Exciting news! Researchers from the Prairie Research Institute are helping evaluate a community geothermal energy network for Trumbull Park Homes in Chicago's South Side. Learn more 👉 https://loom.ly/C0cQEGc
Prairie Research Institute
@prairieresearch.bsky.social
Scientists to the State of Illinois at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Join us for the next Women in Science Lecture with Kelli Trei, Professor and Biosciences Librarian at the U of I! We're delighted to support this series at the University of Illinois Archives. 📆 Oct. 13 | 🕛 12 PM 📍 Main Library Room 146 or Zoom Register: go.library.illinois.edu/Oct2026WISLecture
👷We're hiring! Assistant Director for Facilities and Safety at Prairie Research Institute. Lead facilities, environmental health and safety, emergency preparedness, and risk management. Apply by Oct. 26! 🔗 Apply now: https://loom.ly/yCidoYI
EnergySense, with Choose DuPage, Kane County & the @prairieresearch.bsky.social, provides free tech assistance to 10 small food-focused companies, and then recommendations to reduce food & resource waste & improve operational sustainability. Apply here! tinyurl.com/2s4cxkds #fwpw2026
It's the 3rd annual Central Illinois Bat Festival! Here to help us celebrate is Joyce E. Hofmann's FIELD GUIDE TO ILLINOIS MAMMALS, replete with images of and info about these little cuties 🦇 www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0... cc: @extension.illinois.edu @prairieresearch.bsky.social
🎉 Great news! The Illinois State Archaeological Survey at PRI has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board. The funding will support a project to organize and digitize archaeological spatial data from past excavations at Cahokia.
What's been going on with the weather in Illinois this year? In a new report, @ilclimatologist.bsky.social looks back at the record-breaking extreme weather. From 210 tornadoes to a new hail record, Illinois has had a wild year so far. 👉 https://loom.ly/0dmeowY
What's in a disposable vape pen? 💨 In a new study, researchers at the University of Plymouth and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center at PRI analyzed discarded vape pens and found extremely high levels of lead and other metals in the vape liquid. 👉 https://loom.ly/GsmNrCk
Thank you to the @uofilsystem.bsky.social Board of Trustees Academic and Student Affairs Committee for inviting Executive Director Praveen Kumar to share the work and impact of the Prairie Research Institute!
It was a wild and wet August, says @ilclimatologist.bsky.social. 🌧️ Illinois had its 5th wettest August on record — with up to 12 inches of rain, flooding rivers, and Danville's wettest August ever. Add in 210 tornadoes this year! 🤯 👉 https://loom.ly/Ow-l14g
📣 Great news: we're continuing our partnership with @illinoisdot.bsky.social! In a new 10-year, $185.5M agreement, researchers at PRI will support transportation projects that seek to minimize impact on natural and cultural resources. 👉 https://loom.ly/A-W7tmw
🌧️ Why did central Illinois get hit so hard with flooding this August? In the latest episode of Weather Realness from @ilpublicmedia.bsky.social, @ilclimatologist.bsky.social and atmospheric scientist Deanna Hence break down the science behind it. Listen here: will.illinois.edu/weatherrealn...
The science behind Illinois’ August flooding | Illinois Public Media
We talk about flooding in central Illinois and why Illinois keeps getting hit with heavy rainfall.
will.illinois.edu
What is the super El Niño, and how could it affect the weather? In a recent story by WNIJ, @ilclimatologist.bsky.social shared how El Niño conditions could drive mild weather in the Midwest. Read the full story at www.northernpublicradio.org/2026-09-11/s...
A ‘super El Niño’ is on the way. What that means for fall and winter weather in the central U.S.
Warmer-than-normal-temperatures in the Pacific Ocean are driving what could be the strongest El Niño on record. Here’s how that’s likely to impact weather across the central U.S this year.
northernpublicradio.org
Illinois officially has a new state hail record! ⛈️ A colossal hailstone, measuring 6.603 inches in diameter, was confirmed by the SCEC following a storm on March 10, 2026, near Kankakee, IL. It reached historic size, weight, and volume! Learn more: https://bit.ly/ILHailRecord
Stable fly outbreaks have occurred along the shores of Lake Michigan and is more abundant in years with high rainfall, said Chris Stone, medical entomologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey.
