University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Science Communication Workshop
Alexandra Fries ·On May 7, 2026, I traveled to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to give a science communication workshop to faculty and researchers. The flagship campus for University of Illinois is in Champaign-Urbana, also called Chambana by the local community. Urbana and Champaign are twin cities in Champaign County, IL, two hours south of Chicago. The metropolitan area has approximately 240,000 residents, with 60,000 of those being students at the university.
I stayed on campus at the Illini Union Hotel at the Student Union. It was a cloudy day, but I walked around the union and green a bit. It was close to graduation time, so there were a lot of graduates in their regalia, taking photos and enjoying being outside. Being on a campus always makes me feel excited about all the young people and their bright futures.
The next day, I visited the Japanese Garden in the Arboretum on campus. It was a beautiful morning. They have a lovely lake with an arbor and bench overlooking it designed and constructed by the Offerman Woodshop. Nick Offerman is an alum of the school.
I walked through the Champaign County Master Gardener Idea Garden on my way back toward the Union. It is an educational tool to demonstrate different garden designs and included a pollinator garden and crevice garden of dwarf conifers that grow less than 1 inch per year!
The campus is enormous, but mostly very flat. I saw a nice example of science communication at the Red Oak Rain Garden, where they explained what a rain garden is and the benefits of having one.
That afternoon, I gave the workshop to a dedicated group of researchers and communicators working at UIUC. We played Conceptionary, created ABTs, and played Title Pursuit.
After the workshop, I walked across campus again to see the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, which hosted my visit. They are doing really interesting work, including the Illinois Climate Action Plan, which is the campus’s plan to be carbon neutral by 2050. I think UMCES and the wider USM could learn a lot from what UIUC is doing in that space.
Overall, I had an enjoyable trip and hope to interact more with partners at UIUC in the future!
About the author
Alexandra Fries
Alexandra is a Program Manager at the Integration and Application Network (IAN) based at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Annapolis MD. Alexandra’s work in environmental management has been focused on assessment, monitoring, and management of aquatic, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. Alexandra has extensive experience in data analysis, synthesis, mapping, interpretation, and communication. Alexandra has experience working with a diverse group of partners including those in local, state, and federal government, non-governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, private industry, and academia. Within IAN, Alexandra conducts data analysis, synthesis, and communication by completing environmental report cards, updating the IAN website, and conducting science communication courses. Alexandra also creates science communication materials such as diagrams, posters, presentations, newsletters, and reports using Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, and ArcGIS. Alexandra has experience managing projects and staff on local and international projects, liaising directly with partners and colleagues, and providing insights on project direction and goals.