things that should feel solid seem to be melting down. We are being forced to evaluate our current state and make very difficult decisions. Yet even now (perhaps now more than ever) we have to find ways to celebrate small victories. In the case of my freezer, I am so grateful to the F&S team and MCB staff for so quickly helping me to mitigate what could have been a significant disruption for my future research and those who build upon it.
It won't be as easy to repair the meltdown of federal support for research, but we will continue to push back and to find ways to protect what matters most—our communities, and the world-changing work that we do.
Sincerely,
Susan
Featured Stories
Cultivating a culture of safety across campus is goal of new campaign
New campaign to highlight best safety practices, resources, and more
Stephanie Hess still remembers a time when personal protective equipment saved her from possible burns on her hands and arms.
Jen Tompkins to lead revamped Office of Animal Research Compliance
Jen Tompkins has been named the new Director of the Office of Animal Research Compliance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is starting in her new role on January 27, 2025.
New Office of Research Security to help Illinois researchers meet obligations
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is launching a new office to meet federal research security mandates and to help campus researchers navigate complex and evolving research security regulations.
Around Campus
Congratulations to Erik McDuffie
Congratulations to Erik McDuffie, who was recently awarded the Jon Gjerde Prize for best…
The NIH has updated their public access policy to start July 1, 2025
The NIH has updated their public access policy to start July 1, 2025, removing the embargo period for article availability to make manuscripts supported by NIH funding available in PubMed Central at the time of publication. See NIH’s …
The Center for Advanced Study has announced the 2025-26 cohort of Associates and Fellows
The Center for Advanced Study has announced the 2025-26 cohort of Associates and Fellows. CAS provides a forum for researchers from across campus to inspire "interdisciplinary thought that starts conversation, inspires action, and transforms the world."
A synthetic, multi-layered material that works together to hold up against stress, like turtle shells or human bones
Shelly Zhang and others have developed a synthetic, multi-layered material that works together to hold up against stress, like turtle shells or human bones. The new technology has potential…
It may be possible to still lose weight while eating your favorite sweet treats
It may be possible to still lose weight while eating your favorite sweet treats. Manabu Nakamura found that dieters who incorporated small amounts of craved food with meals lessened the cravings and lost more weight.…
3D printed parts carry a unique "fingerprint" specific to the machine that manufactured them
3D printed parts carry a unique "fingerprint" specific to the machine that manufactured them, according to a team led by Bill King. Now, they're working on an AI process to track these fingerprints and allow manufacturers to easily monitor them.
National Landscape
The White House has issued a new Executive Order on "Restoring Gold Standard Science."
The White House has issued a new Executive Order on "Restoring Gold Standard Science." Science notes concerns that the order "gives a political appointee the power to decide when those findings need to be 'corrected' and to take disciplinary action against those seen as the perpetrators of misinformation."
University researchers can access the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Energy Systems Integration Facility
University researchers can access the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Energy Systems Integration Facility (at no or low cost) to develop and validate emerging energy technologies for the future grid.
A new poll from the Association of Science and Technology Centers
According to a new poll from the Association of Science and Technology Centers, most Americans use federal science information on a weekly basis.
The Council on Government Relations issued a list of 16 recommendations
The Council on Government Relations issued a list of 16 recommendations to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget outlining ways the government could streamline research regulations.
The White House is taking unprecedented steps to restructure the National Science Foundation
The White House is taking unprecedented steps to restructure the National Science Foundation, including potentially abolishing the NSF’s 37 divisions and replacing them with five focus areas. Science digs in to the potential changes here.
NIH Director, Jay Bhattacharya, moved up the implementation date for the 2024 Public Access Policy
In one of his first acts as NIH Director, Jay Bhattacharya moved up the implementation date for the 2024 Public Access Policy from Dec. 31 to July 1.