technology

Illinois Looks To Map Who Has Internet Access And Who Doesn’t

By Mary Hansen • Jan 2, 2020

Illinois plans on spending $400 million over the next several years to improve internet access to farms and small towns.

But first, the state needs to know who has a reliable internet connection and who doesn’t.

The federal government tracks where high-speed internet is available. But the mapping has been criticized for overstating access, particularly in rural areas. Around 30 percent of residents living in rural Illinois lack internet access at speeds of 25 mbps and above, according to a report from the Federal Communications Commission.

The Latest Generation Gap In Farming Is About Robots

By Christina Stella • Oct 7, 2019

On a recent bright, clear day in eastern Nebraska, a small red machine crept through a lush field of soybeans. From the highway, it looked like a small tractor. Up close, its mess of wires came into focus. So did the laptop strapped to the back.

This is the Flex-Ro (Flexible Robotic Unit), one of several robots across the world being designed and tested to help farmers maximize crop yield, use fewer pesticides, and manage the industry’s dwindling labor market.

Farming Is Headed Toward A Gene-Editing Revolution, And Hoping The Public Comes Along, Too

By Madelyn Beck • Aug 7, 2019

Sci-fi writers have long warned about the dangers of modifying organisms. They come in forms ranging from accidentally creating a plague of killer locusts (1957) to recreating dinosaurs with added frog genes (2015).

Now, with researchers looking to even more advanced gene-editing technology to protect crops, they’ll have to think about how to present that tech to a long-skeptical public.

Legislation Aims To Keep Devices From Secretly Recording You

By Jaclyn Driscoll • May 1, 2019

Illinois lawmakers are moving forward with a measure that aims to keep your digital devices from secretely recording you without consent. The bill is called the KIDS Act, which stands for Keeping Internet Devices Safe.

Silicon Valley Startup Aims For Transparency, One Seed Price At A Time

By Madelyn Beck • Apr 8, 2019

A Silicon Valley startup is pitting itself against major seed companies, alleging that those companies are price gouging in the Heartland. Farmers Business Network’s stated motive is to help farmers by crunching numbers and providing transparency, but it is positioning itself to become a player in the seed business, too.

Fact or Fiction?

By Gayle Carper • Mar 13, 2019

This is a Commentary.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are not necessarily those of Western Illinois University or Tri States Public Radio.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity…”

Charles Dickens began the novel A Tale of Two Cities with these words in 1859. They could easily apply to social media today.

The Messy Technological Roots Of The U.S. Trade War With China

By Madelyn Beck • Feb 14, 2019

The U.S. trade war with China, now approaching a year, is often framed as hurting manufacturing and agriculture the most. But that’s mainly collateral damage in an international struggle over power and technology that has its roots in the Cold War, when China was still considered a largely undeveloped country.

A Hands-On Look At Gene-Editing Technique CRISPR, Which Could Be A Game-Changer For Ag

By Amy Mayer • Dec 13, 2018

In a lab at George Washington University, painted lady butterflies flutter in mesh houses. This is where assistant professor Arnault Martin and his research group use the new gene-editing technique CRISPR to unlock secrets about the colors and spots on the butterflies’ wings.

CRISPR has allowed them to isolate a precise gene that controls wing appearance, and they can shut it off at will.

More Illinois Schools Have Access To High-Speed Internet, But Some Still Suffer Without It

By Lee V. Gaines • Oct 16, 2018

Access to high-speed internet stops about seven miles east of both Nippersink School District 2 and Richmond-Burton Community High School District 157, according to Tom Lind. He’s the superintendent of both districts, located near the border of Wisconsin — about 70 miles northwest of Chicago.

Technology Changing Access And Outcomes In Abortion Debate

By Madelyn Beck • Oct 4, 2018

Technology changing access and outcomes in abortion debate

Whole Wheat: Complete Genome Expected To Spark Research

By Grant Gerlock • Aug 21, 2018

After 13 years of work, a consortium of 200 scientists from 20 countries has released the first complete genome sequence for wheat. The discovery sets the stage for advances in a staple crop at a time when rising temperatures are beginning to threaten global production.

Monmouth College Launching STEM Programs

By Rich Egger • Aug 6, 2018

Monmouth College will offer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs in Data Science, Engineering, and Neuroscience beginning in fall 2019. The college called the new programs part of a "major academic innovation" that responds to demand.

Science Communication

By Terri Tobias • Feb 21, 2018

As a PhD student at WIU studying environmental science I realize there are many skills required for one to become a successful scientist. Graduate student and post doc training often requires the ability to learn and master extremely difficult protocols and techniques. This training tends to produce individuals who are highly specialized and extremely competent but often lack the time to communicate with the general public.

What Happens When Their School Doesn't Offer Physics? Rural Students Head Online

By Kristofor Husted • Jul 13, 2017

Schools in rural districts often don't have the budget or the teachers to offer students all of the courses they would like to take. One rural district in a Missouri county decided to offer credit for online classes in an effort to give its students the educational opportunities it can't otherwise afford.

As Big, High-Tech Farms Take Hold, How Do Nearby Towns Stay Afloat?

By Luke Runyon • Jun 19, 2017

Luke Runyon / KUNC and Harvest Public Media

Brandon Biesemeier climbs up a small ladder into a John Deere sprayer, takes a seat in the enclosed cab, closes the door, and blocks out most of the machine's loud engine hum. It is a familiar perch to the fourth-generation farmer on Colorado’s eastern plains.

Darin LaHood on Presidential Politics, Amtrak, Tech Upgrades

By Rich Egger • Jun 20, 2016

Freshman Congressman Darin LaHood (R-IL) said he will support Donald Trump if the businessman/TV celebrity ends up as the Republican presidential nominee. LaHood made his comments during an interview with Tri States Public Radio that also touched on a number of other topics, including Amtrak funding.

Using Smartphones for Broadcast News Reporting

By Rich Egger • Sep 29, 2015

Broadcasting students at Western Illinois University are required to buy a Mac for writing and editing stories. That got Shop Talk panelist Rich Egger wondering whether students might soon be required to own a smartphone, and if smartphones might be the wave of the future for professionals.

Improving Wireless Access at WIU

By Rich Egger • Jan 18, 2015

As you might guess, it costs money to upgrade technology on a college campus.

Corn Huskers Still Pick by Hand

By Abby Wendle • Oct 7, 2014

Dick Humes squinted and sweat as he moved down a row of corn. He sliced through the husk with a metal hook in his right hand, snapped the ear from its stalk with his left, and threw it over his shoulder into a wagon rolling alongside him.

Longtime Library Specialist Reflects on Industry's Evolution

By Emily Boyer • May 28, 2014

Advancements in technology have given us flat-screen televisions, smartphones and e-readers. Brick-and-mortar libraries are doing their best to keep up with the digital world. Western Illinois University's Marilyn Shelley has had a front-row seat to the evolution.