Innocence Project will hold first awards reception

The Downstate Illinois Innocence Project housed at UIS will hold a Defenders of the Innocent Awards Reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, at the Pasfield House, 525 S. Pasfield, in Springfield. The event will honor Richard Kling and Susana Ortiz -- lawyers for Herb Whitlock, recently exonerated of murder -- as well as Mattie Hunter, Art Turner, and Paul Froehlich -- three legislators who worked on reforms in the 2007 legislative session. Read more>>

UIS to host annual Science Research Symposium

Science programs at UIS will host the campus' Eighth Annual Science Research Symposium on Friday, April 18. The daylong event features presentations on applied or theoretical research by students and faculty at UIS and other four-year colleges in the area.

The invited keynote speaker is Dr. Leonard MacGillivray, from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Iowa. The deadline to submit an abstract is March 28. Read more>>

UIS will show "The Return of Navajo Boy"

The documentary "The Return of Navajo Boy" will be shown beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, in UHB 2008. Director/producer Jeff Spitz will be on hand to discuss the film, which was an official selection at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.

"The Return of Navajo Boy" chronicles an extraordinary chain of events that began with the discovery of an old film reel and ended with a long-lost brother's return to his family. Spitz also examines a number of issues, including stereotypes, interracial adoption, and uranium mining on the Navajo Reservation in Monument Valley, Utah. Read more>>

Alumni SAGE Society to host a look at Sangamon Auditorium

The UIS Alumni SAGE Society is sponsoring "Behind the Scenes at Sangamon Auditorium," a Lunch and Learn event, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, in Sangamon Auditorium lobby.

Auditorium Director Robert Vaughn will discuss how the more than 120 shows that the auditorium presents each year are selected, what kind of program is most likely to "sell," and the challenges involved in booking events for the 2,000-seat venue. The program will include a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility.

Read more, including how to make reservations>>

Kronos Quartet coming soon to Sangamon Auditorium

The Grammy award-winning Kronos Quartet will perform at Sangamon Auditorium on Tuesday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m.

The Springfield Choral Society will join the string quartet to perform "Sun Rings," a work commissioned by NASA. The work is a multimedia production featuring 10 chamber music movements, a 60-piece choir, and sounds recorded from space.

Professors Charles Schweighauser and John Martin of the UIS Astronomy/Physics department will give a pre-show presentation at 6:45 p.m. Read more>>

Phil Coulter and his Irish Pops Orchestra coming to Sangamon Auditorium

Sangamon Auditorium at UIS will host a performance by Grammy nominee Phil Coulter with his Irish Pops Orchestra on Wednesday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m.

Coulter's hits have been recorded by stars from Sinead O'Connor to Elvis Presley and in his native Ireland he is the biggest-selling instrumentalist of all time. Read more>>

Center Publications releases 3rd edition of Mostly Good and Competent

Center Publications at UIS has released the third edition of The Illinois Governors: Mostly Good and Competent, a collection of biographies of the state's 40 governors, updated to include analysis of former Gov. George Ryan's and current Gov. Rod Blagojevich's terms of office in new chapters by Taylor Pensoneau.

Peggy Boyer Long, third edition editor, noted that the newest edition also provides greater context and highlights some of the people and events that fill out the portrait of each governor's era. Many photos and images have been added to illustrate historic events.

Read more>>

Media Advisory: Technology Day

"Technology Day: Building iCommunity" will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 27, in the lower level concourse area of the PAC.

Demonstrations, discussions, and poster and breakout sessions will showcase interesting and innovative ways that the campus is using technology. A keynote address on Technology and Civic Engagement will begin at noon in PAC C/D. The winner of the 1st UIS Video Contest for students will be announced at 4:10 p.m.

More details, including a link to the complete schedule of events>>

UIS to air live broadcast of NIU memorial service

UIS is one of the public gathering places for Sunday’s live broadcast of Northern Illinois University’s Memorial Service for the victims of the tragedy on campus on Valentine’s Day. NIU graduates, as well as other members of the public, are invited to attend.

