Speakers
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 amRhondale Tso Seminar Room, Loomis 236 -
3:30 pmHYBRID: 2405 Siebel Center for Computer Science or online -
4:00 - 6:00 pmJoin us to celebrate the book launch of Richard (Chip) Burkhardt's The Leopard in the Garden: Animal and Human Lives in Paris at the First Public Zoo of the Modern Era (U of C Press, April 2026). Professor Burkhardt will share some highlights of the book, then participate in a panel discussion with local and visiting scholars.
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4:00 - 6:00 pmLevis Faculty Center, Room 210, 919 W Illinois St -
4:00 - 5:00 pmLoomis Lab 141
Thursday, April 2, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 amCharles Miller Auditorium, B102, CLSL -
2:00 - 3:00 pmICT, 1611 Titan Drive, Rantoul, IL 61866 -
4:30 pmIllini Union Bookstore Author's CornerA reading by alumni of the creative writing program, Jessica Tanck and Matthew Gavin Frank. This event is made possible by the Robert J. and Katherin Carr visiting author series.
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4:30 pmIllini Union Bookstore: Authors CornerA reading by alumni of the creative writing program, Jessica Tanck and Matthew Gavin Frank. This event is made possible by the Robert J. and Katherin Carr visiting author series.
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5:00 pmLevis Faculty Center, 208This talk introduces medieval Sicily in its Muslim period, focusing on how this history was experienced, archived, imagined, and remembered by its native poets and writers, as well as the travelers who visited the island, during its political and cultural apogee, and the later years under the domination of the Norman kings.
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5:00 - 6:30 pmCampus Instructional Facility (CIF) Room 10352026 Pakistan Studies Lecture by Professor Saad Gulzar, University of Notre Dame on "Politics, Bureaucracy, and the Promise of Better Governance in Pakistan" NO REGISTRATION required.
Friday, April 3, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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9:00 am - 5:00 pmLevis Faculty Center, Room 210, 919 W Illinois StJesse Oak Taylor (U Washington), Jonathan Howard (Yale U), Sarah Dimick (Northwestern U), and Min Hyoung Song (Boston College) join UI faculty in a series of talks and a concluding roundtable, which together will take up the question of how the study of literary history can contribute to our understanding of both the causes of and potential solutions...
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9:00 am - 5:00 pmLevis Faculty Center, Room 210, 919 W Illinois St -
11:00 - 11:50 amBevier Hall- Room 180FSHN Graduate Seminar Presenter: Stuart Phillips, Ph.D., FACSM, FCAHS, FCSEP, FRSC Distinguished University Professor, Canada Research Chair Chair, Department of Kinesiology McMaster University, Ontario Title: Protein and Muscle: From the Gym to the Lab and Back Agains
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12:00 - 1:00 pmUniversity YMCA; 1001 S. Wright Street, Champaign -
1:00 - 2:00 pmArmory room 172 and online via ZoomIn this talk, we will report on our effort to test this hypothesis: is it possible to "excel" in a course without absolutely any knowledge? We show that, while there is variability across courses and assignment types, large language models are indeed often able to achieve a strong grade in a course without any meaningful help from human users or course material.
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1:30 - 3:00 pm306 Coble Hall, 801 S. Wright St., ChampaignJoin us for a hybrid CEAPS Speaker talk "Finding An Audience: Japan’s First Women Architects and the NHK Ladies' Classroom" with Dr. Michelle L. Hauk (Washington University in St. Louis). Register here!
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1:30 - 3:00 pm306 Coble Hall, 801 S. Wright St., Champaign -
3:00 - 5:00 pmGregory Hall 223Join us for a lecture by Andrea Scarantino, a professor of Neuroscience and Philosophy at Georgia State University.
Saturday, April 4, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
Sunday, April 5, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
Monday, April 6, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 - 11:50 am190 Engineering Sciences Building, 1101 W Springfield Ave, Urbana, IL 61801Speaker: Zheshen Zhang, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Michigan
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4:00 - 4:50 pm4025 Campus Instructional FacilityLectures and discussions on current work in research and development in nuclear engineering and related fields by staff, advanced students, and visiting speakers.
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7:00 pmKnight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S Gregory St. UrbanaAward-winning Palestinian artist and filmmaker Basma al-Sharif will present early and recent film works, Morgenkreis/Morning Circle (2025, 20:31minutes), which follows a father and son in their intimate rituals as they prepare to start the day and head to kindergarten; Capital (2023, 19 minutes)...
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7:00 pmKnight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory, Urbana
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 amRhondale Tso Seminar Room, Loomis 236 -
4:30 pmTBDA reading by Stephen Markley, made possible by the Robert J. and Katherin Carr visiting author series. Stephen Markley is the author of The Deluge, hailed by The New York Times Book Review as an Editor's choice. His previous books include the critically acclaimed bestseller Ohio, as well as Publish this Book and Tales of Iceland. He has also written for the hulu comedy
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4:30 pmTBDA reading by Stephen Markley, made possible by the Robert J. and Katherin Carr visiting author series. Stephen Markley is the author of The Deluge, hailed by The New York Times Book Review as an Editor's choice. His previous books include the critically acclaimed bestseller Ohio, as well as Publish this Book and Tales of Iceland.
