What do you mean, tornado experiments? Yes,  April is famously known for its taxes, tulips and rain, but do you know what else April showers could bring?  Tornadoes! 
Actually , the official kick-off of the largest attempt in history to study the development and evolution of tornadoes begins May 10th.  Known as the “Verification Of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment (VORTEX2)," this government–funded  study is designed to “lead to a better understanding of why tornadoes form--and how they can be more accurately predicted." Unfortunately, perhaps, Illinois is not one of the  study focus areas mentioned in the National Science Foundation’s press release.

For Illinois tornado news, we recommend a visit to the Illinois State Climatologist’s office.Think tornadoes avoid big cities? You may want to check out A Study of Chicago's Significant Tornadoes.The Univeristy of Illinois Extension Service has advice on what to do if a tornado watch or warning is issued for your area at: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/disaster/storm/sw_tornado.html.

For more (and potentially less terrifying) national science news, you might enjoy browsing http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/ for information on scientific innovations and discoveries funded by the National Science Foundation. 

Don't forget to file your taxes by midnight, April 15th!

image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelrusinski/2555447764/

Although the deadline to register has passed, vote.depaul.edu has information on how you can still get involved this election season, polling place locations and links to the candidate's websites. Be sure to scroll down the page to view the list of programs and activities being hosted by various organizations around campus.

EveryBlock Chicago is a mash-up of government information and Google Maps.  I LOVE the way it pulls together public information from disparate city agencies and departments and adds layers of relevance and accessibility.

You can locate crime reports, restaurant inspection scores, property transfers, street closures and even filming schedules. Search by address, zip code or neighborhood and you'll see a map loaded with the locations of each event. EveryBlock also includes business reviews from Yelp and lost and found ads from Craigslist. You can even look at pictures that have been geotagged in Flickr!  It's a really easy way to explore your neighborhood or your city.

The 2002 Economic Census ranks states by their top industries. Per capita, Illinois is first in "construction and mining (except oil well) machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers," which may seem a little boring.  But we are second in “beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverage merchant wholesalers”, third in “nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing” and fourth in “Mayonnaise, dressing, and other prepared sauce manufacturing”.  Mmmm, red licorice and jelly beans with a side of  French dressing please!  Should I pair that with a red or white wine?  (We suspect either is fine as long as you are of age and refrain from jumping on a bulldozer afterwards.)

Rounding out our top five is “office machinery and equipment rental and leasing.”  

To see industries in which Illinois ranks first in terms of total sales or receipts, or to check out other information from the 2002 Economic Census, visit Top Ranking Industries Organized by State.  (And yes, per capita,  Wisconsin is still number one in cheese.)

According to the economic research service of the US Department of Agriculture, carrot consumption is on the rise, and highest in the East and Central regions of the country.  The online publication "Factors Affecting Carrot Consumption in the United States" examines where and how much fresh and processed carrots are eaten and links this consumption to various economic, social, and demographic characteristics of consumers."  More consumption reports are available from the USDA at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/consumption/ . 

Don't forget to file your taxes today!  We are excited to bring you further posts highlighting the sometimes unexpected information collected and distributed by official government agencies.