The service is scheduled for Sunday, February 24, 2008 beginning at 7:00 p.m. Group viewings of the live broadcast are being held in several locations across the country. At UIS, the broadcast can be seen in Brookens Auditorium. Read more >

UIS will host presentation by CEO of Federal Reserve Bank

Dr. William Poole, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will speak on "Finance: Engine of Growth, Engine of Instability" at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, in Brookens Auditorium. At the conclusion of his formal remarks, Dr. Poole will also take questions from the audience.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis is one of 12 regional Reserve banks, serving the Eighth Federal Reserve District. Regional Reserve banks, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., constitute the Federal Reserve System.

Dr. Poole's presentation is also part of the ECCE Speakers Series. Read more>>

Professor is co-editor of new book on term limits

Christopher Mooney, professor of Political Studies at UIS, is the co-editor of Legislating without Experience: Case Studies in State Legislative Term Limits (published by Lexington Books). Mooney is also the author of one chapter and co-author of another.

Legislative term limits are reshaping the political landscape in many states; however effects vary from state to state. This book compares states with term limits to similar states without them, taking a case study approach that allows the authors to offer insights into the different legislative processes. Read more>>

UIS will host security defense conference

"Cyber Defense and Disaster Recovery: Protecting Our Infrastructure Assets" is the subject of a daylong conference to be held Friday, March 7, at UIS.

Conference chair Janis Rose said that the program will address major issues and challenges regarding security threats and will include practical advice on what the public and private sectors can do to mitigate risks and enhance their ability to recover when disasters occur.

The conference is hosted by UIS' Computer Science department, in conjunction with InfraGard Springfield, and the Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance. Advance registration is required. Read more>>

Technology Day will focus on Building iCommunity

UIS will host its eighth annual Technology Day from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27. The focus of this year's program is "Building iCommunity: Toolsets for Today."

Activities will include demonstrations, discussions, and poster and breakout sessions highlighting interesting and innovative ways that the campus is using technology in education. All activities will be held in the PAC concourse area.

The highlight of the day will be a keynote address by Ann Peterson Bishop, a community organizer using technology in innovative ways. Read more>>

Visual Arts Gallery presents "The sunshine of our last day"

"The sunshine of our last day," an installation project by Michael Jones McKean, will be on display in the Visual Arts Gallery from February 21 through March 27. The work is a new multi-media piece built specially for this exhibit.

McKean is currently assistant professor of sculpture and extended media at Virginia Commonwealth University. An artist's talk will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 21, followed by an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Read more>>

New Internet radio station begins webcasting on campus

The Prairie Star, a new 24-hour Internet radio station, began broadcasting February 14 from the UIS campus.

Jim Grubbs, associate professor of Communication, said that the new station is not connected to the NPR affiliate WUIS 91.9 FM. "The Prairie Star was created specifically to provide a learning venue and creative outlet for UIS students," he said.

To listen, go to www.uis.edu/campusradio, click on the image of Radio Star – the station's mascot, and choose either the MP3 or Windows Media Internet stream. Read more>>

UIS to host address by noted expert on women and the media

Author/scholar/lecturer Dr. Jean Kilbourne will speak on "Deadly Persuasion: Advertising and the Corruption of Relationships" at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 4, in Brookens Auditorium. After Kilbourne's remarks, the floor will be open for questions from the audience. A reception and book signing will immediately follow.

Kilbourne's address will also be webcast live.

She has been described by The Boston Globe as "a superstar lecturer" and was named by The New York Times Magazine as one of the three most popular speakers on college campuses today. The event is presented by UIS' Center for State Policy and Leadership and Women's Center in observance of Women's Heritage Month. Read more>>

UIS announces fall semester deans' list

A total of 440 students were named to the UIS Deans' List for the 2007 fall semester. To qualify for the designation, a student must be an undergraduate who took at least eight graded semester hours and maintained a grade-point average of at least 3.75 for the semester.

Click here for a printable list of students' names, arranged alphabetically by hometown.

Grad student wins grant to pursue microbiology research

Ryan Roy, a graduate student in the UIS Biology Department, has received an award from the highly competitive Sigma Xi Grants-In-Aid of Research program. Roy's award will allow her to embark on a novel investigation involving the simulation of natural chemical conditions (specifically oxidation-reduction, or "redox") in the laboratory to assess parts of the microbial community that may be enriched under different conditions.

