Quinn Kennelly joined the iSchool on November 3 as an office support specialist. She will serve as the primary receptionist on the fourth floor of the iSchool building at 614 E. Daniel Street and will also provide administrative support to Director of Informatics Programs Lisa Bievenue and the Informatics team. 

Informatics PhD student Sepehr Vaez Afshar has been named a Student Scholar by the Association for Preservation Technology (APT). Each year, around ten students are selected worldwide for the scholarship program based on the quality and innovation of their research abstracts, as well as their contribution to the field of preservation technology. Scholars are paired with mentors from the APT College of Fellows, prepare and present their research during the association's annual conference, and enjoy opportunities for long-term professional networking and mentorship within the preservation community.

Aisaiah Pellecer had originally planned to attend graduate school after earning his bachelor's degree in information sciences + data science (BSIS+DS). His plans changed after learning about the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals, a fellowship that annually provides 65 American and 65 German young professionals the opportunity to spend one year in each other’s countries—studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program. 

iSchool faculty, staff, and students will participate in the 88th Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), which will be held on November 14-18 in Arlington, Virginia. ASIS&T will also host a Virtual Satellite Meeting on December 11-12. 

As an MSIM student at the iSchool, Zhanchen Kang is passionate about helping people make sense of the overwhelming amount of information in their daily lives. Kang earned an undergraduate degree in information systems in China before coming to the University of Illinois to further explore how technology, data, and people intersect. 

Students from The Stu/dio, the University of Illinois student-led game production studio, are preparing to take the stage at MDEV 2025, which will be held on November 7-8 in Madison, Wisconsin. One of the Midwest's most popular game industry conferences, MDEV celebrates innovation and collaboration in game development by bringing together game designers, developers, and enthusiasts from across the region for panels, workshops, and networking. 

Information Sciences PhD students Mubarak Raji, Eryclis Rodrigues Silva, and Eryue Xu, and Informatics PhD student Muhammad Hussain have received A. Serwin Conference Scholarships from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). The award, which recognizes outstanding students in the areas of privacy, AI governance, and digital responsibility, consists of $1,000 and complimentary conference registration. The IAPP’s annual conference, Privacy. Security. Risk., will be held October 30-31 in San Diego, California.

PhD candidate Jana M. Perkins successfully defended her dissertation, "Scholarship writ large: A data-rich analysis of professionalization in English literary scholarship from 1940 to the present."

PhD student Yaman Yu has been named a recipient of the 2025 Google PhD Fellowship in Privacy, Safety, and Security. The fellowship program recognizes outstanding graduate students who are conducting exceptional and innovative research in computer science and related fields, with a special focus on candidates who seek to influence the future of technology. Google PhD fellowships include tuition and fees, a stipend, and mentorship from a Google Research Mentor for up to two years. Google.org is providing over $10 million to support 255 PhD students across 35 countries and 12 research domains.

Much of the Midwest is experiencing drought due to very dry weather in the late summer and early fall. Half of the state of Illinois is in a severe drought, and portions of Central Illinois are in an extreme drought, affecting farmers' yields, particularly for soybeans. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign information sciences professor Dong Wang developed an artificial intelligence-driven drought estimation framework, called SIDE or Socially Informed Drought Estimation. The tool examines societal implications of drought beyond water availability or agricultural losses and how human behavior and environmental conditions influence one another. He talked with News Bureau arts and humanities editor Jodi Heckel.