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Contact name: Jay Cournoyer
Contact email: itg-vl@beckman.illinois.edu

Beckman’s Visualization Laboratory is offering office hours with new Vis Lab Manager Jay Cournoyer between 1-3 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Vis Lab offers data visualization software, high-performance computing, 3D art services, virtual reality content creation and high-speed photography. Have questions? Email itg-vl@beckman.illinois.edu. 

Contact name: Stacy Olson
Contact email: srolson@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-8373

Calvin Mackie, founder of STEM NOLA, will give a lecture titled, "Hope in the 21st Century."

A kid-friendly reception will follow, as will a preview of the Beckman Institute Open House from 4-6 p.m.

For more information, visit the SmithGroup Lecture web page.

Contact name: Lexie Kesler
Contact email: lkesler@illinois.edu

The Beckman Institute Open House is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 4, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, 2025. It offers a fun, interactive look at the interdisciplinary research happening at the Beckman Institute. It happens at the same time as Engineering Open House each year. 

Contact name: Lexie Kesler
Contact email: lkesler@illinois.edu

Hear “Questions Led the Way,” a new storybook about the Beckman Institute.

Listeners will receive a free science notebook! Beckman Director Steve Maren will lead this reading during the 

Beckman Institute Open House

.

Other story times include:

2 p.m. Friday, April 4, Associate Director for Research Cristina Álvarez-Mingote will read in Spanish then English

10 a.m. Saturday, April 5, Graduate student Kennedi Crayton

2 p.m. Saturday, April 5, Former Director Jeff Moore (and his 8-year-old granddaughter)

Contact name: Lexie Kesler
Contact email: lkesler@illinois.edu

Hear “Questions Led the Way,” a new storybook about the Beckman Institute during the Beckman Institute Open House.

Listeners will receive a free science notebook! 

Associate Director for Research Cristina Álvarez-Mingote will read in Spanish, then English.

Other story times include:

10 a.m.. Friday, April 4, Director Steve Maren

10 a.m. Saturday, April 5, Graduate student Kennedi Crayton

2 p.m. Saturday, April 5, Former Director Jeff Moore (and his 8-year-old granddaughter)

Contact name: Lisa Johnson
Contact email: lisa3@illinois.edu

Carolyn Larabell, University of California San Francisco and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will lecture on "Quantitative 3D Imaging of Whole Cells Using Soft X-ray Tomography"

Abstract: 

Soft x-ray tomography (SXT) visualizes and quantifies the structural organization ofbiological organisms up to 20 um diameter. Specimens are imaged in the near-nativestate - rapidly frozen in their normal growth conditions - at a resolution up to 35 nm.Large numbers of cells can be imaged since it takes only 5-10 min to go from the frozenspecimen to a reconstructed tomogram. Imaging is based primarily on the absorption ofCarbon, a common element of all known life. At the same time, water (ice) is virtuallyinvisible so that high-contrast images are obtained based solely on the inherentproperties of the structures examined. This is accomplished by imaging with x-rayphotons in the 'water window' (between 284 – 543eV), where x-ray photons areabsorbed an order of magnitude more strongly by carbon- and nitrogen-containingorganic material than by water. The absorption of soft x-rays adheres to the Beer-Lambert Law and is, therefore, a function of the chemical composition andconcentration of organic material, yielding unique quantitative Linear AbsorptionCoefficient (LAC) measurements for specimen components. We have used this label-free imaging technology to image and quantify a wide variety of structures, includingisolated organic particles, bacteria, yeast, spores, algae, larger mammalian cells andtissue. I will present examples of SXT data that enabled biological findings that couldn’t be obtained with other technologies.

Contact name: Lexie Kesler
Contact email: lkesler@illinois.edu

The Beckman Institute Open House is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 4, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, 2025. It offers a fun, interactive look at the interdisciplinary research happening at the Beckman Institute. It happens at the same time as Engineering Open House each year. 

Contact name: Lexie Kesler
Contact email: lkesler@illinois.edu

Hear “Questions Led the Way,” a new storybook about the Beckman Institute.

Listeners will receive a free science notebook! Beckman Director Graduate student Kennedi Crayton will lead this reading during the 

Beckman Institute Open House

.

