August is National Make-A-Will Month, an annual nudge to take care of something that is easy to put off and important to get right. Most of us know we should have a will. Many of us still don't. It rarely feels urgent until it does, and so it waits.

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.

A new study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scientists reveals critically low genetic variation in one of the country’s primary breeding stocks for corn. The finding relates specifically to grain yield in intermediate-maturity hybrids, which dominate commercial production in the U.S. and represent nearly a third of the world’s corn production.

The researchers say it’s a crisis waiting to happen. 

Building on its longstanding commitment to global partnerships, the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) hosted several delegations and visitors from around the world this summer. 

A new simulation study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests winter canola could be profitable and environmentally beneficial if added to a conventional corn-soy rotation in the U.S. Midwest. 

Heart-healthy oats are finding their way into a wider variety of products and recipes as consumer demand grows. Although oats are grown on far fewer acres than other U.S. crops, farmers are able to keep up with the demand through genetic gains in yield and other important agronomic traits.

A team of food science and human nutrition students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were the crème de la crème at the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association College Bowl Competition in Chicago on July 14.

On Friday, the Child Development Laboratory (CDL) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign hosted a Touch-a-Truck event for more than 160 children and their families, providing a fun, hands-on learning experience.