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SIU Today - June 18, 2026

Safer skies: SIU master’s student designs drone airbag to protect people below

Recent SIU graduate Brady Villiger designed an autonomously deployed airbag system — developed in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Materials Engineering — that could make future drone flights safer. Villiger was mentored by Assistant Professor Hossein Eslamiat, who directs SIU’s Aerospace Controls Research Lab. The two published their results in March in the international, peer-reviewed journal Drones.

Able Flight, SIU Aviation offers a flight plan for student pilots with disabilities

With plans to one day fly a helicopter as a search-and-rescue pilot, Ethan March believed that goal might be shattered when he fractured his spine after falling from a roof while installing solar panels — an accident that left him paraplegic. March, who is one of six students in SIU Carbondale’s 2026 Able Flight cohort, said the opportunity to one day realize his dream of flying remains “in the front of my mind.”

‘Decal-By-Mail’ program available through June 26 

The Department of Public Safety Parking Division’s Decal-By-Mail program for eligible faculty and staff for the fiscal year 2027 is available through Friday, June 26. Applicants must use payroll deduction. The salary range for decal categories has not been increased.

Fireworks, musical performance set for July 4 at SIU 

The City of Carbondale and SIU Carbondale are excited to announce the return of the annual fireworks display at SIU — this year with the addition of a live performance of patriotic music. The Southern Illinois Music Festival commemorates America at 250 beginning at 7:45 p.m. July 4 in Lot 18 by the Banterra Center. The fireworks follow beginning at 9:15 p.m.

Paul Simon Institute hosts Pulitzer Prize-winning historian to assess U.S. presidency 

On the eve of the nation’s 250th anniversary, David Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, will discuss the United States and the American presidency on Tuesday, June 23, with SIU Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

Foodie memories draw viewers to podcast from SIU faculty, students 

A cross-campus collaboration of SIU faculty and students launched The Recipe Box, a Podbean podcast that has already garnered a fan following with each episode featuring a special guest discussing a favorite recipe and its origin story.

Campus visits begin at Tedrick Welcome Center 

Beginning on Monday, June 22, SIU Carbondale’s Campus Visit Program will welcome prospective students and their families at the Tedrick Welcome Center, providing a more centralized and welcoming starting point for their SIU experience. For questions about campus visits or the transition from the Student Services Building, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

SIU offers access to Google AI Professional Certificate through Grow with Google 

One of the hottest and most misunderstood technologies today is artificial intelligence (AI). But appropriate, creative, and thoughtful use of AI has the potential to propel those who learn to leverage its power forward in yet unimagined ways and with remarkable speed.

Women’s Leadership Council awards microgrants to three SIU initiatives 

The SIU Foundation Women’s Leadership Council recently awarded microgrants to three women-led initiatives. The annual program supports innovative projects that enhance student learning, leadership development and engagement while advancing opportunities for women across SIU Carbondale.

Reminder: University closed Friday for Juneteenth 

The university will be closed on Friday, June 19, to observe Juneteenth. Legislation signed in 2021 established Juneteenth as a federal holiday, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.