Her adviser, Mike Lemke, associate professor of Biology and director of the Emiquon Field Station, said the results of Roy's work could have implications for wider research in the field. Read more>>

Political art series to screen "American Blackout"

The UIS series Political Art and the Public Sphere will resume for the spring semester with a screening of the film "American Blackout" at 7 p.m. Monday, February 18, in Brookens Auditorium.

This "furious documentary" chronicles recurring patterns of voter disenfranchisement from Florida 2000 to Ohio 2004 and follows the story of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who took an active role in investigating election debacles and later found herself in the center of another controversy after she publicly questioned the Bush Administration about the 9/11 attacks. Read more>>

CATS: America's favorite family musical comes to Sangamon Auditorium

CATS, the show that revolutionized musical theatre, is coming to Sangamon Auditorium at UIS for two performances, March 3 and 4. This is the only production in North America sanctioned by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Read more, including a link to ticket information>>

Redfield is editor of new book

Kent Redfield, professor of political studies at UIS, is the editor of and a contributor to Democratic Renewal: A Call to Action from America's Heartland, published last month by the Midwest Democracy Network. The book is a series of essays profiling issues involving democratic institutions in five Midwestern states.

More information, including a link to read the book online>>

February Campus Preview Day

UIS will host a Campus Preview Day for prospective students and their families from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 23. The program will include an academic fair, campus tours, lunch, and greetings from the chancellor and provost.

More information, including how to make a reservation>>

UIS to host Student Environmental Coalition Legislative Conference

Students from throughout the state who are interested in environmental policy or the legislative process will converge on UIS February 12 and 13 for the Illinois Student Environmental Coalition Legislative Conference.

Activities on Tuesday, February 12, will include discussions on a range of topics by representatives from a number of offices and agencies. Students will also receive a crash course on the lobbying process. On Wednesday, February 13, participants will go to the State Capital Complex where they will lobby with members of the General Assembly on issues and legislation involving electronic waste recycling. Read more>>

Fourth Holtz Lecture will focus on "The Age of Lincoln"

The Fourth Annual John Holtz Memorial Lecture at UIS will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 13, in PAC conference room C/D.

The featured speaker will be Vernon Burton, professor of history at the U of I in Urbana-Champaign, who will speak on his book The Age of Lincoln. Burton's lecture and a reception and book signing immediately following are free and open to the public. Read more>>

Doug Sheley is Employee of the Year

Doug Sheley, building service sub-foreman, was named UIS' 2007 Employee of the Year at the 25th annual EOY Recognition Ceremony, held February 5 on campus.

When Doug was chosen employee of the month for June, it was noted that he "is always calm, pleasant, professional, and helpful. His position is very demanding and he is just the right person for it."

Read more and watch a video clip of the ceremony>>

Expanding Your Horizons conference for girls

"Expanding Your Horizons in Math, Science, and Technology" – a hands-on conference designed specially for girls in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades – will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday, March 8, on campus at UIS.

Presented by the AAUW - Springfield Branch and co-sponsored by UIS and The Children's Center, the event will give middle-school girls an opportunity to attend hands-on, experiential workshops led by women who are scientists, engineers, physicians, architects, and professionals in many other careers traditionally held by men. More information, including how to register>>

Spring "Taste of UIS" lectures begin with retired U.S. Marshal

The Taste of UIS: Distinguished Faculty/Alumni Lunchtime Lectures, sponsored by UIS Alumni Relations, U of I Alumni Association, will resume for the spring on Wednesday, February 20, at Maldaner's Upstairs in Springfield.

Retired U.S. Marshal Robert Moore will speak on "The President's Men – The Untold Story, Black U.S. Marshals" as part of the campus' observance of Black History month. Read more>>

WUIS launches music series downtown

Public Radio WUIS, the Sangamon Valley Roots Revival, and Samuel Adams/Samuel Adams Lite are joining together to present Bedrock 66 Live!, a nine-part series featuring live local performances of roots, bluegrass, blues, and rock music by lesser known, yet critically acclaimed national artists.

The first show features bluegrass group The Infamous Stringdusters at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in downtown Springfield.

Seven of the nine performances will take place at the Hoogland Center; two will be on campus in WUIS' new Suggs Performing Arts Studio.

Read more, including ticket information>>