Other story times include:

10 a.m. Friday, April 4, Director Steve Maren

2 p.m. Friday, April 4, Associate Director for Research Cristina Álvarez-Mingote will read in Spanish then English

2 p.m. Saturday, April 5, Former Director Jeff Moore (and his 8-year-old granddaughter)

Contact name: Lexie Kesler
Contact email: lkesler@illinois.edu

Hear “Questions Led the Way,” a new storybook about the Beckman Institute.

Listeners will receive a free science notebook! 

Former Director Jeff Moore (and his 8-year-old granddaughter)

will lead this reading during the 

Beckman Institute Open House

.

Other story times include:

10 a.m. Friday, April 4, Director Steve Maren

2 p.m. Friday, April 4, Associate Director for Research Cristina Álvarez-Mingote will read in Spanish then English

10 a.m. Saturday, April 5, Graduate student Kennedi Crayton

Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-2603

All are welcome to join our weekly 10-10:30 a.m. Tuesday gather in the atrium sessions. Please feel free to bring your own favorite beverage and enjoy the company!

Contact name: Bishop Gonzalez
Contact email: jbgonza2@illinois.edu

Please join us at noon on Tuesday, April 8, in 5602 Beckman to learn about "Visual Feast: How the Sausage Gets Made" demystifying digital image data and all of the things you can do with it, presented by Jay Cournoyer.

Lunch will be provided to those who register for in-person attendance.  

Please register by Thursday, April 3.

Register here!

Registration link

Contact name: Marni Boppart
Contact email: mboppart@illinois.edu

Extracellular vesicles represent an important mechanism for intercellular communication, yet our understanding of the biosynthesis, detection, and characterization of EVs continues to emerge.

The 

mission

 of the Beckman Institute EVIT Working Group is to bring together our university community focused on the investigation of EVs in the context of both health and disease. Our 

vision 

is to introduce 

innovation

 into the traditional workflow of isolating and characterizing EVs, which requires synergistic efforts from faculty in multiple disciplines. 

This workshop will provide the opportunity to learn about the use of EVs as markers of disease progression from Mayo Clinic faculty, as well as become acquainted with newly emerging technologies to capture and detect EVs by faculty at Illinois. The poster session will provide an informal venue for exploring new collaborations. All faculty, staff, postdoctoral students, graduate students, and interested members of the public are welcome to join us for this half day workshop. 

See the full agenda and register by April 9.

Registration link

Contact name: Elena Romanova
Contact email: romanova@illinois.edu

Join us at noon on Wednesdays this spring for yoga with a view! All sessions are free and will be held in Beckman's fifth-floor tower room. All are welcome to bring their own mat! 

Contact name: Alejandra Isabel Otero Pires
Contact email: pires2@illinois.edu

The annual symposium of the Center for Label-free Imaging and Multiscale Biophotonics is open for all interested in the field of label-free biophotonics, with translational applications to clinical medicine and fundamental biology. Register now. 

Registration link

Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-2603

Join Beckman Director Steve Maren in the Beckman center atrium for the annual presentation of two Beckman awards: the

Vision and Spirit Award

,

which recognizes a researcher at the institute who has fostered collaboration in their research and exemplifies founder Arnold Beckman's vision, and the

Staff Spirit and Dedication Award

,

which recognizes a staff member who embodies the mission and core values of the Beckman Institute and demonstrates teamwork.  

Cupcakes will follow in celebration of the anniversary of Arnold Beckman's birth, April 10.

Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-2603

All are welcome to join our weekly 10-10:30 a.m. Tuesday gather in the atrium sessions. Please feel free to bring your own favorite beverage and enjoy the company!

Contact name: Elena Romanova
Contact email: romanova@illinois.edu

Join us at noon on Wednesdays this spring for yoga with a view! All sessions are free and will be held in Beckman's fifth-floor tower room. All are welcome to bring their own mat! 

Contact name: Tim Trinklein
Contact email: timtk@illinois.edu

Join us from 10:30-11 a.m. Thursday, April 17 in the Beckman Atrium to unwind with a visiting therapy dog! All are welcome to take a moment to destress, relax and recharge with the calming presence of a canine friend!

Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 12172442603

Join members of the Beckman community for coffee and cookies in the Beckman Atrium. The Cookie Collab is scheduled for 3 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. 

Contact name: Marni Boppart
Contact email: mboppart@illinois.edu

Extracellular vesicles represent an important mechanism for intercellular communication, yet our understanding of the biosynthesis, detection, and characterization of EVs continues to emerge.