Thursday, April 9, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 am - 12:15 pmRoom 4045, 614 E. Daniel Street & ZoomAlex Moehring will present "Designing Human-AI Collaboration: A Sufficient Statistic Approach" as part of the AImpact Speaker Series.
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11:00 am - 12:15 pm4045 School of Information Sciences -
11:00 amCharles Miller Auditorium, B102, CLSL -
2:00 - 3:00 pmICT, 1611 Titan Drive, Rantoul, IL 61866 -
5:30 - 7:30 pmCampus Instructional Facility, Room 2035Join us for a lecture in the Illinois Forum on Human Flourishing in a Digital Age Speaker Series with Alva Noë.
Friday, April 10, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 - 11:50 amBevier Hall- Room 180FSHN Graduate Seminar Presenter: Stephanie Rogus, PhD, RDN Assistant Professor and Extension Nutrition Specialist Texas A&M University and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Title: Leveraging Programs and Policies to Improve Diet Quality Among US Adults
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12:00 - 1:00 pmUniversity YMCA; 1001 S. Wright Street, Champaign -
12:00 - 2:00 pm1080 LCLB, Lucy Ellise Lounge & Conference Center -
1:30 - 3:00 pm306 Coble Hall, 801 S Wright St, ChampaignJoin us to help celebrate Political Science professor & CEAPS Advisory Board member Yujeong Yang on her new book! Refreshments will be served. Please register here!
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1:30 - 3:00 pm306 Coble Hall, 801 S Wright St, Champaign
Saturday, April 11, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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8:30 amLiteratures, Cultures and Linguistics Building
Sunday, April 12, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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8:30 amLiteratures, Cultures and Linguistics Building
Monday, April 13, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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4:00 - 4:50 pm4025 Campus Instructional FacilityLectures and discussions on current work in research and development in nuclear engineering and related fields by staff, advanced students, and visiting speakers.
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6:00 - 7:30 pmKnight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum2026 Indian Languages and Cultures Lecture by Professor Andrew Ollett, University of Chicago, on "Context, from 7th century India to today". NO REGISTRATION required.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 amRhondale Tso Seminar Room, Loomis 236 -
12:00 pmBruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center (1212 W Nevada St., Urbana)Undergraduates of any major are invited to this informal lunch talk with Rita Dove. Dove served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 1993–1995. She was a winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in poetry and the 2023 honorary National Book Award.
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7:30 pmAlice Campbell Alumni CenterJoin us for a free public reading by award-winning poet Rita Dove. Dove served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 1993 to 1995, and was a winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in poetry and the 2023 honorary National Book Award.
Thursday, April 16, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 am - 1:00 pmLevis Faculty Center, Room 210, 919 W Illinois St -
11:00 am - 1:00 pmLevis Faculty Center, Room 210, 919 W Illinois StJoin us for presentations by our recent CAS Associates. At 11am Ramón Soto-Crespo (English) discusses the origin of Puerto Rico's ecological literature and at noon, Alison Bell (Evolution, Ecology, & Behavior) presents the evolution of family life in a small fish.
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12:30 pm 1:30 pmSiebel Center for Design- Sunset Studio 1050 -
2:00 - 3:00 pmICT, 1611 Titan Drive, Rantoul, IL 61866 -
4:00 pmBruce Nesbitt African American Cultural Center; 1212 W. Nevada Street, Urbana IL -
4:00 pmLevis Faculty Center, Room 210, 919 W Illinois StJoin us for a discussion with GAM Visiting Artist Paul O'Mahony, Founder and Director, Out of Chaos Theatre (London, UK).
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4:00 pm306 Coble Hall (801 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL 61820) -
4:30 pmIllini Union Bookstore: Authors CornerJoin us in celebrating the student writers who have won awards this spring!
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7:15Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum.2026 Screening and Discussion: Zinda Bhaag (2013), will be an event of film screening and introduction followed by Q/A with Professor Iftikhar Dadi, Cornell University. A reception will follow. NO REGISTRATION required.
Friday, April 17, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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12:00 - 1:00 pmUniversity YMCA; 1001 S. Wright Street, Champaign -
All DayIllini Union, 1401 W Green St, Urbana, IL 61801 -
3:00 - 5:00 pmMain Library, Room 346This public event will begin with a lecture by Dr. Warren C. Brown (California Institute of Technology discussing medieval textuality and materiality. A reception and open house will follow where visitors may view our recently acquired Merovingian manuscript and Greek papyrus. All are welcome, and refreshments will be served.
