AGP Executive Report

FDA & Harm Reduction: The FDA is authorizing more vaping products and nicotine pouches, signaling a shift toward harm reduction while keeping youth protections in place. AI Data Centers & Energy Costs: The U.S. House passed a bill pushing utilities to account for the full power and grid upgrade costs of AI data centers, aiming to limit rate hikes for families. Illinois Tech & 3D Printing: Two Lake Land College alumni led a hands-on 3-D printing workshop at the Effingham Technology Center, teaching design tools like Tinkercad and using Bambu printers. Semiconductor Workforce: A new analysis warns the U.S. semiconductor industry could face a shortage of up to 157,000 workers by 2030 as AI and software compete for the same talent. Illinois Health Tech: Silver Cross surgeon Dr. Reza Gamagami hit 6,000 robotic-assisted surgeries, placing him in the top 1% worldwide. Cyber/Privacy & Surveillance: Illinois campus camera and AI governance issues keep surfacing, including scrutiny of Flock-style systems and student data concerns.

AI & Privacy: Meta faces a growing wave of lawsuits over its AI glasses, with plaintiffs alleging the camera-equipped eyewear captured and exposed intimate images, including sex and bathroom footage, to paid reviewers abroad. Public Health: A measles outbreak continues to climb, with health officials warning about travel-linked spread from Chicago to Los Angeles by train. Illinois Tech & Research: UIC trustees approved a $232 million drug-discovery and cancer research pavilion, a major boost for local biomedical infrastructure. Local Tech & Policy: Cook County awarded $191 million in stopgap loans to suburban governments to bridge a property tax payout gap, underscoring how funding delays ripple into public services. Mobility & Safety: Chicago River Swim was canceled due to weather-related safety concerns, including potential sewer overflow and lightning risk. AI Governance: A Chicago-focused op-ed argues responsible AI should be treated like public-safety infrastructure, not a brake on innovation.

Data Centers & Security: Pearl Technology gave a tour of its Bloomington data center, highlighting 24/7 operations, a silent facility design, about 2 MW peak capacity, and room to expand from 80 to 280 racks. University Risk & Tech Modernization: Southern Illinois University’s trustees reviewed a systemwide risk assessment, flagging athletics finances, aging systems that raise cybersecurity exposure, and gaps between resources and how fast technology changes; SIU also began an enterprise resource planning study with NIU, EIU, and Illinois State. Public Safety Tech Oversight: KenCom is auditing its Flock Safety system as Yorkville police say officer use is “100%” compliant, with the audit being the first conducted by KenCom itself. Illinois Clean Energy: Illinois secured 600 MW of battery storage in its first state battery auction under the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, falling short of the original target but still boosting utility-scale storage plans. AI Safety Policy (Global): Singapore industry leaders discussed aviation-style AI safety regulation, arguing for international rules and national compliance to build trust. Local 911 Dispatch Change: Carpentersville approved switching 911 dispatch from QuadCom to a Crystal Lake provider (SEECOM) in May 2027, citing about $2M savings and added services.

AI Oversight Push: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order calling for stronger AI safety and security plans, including possible “kill switch” concepts and independent third-party safety audits. Illinois Research Funding: UIC trustees approved a $232M Drug Discovery and Cancer Research Pavilion to expand lab space and collaboration in the Illinois Medical District. Surveillance Court Fight: A Chicago appeals court will hear arguments on whether automated license plate reader cameras violate Fourth Amendment protections, a case tied to Illinois State Police and state officials. Health Tech & Implants: Rush University research suggests wear-debris particles from total joint replacements may reach the brain without causing cognitive decline, while a separate study examines ultrasound-guided acupotomy for carpal tunnel. STEM in the Classroom: Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois received a $25,000 American Water STEM grant to expand robotics and STEM access for girls across 40 counties. Space-Grade Food Innovation: SIU Carbondale researchers used engineered yeast to turn plastic waste and farm materials into protein-rich “microbites” cookies for resource-limited settings. Public Safety & Consumer Risk: Reports highlight injuries from “squishy” toys, raising questions about oversight and counterfeit products.

