School of Information Sciences, U. Illinois: Professor, Executive Associate Dean, HathiTrust Research Center: Co-Director.
Joined October 2012
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197 Photos and videos
J. Stephen Downie retweeted
A paper from #iSchoolUI Professor Dong Wang’s Social Sensing & Intelligence Lab won the Best Dataset Paper Award at ICWSM 2026. The paper, “MASH,” was accepted in the first review round, where just 14 of 298 submissions (4.7%) were accepted. Congrats! 🎉▶️ bit.ly/43qbset
ALT PhD student Ruichen Yao (left) and Professor Dong Wang (right) smile while holding up their award certificates for Best Dataset Paper Award.
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
Jun 5
Ok folks this is a RED ALERT POST 🚨
In the interest of National Nostalgia I must bring you this disclosure of HIGH IMPORTANCE.
Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame…The creator. The Legend.
His house that he lived in until he died in Mississauga is now up for sale.
“In 1965, Sanders moved to Mississauga, Ontario to oversee his Canadian franchises and continued to collect franchise and appearance fees both in Canada and in the US. Sanders bought and lived in a bungalow at 1337 Melton Drive in the Lakeview area of Mississauga from 1965 until his death in 1980.”
I’ve had a few pops but I’ve got the listing here and we are going to tour this together right now!
THIS NEEDS TO BE MADE A CANADIAN LANDMARK STATUS
THERE IS AN OPEN HOUSE THIS WEEKEND
realtor.ca/real-estate/29809…
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
#iSchoolUI Professor Dong Wang and PhD student Ruichen Yao will present their research at the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (@ICWSM) 2026, which will take place May 27-29 in Los Angeles. Read more about their papers▶️ bit.ly/4a580cL
ALT Professor Dong Wang and PhD student Ruichen Yao
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
#iSchoolUI alumnus Daniel Kraus (MSLIS ’05) won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for "Angel Down."
The @nytimes bestselling author spoke with the iSchool about the award, WWI inspiration behind the novel, and its ambitious single-sentence structure.
📚 bit.ly/4wo7Kze
ALT Daniel Kraus (MSLIS ’05) stands outside in a fenced, wooded area. The cover of his novel “Angel Down.”
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
Join the #iSchoolUI! We are hiring an assistant dean for community, culture, and engagement to lead the implementation of strategic priorities and initiatives that advance student learning, culture of belonging, and our public impact.
Apply by May 22 ▶️ bit.ly/4wfRMqK
ALT "We are hiring" graphic with a blue finial background
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
May 6
Michelle and I can’t wait for you to visit the Obama Presidential Center!
Starting on June 19, the Center will be open to the public, and you’ll be able to check out the Museum along with public spaces like a new branch of the Chicago Public Library with a reading room, a two-acre playground, a fruit and vegetable garden, and more.
Tickets available at tickets.obama.org.
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
May 6
Incredible sunset right now over the Rideau River….(no filters!)
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
The #iSchoolUI has joined the special interest group (SIG) that leads the development of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model, an ISO standard for the sharing of documentation about the past. Asst. Prof. Nicola Carboni will serve as our representative. ▶️ bit.ly/4tQUEsu
ALT Assistant Professor Nicola Carboni smiles in front of shelves of books.
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I am sitting pretty much in the same spot in Frankfurt, drinking the same things, almost exactly a year later.
I am nothing if not predictable.
5 Apr 2025
Trinity achieved near the Frankfurt Dom.
Beautiful spring afternoon
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
Apr 29
My country of birth Scotland 🏴
No cervical cancer cases detected in vaccinated women following HPV immunisation
Zero. Zip. Nada. None.
Not a SINGLE ONE!!!
It's a modern medical miracle..because of a VACCINE! 🎉
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Apr 30
Heading back to hotel after a great day with Goettingen colleagues.
