Camp Invention, summer program fostering creativity and problem-solving, returning to UIS

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will host Camp Invention, the nation’s premier summer enrichment day camp program that is supported by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The week-long day camp for students entering grades one through six fosters innovation and creativity while also building self-esteem, teamwork, persistence and goal-setting skills.

WHEN: June 20-24, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Campus (Founders & University Hall)

DETAILS: Camp Invention, not only encourages inventive young minds through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in a fun and creative atmosphere, it also incorporates outdoor activities. Students experience winning, success and victory, along with an adrenaline rush that comes with competition among students and successful completion of challenging projects.

Camp Invention provides a great opportunity for inventive young minds to exercise their creativity and use their imagination in ways they don’t normally get to – through real-world problem-solving challenges, they build things, take things apart, and explore different types of technology.

This year’s Camp Invention curriculum is called Epic™ and was inspired by some of our nation’s most brilliant minds including experienced educators, Inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and members of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Parents are asked to register their children using the online form at www.campinvention.org. UIS employees may use the promo code "HOST" for a $30 discount.

The Springfield program will be led by Harshavardhan Bapat, UIS associate professor of chemistry. For more information on Camp Invention, contact Bapat at 217/206-7744 or hbapa1@uis.edu.

Girl Tech to teach middle schoolers about technology

WHAT: Join the University of Illinois Springfield’s Computer Science Department for two days of fun exploring technology during Girl Tech 2016.

WHEN: Thursday, June 16 and Friday, June 17, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: University Hall Building (UHB) on the UIS campus

DETAILS: Studies show the number of women in higher education in computer science is falling drastically. Girl Tech is geared toward girls in middle school because interest seems to start decreasing around that age.

Highlighting the sessions this year is the opportunity for girls to play NASA/NSF’s Selene game. Selene challenges players to learn the major geologic processes scientists believe formed the modern Moon. Players construct their own virtual moon and then pepper it with impact craters and flood it with lava. New technology will include basic circuit design while creating an LED illuminated photo frame.

Girls will also get the chance to use a 3D-pen to create their own 3D sculpture or jewelry and print it using a 3D printer. They will also create their own computer games with by using the program Scratch. Girls will use hi-tech design tools to create a Girl Tech 2016 t-shirt to take home.

The registration fee is $30 per girl, which covers lunch both days, snacks and a participation t-shirt. To be eligible to participate, the girl must be entering 7th, 8th or 9th grade in the Fall of 2016. For more information about the camp and to register visit, http://csc.uis.edu/girltech/. The registration deadline is Friday, June 3, 2016.

For more information, contact Lucinda Caughey, camp coordinator and UIS Computer Science instructor, at 217/206-8336 or lcaug2@uis.edu.

UIS to unveil statue of young Abraham Lincoln

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will unveil The Young Lawyer, a 6' 4" statue of Abraham Lincoln sculpted by renowned artist George Lundeen. The statue will be located on the UIS quad west of the colonnade.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 10, 2016, at 11 a.m.

WHERE: UIS quad, between University Hall and the Public Affairs Center

DETAILS: The unveiling celebrates the addition of a new Lincoln-centered landmark at UIS, home of the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair for Lincoln Studies and the annual Lincoln Legacy Lectures, and the seminal host of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln.

Sculptor George Lundeen specializes in detailed, highly polished bronzes of subjects, such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. He also created the popular sculptor of Red Grange that sits outside Memorial Stadium on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. His commissioned work can be found in private and corporate collections across the country.

The statue was made possible by the John N. Chester Estate Fund, an endowed gift fund created with the intent of adding to the attractiveness of the University of Illinois campuses.

Before the unveiling, Chancellor Susan J. Koch will share a few remarks, as well as University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen and the artist. Guests will also hear from UIS student Faith Hook, Abraham Lincoln Association President Kathryn Harris, and Michael Burlingame, Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at UIS.

The event will be hosted by the UIS Office of Advancement. A reception will follow the remarks and unveiling. The event is free to all attendees. The dress code is casual/business casual.

Ten UIS students to present at U of I Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol

Ten students from the University of Illinois Springfield will present their work at the third annual University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Day at the Illinois State Capitol on Thursday, May 5.

The students will display their research from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the first floor South corridor of the Capitol building. Students will be making poster presentations about their research and answering questions from lawmakers and the public.

UIS students will join their peers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses. Students were selected in a competitive process by the Undergraduate Research Steering Committee.

Chemistry major Ashley Hollinshead will present research on optimizing the freshwater denitrification process in heterotrophic bacteria using iron nanoparticles, history major Kendra Baber will discuss the destruction of museums and archeological sites by ISIS, biology major David Seidel will explore if geographic ranges can predict seedling success in tallgrass prairie restorations, and art major Zachary Landes will showcase his original installation “Take it, Don’t leave it”.

John Johnson, a chemistry major, will present research entitled “A Novel Approach to the Investigation of Solenopsins Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Tandem and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry”, art major Tyler Phibbs will exhibit his original artwork called “Cheromerican Warrior”, and psychology major Ashley Park will explore the relationship between poverty and adolescent substance abuse in Illinois.

Psychology major Jacob Eikenberry will present on the effects of workplace incivility and grit on burnout in domestic violence program employees, social work major Jennifer Hickey will discuss the need for Illinois to fund autism support and awareness programs, and sociology/anthropology major Michael Lotspeich will present his research regarding understanding inter-community conflict to building construction in a rural, consolidated local education agency.

The event is co-sponsored by the UIS Undergraduate Research Support Program and the UIS Chancellor’s Office. For more information, contact Keenan Dungey, UIS associate professor of chemistry and director of undergraduate student research, at 217/206-7345 or kdung1@uis.edu.

UIS to break ground on first-ever student union building on campus

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will break ground on its first-ever student union building, a $21.7 million project. University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen will be joined by UIS Chancellor Susan Koch, and Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder for the groundbreaking ceremony.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 4, 2016, at 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: UIS South Quad – Parking available in the University Hall or TRAC lots

DETAILS: The two-story, 50,000-square-foot facility will anchor the campus’s south quad, providing campus dining services, a coffee shop, a ballroom with seating for up to 450 people and a Student Leadership Center that will house student government, volunteer offices and workspaces for student organizations. The facility is scheduled to open in January 2018.

More than $5.3 million in gifts have been raised and officials say they will meet their $8 million fundraising goal before the facility opens. The remaining $13.7 million will be paid through campus funds and a construction fee that students approved in a 2012 referendum.

The new facility will fill a void that has grown since UIS became part of the University of Illinois system in 1995. The campus originally catered to upperclassmen and graduate-level students, but is now a traditional four-year school without the central gathering place for students.

William Brothers Construction Inc. of Peoria will be the general contractor for the project. Subcontractors include E.L. Pruitt Co. of Springfield, Commercial Mechanical Inc. of Dunlap and Foster Jacob Electric Inc. of Peoria. Dewberry Architects of Peoria and Workshop Architects of Milwaukee, Wisconsin developed design plans for the new facility.

For more information, contact Derek Schnapp, UIS director of public relations, at 217/206-6716 or dschn3@uis.edu.