Speakers

The 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.

The next Scholarship Out Loud panel is part of the 16th Annual Gesa E. Kirsch Graduate Symposium. Join us on Friday, April 24, 9:00–10:00 a.m., at the Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics Building, Room 1080 Lucy Ellis Lounge to hear from graduate students about their research.

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) is known to have an adverse health effect on human health, leading to increased mortality globally.

Timo Seppäläinen talks about "Busemann Functions."

Modern systems are built on complex software and hardware, creating a large attack surface and a fragile trusted computing base (TCB). This talk focuses on how formal verification can help secure this system stack by offering rigorous security guarantees, and how security insights can in turn help make verification more effective.

What makes a map readable? Join Izabela Gołębiowska, PhD of the University of Warsaw to explore factors driving the success of maps and geovisualizations as tools for informed decisions. Dr. Gołębiowska will discuss a range of empirical studies involving map users, addressing the challenges of naïve cartography and CartoAI. Lunch will be provided!

How can generative AI support ideation and conceptual thinking in graphic design education? Through classroom projects, two graphic design students and their professor will show how GenAI tools were used to spark ideas, explore visual directions, and expand conceptual thinking.

Dance at Illinois presents the research symposium, "Dancing Discourse," featuring four BA candidates, Anna Carlson, Harper Clark, Sofia Corrales, and Jasmine O'Connor. This event is free and open to the public.

Join us for a lecture by Heather Demarest, an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of California, Boulder.

Attend a live Persian class session, learn a few basic words, interact with students at different levels, and enjoy a Persian breakfast while sharing your questions with the instructor.

Graduate Student Homotopy Theory Seminar

Mika Natif is Associate Professor of Art at George Washington University. She focuses on the intercultural exchanges and global connections that Muslim societies forged with the European sphere during the premodern period.

Speaker: Kater Murch, Professor of Physics, UC Berkeley

Professor Joyce Yen Feng, Professor Emerita in the Department of Social Work at National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei, Taiwan is a two-time graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's School of Social Work (1981, 1988). She returns to campus to accept the 2026 Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement.

Experience a captivating presentation and Q&A with Professor Joyce Yen Feng, Professor Emerita in the Department of Social Work at National Taiwan University (NTU). Dr. Feng is a two-time University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work graduate and is highly respected across East Asia.

Scott Fraser, PhD President, Dynamic Imaging, Head of Biohub, San Francisco "Eavesdropping on Biology by Using New Instrumentation and AI to Foster Multiscale Imaging"

Speaker: William Green (Rose-Hulman)

Greg Terlov (UNC) talks about "Heavy repulsion of percolation clusters".

Lectures and discussions on current work in research and development in nuclear engineering and related fields by staff, advanced students, and visiting speakers.

“Fiber Rearrangement Redistributes Energy and Modulates Intrinsic Cutting Energy in Bovine Glisson's Capsule” Shaobo Zhan, PhD Candidate Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois

Dance at Illinois presents "Roller Skating while Black," an interactive lecture-demonstration on the history, technique, and cultural influences of Black rhythm skating, by guest artist Isaiah Harris. Lecture begins at 5:15pm, skating follows at 6:30pm. $8 admission fee, $4.50 skate rental.

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat posits that under the influence of digital technologies and in the shadow of AI, civilization is entering a period of pressure that threatens cultures, communities, and individuals.

Join us for a lecture in the Illinois Forum on Human Flourishing in a Digital Age Speaker Series with Ross Douthat.

Cancer Voices performs true stories from survivors, doctors, family members, nurses, & researchers. Our 45-minute script and following community discussions work toward effective, just healthcare for all. Events are free & open to all. April 29: 6:00 pm at Lincoln Theater, UIUC. May 1: 6:00 pm at Station Theater, Urbana.

Do you write code at the IGB? Do you work with someone who does? Join us for lunch as we discuss some of our best practices for developing research software – and how to come up with your own.

Speaker: Adrian Lam (Ohio State University)

The Game Studies and Design Spring 2026 Showcase features a day of play-testing for students to share their new games, designs, and game components.

Join us for a hybrid CEAPS Speaker/Political Science Workshop titled “From Correction to Connection: Relational Approaches to Countering Misinformation” with Cesi Cruz (University of Michigan). Register here!

