Food, Animals, & Families
At the heart of ACES is a focus on creating robust and ethical food systems capable of feeding an ever-growing global population.
Health & Communities
At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES), we go beyond asking, “What do we all need to be healthy?” We’re all about find
Call for Themes: Eighth Annual International Food Security Symposium at Illinois - Spring 2024
We seek to use the symposium to explore in depth a specific aspect of international food security. We intend to fund a full day or day-and-a-half symposium with support for 4 to 6 external presenters and other presenters from this campus. We are particularly interested in supporting themes for which the symposium could stimulate longer-term activities. We welcome proposals from individuals or from groups of faculty/researchers on a theme. Proposals that include student participation through events such as poster sessions and short presentations will be given priority. We will provide up to $15,000 for this event as well as logistical support, including purchasing air tickets, hotel bookings, securing the venue and catering, advertising, registration, materials, etc.
The selected proposal team will be responsible for the content of the symposium, including the theme, selecting the speakers, and creating the program. The team’s unit may need to provide additional support to cover all symposium costs and logistics.
To Apply: If you have a theme you would like considered, please create a short (one page) proposal describing:
- The overall theme in one sentence
- A few sub-themes that might represent titles for panels in the symposium
- Some potential external speakers for the sub-themes
- The audiences for whom this symposium would be of significance
Please send your suggestions to aces-oip@illinois.edu by October 6 with the words “IFSI 2024 Symposium” in the subject line.
https://publish.illinois.edu/intl-food-security/events/
ACES expert: Viral evolution and the new BA.2.86 COVID variant
URBANA, Ill. — Last week’s classification of BA.2.86 as a COVID "variant under monitoring" by the World Health Organization raises many epidemiological and public health questions. Among the unknowns is how the virus evolved to acquire 36 to 38 mutations on its spike protein, relative to other circulating variants.
How local communities depend on the ivory palm tree in coastal Ecuador
URBANA, Ill. – The ivory palm tree, also known as tagua, is endemic to the Chocó-Darien region on the Pacific coast of South America. The local population relies on this unique tree for many uses and the tagua fruit, nuts, and leaves provide materials for a range of products. Two studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE) explore the ecosystem services provided by tagua in coastal Ecuador.
Sweet corn yield at the mercy of the environment, except for one key factor
URBANA, Ill. — A new analysis from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has identified the top factors accounting for yield variability in processing sweet corn (used for canned and frozen products), including one within the control of processors.
Could microplastics in soil introduce drug-resistant superbugs to the food supply?
URBANA, Ill. — Like every industry, modern farming relies heavily on plastics. Think plastic mulch lining vegetable beds, PVC pipes draining water from fields, polyethylene covering high tunnels, and plastic seed, fertilizer, and herbicide packaging, to name a few. In a new review article, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers say these plastics are now widely dispersed in agricultural soils in the form of microplastics and nanoplastics.
Innovate Illinois supports IBRL project for federal EDA Tech Hub funding
Innovate Illinois has announced its support for two transformative projects seeking federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) Tech Hub Funding located in Illinois.
Celebrate Food & Ag Day 2024
This event has passed. Thank you all for joining us on October 12, 2024 for Celebrate Food and Ag Day at Illinois Football! We hope you had a wonderful time. We'll be sharing information about the 2025 event next summer, and we can't wait to see you there!
ACES Family Academies offers summer adventure to prospective students
URBANA, Ill. — The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is always emptier than usual during the summer months. But this absence is interrupted every July as the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) welcomes a new kind of visitor.