Researchers tested bioplastics created with lignin from several different plant sources. (Photo: Jenny Fontaine/UIC)
Plastic shopping bags can take hundreds of years to decompose, and many cities now implement per-bag usage charges.
A UIC College of Engineering team may have a solution for both of these issues: a plant-based bioplastic that uses lignin. ♻️
Learn more: ow.ly/tVEu50YqoAS
Stay Connected February 2026 University of Illinois System
Even our shortest month was filled with impactful news and inspiring stories from all three of our universities. Keep up with all U of I System happenings every month by subscribing below!
⛅ February's edition: https://ow.ly/1Wek50YpaXG
📩 Subscribe here: https://ow.ly/4g9950YpaXE
AI in Chicago Season 2, Episode 6 Harley Johnson, PhD CEO, IQMP - Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park
Quantum computing sounds like a futuristic idea, but in Illinois there's momentum toward making it reality. If you wonder what quantum could mean for you, try this podcast with Harley Johnson, executive director and CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park: https://ow.ly/RwZA50YoI8M
On February 27, the University of Illinois System closed on its purchase of 250 S. Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago to serve as the permanent headquarters of the Discovery Partners Institute, led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 🌇
Learn more 🔽
The 2026 U of I System delegation posing in front of the Illinois State Capitol
A portion of the U of I System delegation in a meeting room
A small group of people dressed in business attire inside the Illinois State Capitol
Focus on three seated young men dressed in business attire in a room full of people
At yesterday's U of I System Day at the Capitol, students, alumni, faculty, staff, and leadership from our community joined together to champion the impact of higher education across Illinois.
We share a common goal: strengthening Illinois through the power of public higher education.
Real Impact No Cost, No Limits: How A Transfer Student Found Her Community
At first, Zoey felt anxious at the University of Illinois Chicago. What turned things around? A peer coach who’d walked a similar path. A grant that erased tuition and fees. And U of I System infrastructure built to support students from every angle: news.uillinois.edu/view/7815/16...
The state budget proposed today by Governor JB Pritzker would provide a 1% increase in state-appropriated general operating funds for the U of I System.
The proposal would continue the vital reinvestment in public higher education prioritized by our state and Gov. Pritzker in recent years.
With a record 101,081 students enrolled at our three universities, the University of Illinois System is building clear pathways into and through college like never before. 🎓
Learn more about the ways we're affirming our commitment to access and affordability to learners of all ages 👇
Dental workers and students posing in their gear in a dentist office
The UIC Flames mascot giving a child a high-five in a waiting room
A man and a boy are using a model toothbrush and set of teeth
Two woman provide dental care to a child in a dentist's chair while giving the camera a thumbs-up
The University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry hosted its annual Give Kids A Smile day by welcoming nearly 100 children from St. Malachy School. 🌆
Children received free comprehensive oral exams, teeth cleaning and sealants, oral health education, and dietary recommendations. 🦷
Photosynthesis: a billions-old process that's actually kinda inefficient. @mikegrunwald.bsky.social discusses researchers at @uofilsystem.bsky.social's efforts to improve the process with AI, potentially increasing crop yields up to 50% in 20 years and how it could save our farming future.
A family of three stands in a farm field, overlooking a sunset, with title text reading Farm Economic Stress Resources with Illinois Extension and a University of Illinois orange I-Block logos.
As farmers face mounting economic pressures, Extension provides resources ranging from mental health vouchers and crisis support lines to comprehensive financial planning tools.
🔗 https://extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/illinois-extension-offers-support-farmers-experiencing-economic-stress
Collective Strength, Public Good Annual Report Fiscal Year 2025 University of Illinois System
From @uisedu.bsky.social's Prairie Promise to Chicago's Aspire grant to Urbana-Champaign's Illinois Commitment, the University of Illinois System is dedicated to making a world-class education more affordable and accessible.
Learn more in our 2025 Annual Report: ow.ly/Ap0n50YcrnF
an aerial view of rural Stark County, Illinois
A new study from the Urban Transportation Center at
@uiccuppa.bsky.social shows that investing in rural transit in Illinois pays big dividends. 🚐💰
For every $1 put in, nearly $4 in value is gained through improved health outcomes, increased workforce participation, and more: ow.ly/A0kU50YbWgu
The 2026 UIS Star Party poster will be premiered on February 11!
Here is a retrospective of the previous 16 years of Star Party posters.
