We Break Barriers.
We Propel Science and Technology.
Latest news
Upcoming events
Today
Cognitive Neuroscience Seminar Series: Dr. Paul Bogdan
Contact name: Florin Dolcos
Contact email: fdolcos@illinois.edu
Dr. Paul Bogdan, Duke University, will lecture "
Big and Small Stimulus Representations in the Ventral Stream
."Abstract: One of the oldest questions in the neurosciences is whether the brain encodes information in a localized or distributed fashion. The present research studies this topic while considering that the scale of a neural representation may depend on the area where it is encoded and the type of content being encoded. Using available data from participants (N = 60) who repeatedly viewed different images of objects, we performed an original form of representational similarity analysis (RSA). The analyses revealed that perceptual information across the brain is primarily encoded via local representations, whereas semantic information is more often encoded as representations spanning multiple regions. In this respect, the inferior temporal lobe particularly stood out as it encoded semantic information nearly totally in a distributed fashion - i.e., the fusiform face area, parahippocampal place area, and other areas coordinated to produce wide-scale population codes representing individual objects. In turn, a dissociation emerged in the ventral stream, such that object processing seems to transition from primarily local perceptual coding in the occipital lobe to distributed semantic coding in the inferior temporal lobe. Altogether, these findings inform theories on the unique nature of the inferior temporal lobe and more broadly shed light on the computational architecture of object processing in the brain.
Zoom Meeting ID: 719 402 7586
Passcode: 448953
Gather in the Garden
Beckman Institute Center Atrium
Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-2603
Join members of the Beckman community for informal conversation and coffee in the atrium!
Radiation Research for Cancer with Dr. John Wong
Beckman Institute Room 4269 (4th Floor Tower Room)
Contact name: Angela Slates
Contact email: slates@illinois.edu
The CCIL will host a lecture by
, professor and director of medical physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Wong is the Small Animal Radiation Research Platform (SARRP) co-inventor. Commercialized by Xstrahl, this technology is the premier tool used by radiation biologists, research oncologists, and medical physicists to perform clinically relevant radiation research in a preclinical setting. Dr. Wong is currently seeking collaborators, especially in the realm of the biological effects of radiation. No registration is required.
2024 SfN Preview-Poster Night and Reception
Beckman Center Atrium
Contact name: Stephanie Pregent
Contact email: spregent@illinois.edu
An evening of fun and fellowship where you can learn more about our neuroscience research. Provide feedback and support for those presenting at the upcoming Society for Neuroscience Meeting in Chicago, IL, October 5th - October 9th, 2024.
Pop-up Beckman apparel store open through Sept. 11
Contact name: Lindy Carlisle
Contact email: mcarlisl@illinois.edu
The Beckman Communications Office has created a pop-up store for purchasing Beckman-branded apparel.
Please order your items by Wednesday, Sept. 11. You can either request direct shipping or pick up your item in the Beckman Director’s Office in early October. If you choose the latter, we’ll email you when your item is ready for pickup.
Yoga at Beckman
Beckman Institute Room 5269-5th Floor Tower
Contact name: Elena Romanova
Contact email: romanova@illinois.edu
Join us at noon on Wednesdays 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!
New-to-Beckman tour
MRI Exhibit
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.
Director's Coffee Hour with Steve Maren
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!
Gather in the Garden
Beckman Institute Center Atrium
Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-2603
Join members of the Beckman community for informal conversation and coffee in the atrium!
ITG Tech Talk: "Carbon Nanoparticle Combustion in a Shock Tube: Spectroscopy and Microscopy Techniques for Improved Modeling of Optical Signatures"
3269 Beckman Institute and on Zoom
Contact name: Bishop Gonzalez
Contact email: jbgonza2@illinois.edu
Please join us at noon on Tuesday, September 17, in 3269 (third floor tower room) Beckman to learn about Carbon Nanoparticle Combustion in a Shock Tube: Spectroscopy and Microscopy Techniques for Improved Modeling of Optical Signatures presented by Colton Willhardt.
Lunch will be provided to those who register for in-person attendance.
Please register by Thursday, September 12.
Beckman-Brown Lecture: Professor Steven Chu, Stanford University
Beckman Institute Auditorium, Room 1025
Contact name: Stacy Olson
Contact email: srolson@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-8373
Abstract: "Throughout human history, multiple industrial and agricultural revolutions have profoundly transformed the world. However, the unintended consequence of these revolutions is that the greenhouse gas emissions are changing Earth’s climate. Most of our energy sources and many of the materials we use are based on fossil-fuel. The challenges of how to provide clean energy, water, air, and food in a world of over 8 billion people and likely to grow to 11 billion by 2100 are formidable. After a brief summary of our current trajectory, I will discuss the current progress, opportunities and challenges needed to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions."
