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SIU Today - July 02, 2026

SIU students competing in international agricultural robotics competition

Is your corn growing as well as it could be? SIU agricultural students have designed a robot to check — and they'll launch their design at the student agricultural-robotics design competition later this month. 

Reminder: Fireworks display near Banterra is Saturday

SIU and the City of Carbondale will host the annual Independence Day fireworks display on campus at 9:15 p.m. Saturday, July 4, near the Banterra Center. Learn more about the show and parking details. Food treats will be available from vendors. This year’s celebration features a live patriotic-music performance by the Southern Illinois Music Festival in recognition of America at 250. In the event of rain on July 4, the fireworks display will be postponed to Sunday, July 5, at 9:15 p.m.

SIU Carbondale’s glass program’s strength is its ‘community mindset’

A signal of SIU’s glass program was clear in June as more than 35 current students and alumni attended the international Glass Art Society (GAS) conference at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York.

Help SIU save energy, improve sustainability over July 4 holiday

SIU Carbondale will be closed on Friday, July 3. As students, faculty and staff prepare to leave campus for the July 4 holiday, now is a good time to take simple steps to help the university improve sustainability, one of the five pillars of the Imagine 2030 strategic plan.

Five join SIU Alumni Association board of directors 

The SIU Alumni Association has selected five alumni — with diverse backgrounds and experiences — to join the organization’s board of directors and serve a two-year term beginning July 1.

SIU journalism alumna, Chicago Tribune reporter, part of Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage 

SIU Carbondale journalism alumna and Chicago Tribune senior reporter Christy Gutowski was part of a team to earn a Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for their daily coverage and enterprise stories on the Department of Homeland Security's “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration enforcement program.

SIU’s Export Controls newsletter is available  

The monthly SIU Export Controls newsletter for June 2026 is available. The newsletter provides a resource for current export control issues and events that could affect SIU and its faculty. This edition includes an SIU Export Controls overview. Previous Export Controls newsletters are also available.