The 

mission

 of the Beckman Institute EVIT Working Group is to bring together our university community focused on the investigation of EVs in the context of both health and disease. Our 

vision 

is to introduce 

innovation

 into the traditional workflow of isolating and characterizing EVs, which requires synergistic efforts from faculty in multiple disciplines. 

This workshop will provide the opportunity to learn about the use of EVs as markers of disease progression from Mayo Clinic faculty, as well as become acquainted with newly emerging technologies to capture and detect EVs by faculty at Illinois. The poster session will provide an informal venue for exploring new collaborations. All faculty, staff, postdoctoral students, graduate students, and interested members of the public are welcome to join us for this half day workshop. 

See the full agenda and register by April 9.

Registration link

Contact name: Stacy Olson
Contact email: srolson@illinois.edu

Beckman Director Steve Maren will be hosting a weekly Director’s Coffee Hour at 9 a.m. on Fridays at one of the nearby coffee shops (the Daily Byte or Espresso Royale) until the Beckman Café reopens. It's a great opportunity to get to know your new director and for him to get to know you and your research. Steve's buying! 

Please contact Stacy for details on meeting Steve.

Contact name: Jay Cournoyer
Contact email: jecourno@illinois.edu

The Beckman Institute's Visualization Laboratory has a new location!

From 1-3 p.m. Friday, April 18, join us to celebrate with refreshments, remarks and a ribbon cutting in 2203 Beckman. You'll have a chance to meet new Vis Lab Manager Jay Cournoyer and see demonstrations of various services the lab offers from its Graphic Services team.

Remarks will begin at 1:30 p.m., followed by a ribbon cutting. Please RSVP by April 11.

Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-2603

All are welcome to join our weekly 10-10:30 a.m. Tuesday gather in the atrium sessions. Please feel free to bring your own favorite beverage and enjoy the company!

Contact name: Elena Romanova
Contact email: romanova@illinois.edu

Join us at noon on Wednesdays this spring for yoga with a view! All sessions are free and will be held in Beckman's fifth-floor tower room. All are welcome to bring their own mat! 

Contact name: Cristina Alvarez-Mingote
Contact email: alvarez9@illinois.edu

Welcome to the Beckman Institute! In this onboarding session, new Beckman faculty and affiliates will learn from Associate Director for Research Cristina Álvarez-Mingote what Beckman Institute services are available, who to contact with questions, and how to be a collaborative and fully engaged member of the Beckman community. 

Please

register

by 12:00 Noon the Monday before the tour to receive an Outlook invitation with meeting details. 

Contact name: Stacy Olson
Contact email: srolson@illinois.edu

Join Beckman's leadership team to ask questions about its financial plans during challenging times. The goal: To be transparent and available for people with concerns. We will also host discussions during this time slot May 30 and June 20. Add this session to your calendar.

Contact name: Aaron Anderson
Contact email: aandrsn3@illinois.edu

Lirong Yan, Ph.D Associate Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University, will present, "Advanced Neurovascular MR Imaging: from Marco- to Microvascular Imaging.”

Neurovascular imaging is essential for studying the vascular pathophysiology of cerebrovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases. Our lab has a long-standing interest in developing novel non-contrast-enhanced MRI techniques, particularly for MR angiography, perfusion, and quantitative hemodynamics. In this talk, I will present our latest advancements in neurovascular imaging, spanning from macrovascular to microvascular levels. These developments may offer promising new tools for investigating cerebral vascular diseases and Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.

Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-2603

All are welcome to join our weekly 10-10:30 a.m. Tuesday gather in the atrium sessions. Please feel free to bring your own favorite beverage and enjoy the company!

Contact name: Elena Romanova
Contact email: romanova@illinois.edu

Join us at noon on Wednesdays this spring for yoga with a view! All sessions are free and will be held in Beckman's fifth-floor tower room. All are welcome to bring their own mat! 

Contact name: Lexie Kesler
Contact email: lkesler@illinois.edu

Come find out more about the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology! Learn about the barrier-busting interdisciplinary research facility and community of innovation. Tours will be offered the first Thursday of the month from 10-10:30 a.m.  Register here.

Contact name: Stacy Olson
Contact email: srolson@illinois.edu

Beckman Director Steve Maren will be hosting a weekly Director’s Coffee Hour at 9 a.m. on Fridays at one of the nearby coffee shops (the Daily Byte or Espresso Royale) until the Beckman Café reopens. It's a great opportunity to get to know your new director and for him to get to know you and your research. Steve's buying! 

Please contact Stacy for details on meeting Steve.