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Engaging the Community

Members of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are distinguished leaders in their areas of study, oftentimes involving local, national, or international communities in their work and research. Their shared innovations help change the world.

Touching Young Minds

Members of LAS share their knowledge in high school, middle school, and elementary school classrooms, community centers, group gatherings and other venues in hopes of igniting children’s interest in learning.

Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Science

• Rural school teachers refresh their chemistry skills and learn to use computational tools in the classroom.

I-STEM Education Initiative

• LAS and other campus units are working to develop innovative teaching and learning models, increase the number and quality of STEM teachers, and create myriad partnerships to reverse declining student interest and performance in these fields in the United States.

Math Teacher Link

• Popular online program for high school and community college math teaches that assists them in using technology in the classroom.

REACT—Reaching and Educating America’s Chemists of Tomorrow

• The largest outreach of its kind at U of I, REACT enlists 400 volunteers per semester to visit every grade school within 30 miles of campus for hands-on experience with chemistry. When visits to other clubs and youth groups are taken into account, the group connects with more than 3,000 youngsters per semester.

University of Illinois Writing Project

• This federally-funded project provides professional instruction for teachers at all levels and in all disciplines to encourage and support the teaching of writing.

Civic Responsibility

Providing expertise to governments, businesses, agencies, and individuals is a integral component of the work of LAS faculty and staff. When the need arises, however, these ongoing efforts may be transformed in sustained, formal initiatives with the potential for great impact.

Climate Change Initiatives

• Atmospheric sciences professor leads climate report for Chicago.
• LAS faculty look to new allies—churches—for hope in saving the environment.

Preparing Students for Public Service

• Anthropology program helps research and manage cultural resources.
• Spanish curriculum is designed around providing public service.
• Civic Leadership Program prepares students in any major to make their mark in society.

Reaching Across Borders

LAS has extensive educational and outreach programs on global and cultural affairs, operated largely through its highly regarded language and cultural programs as well as its federally-funded area study centers.

Bringing the World the Prairie and Illinois to the World

• See how various units and departments are reaching out to the world (link to international outreach site).

Citizen Scientists

Efforts to involve the public in scientific discovery is a powerful way in which LAS scientists are sharing their work with the world.

Bees and Beekeeping

• Beespotter is a nationwide effort to enlist citizens to collect baseline information on bee populations and monitor changes in the status of these important plant pollinators.
• The annual Beekeeping Short Course offered by the Department of Entomology in conjunction with other U of I units, teaches best practices and involves participants in a research project.

Pollinatarium

• The first free-standing science center in the nation devoted to flowering plants and their pollinators.

Just for Fun

• The annual Insect Fear Film Festival dispels myths even as it makes us squirm.
• During Brain Awareness Day, you can finally learn what’s really going on in someone’s head as you “look into brains” and learn about brain research.

The Living Arts & Humanities

LAS showcases creativity and tries to inspire people from all walks of life to experience how the humanities enrich their lives.

Ninth Letter

• U of I's award-winning arts and literary journal continues the Illinois tradition of national prominence in creative writing and design.

Odyssey Project

• A yearlong, college-accredited course in the humanities offered at no cost to adults in the community living below or slightly above the federal poverty level to introduce them the humanities and to help them reenter the world of higher education.

Museums & Cultural Exploration

Preserving our cultural heritage while exploring and questioning the past are vital in helping each generation decide how it wants to define its place in the world.

Spurlock Museum

• A state-of-the-art facility, dedicated in 2004, with more than 43,000 cultural artifacts from around the world.

Collaborations with Other Museums

• LAS professor helps guide traveling exhibit on history, biology, and experience of race.
• Historian teams up with Chicago Art Institute for unusual exhibition.
• Professor curates Newberry Library exhibition on Lewis and Clark.