ACES@Illinois | Fall 2018

{Fall 2018}

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DARKNESS

Bringing light to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

]

MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD Kim Kidwell Dean, College of ACES LeAnn Ormsby Assistant Dean, Information Technology and Communication Services Anna Dilger & Dave Rosch Interim Co-Associate Deans, Office of Academic Programs Shelly Nickols-Richardson Interim Associate Dean and Director, University of Illinois Extension Germán Bollero Associate Dean, Office of Research Robert Kessler Executive Assistant Dean, Administration

F E ATU R E S

Kimberly Meenen Assistant Dean, Office of Advancement

5 Darkness Bringing light to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

Alex Winter-Nelson Office of International Programs Alan Hansen Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Light on the Microbiome 10 “Shedding” NRES researcher designs healthier aquatic habitats

Sean Fox Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics

at Shedd Aquarium

Rodney Johnson Department of Animal Sciences

the Paws 14 Behind Helping the heroes of Alaska's toughest 300-mile

Pat Tranel Department of Crop Sciences

sled dog race

Nicki Engeseth Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition Ramona Faith Oswald Department of Human Development and Family Studies Jeffrey Brawn Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

]IN EVERY ISSUE Dean’s Desk . . . . . . . . . 4 Collaborations . . . . . . . . 9 Innovations. . . . . . . . . . 13 Accolades. . . . . . . . . . 30 Connections. . . . . . . . 32 Alumni in Action . . . . 34 Parting Shot. . . . . . . . 36

[ON THE COVER] University of Illinois students and staff traveled to Puerto Rico last spring to investigate the cultural, political, and social factors that preceded Hurricane Maria and that currently influence sustainability and viability of solutions.

Cover photo by Eric Schumacher

Opportunity Knocks 16 When Connections take Emely Lopez from El Salvador to the University of Illinois in the Kitchen 18 Kids Involving children in mealtime planning and prep leads to healthy habits Hope 20 Planting National program helps farmers with disabilities keep their independence Not Forgotten 22 Gone...But 4-H Memorial Camp serves as a living tribute to military heroes Back 24 Giving Three immigrant students are becoming financial planners to help others achieve their American dreams Harlan's Botanical Legacy 27 Jack Late crop scientist's collection has modern significance Rebound 28 Project Bringing back Galesburg

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the US Department of Agriculture by the Director, Cooperative Extension Service, and University of Illinois.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

EDITOR Jennifer Shike

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Leslie Ehler

COPY EDITOR Molly Bentsen

WRITERS Judy Mae Bingman Angela Boesche Kelly Gagnon Stephanie Henry Kelsey Litchfield Lauren Quinn Amber Ruedi Deborah Seiler Jennifer Shike Marla Todd

]D E A N ’ S

DESK

From the

DEAN’S DESK

As the end of my second year as dean approaches, I want to share a few highlights of what we have achieved together since I returned to campus in 2016. A small army of dedicated people in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and our devoted alumni and friends have worked alongside me to set the course for the future of our college. As the saying goes, it takes a village: We are that village. Together, we are living into a vision that is truly spectacular for the future of the College of ACES. Let me share three great trends shaping our future: •

•

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Enrollment is up! For the first time in six years, student enrollment in ACES will increase for the fall of 2018, marking a pivotal moment for the college.

Although we won’t know the actual increase until Day 10 of fall classes, a projected uptick tells us that the changes we made to recruitment strategies to increase visibility and access are working. New initiatives include establishing Extension unit scholarships, initiating the Ignite Undergraduate Research Program, and telling our story in “What We Do and Why It Matters” statements. I am grateful to the ACES Office of Academic Programs team, to departmental recruiters, and to the many faculty, students, and alumni who have assisted with these efforts. Students are the lifeblood of the college, and I am thrilled that we are drawing more young people into our disciplines.

