Two ACES doctoral students receive prestigious FFAR fellowships
Sandesh Poudel and Abichal Poudel (no relation), doctoral students in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, have received 2025 Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) fellowships.
ACES new collaborations with Brazil’s Embrapa aim to counter climate change and drive the bioeconomy
Faculty from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences are teaming up with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) on groundbreaking projects to tackle climate change and drive the future of the bioeconomy.
The three selected projects from a competitive open call for proposals are:
Eating craved foods with meals lessens cravings, boosts weight loss
Food cravings are the downfall of many dieters, who feel locked in an eternal battle with their willpower to resist the tempting sweets, snacks and other foods they love.
Could nanoplastics in the environment turn E. coli into a bigger villain?
Nanoplastics are everywhere. These fragments are so tiny they can accumulate on bacteria and be taken up by plant roots; they’re in our food, our water, and our bodies. Scientists don’t know the full extent of their impacts on our health, but new research from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign food scientists suggests certain nanoplastics may make foodborne pathogens more virulent.
Four ACES faculty receive Campus Awards for Excellence in Instruction
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign each year presents Campus Awards for Excellence in Instruction to exceptional faculty and staff members, graduate teaching assistants and advisers campuswide. This year’s recipients, four of which are from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, were honored at a ceremony on April 15.
2025 ACES award recipients include:
Two ACES students are selected as IHSI 2025 Community-Academic Scholars
The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute has announced their 2025 Community-Academic Scholars. The program offers University of Illinois undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue community-based research projects in Urbana-Champaign over the summer.
Study: Microalgae and bacteria team up to convert CO2 into useful products
Scientists have spent decades genetically modifying the bacterium Escherichia coli and other microbes to convert carbon dioxide into useful biological products. Most methods require additional carbon sources, however, adding to the cost. A new study overcomes this limitation by combining the photosynthetic finesse of a single-celled algae with the production capabilities of the bacteria E. coli.
The researchers report their results in the journal Metabolic Engineering.
ACES researchers among recipients of 2025–26 Chancellor’s Research Program
Two researchers from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences are among the recipients of the 2025–26 Chancellor’s Research Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Illinois researchers spearhead efforts to establish guidelines for personalized nutrition approaches
Personalized nutrition (PN) has gained popularity in recent years as a customized approach to health outcomes. PN combines biomedical, genetic, and lifestyle data to provide individualized recommendations, and a plethora of companies offer various forms of health screenings, apps, programs, products, and diet advice.
How an ACES alumna is sweetening Valentine’s Day with science and innovation
Longtime Chicago residents may miss the chocolatey fragrance wafting from Blommer Chocolate Company's now-shuttered West Loop factory. However, despite the closing of the factory, the Chicago headquarters and laboratories of one of North America’s largest cocoa processor remain.