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
Apr 1
Canada is a nation of explorers, builders, and innovators. Today Colonel Jeremy Hansen carries that legacy forward as he becomes first Canadian to venture to the Moon.
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
The Big Chute Marine Railway was built over 100 years ago.
Once slated for demolition, it was discovered the railway was effective in blocking invasive species.
It is the only marine railway of its type still in use in all of North America.
This is the story.
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ALT Lock and marine railway structure beside a body of water, with a large wooden framework and rails descending into the canal. Several people stand on a viewing platform near the water and along a path that climbs up a hill to the right. At the top of the hill, a building with a Canadian flag is visible among trees. The area is surrounded by green vegetation under a clear sky.
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
Jan 9
Toronto General is ranked the 3rd best hospital in the world, ahead of Mass General and Johns Hopkins.
Toronto alone boasts 3 hospitals in the top 32 in the world.
#cdnpoli #onpoli
Top 100 Best Hospitals in the World (2025)
1. 🇺🇸 Mayo Clinic – Rochester
2. 🇺🇸 Cleveland Clinic
3. 🇨🇦 Toronto General – University Health Network
4. 🇺🇸 The Johns Hopkins Hospital
5. 🇸🇪 Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset
6. 🇺🇸 Massachusetts General Hospital
7. 🇩🇪 Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
8. 🇮🇱 Sheba Medical Center
9. 🇸🇬 Singapore General Hospital (SGH)
10. 🇨🇭 Universitätsspital Zürich
11. 🇫🇷 AP-HP – Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière
12. 🇨🇭 Universitätsspital Basel
13. 🇺🇸 Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
14. 🇩🇪 Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
15. 🇨🇭 Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois
16. 🇯🇵 The University of Tokyo Hospital
17. 🇺🇸 Stanford Health Care – Stanford Hospital
18. 🇩🇰 Aarhus Universitetshospital
19. 🇺🇸 The Mount Sinai Hospital
20. 🇩🇰 Rigshospitalet – Copenhagen University Hospital
21. 🇺🇸 Brigham and Women’s Hospital
22. 🇧🇷 Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein
23. 🇩🇪 LMU Klinikum
24. 🇨🇦 Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
25. 🇰🇷 Asan Medical Center
26. 🇫🇷 CHU Lille – Hôpital Claude-Huriez
27. 🇦🇹 AKH Wien / Medical University of Vienna
28. 🇳🇴 Oslo Universitetssykehus
29. 🇫🇷 Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou
30. 🇰🇷 Samsung Medical Center
31. 🇳🇱 Amsterdam UMC
32. 🇨🇦 Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto)
33. 🇬🇧 St Thomas' Hospital
34. 🇺🇸 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
35. 🇩🇪 Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
36. 🇯🇵 St. Luke’s International Hospital
37. 🇮🇹 Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda
38. 🇺🇸 Northwestern Memorial Hospital
39. 🇺🇸 UCSF Medical Center
40. 🇧🇪 UZ Leuven
41. 🇩🇪 Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
42. 🇰🇷 Seoul National University Hospital
43. 🇫🇮 Helsinki University Hospital
44. 🇮🇹 Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli
45. 🇩🇪 Klinikum rechts der Isar (TU Munich)
46. 🇰🇷 Severance Hospital – Yonsei University
47. 🇺🇸 University of Michigan Health
48. 🇳🇱 Erasmus MC
49. 🇪🇸 Hospital Universitario La Paz
50. 🇺🇸 Mayo Clinic – Jacksonville
51. 🇳🇱 UMC Utrecht
52. 🇪🇸 Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre
53. 🇨🇭 Les Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG)
54. 🇮🇹 Ospedale San Raffaele – Gruppo San Donato
55. 🇺🇸 Duke University Hospital
