People

Every year, Deborah Katz-Downie honors her sister's memory the same way.

She gives.

For more than three decades, Deborah and her husband, Stephen R. Downie, have made annual gifts to the Child Development Laboratory (CDL) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in memory of Deborah's younger sister, Lauren Beth Katz, who died in 1989 at the age of 27 after a long illness.

Prasanta K. Kalita, professor of agricultural and biological engineering in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences with a joint appointment in The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, died on July 5. 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research professor John Reid, also executive director of the Center for Digital Agriculture, received the prestigious 2026 Cyrus Hall McCormick-Jerome Increase Case Gold Medal. 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Professor Brian Ogolsky, part of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, was recently one of three people to earn the prestigious Fellow status from the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR).

Mobile apps that allow people to share their location with others have become increasingly popular. But how and why do we use these apps, and what are the implications for interpersonal communication? That’s the topic of a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

When Pamela Smith, an editor for DTN and Progressive Farmer magazine, spotted a social media post from a friend looking to nurture her daughter’s love of writing, Pam stepped in with an old-fashioned offer: to write letters. 

Three members of the College of ACES community — Lisa Kelly, Carissa Nelson, and Mynda Tracy — are recipients of the 2026 Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award. This is one of the highest honors for staff at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and reflects the meaningful impact of their work across ACES and beyond.

When the semester ended this May, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign said goodbye to one of its most beloved professors. Paul Stoddard has retired after more than 25 years of dedicated service to the university and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. 

Madhu Khanna, Alvin H. Baum Family Chair and Director of the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE), has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the highest honors awarded to U.S. scientists.

Couples who spend more time savoring the pleasurable moments they share are happier together, argue less and are more confident their relationship will last, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers say in a new study.

“Savoring involves slowing down to become aware of and focus on positive experiences,” said first author Noah Larsen, a graduate student at Illinois. “Savoring can occur when we reminisce on a past experience, focus on the present moment or look ahead to a future experience.”