Have you created a game, art work, program, poster, class project or research about games and design? If so, we encourage you to showcase your work at the Game Studies and Design Spring Showcase on Friday, May 1. Undergraduate and graduate level projects are welcome. These projects will be included in Undergraduate Research Week and Research Symposium 2026.

Join us for a special tour led by exhibiting artists from Another Place: Storymaking the Entangled Prairie. Gain insights into their creative practice and research. Today's tour features Ryan Griffis (video), Melissa Pokorny (sculpture), and Stacey A. Robinson (graphic design).

Join us for a special tour led by exhibiting artists from Another Place: Storymaking the Entangled Prairie. Gain insights into their creative practice and research. Today's tour features Ryan Griffis (video), Melissa Pokorny (sculpture) and Stacey A. Robinson (graphic design), who are all on faculty in the School of Art & Design. Exhibition on view through July 2.

Hear the graduating MFA students in Creative Writing read from their Final Projects. This year's third-years include: Isabella Escamilla Paz Hoggatt David Foley Tyler Moore Callan Latham Garrett Stack

Join us to attempt to craft your own textiles out of the supplies we have provided for you. Whilst you craft, feel free to learn about, feel, and experience different textiles from all over the world that we will have out for everyone to experience.

Graduate Student Homotopy Theory Seminar

Speaker: Lawrence Cheuk, Assistant Professor of Physics, Princeton University

Peter Kim, PhD Department of Biochemistry; Stanford University School of Medicine "Protein Engineering of Vaccines and Antibodies for Infectious Disease"

Lectures and discussions on current work in research and development in nuclear engineering and related fields by staff, advanced students, and visiting speakers.

Dr. Renée Desjardins from Saint Boniface University in Canada will be giving a talk at the TIS Colloquium 2026 on May 6 from 10:00–11:00 a.m.: “To Adapt or Get Left Behind: How the History of the Social Internet Can Help Translators and Interpreters Understand and Navigate the Current AI Moment.”

Dr. Samar Hegazy, Teaching Associate Professor of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, will discuss her research on pathologies in female reproduction and her work on improving pathology education.

“Small Molecule Ion Channels Restore Anion Movement to Cystic Fibrosis Epithelia” Nohemy Celis PhD Candidate Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois

Learn about IGB research, hear about current issues in the life sciences, and connect with others at our popular poster session at the 2026 Fellows Symposium.

The PhD Program in Architecture and Landscape Architecture hosts a keynote lecture by Hi'ilei Julia Hobart (Native and Indigenous Studies, Yale) as part of the symposium "Creativity in Modern Heritage." Hobart is author of Cooling the Tropics: Ice, Indigeneity, and Hawaiian Refreshment (Duke University Press, 2022).

Take care of yourself before finals start or create a Mother’s Day gift. Make a card, decorate a pot, and plant your own plant, and pack a destress tea jar.

Celebrate the semester’s end with RBML! We are diving into the trendy book decoration world — bring your own books and paint the edges with our supplies, then view various historical fore-edge paintings from the collection in our Reading Room. All are welcome to attend, and refreshments will be served.

Prizes for Research Ceremony and Reception

Celebrate opening night of the 2026 School of Art & Design Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition. Explore a wide range of art and design work created by 100+ BFA graduates in studio art, new media, art education, graphic design, and industrial design. Reception for artists and visitors in the Link Gallery. Exhibition on view through May 16.

Celebrate as we open the 2026 Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition! Explore a wide range of art and design work created by 100+ BFA graduates in studio art, new media, art education, graphic design, and industrial design. Exhibition on view through May 16. The School of Art & Design will host a reception for artists and visitors in the Link Gallery.

Science on Tap is a monthly seminar series that brings scientists to the public to talk about their research in an informal setting. Sameh Tawfick, Professor, Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois

Join us for Community Conversations with the CU Schools Foundation. The University of Illinois Foundation is excited to continue its Community Conversation series highlighting local nonprofits and the campus and community members who support them. Please join us Thursday, May 14, from 9:00–10:30 AM at the Philanthropy Center (303 St. Mary’s Road), Rooms 102–103.