MADRID, SPAIN -- University of Illinois Laboratory High School student Alex Zhai tied for first place at the 49th International Mathematical Olympiad as he won his second gold medal in two years and led the six-member U.S. team to a third-place finish overall. Zhai scored the maximum possible 42 points in the six-problem, nine-hour contest.

While biking across the nation, the Illini 4000 Bike America Team interviews cancer patients and survivors from all walks of life. From the truck driver in New York City to the wheat farmer in Colorado, everyone has a story tell. The purpose of this project is to illustrate cancer's influence on American life, and how individuals respond to cancer according to their religious beliefs, location and socioeconomic status. Illini 4000 financially supports Camp Kesem as well as the American Cancer Society Research Fund. Camp Kesem is an organization which runs summer camps for children whose parents have been affected by cancer. Illini 4000 is proud of the service Camp Kesem provides and is committed to supporting Camp Kesem at the University of Illinois.

After 136 years as a dues-based organization, the Alumni Association has adopted an all-inclusive membership plan and welcomes all graduates, former students, faculty and staff of the University of Illinois, as well as all students, as members. Lifetime membership still carries special status and benefits, but the organization hopes to expand the number of well-informed and interested alumni and mobilize their talents, support and advocacy for the university.