Steven Chu is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Physics, of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and of Energy Science and Engineering at Stanford University. From January 2009 to April 2013, Dr. Chu served as U.S. Secretary of Energy under President Barack Obama. During his tenure, he began several initiatives, including ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy), the Energy Innovation Hubs, and the Clean Energy Ministerial meetings. As the first scientist Cabinet member, Chu recruited dozens of outstanding scientists and engineers to the Department of Energy, and was personally tasked by President Obama to help stop the BP oil leak.
Learn more about the talk and speaker on the Beckman website. A reception will follow the lecture. We hope to see you there!
Yoga at Beckman
Beckman Institute Room 5269-5th Floor Tower
Contact name: Elena Romanova
Contact email: romanova@illinois.edu
Join us at noon on Wednesdays 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!
Responsible Conduct of Research: Human Subjects Research
Beckman Institute Room 1005
Contact name: Patty Jones
Contact email: pmjones5@illinois.edu
Come to room 1005 to learn from the experts about "Human Subjects Research."
Speaker: Sarah Mumford, director, Office for the Protection of Research Subjects.
Cookie Collab
Atrium
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.
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People
Beckman Institute Auditorium
In an era of increased awareness of diversity and inclusion, understanding hidden bias and its impact on educational institutions has become paramount. Professor Mahzarin Banaji is an experimental psychologist who has spent 35 years understanding how the mind works in social contexts. Her presentation will center on a science-based analysis of the hard questions of how to lead in an ever-changing world where who is "us" and who is "them" has significantly changed from what those words meant to our predecessors.
Director's Coffee Hour with Steve Maren
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!
Free professional portraits at the Beckman Institute
Fifth floor tower room (5269 Beckman)
Contact name: Meg Dickinson
Contact email: megd@illinois.edu
The Beckman Institute is hosting a professional photographer all day for free headshots for the Beckman community. The photos will use Beckman's tower room windows and incredible view as a backdrop.
No appointment necessary; you may need to wait in a short line to be photographed. The Beckman Institute will use these portraits for our online directory and may also use them in news stories or for other official communications purposes. We may also share your headshot with your home unit.
Gather in the Garden
Beckman Institute Center Atrium
Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-2603
Join members of the Beckman community for informal conversation and coffee in the atrium!
X-ray Computed Tomography Workshop
Beckman Institute Room 2269 (2nd Floor Tower Room)
Contact name: Josh Gibson
Contact email: jcgibso2@illinois.edu
The Imaging Technology Group and the IGB Core will be co-hosting a half-day X-ray CT workshop. Talks covering theory, the instrumentation available on campus, and current research projects will be presented along with tours of both the ITG and IGB facilities. Workshop agenda: https://www.igb.illinois.edu/corefacilities/news/core-xrayct-workshop-2024
Yoga at Beckman
Beckman Institute Room 5269-5th Floor Tower
Contact name: Elena Romanova
Contact email: romanova@illinois.edu
Join us at noon on Wednesdays 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!
Director's Coffee Hour with Steve Maren
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!
Carle Illinois Advancing Imaging Seminar: Mark Chiew
Beckman Institute Room 5602
Contact name: Aaron Anderson
Contact email: aandrsn3@illinois.edu
Dr. Mark Chiew, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, will lecture.
Gather in the Garden
Beckman Institute Center Atrium
Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-2603
Join members of the Beckman community for informal conversation and coffee in the atrium!
Yoga at Beckman
Beckman Institute Room 5269-5th Floor Tower
Contact name: Elena Romanova
Contact email: romanova@illinois.edu
Join us at noon on Wednesdays 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!
New-to-Beckman tour
MRI Exhibit
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.
Vernon L. Snoeyink Distinguished Lecture
Beckman Auditorium
Contact name: Suzanne Giesler
Contact email: sgiesler@illinois.edu
L. Ruby Leung, Atmospheric, Climate & Earth Sciences Division Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Modeling Extreme Events & Their Future Changes
Some of the most consequential outcomes of global warming for societies and ecosystems are changes in extreme events. Comparing 2000-2019 with 1980-1999, extreme temperature and flood events have more than doubled globally while the number of disastrous storms and droughts has increased by 30-50%. While the nonlinear increase in latent energy with warmer surface air temperature may explain the global increasing trends in weather extremes, credible projections of the regional changes in extreme events remain challenging. In this lecture, I will discuss some recent advances in modeling extreme events and their future changes. Using a combination of modeling approaches, I will provide examples of projections of future changes in flood-producing winter storms and their characteristics, mesoscale convective systems that produce wind damages and floods, the risk of landfalling hurricanes, and changes in heatwaves and wildfires. These projections underscore the need for adaptation planning for a weather and climate resilient society.
Director's Coffee Hour with Steve Maren
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!
Gather in the Garden
Beckman Institute Center Atrium
Contact name: Mollie Stevens
Contact email: mollie@illinois.edu
Contact phone: 217-244-2603
Join members of the Beckman community for informal conversation and coffee in the atrium!
Yoga at Beckman
Beckman Institute Room 5269-5th Floor Tower
Contact name: Elena Romanova
Contact email: romanova@illinois.edu
Join us at noon on Wednesdays 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!