URBANA, Ill. – While obesity is a major public health issue, the causes and consequences of obesity are complex, encompassing a multitude of physiological, emotional, and environmental factors. A program in the University of Illinois Department of Human Development and Family Studies is taking a “flip the classroom” approach to training and educating students in obesity prevention.

URBANA, Ill. – When a plant senses an invading pathogen, it activates a molecular signaling cascade to switch on its defense mechanisms. One such mechanism involves sacrificing host cells to the pathogen. This is a tightly controlled process that involves the work of plant proteins to ensure that the sacrificial cells are only killed if the pathogen is attacking. This process, called the cell death response, ensures that only a few host cells die.

URBANA, Ill. – Fall-applied anhydrous ammonia may not fulfill as much of corn’s nitrogen needs as previously assumed. According to a new study from the University of Illinois, the effectiveness of the practice depends on the soil.

The study used a “tagged” form of ammonia to determine how much of the nitrogen in corn grain and plant material comes from fertilizer, versus nitrogen supplied naturally by the soil.

Jimmy Smith (M.S. ’82 and Ph.D. ‘86 in animal sciences ) recently received the Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement as part of the 2019 Illinois International Achievement Awards.

Article submitted by ACES Education Abroad

In recognition of the recent Illinois International Achievement Awards, ACES Study Abroad is honored to highlight Sadie Marks, recipient of the Undergraduate Achievement Award. This award recognizes one University of Illinois undergraduate student “for their significant service and contribution resulting from their participation in an international study abroad course, program, or project.”

URBANA, Ill. - The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) has conferred its prestigious Fellow status on Jennifer L. Hardesty, professor of human development and family studies in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

NCFR Fellows are nominated by their peers and are selected by the NCFR Fellows Committee. Hardesty was recognized as a new fellow at the 2019 NCFR Annual Conference this past week in Fort Worth, Texas.

URBANA, Ill. – Biotechnology is a rapidly growing industry in the United States and worldwide. Consumer demand for renewable products is exploding, while advances in synthetic biology enable efficient production of bio-based ingredients. Some ethanol plants are now retrofitting their facilities to produce high-quality corn sugar products.

The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) welcomed back alumnus Allan P. Mustard, a retired ambassador and accomplished Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) professional, to present the annual ACES Distinguished International Lecture.

The newly named director of the first ever Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety (FSIL), Haley Oliver, engaged her audience by asking a question everyone had to answer in the affirmative: “Have you ever had diarrhea?”

Usually an uncomfortable inconvenience for most of us in the developed world, foodborne illnesses such as Norovirus, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, and toxoplasmosis kill 420,000 people annually. Thus, Oliver’s work puts food safety at the core of food security.  

URBANA, Ill. – Mental health is a concern in rural areas, as farmers cope with stress and uncertainty due to economic and environmental conditions. Often, there are no mental health providers in the local community. Public health programs can help, but what are the best ways to reach farm populations with those programs? That’s the topic of a new study conducted by a University of Illinois researcher.