Assistant Professor Madelyn Rose Sanfilippo has co-edited a new book, Governing Privacy in Knowledge Commons, with Brett M. Frischmann (Villanova University School of Law) and Katherine J. Strandburg (New York University School of Law). The book, which was recently published by Cambridge University Press, explores the complex and dynamic relationships between privacy, governance, and the production, cultivation, and sharing of knowledge.

Teaching Assistant Professor David Hopping has been named director of the iSchool's Workforce Development/Continuing Education Program. Hopping's primary responsibility in this new role will be to develop a strategic vision and framework, which includes defining the curriculum, audience, and modes of delivery. He will also support the recruitment of industry and agency partners and supervise the management of continuing education/nondegree student enrollment.

A record seventeen iSchool master's students were named 2020-2021 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. MS/LIS student Mimosa Shah holds a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and an MA in Humanities from the University of Chicago.

Doctoral candidate Noah Samuel successfully defended his dissertation, "Socio-Physical Characteristics Influencing Collaboration Among Startup Firms in Four Business Incubators," on March 16. His committee included Associate Professor Kate Williams (chair); Professor Michael Twidale; Sonali Shah, associate professor of business administration in the Gies College of Business; and Clara Chu, director of the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs and Mortenson Distinguished Professor.

The following iSchool faculty, staff, and students will participate in iConference 2021, which will be held virtually on March 17-31. The annual event brings together scholars, researchers, and information professionals to share insights on critical information issues. The theme of this year's conference is "Diversity, Divergence, Dialogue."

A project to increase the health data literacy of youth has received funding through the University’s Extension Collaboration Grant Program. Assistant Professor Rachel M. Magee will lead the project, "Health Data Literacy Ambassadors," with Associate Professors Catherine Blake and Jana Diesner serving as co-investigators. Funded through the Office of the Provost's Investment for Growth Program and University of Illinois Extension, the grant supports research and partnerships that address critical issues in five key areas: food, economy, environment, community, and health.

For Mariah and Fernanda Schaefer (both MS '20), having your twin as a study partner when going through graduate school was extremely helpful. Originally from Brazil, the Schaefer sisters received their bachelor's degrees—Mariah in journalism and Fernanda in advertising—and master's degrees from the University of Illinois.

Thanks to a new scholarship at the iSchool, David Alegre has been relieved of some of the stress in financing his education. Alegre, a junior from Chicago, is the inaugural recipient of the CNH Industrial Information Sciences Scholarship, which supports continuing BS in information sciences (BS/IS) students who have financial need. He chose the iSchool for his undergraduate study because of his interest in becoming a data analyst.

Mayank Vijaywargia (MS '19) credits his iSchool coursework with preparing him for managing, cleaning, and interpreting data to make strategic decisions; prototyping for data products; and building data warehouses in his job at Ernst & Young LLP. He encourages current students to choose their courses wisely, keeping in mind what they want to do in their future careers.

Ruth Shasteen (CAS '13) has been appointed as school librarian program coordinator after providing interim leadership in this role. Her duties focus on advising students interested in pursuing licensure or endorsement as a school library information specialist and supervising teacher-librarian candidates during their student teaching.