Chicago River Swim: The second annual Chicago River Swim weekend kicked off with the “Big Jump,” a rare sanctioned plunge after UIC testing confirmed the water meets U.S. EPA limits—showing how cleanup work is paying off for public access. AI Oversight: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to speed up AI safety oversight, with proposals that could include kill switches, independent audits, and incident reporting. Pregnancy Brain Science: UIC and Baylor researchers, with LSU, reported a brain pattern tied to pregnancy-related food cravings in mice, pointing to serotonin-linked reward pathways that could inform future prevention of maternal obesity. Illinois Tech & Education: Illinois State University is moving ahead on AI in healthcare education, while Illinois schools continue grappling with AI use and cyberbullying/deepfakes as new rules take effect. Local Tech Infrastructure: A Broadview area data center has begun construction, drawing opposition and raising questions about zoning, environmental review, and community input. Public Health & Community: A community blood drive is set for Sept. 21, part of broader efforts to keep supplies steady during peak demand.

Grid Reliability & Data Centers: A report for Pennsylvania regulators warns the PJM grid could fall short of demand and trigger rolling blackouts more than 13 days per year in a worst-case future, with reliability missing targets about six times per decade as data centers expand. Energy Policy: West Virginia lawmakers and utilities are locked in a fight over “public interest” grid reforms while ratepayers face some of the nation’s highest residential bills tied to coal plant upkeep and reliability pressures. AI Governance: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro argues AI needs national and international guardrails, pushing back on “doomer” claims while criticizing the lack of federal action. Cybersecurity: A Glassdoor ransomware leak threat appears to have gone quiet after a dark-web countdown expired, with no confirmed breach publicly disclosed. Defense Tech: The U.S. clears a major F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia despite concerns that China-linked access could compromise sensitive technology, drawing Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s criticism. Illinois STEM/Research: A new ultrasound-guided acupotomy trial protocol targets safer, more precise treatment for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis, adding MRI criteria and cost-utility analysis.

Quantum Networking Breakthrough (CCNY): City College of New York physicists report a new way to convert microwave signals into light using layered 2D magnetic materials, a step toward linking quantum computers through optical networks. Education Access in Illinois: The University of Illinois expands Dual Credit @ Illinois, letting more high school students—including South Beloit students—earn college credits directly. Campus Safety Training (WIU): Western Illinois University cuts the ribbon on a new Emergency Operations Center with predictive public-safety tech and hands-on apprenticeship opportunities for students. AI in the Workplace (Chicago): Litera and iManage announce new integrations that bring governed legal or enterprise knowledge into ChatGPT Enterprise workflows. Fuel Prices Watch: Gas and diesel keep climbing as analysts warn of more increases tied to geopolitical disruptions. Health Policy: Illinois’ medical aid in dying law takes effect, with details on how patients request and receive prescriptions. Data Center Pressure: A new push in Washington targets who pays for data center electric infrastructure, as energy costs become a bigger political fight.

AI in education: An MIT report says AI use is triggering “cognitive surrender,” with students skipping office hours and getting an “illusion of learning,” putting universities in a bind between boosting AI use and protecting real thinking. Campus surveillance in Illinois: WBEZ found 5 Illinois public universities still using Flock Safety cameras, including UIUC and UIC, raising alarms about AI-powered license plate tracking and misuse. State AAPI curriculum rollout: Illinois’ Asian American history requirement exists on paper, but WBEZ reports uneven implementation, with only about a quarter of teachers/students engaging with available resources. Chicago River Swim science: Organizers and researchers are testing water conditions ahead of the Sept. 20 swim, pairing public events with public-health checks. Energy & tech pressure: Coverage links rising fuel costs after U.S. strikes on Iran to broader economic strain, while another story warns an AI slowdown could ripple through the economy. World Bank leadership: Nobel economist Michael Kremer is named chief economist, signaling a research-heavy push on development jobs and scalable solutions.

AI Safety & Illinois Law: California, New York, and Illinois are pushing new rules for frontier AI, including incident reporting and published safety frameworks, with Illinois adding mandatory annual independent audits. Public Health & Research: UIC researchers are running lab testing to monitor Chicago River Swim water quality for bacteria levels, aiming to keep the downtown swim course low risk. Space & Air Quality: NASA’s TEMPO satellite is helping track “chemical weather,” giving near-real-time hourly views of pollution that can swing hour to hour during wildfire and heat events. Energy & Climate Tech: Texas regulators approved ExxonMobil’s Rose carbon capture and storage permit despite a commissioner’s opposition over long-term safety and economics. Local Tech & Education: UChicago’s South Side Science Festival returns Oct. 3 with 130 hands-on demos for 600+ students, highlighting nanoscale science and microfluidics. Economy Watch: The Federal Reserve raised rates to 3.75%–4% and signaled more hikes ahead, keeping borrowing costs in focus. Illinois Education Governance: Illinois State Superintendent Tony Sanders visited Washington Community High School to see student-focused learning in action.

