Fall is upon us. That means students are back on campus, football is in full swing, and… we're debuting a brand new round of BTN LiveBIG vignettes. These videos highlight the ambitious vision and sweeping impact that Big Ten universities have in fields ranging from healthcare to environmental issues to driving innovation.

Throughout the football season, we will be featuring these vignettes alongside our In-Game articles, which dive a little deeper into each story. They will also roll out for fans during BTN games and regular programming, on BTN- and university-run social media accounts and even on the occasional stadium jumbotron. Keep your eyes peeled.

Enjoy and feel free to share any and all of these amazing vignettes!

 

 

Illinois researchers create a more-perfect record of past climate change: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

For years, coral skeletons have been used to study past global climate change. But their reaction with sea water degrades the record they hold. Now, University of Illinois genomic biologists have created a method that corrects for that alteration, allowing for a more accurate history to be ascertained.

 

Why Indiana is putting backpacks on birds: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

By placing small packs equipped with GPS monitors onto migratory birds, research fellows at Indiana University?s Environmental Resilience Institute are getting a bird?s eye perspective on our changing planet.

 

 

With a simple gesture, Iowa boosts the morale of their pediatric patients: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

Called the ?Best New Tradition in College Sports,? the now-famous University of Iowa Wave brings together an entire stadium of football players, coaches and fans in a show of support for patients at the UI Stead Family Children?s Hospital.

 

 

A Maryland drone made a life-saving delivery: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

Doctors and aviation engineers at the University of Maryland partnered to, for the first time ever, deliver a human organ for transplant via a remote-controlled aerial drone. The short flight marks a giant leap in transporting donor organs to patients in need faster and more efficiently.

 

 

How Michigan is making music with a unique beat: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

Music therapists at the University of Michigan?s C.S. Mott Children?s Hospital are making very special songs for some of their most vulnerable patients: those receiving a heart transplant. Recording their original and post-operative donor heartbeat, they are able to create a unique suite of songs that both preserves a memory and celebrates the future.

 

 

In Flint, Michigan State shows their commitment to a community: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

Still reeling from the effects of the water crisis in addition to decades of disinvestment and crumbling industry, Flint residents find themselves beset with myriad challenges, not the least of which is health-related. To that end, Michigan State University is working across the entire city to pinpoint problems and offer solutions aimed at creating a happier and healthier Flint.

 

 

Thanks to Minnesota, this sea turtle is swimming smoothly: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

A boat-strike left Seemore the Sea Turtle with a pocket of gas trapped under her shell which interfered with her ability to swim level. Partnering with the Sea Life Aquarium, a diverse team of engineering students from the University of Minnesota designed an unobtrusive and elegant 3D printed device that corrects the imbalance and keeps Seemore swimming straight.

 

 

A Nebraska grad looks to leave a ?Greenstain? on the world: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

When recently-minted University of Nebraska alum Gage Mruz was looking to launch his eco-friendly company, Greenstain, he turned to the Nebraska Innovation Lab for help. There he found a culture of collaboration, inspiration and support that was critical to the founding of his company, one that keeps the environment at the center of its mission.

 

 

Northwestern tackles the problem of plastics: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

With over 900,000,000,000 lbs. of plastics produced every year, the question of how to mitigate the effects that this resilient and eminently-disposable material wreak on our ecosystems and health is a growing one. At Northwestern University, a new program is pulling together experts from a number of fields to design solutions that will help protect people and the planet for generations to come.

 

 

Inside Ohio State?s island laboratory: LiveBIG 2019-20

Sometimes science requires that we get a little wet and a little dirty in the spirit of discovery. Nowhere is that more evident than at The Ohio State University?s Stone Lab, the nation?s oldest freshwater biological field station, located on Gibraltar Island in Lake Erie. Students and researchers use the unique space to explore problems facing Lake Erie, its wildlife and the region in order to better preserve and protect the vital ecosystem.

 

 

How Penn State is working to provide a voice for all: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

A leader in the field of childhood communication research, Penn State University works with children beset by complex disabilities to help them build their vocabulary and boost their communication skills and confidence.

 

 

Purdue engineers put their minds to the problem of plastic: LiveBIG 2019-20

 

With plastic refuse accumulating in nearly every environment on earth, Purdue University chemical engineers are working on stemming the tide of this growing global crisis. In particular, they have devised a method for converting plastic particles to clean burning fuels, creating the potential for an eco-friendlier second life for wayward hydrocarbons.

 

 

Rutgers celebrates the legacy of Paul Robeson: LiveBIG 2019-20