Students

Learning to adapt and overcome challenges are central competencies that can be learned through studying abroad, and 2020 has spurred a need for even more creativity and flexibility within the field. Given that travel restrictions have limited in-person experiences for students and institutions over the past nine months, virtual project-based programs have become increasingly present with opportunities for students to still connect around the world and develop global competencies in an innovative and resourceful way.

College can be difficult – any student knows that. What many students may not know, though, is how dedicated their teachers and advisors are to helping them navigate what can be a stressful and confusing time, especially now.

URBANA, Ill. – Ashli Trudeau wrapped her hand around the little bird ever so gently, carefully following instructions to keep the American Goldfinch safe. She could feel the bird’s tiny feathery heart racing against her fingers, and her own skipped a beat.

“Its feathers were one of the softest things I have ever felt,” she recalls. “I only held the bird for 10 or 15 seconds, but that memory will stay with me forever.”

URBANA, Ill. – College students are significantly less likely to be food insecure than non-students in the same age group, according to a new study from the University of Illinois.

“College hunger” has been widely reported in the media, and several studies found very high food insecurity rates among college students, sometimes up to 50 or 60%. “That did not make sense to those of us doing research on food insecurity, so I wanted to check those findings,” says Craig Gundersen, agricultural economist at U of I.

New graduates are usually full of excitement, relief, and maybe also a bit of nervousness thinking about entering the adult world. As they progress in their careers and get busier with life, staying connected to their university might not always be at the top of their to-do lists.

URBANA, Ill. – Since COVID-19 began its menacing march across Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and then across the world, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has taken a “whatever works” strategy to ensure its replication and spread. But in a new study published in Evolutionary Bioinformatics, University of Illinois researchers and students show the virus is honing the tactics that may make it more successful and more stable.

URBANA, Ill. - Where and how we grow up influence what we decide to do for a living. Maggie Furr grew up in the rural community of Shelbyville, Illinois. Her parents farm corn and soybeans. Furr, a junior in crop sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), expanded on her interests and upbringing by exploring another side of agriculture: metropolitan farming.

College is often known for being the “best four years of your life,” according to many moms, dads, aunts, and uncles who didn’t have the added stress of a global pandemic as a college student.

Luis F. Rodriguez, associate professor in agricultural and biological engineering at University of Illinois, has received a $750,000 grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to develop project-based education on disaster relief and resilience. The grant will support courses and study abroad programs conducted in collaboration with partners in Puerto Rico.

URBANA, Ill. — Scanning social media while listening to a lecture. Watching a favorite television series while studying. Today’s young people frequently juggle multiple streams of information and entertainment media while doing schoolwork, a trend that researchers call distracted learning.