People

Literacy rates in Sub-Saharan Africa remain low, despite increased primary school enrollment. In rural Mozambique, only 3% of children possess grade-level reading skills. Poor learning outcomes in lower grades are a barrier to further expanding school enrollment at higher grade levels.

A scientist in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the recipient of the 2025 national agInnovation award for Excellence in Agricultural Research Innovation. 

There are many barriers Illinois residents face in making healthy choices. For over 30 years, University of Illinois Extension’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) programs have helped people stretch their food dollars while increasing their nutrition and improving their health. Each year, SNAP-Ed reaches over 1 million Illinois residents, working with over 1800 community partners across all of Illinois’ 102 counties, making healthy choices and healthy food more accessible throughout the state. 

Elected to a one-year term in the office of vice president for the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), Jim Drackley, emeritus professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, has been chosen to advance the ADSA’s mission to sustain and grow the global dairy industry.

Maggie Wave is the new Assistant Dean for Advancement in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Darin Joos, a proud alum of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, knows a thing or two about the university’s beloved South Farms. Joos now manages the research facility, where he and his colleagues bring agricultural education to life in innovative ways.

Professor Elizabeth “Lisa” Ainsworth was formally honored as the Charles Adlai Ewing Endowed Chair in Crop Physiology in the Department of Crop Sciences at an investiture ceremony held at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, on March 27, 2025.

Two ACES faculty members have been named 2024 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society. Animal sciences professors Isaac Cann and Matthew Wheeler are among the 471 scientists, engineers, and innovators chosen by their peers for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements. 

Each year, the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has the honor of celebrating the achievements of several exceptional ACES alumni. Alumni Award recipients are recognized in the categories of Outstanding Young Alumni, Career Achievement, Award of Merit, and ACES Family Spirit. The 2025 winners will be honored during the ACES Alumni Awards Gala on April 14 at the Pear Tree Estate.

A first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary center focused on creating a climate-smart circular bioeconomy is poised for significant growth, with the appointment of a director, two endowed professorships, and a major campus commitment to hire four new faculty in departments across the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.