“Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.” I’ve long held this famous quote by Thomas Jefferson close to my heart. Growing up on a corn, soybean and beef cattle farm, agriculture has played a significant role in shaping me into who I am today. After deciding to pursue a career in agriculture, I realized there would be no better place to equip myself for that future than the University of Illinois. This decision, and these people and classes, will forever have an impact on my life and career.

Thanks in part to the generous support of the ACES Graduate Student International Research Grant, I was able to visit Mozambique twice during the fall semester to train extension workers and later evaluate their learning retention.

Over a year ago, I made the decision to stop eating meat. I thought that since I had more control over what I eat while away at college, I could easily make this change. However, it wasn't very easy at first, but I powered through the first few months and finally got used to meatless meals. I’ll admit that there were times when I slipped up and ate meat, but I didn’t let these instances stop me. A vegetarian diet is one way to be more sustainable, but the rise of cultured meats may prove to be another option.

Last semester in HDFS 225: Close Relationships, we were assigned to create a soundtrack that reflects changes in relationships across our lifespan, known as “The Music of Our Lives” project. The requirements included a minimum of ten tracks in chronological order (reflecting a developmental course beginning in early life and ending in later life), an explanation of the lyrics’ meaning, a personal reflection, and relation to course material. Our professor, Dr.

This semester I had the opportunity to take ACE 291, Agricultural Leadership and Policy, with Jon Scholl as the instructor. I was excited to begin the course as I have had many friends and peers highly recommend taking it. The central component of the class was a trip to Washington, D.C., and after taking this trip, I am confident that the course has been one of the most valuable and impactful classes I have taken throughout my education. 

“If you could sequence any genome, what would it be?” This was the question posed to ACES 399 students last Wednesday at our weekly seminar. Dr. Tony Studer, assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences, was giving a talk on the defining challenges facing the department.

Dr. Studer emphasized several major issues facing agriculture, such as adjusting key crops to climate changes, increasing the efficiency of photosynthesis, and how to properly analyze deluges of data. The latter was of especial interest to Dr. Studer, as his background is in genetics.

While I was a student with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES), I ambitiously pursued summer internships to gain a breadth of unique experiences and to better understand where I would best fit in the environmental sciences field, specifically within wildlife sciences. I attended the ACES Career Fair during my freshman year, which led to my first internship with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service. That summer, I served as a Bear Management Intern at Inyo National Forest in California.

This past week’s ACES 399 seminar presentation by Dr. Matthew Wheeler, professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, delved into the world of transgenic animals. While it sounds revolutionary, this science has actually existed for years. There are many practical applications of this type of technology that could solve different current issues.

Jonathan Poole, undergrad, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Home FFA Chapter: Chicago Ag Sciences

SAE’s: Food Science & Technology - Conducting various research projects related to food science; Borlaug-Ruan International Internship at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico

Leadership Roles: Chapter Treasurer; Served on the Section 8 team for 2 years 

JC Campbell, junior, Technical Systems Management

Home FFA Chapter: United FFA Chapter in Monmouth, IL

SAE’s: Forage Production (State Winner in 2016); Beef Production; Small Grains Production; Sheep Production; Swine Production; Diversified Crop Production; Diversified Livestock Production; Diversified Agriculture Production

Leadership Roles: Chapter Vice President and President; Section Vice President and President; State President