UIS to offer a free public webinar on “Reopening Springfield education during the COVID-19 pandemic”

As part of the Springfield Innovation Hub, the University of Illinois Springfield and the Community Health Roundtable will offer a free public webinar on “Reopening Springfield education during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The webinar will take place from 12-1 p.m. on Friday, June 24, and will be moderated by Molly Lamb, executive director of the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership, who will also provide an update on Illinois COVID-19 guidelines.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues and is intensifying in some areas of the state and the country. As a result, educational institutions are seeking ways to deliver critical educational programs and personal services with the least possible health risk for faculty, staff, students and the broader community. During this webinar, local medical and educational leaders will discuss the issues and challenges they face as their institutions work to "reopen."

Dr. Vidya Sundareshan, co-chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the SIU School of Medicine, will discuss trends and trajectory of coronavirus and testing.

Jennifer Gill, superintendent of Springfield Public Schools, will discuss District 186's plan to reopen schools.

Karen Whitney, interim chancellor of the University of Illinois Springfield, will speak UIS’ plan to safely return students to campus.

Participants are encouraged to register for the event at go.uis.edu/COVIDwebinar, however registration is not required. Zoom and call in connection information can be found on the registration page.

UIS to hold a virtual star party on July 25

The University of Illinois Springfield Astronomy-Physics Program will broadcast a virtual star party live on Zoom (rain or shine) from 8:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25.

The star party was originally scheduled to be held in-person at Lincoln Memorial Garden, but will instead take place in an online format due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

John Martin, UIS associate professor of astronomy/physics, will give tips for finding bright planets, the Summer Triangle, the Big Dipper and other bright stars and constellations in the summer evening sky and answer astronomy questions submitted live. If weather permits, there will also be live views of the night sky and through telescopes.

The link for the Zoom event will be posted at go.uis.edu/summerstarparties and @UISObservatory on Twitter. Participants are encouraged to follow the Twitter account for updates.

The UIS Astronomy-Physics Program will also host a Perseid Meteor Shower viewing party on Aug. 11. This event will be virtual, if it cannot be held in person at Lincoln Memorial Garden. Please monitor the summer star parties website go.uis.edu/summerstarparties or @UISObservatory on Twitter for possible changes due to COVID-19 or weather conditions.

For more information on summer star parties, contact John Martin at 217-206-8342 or jmart5@uis.edu.