Voices of ACES Blog

NASDA Next Generation: 2 ACES students make their mark

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In September 2024, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) held their annual Next Generation program.  A cohort of 14 students from 8 universities travelled to Indianapolis for committee meetings, trainings, and networking with NASDA members, state staff, and industry professionals. Two public policy and law students, Kirby Miller and Viktoriya Dragnevska, who were nominated by their professors, represented the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the College of ACES.

ACES alumni board supporting the best and brightest

Since 1978, the Jonathan Baldwin Turner (JBT) Scholar program has recognized a group of talented students each year from the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. In the fall of 2021, the college re-envisioned its prestigious JBT program. Today, JBT scholars receive a renewable, merit-based scholarship, but more than financial support, the program provides unique professional development opportunities to prepare future leaders in diverse fields.

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ACES doctoral student selected for prestigious NASA research award

Wendy Dorman is determined to map a brighter future for grassland birds. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign doctoral student will use a $150,000 investment from NASA to develop robust maps of grassland habitat across the Midwest and beyond. Her goal is to understand the species-specific habitat factors that matter most to imperiled birds and optimize strategies for their conservation.  

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Community college students: Apply soon for STEM summer research experience at Illinois

Microbes might be invisible, but their teeming masses influence everything from agriculture to the environment to the food we eat. That’s why experience working with microbes has become a must for countless industries. Now, community college students from across the country can gain that experience through a National Science Foundation-funded summer program led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Parkland College

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ACES senior shines in nutrition education and service

During her summer break, Delaina Sigman was handed a protractor, a pencil, a sheet of paper, and a compass. Then she was told to navigate her way through the wilderness. This was just the beginning of Cadet Summer Training, an experience Sigman participated in as a student in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s ROTC program.

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Voices of ACES Blog

Indigenous Pathways program unlocks opportunity for native high schoolers

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This past June, Native American high school sophomores and juniors participated in The Indigenous Pathways program, a summer program that lets students explore campus life and all of the opportunities the university has to offer. The program was started two years ago by Jacki Thompson Rand, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and former Associate Vice Chancellor of Native Affairs, with the intention of it becoming an annual event.

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