At Education at Illinois's new Healing, Training, and Research Clinic in Champaign, graduate student clinicians broaden their experiences by providing free counseling services to community members—a win-win situation for all. 🤝
Center for Student Involvement presents Black History Month "Stories of Our Resistance and Resilience" Celebrating Stories of Black Achievement Details: go.uic.edu/BHM
This Black History Month, the University of Illinois Chicago is celebrating the achievements of Africans and African Americans in our country with the theme "Stories of Our Resistance and Resilience."
Bookmark the 2026 campus-wide schedule of events here: go.uic.edu/BHM
Stay Connected January 2026 University of Illinois System
Despite the bitter cold, our campuses warmed back to action this month. Catch up with our biggest stories below, and subscribe for future months!
🌬️ January's edition: https://ow.ly/b9hB50Y6uNS
📩 Subscribe here: https://ow.ly/Xoab50Y6uNT
Dr. Robert A. Barish
Dr. Robert A. Barish, vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Illinois Chicago, writes in Crain's Chicago Business that "when academic medicine and public service intersect, the result is not just broader access to care. It is better care for everyone."
👉 https://ow.ly/pUBa50Y4nKe
the United States Capitol building
Reminder: our annual Federal Priorities Town Hall starts tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. CST! U of I System President Killeen will reflect on last year's engagement, preview our 2026 goals, and conclude with a Q-and-A session with the audience.
Register for free here: https://ow.ly/TBHy50XY2r1
Tax forms with a calculator, pen, and keyboard
This tax season, the University of Illinois Springfield's College of Business & Management will provide area residents with professional tax preparations at no cost. 💰
For more details and eligibility: https://ow.ly/EVCY50Y1UQx
iiN | Illinois Innovation Network
The Illinois Innovation Network's Social Innovation and Impact Seed Grant program awarded over $160,000 to two new projects. 🌱
💡 personalizing learning for neurodivergent students
👴 enhancing social support for older adults in Illinois
Learn more: https://ow.ly/3Aes50Y1iM2
Collective Strength, Public Good Annual Report Fiscal Year 2025 University of Illinois System
Our 2025 annual report highlights our economic impact, with new data showing the breadth of our reach across Illinois. It reflects the essence of our mission: expanding access, driving discovery, and delivering impact.
📖 Spend time with "Collective Strength, Public Good": https://ow.ly/uvEl50Y0UXM
At our recent Board of Trustees meeting, U of I System President Tim Killeen chose to highlight seven of our more than 7,000 excellent faculty members. Along with their colleagues, we're proud of how often they go far above and beyond the tradition role of faculty. 👩🏽🏫👨🏻🔬
“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. University of Illinois System
On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, one truth stands out: progress multiplies when we work together. At this weekend’s MLK Dinner, we gathered with others dedicated to serving the public and reflected on the responsibility we share to strengthen our communities.
Dr. King’s legacy calls us forward.
the United States Capitol building
Join U of I System President Tim Killeen on January 27 for our annual Federal Priorities Town Hall! President Killeen will reflect on last year's engagement, preview our 2026 goals, and conclude with a Q-and-A session with the audience.
Register for free here: https://ow.ly/iW9F50XY2r2
After freezing resident undergraduate tuition rates in seven of the previous 11 years, the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois today approved a 2% tuition increase for Illinois resident undergraduate students admitted to the fall 2026 academic year.
the seal of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees will meet in Chicago this morning, starting at 8:00 a.m.
Follow along live: http://uis.edu/uislive
University of Illinois System One System, Statewide Impact $24.9B in economic impact Supports 1 in 37 Illinois jobs. 500,000 Alumni in Illinois
We power progress across Illinois. 💪
With our $24.9B annual impact, we fuel jobs and opportunity while providing significant return on investment for residents, partners, and students. 📈
Drill down into the myriad ways our system boosts the state economy: https://economicimpact25.uillinois.edu
The front door of the UIC Isadore and Sadie Dorin Forum on a summer day in 2024. Photo: Jenny Fontaine/UIC
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees will meet this Thursday at 8:00 a.m. in Chicago. 🕗
To watch live, please use this stream: https://uis.edu/uislive 🎦
Dr. Robert Cohen (left) and Leonard Go are director and assistant director of the MinER Center. The two men are reviewing chest X-ray images displayed on dual monitors in a medical office setting. (Photos: Martin Hernandez/UIC)
With active coal mines operating in Illinois and Indiana, Midwesterners are no strangers to mining-related lung diseases typically associated with Appalachia. UIC's Black Lung Clinic providing screening clinics, benefit counseling, and outreach services for coal miners. 👨🏾⚕️👷🏻♂️: https://ow.ly/h9iC50XVIQk
