Campus News: test street smarts

Take a bike safety quiz for a chance to win prizes.

Test street smarts 

From April 21 to 28, students, faculty and staff can test their Street Smarts for a chance to win a prize.

Email gold-level certificates to sustainability@uic.edu for a chance to win a randomly drawn $100 cash prize or one of several UIC “Banner” bags, purses or coolers.

A second $100 prize will be drawn from those who join the Ride Illinois mailing list at the end of the quiz.

Free oral cancer screenings

The College of Dentistry will host a free oral cancer screening day April 18 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 129 of the Oral Medicine Clinic, as part of the national Oral, Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month.

“Early oral cancers can appear as red or white lesions that are asymptomatic, so annual screenings are extremely important,” said Beth Miloro, clinical assistant professor of oral medicine and diagnostic sciences.

Nearly 50,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral/oropharyngeal cancer this year, causing nearly 10,000 deaths, making it the sixth most common cancer in the world. There are more than 640,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed annually worldwide.

Oropharyngeal cancer is more common in men than women. Among the symptoms of these cancers are a sore in the mouth that doesn’t heal; pain in the mouth that doesn’t go away; a lump or thickening in the cheek; a white or red patch on the gums, tongue, tonsil or lining of the mouth; and numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth. The disease, according to the American Cancer Society, is normally diagnosed in individuals at about age 62, but one-quarter of patients are younger than 55 years old.

For more information on the free screenings, call 312-355-1222.

Making Illinois ‘flourish’

Illinois Sen. Daniel Biss will discuss “How to Make Illinois Flourish” at 11 a.m. April 19 in the Thompson Rooms, Student Center West.

His speech, which is open to the public, is part of the annual meeting of the UIC chapter of the State Universities Annuitants Association.

Biss was elected to the Illinois Senate in 2013 after one term in the Illinois House of Representatives. He is a Democrat representing the north suburban 9th District. He is a member of the Senate Appropriations, Education, Financial Institutions, and Revenue committees and chair of the Human Services committee.

A luncheon follows; cost is $15.

Promoting peace

The Wellness Center’s ProActive Peace Campaign continues through April.

The campaign reimagines peace as a proactive knowledge and skill set that lends itself to positive action. Participants will learn how to understand and respond to bias, de-escalate challenging conversations, identify healthy relationships, and more.

Events are held in partnership with Access and Equity, Campus Advocacy Network, Campus Housing, Counseling Center, Gender and Sexuality Center, Office of the Dean of Students and Undergraduate Student Government.

Biomedical research awareness 

The Biologic Resources Laboratory will host the Biomedical Research Awareness Day April 19 at noon in the lobby of the College of Medicine West.

The event aims to raise awareness of the importance of animal research to medical advancements. Veterinary staff from the lab will answer questions about animal welfare, how animal research impacts our daily lives and more.