Latest news with #UniversityOfIllinois
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Higher Ed Podcasts Are Starting To Grow, Organize
A banner of participants at the first Higher Ed Pod Con in Chicago. A week ago, in a conference center on the campus of the University of Illinois, Chicago, nearly 150 podcasters and podcast support providers gathered at the first Higher Education Podcast Conference – HigherEdPodCon, as it aims to brand itself. Attendees have podcasts, or support podcasts, with specific themes, audiences or tie-ins to higher education or higher education institutions. The conclave was interesting not as much for what happened, but for what could happen. But first, are there really 150 podcasts focusing on higher education? No. According to Gregg Oldring, Founder of HigherEdPods and CTO of Podium Podcast Co, that 150 number is just a tiny fraction of higher education podcasts. Oldring says that he already has a list of a staggering 1,130 podcasts in higher education – and that's covering just 191 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Considering that there are about 4,000 higher education institutions across the two nations, the real number of higher education podcasts could be in the tens of thousands. Not all are big, and not all are overly active. But many are. And a few are quite large. Even so, thinking about as many as 25,000 podcasts is a staggering number. 'After interviewing a number of higher ed podcasters on the Continuing Studies podcast, we noticed that most podcasters in higher education were working in isolation. To combat that, we wanted to foster a vibrant, collaborative community for higher ed podcasters, where we can share expertise, build connections, and get better at podcasting,' Oldring said. Indeed, nearly all the sessions and presentations in Chicago were about raising the performance, delivery, quality, or impact of podcasts and podcasters. Topics and tips included understanding metrics, the power of guests to drive listeners and subscribers, and, of course, how to monetize podcast shows and brands. Stepping outside the conference programs, with such a large pool of higher education podcasts, it's not hard to comprehend the power that potentially rests in 25,000 independent microphones in orbits in and around higher education, delivering insights, opinions, and experiences across some of the largest and most active social media platforms. Even if each podcast has an audience of just 100 listeners, that's a combined audience of 2.5 million. For comparison, CNN averages between 400,000 and 500,000 viewers during any given weekday. In other words, the potential impact and reach of higher education podcasts, should they be able to coordinate or even communicate with one another, is deep. And probably highly effective, even subtle. As evidenced by this being the first such conference, no one had been tracking or watching what these podcasts and podcasters were saying or doing collectively. Or that they even existed. But that could change quickly, and with high impact. So far, the podcasts are not organizing to, or even discussing, coalescing messages or policy. The objectives and audiences seem far too diverse for anything like that right now, especially among just the 150 or so leaders who attended the Chicago conference. But as they get better, grow, and start to talk to one another, the potential is powerful. 'This is just the beginning,' said Joe Sallustio, EdD, host of one of the largest and best-known higher education podcasts, The EdUp Experience. Sallustio helped organize the Higher Ed Pod Con and made presentations to attendees on the show's successes and learning moments. 'We believe this conference can grow exponentially in future years, the podcasting community in higher education is emerging and looking for a platform to connect and share best practices. HigherEd PodCon could become the premier higher education media conference in North America,' Sallustio said. The effort, he said, is growing rapidly and that, 'Having 100 institutions represented at the first conference shows the eagerness among the audience for this to happen.' As podcasting has settled into its post-pandemic renaissance as a top-tier driver of information and entertainment, the higher education community has somewhat spontaneously, even accidentally, developed an organ of tremendous potential – a new planetary system with its own growing gravitational pull. Since many of the podcasts engaged at this stage are directly affiliated with colleges, universities or their professors or programs, it's doubtful that the podcast tail will ever wag the higher education dog. But as they organize, the future nonetheless includes their growing prominence and influence. As such, more and more people, companies, and institutions will start to listen, and cater, to what they say. Going forward, engaging higher education podcasts will move from a nice-to-have to essential, from value-add to place to start. That alone will represent a significant shift in how people think about and communicate to – and with – the entire education universe.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Hot Flashes Impact Heart And Brain Health. Why Aren't More Women Seeking Treatment For Them?