WBEZ@wbez.org · last mo.Stable flies could be the culprit and they suck blood crudely through ‘bayonet-like mouthparts’
⛏️ Assistant Research Scientist, Archaeology – Join Illinois State Archaeological Survey! Conduct analysis of archaeological materials and coordinate reporting among researchers for compliance with regulations. Apps due Sep. 22, 2026. 👉 Apply now: https://loom.ly/wuC16o4
Do you know what's underground beneath your home or community? Illinois State Geological Survey researchers at PRI are mapping abandoned mines to help property owners and communities understand subsidence risks in former mined out areas. 👉 fox2now.com/news/illinoi... @fox2now.bsky.social
Over 330,000 Illinois homes at risk from abandoned mines
Over 300,000 Illinois homes sit atop abandoned mines, with more than a century of coal mining having left a hidden network of tunnels across the state.
fox2now.com
🍽️ DuPage & Kane County food businesses: the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center & EnergySense Resilience Center are offering FREE technical assessments to 10 small businesses — restaurants, grocers, food banks & more. Lower costs. Reduce waste. Spots are limited! 👉 https://loom.ly/tla0huI
El Niño is shaping up to be strong this year. Despite a milder winter, snowfall and extreme winter can still happen. @ilclimatologist.bsky.social
Block Club Chicago@blockclubchi.bsky.social · last mo.El Niño could mean a milder Chicago winter. But keep your snow shovel handy. buff.ly/FVT1mrh
🤳 We're hiring: Social Media Intern - Join PRI! Help create social media content, monitor accounts, and contribute to digital science communication! Great opportunity for a current U of I student. Position open until filled. 👉 Apply now: https://loom.ly/vEsOV4c
Congrats to John Scott on his appointment as Illinois Pollution Prevention Scientist! John has researched pollutants like PFAS and microplastics at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center since 2001. Now he'll use that expertise to advise on state pollution challenges. 👉 https://loom.ly/xiYC0rI
Is Tornado Alley shifting eastward? And is climate change to blame? The answer is complicated. @wbez.org spoke with @ilclimatologist.bsky.social Trent Ford and other experts to break it down.
WBEZ@wbez.org · last mo.Here's how the twisters form, and how climate change might be influencing them.
🦗 New Job: Insect Collections Databasing - Join Illinois Natural History Survey! Help document and database stonefly specimens borrowed from natural history museums! Apps due Aug. 31. 👉 Apply now: https://loom.ly/LN3e3rY
Monday’s storms were part of severe weather this summer, with hope that August may bring some relief
Monday’s storms were part of severe weather this summer, with hope that August may bring some relief
chicagotribune.com
"I did not suspect then that the little yellow and black beetle would become my teacher, co-conspirator, and inspiration for the next three decades of my career." Joe Spencer, insect behaviorist, reflects on 30 years of research on the western corn rootworm. 👉 https://loom.ly/PAw-wcY
A retired scientist. Thousands of beetles. Nearly 20 years of volunteering. Bill and Cindy Ruesink made their commitment official with an endowment for one of North America's oldest insect collections. 👉 Read their story at https://loom.ly/Ccq0jG4
The Forest Preserve District of Kane County is inviting the community to take part in the eighth annual Rusty Rodeo, a free, family-friendly event focused on removing invasive rusty crayfish from local waterways.
Kane Forest Preserve District event designed to capture invasive crayfish
chicagotribune.com
ICYMI: Our drought management media briefing full video, transcript, and data resources with @trentford.bsky.social, @eakoebele.bsky.social, and Dr. Debra Perrone is free for reporters to use, clip & quote for news stories: bit.ly/4fmv60v @aaas.org
Help shape solutions to food waste! Take a 10-minute survey about meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking, and what happens in the kitchen at 👉 go.illinois.edu/FoodWasteSurvey. @extension.illinois.edu
