OVCR Research Week events highlight advancements in research and the value of interdisciplinary collaboration
Last week, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research hosted UIC Research Week, an annual series of events to celebrate and share the exceptional efforts of our faculty, staff, students and research trainees. Our campus community participated in events from OVCR institutes and research centers, as well as colleges and units across UIC, that highlighted the importance of research and the strides being made at UIC.
Read more about the OVCR-led events below.
Computational Research Symposium 2025 – Harnessing AI for Science
Event hosts: Advanced Cyberinfrastructure for Education and Research (ACER), the George Crabtree Institute for Discovery and the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF).
The Computational Research Symposium provided a platform for the UIC community to learn how advanced computing, computational science and artificial intelligence are being used to advance research across campus. Panelists from UIC and Argonne discussed the impacts of AI on healthcare and health research. Presenters also shared opportunities with the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility’s Lighthouse Initiative and the George Crabtree Institute for Discovery and poster presenters competed for prizes.
The Chicago Research Data Center: What Can Restricted-Access Microdata Do for Your Research and How to Access Them
Event hosts: UIC School of Public Health, Library of Health Sciences and OVCR
The Chicago Research Data Center is a partnership between the U.S. Census Bureau and a consortium that includes the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois system. Shahin Davoudpour, the administrator for the Chicago RDC, presented on restricted-access microdata and the role it can play in research studies. Qualified researchers can conduct statistical analyses on non-public data, providing them with unique insights and access to more data than most local research centers can maintain.
Center for Structural Biology Ribbon Cutting
Host: OVCR
UIC community members participated in a ribbon cutting, facility tour and networking lunch in celebration of the newly renovated Center for Structural Biology. The center will serve as a hub for research and house four UIC Research Resource Center Core facilities, including the Biophysics Core, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Core, Mass Spectrometry Core and Electron Microscopy Core. Researchers will have access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and expert staff for their research needs.
Research and Scholarship Annual Awards Ceremony
Host: OVCR
From understanding the mechanisms and molecular makeup of organisms to addressing social determinants of health to expanding the choral canon, the recipients of the 2024-25 Research and Scholarship Annual Awards all demonstrate excellence in research. During Research Week, they were honored at an awards ceremony at the Chicago Field Museum. Awardees were celebrated for their research and technological advancements, as well as their roles as mentors and research support staff. Read about each award winner.
Institute for Functional and Regenerative Materials Workshop and Seminar
Host: Institute for Functional and Regenerative Materials (IFRM)
Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) allows researchers to explore material microstructures and fine chemical compositions at nano and atomic scales. The IFRM hosted a workshop featuring transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and STEM-focused talks from Chicago area microscopists and a demo of in-situ and 4D STEM data acquisition with the Gatan ClearView camera. Presenters covered topics such as physics-guided machine learning in 4D STEM, using electron microscopy to demonstrate phase transition in magnesium oxide and etching pathways with liquid phase TEM to develop nanocrystals and devices with enhanced stability and robust structures. The workshop ended with a seminar series presentation from David McComb, who discussed how electron energy-loss spectroscopy in STEM can be used to identify functional groups in biological systems and determine their spatial distribution.
Digital Mental Health Panel and Keynote
Host: Institute for Research on Addictions
Digital tools can increase access to mental health services, but only if they are designed with consideration for the lived experiences of the communities they’re intended to reach. Keynote speaker Marina Tolou-Shams discussed the importance of precision justice and establishing patient care navigators to work in conjunction with mental health mobile applications. UIC presenters highlighted the value of digital tools for medical students with mental health conditions and the goal of building partnerships with adolescents to create platforms they want to use. Each speaker shared the need to do more research and strive for innovative solutions to improve mental health access and outcomes.
Institute for Health Data Science Research Seed Funding Awardees Presentation
Host: Institute for Health Data Science Research
After participating in a week-long bootcamp in summer 2024, three interdisciplinary teams studying antimicrobial nanomaterials, the cardiometabolic risks of antipsychotics and social media outreach to improve cancer trial diversity were selected to receive the inaugural round of seed funding awarded by the Institute for Health Data Science Research. During Research Week, the winning teams had the opportunity to present their projects and discuss the value of working on a multidisciplinary team to solve complex health problems. The institute plans to hold another bootcamp this summer, with additional opportunities for seed funding.
Read more about Research Week and the events from other UIC colleges and units on the OVCR website.