The New Philadelphia National Historic Site in western Illinois, commemorating the first U.S. town to be legally founded by African Americans, is the nation’s newest national park. Several #ILLINOIS professors were among those leading the effort. ▶ bit.ly/40w74YO

BOOK GIVEAWAY! On 13 Feb 1997, nearly 5m bits of Lego fell into the ocean when a cargo ship was hit by a huge wave. To mark the occasion, we’re giving away 2 copies of our book Adrift, a voyage into the lingering legacy of a cargo spill. To enter, just like and retweet this post

Getting updates on where you rank in an exercise challenge can help increase your motivation to get to the gym, says researcher Unnati Narang. ▶️ bit.ly/42afK81

The paintings by Shozo Sato, the founder of Japan House and an emeritus professor of theatre and of art at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, explore American landscapes, floral motifs and memories of postwar Japan. news.illinois.edu/view/6367/1943…

Should educators worry about ChatGPT? Educators need to help students understand and use artificial intelligence language tools in appropriate ways to prepare them for a future in which their use is commonplace, says #ILLINOIS professor Ted Underwood. 📷 bit.ly/433E3ow

Runners and walkers can put in some miles in memory of Murelle Plotner this weekend and raise money for Make-A-Wish Foundation. bit.ly/3MHSlp2

The Latin American Ensemble, a partnership between Illinois Music and CLACS Illinois, plays a wide variety of music from Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The ensemble will play its final concert for the year on April 21. ▶️bit.ly/3KPNiAj

#ILLINOIS alumnus and founding director of Chicago's Definition Theatre, Tyrone Phillips, has returned to direct, 'The Royale'. “Returning to campus is always a full-circle experience. It’s exciting and a kind of renewing of passion for me.” ▶️ bit.ly/3Lxf7z6

Andrea Lytle Peet has completed a marathon in all 50 states since being diagnosed with ALS. She'll compete in the half marathon Illinois Marathon, which will screen a documentary on her journey. "It was about not letting ALS control what I did." bit.ly/3Aupi0U

It was great fun to watch the chimes players perform before the Altgeld Hall renovations closed the bell tower. news.illinois.edu/view/6367/3160…

An #ILLINOIS professor wrote about the diverse meanings attributed to al-Andalus and the enduring cultural influence in his latest book. "Al-Andulas is less about learning to tolerate difference and more about learning to tolerate contradiction.” ▶️ bit.ly/3qjikKx

#ILLINOIS researchers are working with Native American tribes to digitize oral histories and ethnographic materials collected from tribal members. A large part of the work now is returning these materials to their originating Native communities.▶️ bit.ly/43P1JNz

The Heavy Metals Project of University Library will survey the 19th-century books in the Library’s collection. Testing of their original cloth-covered bindings will determine if they contain traces of heavy metals in the pigments used for covers. ▶️ bit.ly/3NdHL7Z

#ILLINOIS professor, Jamie L. Jones, examines the massive energy transition from whale oil to fossil fuels. Jones was inspired to research the whaling industry by her love of “Moby-Dick" and described how whaling culture became a form of entertainment. ▶️ go.illinois.edu/Whaling

A major restoration of historic Altgeld Hall includes removing the buildup of soot on the sandstone exterior, replacing the mortar and making structural improvements. ▶️go.illinois.edu/RenovatingAltg…

Artists Deke Weaver & Jennifer Allen use environmental theater to speak for the creatures & habitats that are disappearing because of climate change. 🌎 They chatted with Q author Erin Minor before their premiere of “CETACEAN (The Whale)” this fall. 🐋 ➡️ q.sustainability.illinois.edu/the-unreliable…

Russian dissident Aleksei Navalny possessed a unique ability to unite activists and set the agenda for the anti-Putin movement. Now that he’s gone, the coalition he built might splinter, says Slavic@Illinois professor Richard Tempest. ▶️ go.illinois.edu/AlekseiNavalny

How can social media help with disaster preparedness and recovery? 🎒🔋⛑️🥫 #ILLINOIS Omar Perez's research uncovers how social media can be used as a useful tool to marginalized communities during extreme weather. ▶️ go.illinois.edu/HurricaneMaria

I was thrilled for the opportunity to talk with Jeanne Gang about her work. Looking forward to hearing her commencement speech.

An #ILLINOIS scholar’s book, Same Old Song: The Enduring Past, examines how popular music connects to the past In his book, John Paul Meyers looks at five genres of music and how they’ve connected to the past. ▶️ go.illinois.edu/PopularMusic