Research News
May 12, 2025
SIU researchers study ways to improve how all students learn chemistry
Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher Senetta Bancroft’s study into whether a differently structured chemistry class will benefit all students was inspired by a spring 2017 semester that left her disillusioned.May 07, 2025
SIU researcher seeks to upcycle food waste into biodegradable packaging
It might surprise you to learn that the No. 1 type of landfill waste in the United State is food. That being the case, a researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is looking for ways to divert that waste into a process for making biodegradable packaging for food.April 15, 2025
SIU researchers study social lives of deer to prevent spread of fatal illness
Wildlife researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are using cameras to take a closer look at how deer socialize to better understand how a deadly disease is spread.March 18, 2025
SIU researcher gets $175K grant to make AI ecosystems more efficient
With advances in AI often outstripping the capacity of existing hardware, a researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is looking at ways to leverage the existing computing environment to keep up with demands for training AI models.March 03, 2025
SIU researcher secures $200K grant to improve brain-inspired computing technology
A Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher is exploring innovative ways to accelerate neuromorphic computing, drawing inspiration from the human brain's structure and function.February 13, 2025
Southern Illinois University Carbondale officially among top research schools in the U.S.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale today (Feb. 13) has officially entered the ranks of the top research universities in the nation: It has been designated Research 1, or R1, in the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.January 23, 2025
SIU engineering students create robot for crop inspection
The days of a farmer wandering a field and inspecting the crops may be coming to an end, as two engineering students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale have designed a robot to monitor soybean plants as they are growing.November 19, 2024
SIU researcher analyzes water isotopes, refining a method to solving mysteries
While the sleuths on popular forensic crime shows make solving a case with science look easier than it actually is, a researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is refining those methods using chemical analysis of local tap waters.October 30, 2024
SIU farms coral to help imperiled ecosystems survive, explore aquaculture
Much of the Earth’s freshwater eventually joins with massive, salty oceans where it can deeply impact life in those marine systems. Amid farm fields hundreds of miles away, researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are growing coral, a beautiful and sensitive lifeform sitting in the nexus of these systems and their interactions.October 29, 2024
SIU researcher gets $150K to use AI to prevent food poisoning
As mega fast food chain McDonald’s scrambles to control bacterial contamination in some of its onions, a researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is working on using artificial intelligence to detect a deadly pathogen before it enters the food supply.October 17, 2024
SIU earns $80.6M in external awards in 2023-24
Funding from outside sources remained strong at Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the last fiscal year, according to records from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.October 04, 2024
SIU’s state-of-the-art, $7.2M BioLaunch boosts opportunities in science, the economy
Officials today (Oct. 4) cut the ribbon on Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s $7.2 million BioLaunch lab, a new, 10,000-square-foot space dedicated to cutting-edge life sciences research and more.September 17, 2024
Student research team at SIU hopes to discuss research on space-age crops with professionals
Students led by a Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher may have the rare opportunity to present their research on using microalgae to grow crops in regolith, like the surface of the moon, to scientists and other professionals.September 10, 2024
$500K SIU study focuses on removing ‘forever chemicals’ from water
Life itself springs from the ground in the form of water, and a researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is seeking to eliminate PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” from this life-giving substance by using nanoparticles and light.August 27, 2024
SIU researcher wins $624,500 NSF-CAREER grant to develop microbes to mitigate plastic waste
Can a microbe be used to eat our way out of the growing problem of plastic waste in our environment? A Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher thinks it might be possible, and he’s using a large federal grant to investigate.August 20, 2024
SIU student researcher tracks invasive rodent as part of study on semiaquatic mammals
There are four semiaquatic mammals traditionally living in Illinois, but a student researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is using a new technique to keep watch for the presence of a fifth, unwelcome species: nutria, which wreck habitats and spread disease.August 08, 2024
$345K SIU study focuses on how to keep farmed largemouth bass from eating their own
The largemouth bass is a popular sportfish among anglers, who know that familiar “thump.” But researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are looking to find better ways to farm it to the table for humans by keeping the infamously cannibalistic species decidedly off its own menu.July 24, 2024
SIU researchers study how giant cane bamboo remnants affect ecosystems
Two researchers from Southern Illinois University Carbondale are studying the role remnants of a once common bamboo species plays in improving soil and water, supporting wildlife and the effects of nearby forests.July 23, 2024
SIU student research to be showcased at symposium
Students from two related Southern Illinois University Carbondale programs that teach students how to conduct research will present their findings during a research poster symposium this week.June 17, 2024
SIU prof gets prestigious National Science Foundation grant to enhance AI crime analysis
A researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale has received a grant to improve AI crime analytics capabilities while fostering collaboration among multiple agencies and keeping sensitive information secure.June 03, 2024
SIU researcher leads $1.13M project to integrate AI into 6G technology
Imagine a world in which a highly intelligent wireless system can monitor the environment and fight pollution, send a fleet of cars to transport several people and help find a missing young child because it can identify anyone anywhere.March 14, 2024
SIU researcher mines social media for data on eclipse tourism
A total solar eclipse is an opportunity to witness one of nature’s greatest wonders, but for a researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, it’s also a chance to study tourism in smaller communities where not much data exists.February 06, 2024
SIU experts search abandoned coal mines for rare earth elements used in green energy
Rare earth elements are key to the energy sources that power many modern technologies, and a Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher is trying to find ways to glean them from the remnants of yesteryear’s energy source.February 01, 2024
Student team led by SIU prof seeks to use algae to grow out-of-this-world crops
A team of students led by a researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is one of just 15 nationwide finalists for the U.S. Department of Energy AlgaePrize 2023-2025 Competition. And if the Carbondale team succeeds, its project could be used to grow crops in off-Earth environments such as its moon and Mars.January 29, 2024
SIU researchers work to place Southern Illinois Black heritage sites on National Register
Work by Southern Illinois University Carbondale researchers in recognizing significant Black heritage properties in the region could also reveal more information about a Union Army military camp that hosted up to 5,000 freed Blacks in Cairo at one point during the Civil War.January 11, 2024
SIU gets $2.6M grant to use celestial marvels as inspiration to study the sun
Of all the objects in Earth’s sky, nothing impacts humans more than the sun. Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are playing a key role to inspire curiosity about our fiery celestial neighbor.January 08, 2024
SIU medical researchers seek causes, solutions for pituitary-related conditions
About one in 4,000 children are born with a deficiency of one or more pituitary hormones that results in a wide variety of health issues including growth insufficiency, metabolic imbalances, infertility and in some cases, infant death.December 12, 2023
SIU prof named fellow of National Academy of Inventors
A longtime Southern Illinois University Carbondale faculty researcher has been named a fellow by the National Academy of Inventors for its 2023 class.December 11, 2023
SIU researchers lead $465K project to bring 2024 eclipse to schools outside moon’s shadow
Young students in Southern Illinois will have their second chance to witness an awe-inspiring total solar eclipse, being fortunate enough to live near its path. Faculty at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, however, are planning to bring the celestial event to many other youngsters who are not in the shadow this time around.December 04, 2023
SIU prof explores how to use AI to prevent and fight crime
Even as artificial intelligence rises as a new technology, a Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher is looking at how, when it comes to crime, some things never change.November 22, 2023
Talk at SIU to focus on link between eclipses and societal upheaval
A Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher with a background in geology, chemistry and the humanities, and an interest in interdisciplinary studies, will give the December “Journey to the Eclipse” talk, focusing on times when, according to the historic record, the sun did not behave as it should.November 08, 2023
SIU researchers explore virtual training to foster faster, better decisions in sports and more
Split-second decisions frequently determine the outcome of a game, a medical procedure, a military battle or a law enforcement situation. Scott Boatright, a doctoral candidate at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is conducting research to see if people can train with simulation and extended reality to make judgments more quickly and effectively.November 07, 2023
SIU-led delegation explores getting crops and solar energy from the same plots
Humans need energy almost as much as they need food. A team from Southern Illinois University Carbondale is helping explore ways to harvest both from the same plots of ground.October 26, 2023
SIU external awards spike to $95.7M in 2022-23
Funding from outside sources skyrocketed at Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the last fiscal year, according to records from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.October 23, 2023
SIU researchers get $194K grant to stop algae from making toxins
A team of researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is working on a new technology aimed at ordering a common water algae that produces a toxin to knock it off.October 04, 2023
SIU’s plans for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
On Monday, April 8, 2024, SIU Carbondale will be in the international spotlight once again, thanks to the second total solar eclipse in seven years. In fact, our region is the only location in the world to be the site of both eclipses! Check out the award-winning documentary, “In the Shadow,” about the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse on campus.October 04, 2023
SIU prof receives $200K to study mechanisms of inflammation, which may lead to new therapies
A researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is trying to find ways to better understand and control the inflammation process, an important biological dynamic in human health.October 02, 2023
SIU plans activities for annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14
A naturally occurring warm-up for the total solar eclipse in April will happen in October, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale is planning activities that will help the public enjoy and learn from it.September 14, 2023
SIU researcher seeks to stabilize complex, uncertain water supply systems
Everyone knows that sinking feeling when you turn on the faucet and nothing comes out. A Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher’s work aims to provide a water system design to avoid such crises.