URBANA, Ill. – Jordan Blake Banks recently arrived in Finland, where she’ll begin a two-year Master’s program in bioenergy systems at the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT). She is one of two 2019 graduates from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences to receive a Fulbright scholarship for continued studies.

Banks spent her first weeks abroad participating in a Finnish language and culture course. Now she’s ready to start at LUT, which offers an international Master’s program with classes taught in English.

URBANA, Ill. — Thirteen University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students and young alumni, including two from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, were offered student Fulbright grants to pursue international educational, research, and teaching experiences across the globe this coming year, and another seven Illinois students were named Fulbright alternates.

URBANA, Ill. – Conservation organizations and foundations have invested billions to preserve natural resources and biodiversity across the globe, but the effectiveness of these investments over time is not always clear. A new multi-institutional project, led by a University of Illinois researcher and supported by a $550,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, will trace key outcomes of $655 million in the foundation’s global conservation investments made over 40 years.  

URBANA, Ill. – In its efforts to feed a growing population, the U.S. agriculture industry is incorporating advanced digital technologies and increasingly relying on statisticians to process “big data.” Traditional statistics degree programs typically do not provide a background in agriculture or plant science, leading to steep learning curves for new hires in digital agriculture companies.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Stephen P. Long, a professor of crop sciences and plant biology at the University of Illinois, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest professional honors a scientist can receive. He is one of 100 new members and 25 foreign associates recognized for “distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”

URBANA, Ill. - Each spring the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences recognizes faculty, staff, and graduate students who have demonstrated outstanding achievements or exceptional service to the college. Recipients are honored at the annual Paul A. Funk Recognition Awards Banquet. This year, the banquet was held Monday, April 8, at Pear Tree Estate in rural Champaign.

URBANA, Ill. - Martina Curry, a community worker with University of Illinois Extension, has received the Excellence in Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Curry was presented the award during the program’s 50th year celebration on March 12, in Crystal City, Virginia.

Curry has committed over 35 years to nutrition education programming while working with families in Cook County.

URBANA, Ill. – The Weed Science Society of America last week recognized Adam Davis, head and professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois, with a Fellow award, the society’s highest honor. The award recognizes Davis’s outstanding contributions to the field of weed science, particularly his use of ecological and quantitative principles to inform effective weed management.