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The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is entering the new academic year with significant growth, welcoming both its largest freshman class in 50 years and a talented cohort of faculty members. This fall, the college has promoted 11 faculty members and added 14 new faculty, further enhancing its academic, research, and outreach capabilities.

Illinois residents who took part in a new couples’ relationship strengthening program reported many improvements in their connections with their spouses or partners and in their individual well-being too, research suggests. 

When graduates leave the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, they enter a global network of alumni and friends making a difference in their fields. Even in the very farthest corners of the world, ACES alumni can be found leading industries and making progress toward the college’s mission to build robust food systems, nurture thriving families and communities, and steward a healthy planet. 

Participants on a self-directed dietary education program who had the greatest success at losing weight across a 25-month period consumed greater amounts of protein and fiber, a study found. Personalization and flexibility also were key in creating plans that dieters could adhere to over time. 

The University of Illinois Alumni Association has named Jim and Marlene Evans the 2024 recipients of the UIAA Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes alumni accomplishments and service throughout their lives. A slate of eight alumni awards in six categories were presented on Sept.

You’ve probably heard that cultivating gratitude can boost your happiness. But in marriage and families, it’s not just about being more grateful for your loved ones — it’s also important to feel appreciated by them. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have previously explored the positive impact of perceived gratitude from romantic partners for couples’ relationship quality.

Black Americans experience racial discrimination on a regular basis, and it is a cause of chronic and pervasive stress. It is known to contribute to elevated risk for poor mental health outcomes, but most research has focused on individuals. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at the interpersonal effects of discrimination on parents and their adolescent children.

Every summer, alumni of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are invited back to campus with their kids or grandkids for ACES Family Academies. The two-day event introduces kids ages 8–13 to ACES majors, programs, and research through fun interactive classes and gives them a taste of campus life with meals in dining halls and a night in the dorms.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Professor Emerita Lila Ann Vodkin, a pioneering figure in plant genetics and the former Charles Adlai Ewing Chair of Soybean Molecular Biology in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) died on June 20, 2024, at the age of 73.

Talking to their parents about daily stressors can help adolescents deal with their problems. This is particularly important during the transition to middle school, when youth often are faced with new peer and academic challenges. But does it matter where these conversations take place? That’s the topic of a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.