56. 🇦🇹 Landeskrankenhaus Innsbruck
57. 🇨🇦 North York General Hospital
58. 🇯🇵 Kameda Medical Center
59. 🇪🇸 Clínic Barcelona
60. 🇮🇱 Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
61. 🇮🇹 Istituto Clinico Humanitas
62. 🇦🇺 Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
63. 🇺🇸 Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
64. 🇳🇱 Radboud UMC
65. 🇨🇭 Klinik Hirslanden Zürich
66. 🇩🇪 Uniklinik Köln
67. 🇺🇸 Mayo Clinic Hospital – Phoenix
68. 🇰🇷 Seoul National University – Bundang Hospital
69. 🇸🇪 Sahlgrenska Universitetssjukhuset
70. 🇪🇸 Vall d'Hebron University Hospital
71. 🇫🇷 ELSAN – Santé Atlantique
72. 🇺🇸 Houston Methodist Hospital
73. 🇮🇹 Policlinico Sant'Orsola-Malpighi
74. 🇩🇪 Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
75. 🇫🇷 CHU Bordeaux – Pellegrin
76. 🇪🇸 Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón
77. 🇺🇸 NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia & Cornell
78. 🇳🇱 Leiden University Medical Center
79. 🇪🇸 Clínica Universidad de Navarra
80. 🇸🇬 National University Hospital (NUH)
81. 🇯🇵 Kyushu University Hospital
82. 🇸🇪 Akademiska Sjukhuset (Uppsala)
83. 🇧🇷 Hospital Sírio-Libanês
84. 🇬🇧 Guy’s Hospital
85. 🇩🇰 Odense University Hospital
86. 🇬🇧 University College Hospital (London)
87. 🇰🇷 Gangnam Severance Hospital
88. 🇬🇧 Addenbrooke’s Hospital
89. 🇨🇦 Montreal General Hospital – MUHC
90. 🇫🇷 Hôpital de la Timone (AP-HM)
91. 🇯🇵 Nagoya University Hospital
92. 🇨🇦 Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM)
93. 🇺🇸 NYU Langone Hospitals – Tisch Hospital
94. 🇦🇺 The Alfred (Melbourne)
95. 🇦🇹 Kepler Universitätsklinikum
96. 🇦🇺 Royal Melbourne Hospital – Parkville
97. 🇮🇳 All India Institute of Medical Sciences – Delhi
98. 🇯🇵 Keio University Hospital
99. 🇦🇹 Universitätsklinikum Graz
100. 🇹🇭 Bumrungrad International Hospital (Bangkok)
Note: Based on expert surveys, patient experience data, hospital quality metrics, and PROMs.
Source: NEWSWEEK and Statista
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
Jan 5
Entertaining Mathematical Puzzles
by Martin Gardner
PDF: abrarhashmi.wordpress.com/wp…
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31 Dec 2025
RT @OPP_HSD: Keep your four-way flashing lights OFF when you are driving with traffic, even if the driving conditions are less than ideal.…
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J. Stephen Downie retweeted
10 Dec 2025
“We want to build AI models that actually understand Japanese context”
An interview with Sakana AI’s Tarin Clanuwat published by @Tokyo_Gov
tokyoupdates.metro.tokyo.lg.…
Read about our initiative to create AI that appreciates Japanese culture along with its rich historical contexts.
ALT Sharing Traditional Edo Culture Through AI "We want to build AI models that actually understand Japanese context: Japanese culture, Japanese society," says Tarin Clanuwat, a research scientist with Sakana AI. She notes that many of the widely used AI models developed overseas were primarily trained on data gathered from the internet; roughly 50 percent of all websites use English. As a result, many of these models are merely useful—but not optimal—for Japan-related queries. Clanuwat believes Japan contains a treasure trove of data, such as books and art from earlier periods of its history, that can be used to create Japan-specific AI models. Generating Interest in Traditional Art and Literature Clanuwat, who grew up in Thailand and earned a PhD in classical Japanese literature in Tokyo, loved traditional Japanese culture from a young age. However, she worries that interest in classical literature is falling...
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