National Science Foundation invests in ACES-led project to reduce grassland fire risk
The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced new funding to understand and reduce grassland fire risk in the Southern Great Plains. The five-year project is being led by grassland fire expert Jon Henn at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
NSCEB and Senator Duckworth visit highlights biomanufacturing innovation in ACES
Last week, members of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology joined U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth in her home state to explore Illinois’ role in strengthening national security and developing greater economic resilience through biotechnology innovation, entrepreneurship, and biomanufacturing.
U of I researchers trace genetic code’s origins to early protein structures
Genes are the building blocks of life, and the genetic code provides the instructions for the complex processes that make organisms function. But how and why did it come to be the way it is? A recent study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign sheds new light on the origin and evolution of the genetic code, providing valuable insights for genetic engineering and bioinformatics.
Explore agriculture at U. of I.’s Harvest Open House
Looking for a family-friendly event this weekend? Check out the fourth annual Crop Sciences Harvest Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Crop Sciences Research and Education Center south of campus.
Global executive, prolific author, and family man: ABE distinguished alumni award recipient reflects on a lifetime of purpose and passion
Paul Wallem turned 91 earlier this year, but that hasn’t slowed him down one bit. He is a regular columnist at Farm World and the author of six books, and that’s just since his retirement a decade ago.
New coordinator of DEI education Cherisse Smith advances inclusive intelligence at ACES
Cherisse Smith (she/her), the new coordinator of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) education for the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences,, is at the forefront of inclusive intelligence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
College of ACES celebrates largest freshman class and record undergraduate enrollment
The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has the largest freshman class on record, with enrollment data going back to 1963. This marks the second consecutive year of record-setting growth in the college’s undergraduate community.
Researchers capture new antibiotic resistance mechanisms with trace amounts of DNA
Scientists from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a method to isolate genes from amounts of microbial DNA so tiny that it would take 20,000 samples to weigh as much as a single grain of sugar. In a new paper, the researchers used the method to discover previously unknown antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial DNA isolated from fish habitats at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and separate samples of human stool.
Pretreatment Methods Bring Second-gen Biofuels from Oilcane Closer to Commercialization
In collaboration with other Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs), researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) are developing industrially feasible techniques for second-generation biofuel production from oilcane, an oil-rich variety of sugarcane, to help meet our growing societal demand for fuels.
Guan among finalists for the 2025 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists
The Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences has announced the Finalists for the 2025 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists.