Associate Professor Dong Wang was recently named a Senior Member of IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The organization is the world's largest technical professional society and serves professionals involved in all aspects of the electrical, electronic, and computing fields and the related areas of science and technology.

For their tireless efforts to support academic freedom, New College of Florida faculty, librarians, student reporters of The Catalyst, and the Defend New College and Save New College student and alumni organizations have collectively been named the 2022 recipient of the Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The award is given annually by the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and cosponsored by Sage, a global academic publisher of books, journals, and library resources.

Xochitl Quiroz decided to pursue an MSLIS degree because she wanted to help college students develop information literacy as well as assist students and faculty with their reference needs. As she crosses the stage at the upcoming iSchool convocation, Quiroz will have the satisfaction of knowing that she is on her way to meeting her goal. This summer, she will begin her new job as a humanities and first years' engagement librarian at Smith College.

Associate Professor Emily Knox has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the American Library Association's Beta Phi Mu Award. This annual award is given in recognition of a library school faculty member's achievement or another individual's distinguished service to education for librarianship. The award, which consists of $1,000 and a citation of achievement, is sponsored by the Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honor Society.

Thirteen iSchool master's students were named 2022-2023 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services. This "Spectrum Scholar Spotlight" series highlights the School’s scholars. Rebeca Escamilla earned her bachelor's degree in English with minors in medieval studies and global poverty and practice from the University of California, Berkeley.

MSLIS student Claire Thomas has won the master's level 2023 Children's Literature Association (ChLA) Graduate Essay Award for her essay, "Bisexual Representation and Experimental Form in Kristin Cashore's Jane, Unlimited." The award includes a $400 award, one-year complimentary ChLA membership, and complimentary registration to the ChLA Annual Conference.

For Stephanie Orphan (MSLIS '98), the best part of her job as program director at arXiv is knowing that she is contributing to something meaningful that helps individuals as well as society. That was the same reason that she decided to earn a degree in LIS. "It seemed like a move that would lead me to gratifying, meaningful work, and that has turned out to be true."

Members of Associate Professor Dong Wang's research group, the Social Sensing and Intelligence Lab, will present their research at The ACM Web Conference 2023, which will be held from April 30 to May 4 in Austin, Texas. The conference is the premier venue to present and discuss progress in research, development, standards, and applications of topics related to the Web.

The Informatics Program’s Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab hosted over 200 visitors of all ages for an open house on April 16. The event was held during the Boneyard Arts Festival, an annual three-day event hosted by 40 North | 88 West that showcases local artists, businesses, and organizations in the Champaign-Urbana community. The iSchool oversees Informatics Programs for the University.

The iSchool will be well represented at the 16th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 27. The symposium, the signature event of Undergraduate Research Week, brings together students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines on the UIUC campus. During the event, visitors will learn about undergraduate research projects through oral and poster presentations, including creative performances and art exhibits. All are welcome to attend the symposium, which will be held in the Illini Union.