ACES PhD student Luis Sanchez advances fresh cheeses in Mexico
The following are reflections from Luis Ibarra Sanchez, a PhD student in Food Science and Human Nutrition, on his research project, which was partially funded by an ACES International Graduate Grant: “The effect of adding antimicrobials to Queso Fresco on Latino consumers’ acceptance." Luis's advisor is Dr. Michael Miller.
ACES PhD student Hania Taha uses grad grant to initiate research collaboration with Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem
The following are reflections from Hania Taha, a PhD student in Food Science and Human Nutrition, on her research project partially funded by an ACES International Graduate Grant: “Feasibility of a neoadjuvant modified-ketogenic diet clinical trial to improve cancer outcomes in gastrointestinal and head and neck cancers." Hania's advisor is Dr. Anna Arthur.
ACES PhD student LaKisha David facilitating monumental reunions of ancestral families separated during the Transatlantic Slave Trade
The following are reflections from LaKisha David, a PhD student in Human Development and Family Studies, on her research project, which was partially funded by an ACES International Graduate Grant: “Northern Ghana Family Reunification Project.” LaKisha's advisor is Dr. Christy Lleras.
New global experiences available to ACES students thanks to Arlys Conrad International Teaching Enhancement Award Program
As the world we live in becomes increasingly global and internationalized, there is a profound opportunity for curriculum and instruction to evolve internationally as well. One highlight of this is the Arlys Conrad International Teaching Enhancement Award Program, supported through the College of ACES and the ACES Study Abroad Office. This endowed seed grant opportunity has allowed ACES faculty to better serve students with global experiences and build new programs to bridge the international gap, create partnerships abroad, and bring cultural elements into curriculum.
ACES undergraduates participate in World Food Prize events
Six undergraduate students from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) attended the annual World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa during October. This three-day event is known as “the premier conference in the world on global agriculture.”
The selected students, whose registration and travel were sponsored by the ACES Office of International Programs and the ACES Office of Academic Programs, included (left to right in photo):
Fulbright Program makes connections between Lebanon and Illinois
The Office of International Programs in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) hosted seven Fulbright Scholars from Lebanon as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Junior Faculty Development Program in rural and economic development.
Graduate Grantee Patrese Anderson (ACE) works to ensure livelihoods in Zambia
As a PhD student in Agricultural and Consumer Economics advised by Dr. Kathy Baylis, Patrese Anderson is working with a multidisciplinary research team to understand climate change’s effects on smallholder farmers dependent on rain fed agricultural systems.
During the summer of 2017, she used funds provided by the ACES International Graduate Grants program to travel to Zambia to oversee the data collection of 1200 household surveys to be used by this research team to help Zambia ensure livelihoods and attain food security.
Graduate Grantee Dennis Humberto Pinto Padilla (FSHN) works to optimize chocolate production in Honduras
Dennis Humberto Pinto Padilla, a M.S. student in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition advised by Dr. Nicki Engeseth, used funds from an ACES international graduate grant to find optimal conditions for producing chocolate in tropical regions.
Pinto’s research focuses on a problem that plagues tropical regions with chocolate – the temperature of storage is often too high, resulting in rapid bloom formation and melting. His goal is to find low-cost, low energy-requiring strategies for temperature stability and therefore better chocolate production in these regions.