Illinois Clean-Energy Workforce: Illinois is revamping its clean energy jobs training hubs to keep pace with shifting demand, aiming to make skills transferable beyond renewables as policy uncertainty threatens hiring. AI & Public Concern: A new AP-NORC poll finds Americans’ worries about AI’s environmental impact have jumped sharply, with strong support for rules on data centers’ power use and clean energy. Cancer Diagnostics: City of Hope researchers unveiled PANXEON, an investigational blood test designed to detect pancreatic cancer at stage 1–2 and flag high-grade dysplasia earlier. Higher Ed in Prisons: Illinois prison education demand is outpacing capacity: college waitlists rose 80% while only about 2,600 of roughly 30,000 incarcerated people are enrolled. Illinois Grant Cuts: A tracker says the Trump administration has cut or frozen up to $177B in federal grants, with Illinois among the states seeing the biggest interruptions. AI Safety Politics: Congress remains deadlocked on AI safeguards as public fear rises, while Supreme Court action and federal election enforcement efforts keep attention on governance.

Therapeutic Recreation in Practice: Alex Stremlau ’26 turned her CAST recreation training into hands-on work at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, taking on chart review, session planning, and co-treating across rehab teams for patients with traumatic brain injuries, strokes, and neurological disorders. AI Governance Debate: A new commentary argues major AI firms are pushing for regulation while also seeking ways to coordinate with competitors, raising concerns about who benefits from “safety” proposals. Immigration Enforcement Reality Check: A federal analysis finds ICE arrests surged during Trump’s terms, but the share of arrestees with criminal convictions fell sharply—challenging the “target criminals” narrative. Public Health & Community: Chicago’s Department of Public Health is inviting residents to Soldier Field for the American Heart Association Metro Chicago Heart Walk, supporting CPR training and cardiac research. STEM Outreach: Black Hawk College hosts Quad Cities STEM Night Out (Sept. 17) with chemistry and biology programs, careers, and student research highlights. Museum Upgrade: The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry plans a new above-ground Welcome Hall, replacing its multi-level entry flow.

Illinois Energy Storage Push: Illinois regulators’ first battery storage procurement auction points to ~600 MW of new utility-scale storage by 2030, a big step toward the state’s solar-and-wind decarbonization goals. MRSA Prevention Results: A large federal quality-improvement program cut hospital-onset MRSA bloodstream infections by 65%, underscoring how proven infection-control practices can work in real hospital settings. EV Grid Standards: UL Solutions launched a certification program for vehicle-to-grid tech under UL 1741 Supplement SC, with testing now available in Illinois—aimed at making bidirectional charging safer and more scalable. AI Policy Fight: Illinois lawmakers and national leaders keep clashing over AI guardrails, with new reporting highlighting pressure on Congress to regulate fast-moving systems. Public Safety Tech Backlash: A bipartisan “No FLOCK Act” would penalize states that don’t restrict Flock-style license plate cameras, limiting use cases tied to federal highway funding. Agriculture & Competition: USDA is facing farmer complaints over fertilizer practices as antitrust concerns grow, while John Deere recalls 375 Quad Cities workers to build inventory ahead of 2027 contract talks. Illinois River Invasive Carp: The Army Corps is resuming work on the Brandon Road project after a pause, as invasive carp threats near Lake Michigan raise stakes for Great Lakes protection. Local Tech/Industry: Amtech unveiled cloud delivery plus track-and-trace analytics for label converters, and Northern Trust says asset managers are shifting toward outsourcing, cost control, and AI. Healthcare Updates: New AAD guidance for treatment-refractory adult atopic dermatitis urges clinicians to check for overlapping conditions and diagnosis issues before switching therapies. Space/Defense: Boeing won a $562M LRIP contract for three more MQ-25A Stingray unmanned refuelers, with deliveries expected to start in 2029. Campus/Community: Students at Pitt Public Market keep weekly local-vendor shopping going, while Illinois higher-ed enrollment updates show UNI hitting its highest student totals since 2020.

