Associate Professor Maria Bonn, Senior Data and Policy Analyst Ben Schaap, and Teaching Assistant Professor Sharon Comstock have received a Provost's Initiative on Teaching Advancement (PITA) grant, worth $7,500, for their proposal, "Standardizing MSLIS Experiential Learning Opportunities." PITA grants support the implementation of teaching innovations and enhancements at the University of Illinois.

Sara L. Schwebel, professor and director of the Center for Children's Books, gave the opening keynote for the 26th biennial International Research Society for Children's Literature (IRSCL) 2023 Congress, which was held from August 12-16 in Santa Barbara, California. The theme of this year's conference, which attracted attendees from over thirty countries and six continents, was "Ecologies of Childhood: Children's Literature, Culture, and the Environment."

Shirley Meyers joined the iSchool in July as grants and contracts coordinator. In her position, she will perform pre- and post-award administrative functions related to sponsored research projects.

The iSchool is pleased to announce the appointment of three specialized faculty members. Craig Willis and Yang Zhang will join the School as teaching assistant professors, and Dave Mussulman will join the School as a lecturer.

The PhD degree program at the iSchool celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2023. This profile is part of a special series featuring PhD alumni. Miriam Sweeney (PhD '13) is an associate professor at the University of Alabama.

The iSchool is pleased to announce that Rachel Adler will join the faculty as an associate professor in August 2023. She currently serves as an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at Northeastern Illinois University. 

Joey Kennedy joined the iSchool in July as senior IT specialist. In this position, he will supervise the Help Desk graduate assistants and provide course and general IT support for the School.

The iSchool is pleased to announce that Travis L. Wagner will join the faculty as an assistant professor in August 2023. They currently serve as a lecturer in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland.

Associate Professor Dong Wang is the lead author of a book that introduces a new paradigm integrating edge computing, humans, and artificial intelligence (AI). Social Edge Computing: Empowering Human-Centric Edge Computing, Learning and Intelligence (Springer) is coauthored by Daniel "Yue" Zhang, research scientist at Amazon Alexa AI. 

Lauren Ochs joined the iSchool in July as school librarian licensure coordinator. Her new duties include advising students about coursework and field experiences leading to school library licensure and/or endorsement; placing, supervising, and evaluating students in schools around the state in field experiences, such as practicum and student teaching; and aligning the school librarian licensure program with state and national standards.