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3:00 - 5:00 pmMain Library Room 346 — 1408 W. Gregory Dr, Urbana, IL 61801This public event will begin with a lecture by Dr. Warren C. Brown (California Institute of Technology discussing medieval textuality and materiality. A reception and open house will follow where visitors may view our recently acquired Merovingian manuscript and Greek papyrus. All are welcome, and refreshments will be served.
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3:00 - 5:00 pmRare Book and Manuscript Library: Main Library Room 346This public event will begin with a lecture by Dr. Warren C. Brown (California Institute of Technology discussing medieval textuality and materiality. A reception and open house will follow where visitors may view our recently acquired Merovingian manuscript and Greek papyrus. All are welcome, and refreshments will be served.
Saturday, April 18, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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All DayIllini Union, 1401 W Green St, Urbana, IL 61801
Sunday, April 19, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
Monday, April 20, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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12:00 - 1:00 pmESB 190 -
5:00 pmLevis Faculty Center, Room 208Book launch of Ethan Madarieta's Land's Language: On Mapuche Memory, Translation, and the Territorial Aporia.
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5:00 pmLevis Faculty Center 208Please join us for the launch of Ethan Madarieta’s first book, Land's Language: On Mapuche Memory, Translation, and the Territorial Aporia.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 - 11:50 am190 Engineering Sciences Building, 1101 W Springfield Ave, Urbana, IL 61801Speaker: Yuan Ping, Associate Professor of Physics, UW-Madison
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12:00 pm612 Conference Center Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyCsaba Forro, PhD and Daniel Wang, PhD, Group Leaders at Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago "Towards Mapping Inflammation in Real Time" "Spatiotemporal Molecular Profiling of Inflammation with Microengineered Devices"
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4:00 - 4:50 pm4025 Campus Instructional FacilityLectures and discussions on current work in research and development in nuclear engineering and related fields by staff, advanced students, and visiting speakers.
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
Thursday, April 23, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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All DayCenter for Writing StudiesGrad students from all disciplines are invited to the 16th Gesa E. Kirsch Graduate Student Symposium, April 23–24, 2026—an interdisciplinary, student-led event featuring diverse presentations, workshops, and a keynote by Kaia Simon (UW Eau Claire). Proposals on writing, rhetoric, media, education, and more are welcome in traditional or experimental formats.
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11:00 amCharles Miller Auditorium, B102, CLSL -
12:30 pm 1:30 pmGregory Hall, Room 336 -
2:00 - 3:00 pmICT, 1611 Titan Drive, Rantoul, IL 61866 -
5:00 pmTBDAnnual Armenian Genocide Event, featuring Helen Makhdoumian (Postdoc, Vanderbilt University)
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5:00 pmLevis Faculty Center Room 208In honor of the annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, Helen Makhdoumian will give a talk entitled "On Beginnings, or the Roots and Routes of the Nested Memory Concept.”
Friday, April 24, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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All DayCenter for Writing StudiesGrad students from all disciplines are invited to the 16th Gesa E. Kirsch Graduate Student Symposium, April 23–24, 2026—an interdisciplinary, student-led event featuring diverse presentations, workshops, and a keynote by Kaia Simon (UW Eau Claire). Proposals on writing, rhetoric, media, education, and more are welcome in traditional or experimental formats.
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12:00 pm108 Coble Hall (801 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL 61820) -
3:00 - 5:00 pm319 Gregory HallJoin us for a lecture by Heather Demarest, an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of California, Boulder.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
Sunday, April 26, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
Monday, April 27, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 amRhondale Tso Seminar Room, Loomis 236 -
12:00 - 1:00 pmESB 190 -
5:15 pmArchitecture Building, Room TBA
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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All DayI Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. First St., Champaign IL -
11:00 - 11:50 am190 Engineering Sciences Building, 1101 W Springfield Ave, Urbana, IL 61801Speaker: Kater Murch, Professor of Physics, UC Berkeley
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4:00 - 4:50 pm4025 Campus Instructional FacilityLectures and discussions on current work in research and development in nuclear engineering and related fields by staff, advanced students, and visiting speakers.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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All DayI Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. First St., Champaign IL -
11:00 amRhondale Tso Seminar Room, Loomis 236 -
4:00 - 5:00 pmLoomis Lab 141 -
5:30 - 7:30 pmGregory Hall 112Join us for a lecture in the Illinois Forum on Human Flourishing in a Digital Age Speaker Series with Ross Douthat.
Thursday, April 30, 2026
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All DayMain Library Room 346The ancient poet Sappho coined "sweetbitter" in one of her most evocative verses, still striking us to the heart nearly three millennia later. As with so many ancient figures, the poet is more legend than person today, her story told and retold even as her poetry continues to enchant and move. This exhibit will be on display through mid-August 2026.
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11:00 amCharles Miller Auditorium, B102, CLSL -
1:00 pm161 Noyes HallSpeaker: Adrian Lam (Ohio State University)







