Campus Highlights

Engineers have developed a device platform that combines electronic components for sensing, medical diagnostics, communications and human-machine interfaces, all on an ultrathin skin-like patch that mounts directly onto the skin with the ease, flexibility and comfort of a temporary tattoo.

It's hard to determine which has a greater effect on the soulmusic or nature. Now, through a collaborative effort between the University of Illinois School of Music and the University's Allerton Park & Retreat Center, music and nature will become one with the creation of a world-class music venueset amidst the beauty of an idyllic nine-acre historic farmstead.

Four University of Illinois chemistry professors are among 213 distinguished scientists elected fellows of the American Chemical Society this year. Thom Dunning, Catherine Murphy, Ralph Nuzzo and Jonathan Sweedler have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in chemistry and made important contributions to ACS, the society wrote in its announcement about the new fellows.

Nathan Gunn, opera afficianado and faculty member at Illinois discusses the evolution of opera and the emergence of music education from the conservatory to the higher education setting.

Inc.coms recently published list of 10 start-up incubators to watch featured EnterpriseWorks as one of the most productive, innovative, and nurturing start-up incubators in the country." EnterpriseWorks, a business incubator for early-stage technology firms located within the Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was included in Inc.com's July 15 article, 10 Start-Up Incubators to Watch, because of its multifaceted approach to working with entrepreneurs and the various opportunities available to start-ups.

Anyone who has ever completed a psychology class has heard of Abraham Maslow and his theory of needs, said University of Illinois professor emeritus of psychology Ed Diener, who led the study. But the nagging question has always been: Where is the proof? Students learn the theory, but scientific research backing this theory is rarely mentioned.

John A. Rogers, the Lee J. Flory-Founder Chair in Engineering at the University of Illinois, has won the 2011 Lemelson-MIT Prize. The annual award recognizes outstanding innovation and creativity.

University of Illinois chemistry professor James Lisy has been chosen to receive a prestigious Humboldt Research Award honoring a lifetime of research achievements. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Bonn, Germany, annually honors up to 100 researchers elected by a multinational, multidisciplinary panel of scholars. The recipients are each awarded a prize of 60,000 Euros (more than $86,000 at current exchange rates) and extended an invitation to pursue research of their choice with colleagues in Germany.

The staff at the Plant Biology Conservatory at Illinois expect its rare corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanium) to bloom within the next day or so. The flower is already attracting a significant amount of attention with people traveling from all over the Midwest to see it in person. The television show Modern Marvels is expected to bring a crew down to document the flower and the public's reaction to its unique scent (rotting flesh).

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a founding partner in the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), which is one of five institutions, awarded the 2011 U.S. Water Prize. The prize was presented in Washington, D.C. on May 9. The U.S. Water Prize is awarded by the Clean Water American Alliance to honor individuals, institutions and organizations for outstanding achievements in the advancement of sustainable solutions to the nations water challenges.

A five-year $4.5 million USDA grant to University of Illinois researchers will establish the Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program (I-TOPP), an innovative research-based program that will combine a Ph.D. with a master's in public health (MPH) degree focused on child obesity prevention.

Two University of Illinois professors have been elected fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology. James Slauch and Wilfred van der Donk are among the 78 microbiologists chosen by their peers for significant contributions to their field.

William M. Daley, the new White House chief of staff, will be the speaker at the 140th U. of I. Commencement on May 15.

Student comics and improv groups perform original material that focuses on college life, moms, sibling relationships and campus life. The show is hosted by the winner of the Detroit International Comedy Festival, Michael McDaniel. Program also includes a guest appearance by comedian and former Illinois Men's Tennis player, Michael Kosta.

Two University of Illinois professors Anne Dawson Hedeman, in medieval studies and art history, and Kenneth Suslick, in chemistry have received Guggenheim Foundation Fellowships. They are among 180 award recipients selected from the almost 3,000 scientists, artists and scholars who applied.

Professor of Physics and Howard Hughes Medical Investigator Taekjip Ha has been awarded the 2011 Ho-Am Prize in Science by the Ho-Am Foundation of Korea. The Prize was established by Kun-hee Lee, chairman of Samsung, in 1990 to honor the vision of "Ho-Am" Byung-Chull Lee, the founder of Samsung, and to carry forward his commitment to promote activities and people that contribute to the public well-being. The Ho-Am Prizes are widely regarded as the Korean equivalent of the Nobel Prizes.

Celebrate all things international April 11-17, 2011 on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.

Stephanie Maldonado, a junior at the University of Illinois, has won a $30,000 Truman Scholarship. She is one of about 60 students chosen from 602 students nominated by U.S. colleges and universities.

University of Illinois entomology professor and department head May Berenbaum will receive the 2011 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, an international award that recognizes those individuals who have contributed in an outstanding manner to scientific knowledge and public leadership to preserve and enhance the environment of the world. Previous Tyler Prize recipients include American biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward O. Wilson, primatologist and animal conservationist Jane Goodall and conservation biologist Paul Ehrlich. Just about all my scientific heroes have been Tyler Prize recipients, Berenbaum said. I didnt consider that I was up in that orbit. I mean, G. Evelyn Hutchinson, the founder of modern limnology, and Edward O. Wilson and Tom Eisner and Jerrold Meinwald and Paul Ehrlich yikes! That is pretty amazing.