Welcome to the Perimenopause Playbook—your guide to navigating the most overlooked and misunderstood phase of the menopausal transition. Read the rest of the stories, from how to get a diagnosis to treatment options to where to actually find good care, here. Up to 80 percent of women experience hot flashes, otherwise known as vasomotor symptoms, at some point in the menopausal transition. Yet only about a quarter of women receive treatment for them. And, no, they're not just inconvenient—they can actually have a lasting impact on your health. Hot flashes are correlated with increased memory problems and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in the blood. They're also associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, particularly in perimenopausal women. Hot flashes that occur during REM sleep have greater ties to CVD. 'I envision that hot flashes are going to be [treated] like blood pressure changes,' says Pauline Maki, PhD, a professor of psychiatry, psychology, and ob-gyn at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 'Once you reach a certain threshold of hot flashes, I think we're going to find that you need to treat them to optimize your heart and brain health.' What Triggers a Hot Flash: There are neurons in an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. These neurons are responsible for regulating body temperature and are influenced by estrogen. When estrogen declines in perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause, the neurons become overactive, dysregulating body temperature and triggering the hot flashes. The Threshold: NIH-funded clinical trials are underway to determine what frequency and intensity of hot flashes negatively impact the brain and heart. Dr. Maki notes that surges in stress hormones like cortisol could be a factor—especially if a woman is more exposed to this stress hormone than a woman with fewer symptoms—but more research is needed to determine the cause. We do know that Black and Native women experience more frequent and intense hot flashes than their white counterparts. The Role of Estrogen: It's the hot flashes that are affecting the brain and heart—not the estrogen. 'The idea is you treat the symptoms, you don't treat the loss of estrogen,' explains Dr. Maki. 'There's too much messaging about 'Oh, the loss of estrogen leads to dementia.' Well, we'd all be demented if that's the case, because all of us lose estrogen.' Hot Flash Relief Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for hot flashes, but there are nonhormonal treatments available as well. The first NK3 receptor antagonist that's FDA-approved to treat moderate to severe hot flashes. A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that's also FDA-approved to treat hot flashes. This medication used to treat epilepsy and chronic nerve pain is sometimes prescribed off-label. CBT is found to reduce the impact of hot flashes and improve quality of life. A small study shows acupuncture improves hot flashes, though researchers believe this is due to placebo effect rather than the treatment itself. This story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of Women's Health. You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Scaling Nuclear to Fuel AI Energy Needs
Nuclear power is 'extremely well-suited' to powering artificial intelligence, says Kathryn Huff from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Huff speaks with Ed Ludlow on 'Bloomberg Tech.' (Source: Bloomberg)
New York Times
14-07-2025
- General
- New York Times
Chinese Students Flocked to Central Illinois. Their Food Followed.
Julia Sun, a law student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who spent the first 10 years of her life in Shanghai, was shopping at an Asian grocery store half a mile from campus last year when a package in the snack aisle made her do a double take. 'They had this waffle-biscuit thing that I ate in second grade,' Ms. Sun said. It had been so long since she had seen the waffle-biscuit thing that she was sure it was extinct. 'I thought I was dreaming,' she said. For the more than 6,000 students from China in Urbana and Champaign, the wealth of products and dishes from back home can make the two cities seem like a mirage rising from the plains of central Illinois. Surrounded by miles of flat, green fields of soy and grain corn, the cities have a combined population of about 127,000 people and a skyline that rarely pokes above 15 stories. The area isn't anybody's idea of a major metropolitan center. It certainly isn't the first place you'd think to look when you are in the mood for serious Chinese food. After a quick walk from the university's main quad, though, you can sit down to a faithful rendition of spicy bullfrog hot pot in a Sichuanese broth studded with green peppercorns. A nearby restaurant serves yangrou paomo, a Shaanxi lamb soup with floating scraps of flatbread that is a favorite in Xi'an. If you are struck by a late-night craving for stinky tofu in the style of Changsha, you can get it after 8:30 p.m. from a chef who dresses fried black cubes of fermented bean curd in a glistening orange chile oil, the way vendors do on the streets of Hunan's capital city. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
From the Farm: U of I professor named World Food Prize recipient
CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) — The University of Illinois has another faculty member who has received an international distinction. From the Farm: All American Junior Sheep Show Dr. Stephen Long, Ikenberry Professor of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology at U of I, has been figuring out how to make crops yield more by using sunlight energy for the last 50 years. As a result, he has been declared agrifood professor and the recipient pioneer for the World Food Prize this October in Des Moines, Iowa. 'That'll be a very special day, a very special recognition for all the people who've worked with me at [the University of] Illinois and are carrying on this work, here and around the world,' Long said. 'My major objective in all of the work has really been to improve the process of photosynthesis in our crops, and also future proof it so that it can still function under the changes we know that are going to happen over the next 50 years.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
