A collaborative summer research program between the University of Illinois Springfield College of Health, Science and Technology (CHST) and Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) continues to grow, providing hands-on laboratory experience for students pursuing careers in the biological sciences and medicine.

Now in its third year, the program welcomed six LLCC students in June 2026, the largest cohort to date, to conduct faculty-mentored research at UIS.

The University of Illinois Springfield has released the names of the 714 students who made the Dean’s List for the spring semester of 2026.

The following story was published by NPR Illinois on June 10, 2026.

A new nationwide study led by a University of Illinois Springfield faculty member finds that people in lower-income communities and communities of color are more likely to live near sites where industries dispose of cancer-causing chemicals. The research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute.

Kelsey Hall earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois Springfield in 2021. She went on to physician assistant school, spending two years preparing for her career in medicine. She has been practicing as a physician assistant in dermatology for three years, helping patients across Illinois. 

The following story was published by NPR Illinois on March 17, 2026.

The University of Illinois Springfield is adding a new degree. Engineering Technology will be offered beginning in fall 2027, according to the school.

Sociodemographic characteristics of populations living near industrial land disposals of known and suspected carcinogens across the United States

Abstract

Background: Industrial facilities dispose of millions of pounds of chemical waste in U.S.-based landfills, surface impoundments, and underground injection wells annually, but information on populations living in proximity to these releases is limited.

Christopher Stevens earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Illinois Springfield in 2021 after transferring from the University of Iowa. He stayed at UIS to earn his Master of Arts in Human Development Counseling in 2023.  

Today, he works as a mental health counselor in Charlotte, North Carolina, helping people work through challenges and improve their well-being. 

UIS Establishes Biostatistics and Epidemiology Society

A propensity score weighted cross-sectional study examining 225,443 children finds that asthma may serve as an early clinical risk indicator for immune-mediated musculoskeletal conditions, suggesting shared inflammatory pathways between the two diseases.