AI Policy & Safety: Gov. J.B. Pritzker urged tighter federal oversight after an AI researcher’s resignation and calls for a coordinated approach, while Chicago AI experts say “human extinction” fears are overblown and that slowing could help verify faster-than-human software. Energy & Climate: The EPA moved to repeal Obama/Biden-era power-plant greenhouse gas limits and floated a plan to block future regulation, drawing sharp reaction from energy and climate groups. Illinois Clean Power: Illinois regulators’ first battery storage procurement auction cleared about 600 MW by 2030, a major step toward the state’s solar-and-storage goals. Manufacturing Tech in Chicago: IMTS 2026 opened in Chicago with record scale, highlighting automation and new equipment, while Artec 3D launched a tolerance-driven wireless 3D scanner and packaging industry data pointed to continued AI and workforce pressures. Water Tech: A real-time E. coli monitoring pilot in the Anacostia River uses sensors that send risk estimates to a public dashboard within minutes. Health & Biotech: Aptar and Massachusetts General Hospital plan nose-to-brain drug delivery research using an integrated translational platform. Campus Access: Illinois State unveiled a 3D Braille campus map to help students with low vision navigate independently.

Food Insecurity: A new Greater Chicago Food Depository report with NORC finds hunger is worsening, with about 35% of Chicago households facing food insecurity and roughly 1 in 3 families lacking consistent access to adequate food, especially on the South and West sides. Public Health & Tech: Southern Illinois University Carbondale researchers say NASA-backed work can turn plastic bottles and farm waste into protein-rich “microbites” cookies using engineered yeasts—an approach aimed at feeding astronauts and tackling waste. AI Governance: A watchdog report says universities are embedding DEI concepts like “algorithmic bias,” “social good,” and “equity” into AI programs, raising concerns about how AI is taught and steered. Illinois Tech & Industry: Grenzebach Additive Solutions will debut an end-to-end automation offering for additive manufacturing at IMTS 2026 in Chicago, focusing on connecting printing, postprocessing, and material flow. Local Tech Policy: Illinois lawmakers and officials are reacting to backlash against data centers and AI, including moves to pause or reshape tax incentives while regulators consider new rules. Energy Grid: A policy push argues Illinois and other states should expand highway rights of way for transmission lines to relieve congestion and speed clean power delivery.

Climate Courts: A new report argues climate groups trained judges through a “neutral” education effort that leaned toward the plaintiff side, raising fresh questions about how climate litigation is shaped. School Safety: Legal Prep Charter’s student-led “Peace Warriors” uses restorative justice circles and de-escalation training to cut conflicts and support students off campus too. Transit Tech & Mobility: Amtrak service is set to return between Chicago and the Quad Cities after nearly 50 years, with two daily round trips planned—an Illinois rail win with real commuting impact. Public Safety Infrastructure: Wheaton residents are pushing for a traffic light at a long-dangerous Roosevelt/Route 38 crossing after decades of crashes and injuries. Smart Cities Watch: Veolia is suing Milwaukee’s sewer district, alleging the procurement process was “predisposed” toward a competitor amid an advocacy campaign. AI in the Streets: A Chicago delivery-robot incident after a technical glitch shows how software and shared infrastructure can cause unexpected crowding behavior.

MLB Labor Talks: MLB and the players’ union met in New York, focusing on domestic violence policy and debt-service rules, while the big CBA fight still looms toward a potential Dec. 1 lockout. EV Market Signals: After the federal credit cliff, EV sales are rebounding slightly, used prices are shifting, and more charging is rolling out—suggesting “underlying demand” is still there. Community Resilience Tech: A climate survival discussion highlights community-built solar, disaster hubs, and decentralized farm tools designed for autonomy and data control. Forensic & Medical Advances: Studies report sex estimation from jaw scans, emotion-aware mixed-reality lab guidance, and new cancer research spanning immune-triggering light therapy and neighborhood-linked tumor genetics. Materials & Bio Breakthroughs: Carbon dots show promise against superbugs and biofilms; carbon fibers/graphite can speed dissolving magnesium composites; and tomato heat tolerance research points to a molecular “brake” system. Illinois Angle: River Forest residents push back on the O’Hare Flyer plan, arguing the benefit doesn’t match the disruption to nearby homes.