The Extension 3.0 Task Force completed its report, and under the leadership of Dr. Shelly NickolsRichardson, the interim associate dean and director of Extension, that vision is being aligned with the university’s strategic plan for creating a publicly engaged university. We also released a request for proposals to provide opportunities for on-campus researchers to work with Extension personnel in the field. The goal is to bridge the gap between the discovery work conducted on campus and the

application of that knowledge in communities around the state and beyond. We appreciate the input and support from many legislators, community members, and stakeholders to elevate University of Illinois Extension in the College of ACES. •

We are embarking on a journey to expand our partnerships with industry to create a workforce for high-demand disciplines. The College of ACES received funding from the university provost’s Investment for Growth Initiatives to fund two projects: First, a new major—Metropolitan Food and Environmental Systems (MetroFESt)—will target sustainable food production and environmental protection in urban settings. The immersion components of the student-training program will involve the Discovery Partner’s Institute in Chicago and designated hubs. Second, a Center for Smart Agriculture will build upon top-ranked programs in ACES and the College of Engineering to make the University of Illinois a world leader in agriculture and data analytics. The center will complement the recently launched major in Computer Science + Crop Sciences (see more on page 13).

Many ongoing efforts like the three I have described were designed to create a vibrant future for the College of ACES. It is moving and inspiring to read about the many wonderful activities our faculty, students, and alumni are involved in that are making a difference in the world.

Our collective goal is to build upon this momentum to continue to support members of our village with transforming lives.

Thank you for all that you do to help us make both the College of ACES and its legacy great.

Kim Kidwell, Dean of ACES

DARKNESS Bringing light to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

By Jennifer Shike as told by Luis Rodriguez

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 5

December 15, 2017 It is dark here.

As I exit the airport, I find myself surrounded by total darkness. My flight arrived late. Now, the dusk has quickly turned to night. Most of the street lamps are out—the houses are mere shadows against the black sky. I can hardly see a thing, but I can tell that the damage is extreme. There is so much to be done, so many problems that need solutions.

My mind snaps back to September 20, 2017, when the worst storm in recent Puerto Rico history decimated the island with sustained winds of 155 mph, uprooting trees, downing weather stations and cell towers, and ripping wooden and tin roofs off homes. Electricity was cut off to 100 percent of the island, and access to clean water and food became limited for most of Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million residents, resulting in one of the biggest humanitarian crises ever.

So, I’m here on a mission to help in some small way. The first person to suggest that I redesign my regular Puerto Rico study tour was actually a student. (Those students always have the best ideas.) I quickly discovered a mass of students interested in pursuing this adventure with me. My goal is to find out how we can begin making a difference.

All I know for sure is that we have a lot of work to do.

ASSESSING THE NEED Luis Rodriguez, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, spent many years of his childhood in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and several communities around the island.

It was a natural fit for him to lead study abroad courses to the island, and now, after the hurricane, to develop his latest course: “Disaster Relief Projects: Hurricane Maria.”

Almost half of the residents of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, live below the poverty line—by far the highest rate of any U.S. state or territory—and the unemployment rate is nearly three times the national average.

“During my trip back to investigate the aftermath of the hurricane, I was amazed by the range of what I witnessed,” Rodriguez says. “On one hand, I saw the ubiquitous signs of a recent disaster, and on the other hand, a quiet optimism about the recovery.”

For eight days, he toured the countryside and the urban centers, observing how the people and businesses were clearing away the debris Maria left behind. Piles of downed trees, construction elements, and other garbage comprised makeshift landfills along the roads.

“We needed to help them find a way out,” he says.

Rodriguez met with collaborators, both old and new, at the Universidad de Puerto Rico Recinto de Mayagüez (UPR-Mayagüez). He easily found people interested in contributing to the effort: engineers from several specializations, economists, and scientists from nutrition and dietetics.

“It’s important that the participants in the study abroad trip have real access to people working and living the experience,” he says. “My closest UPR-Mayagüez colleagues are living in darkness while carrying on with teaching classes and conducting their research during the day.”

With nearly every sector of Puerto Rico’s economy and infrastructure suffering after the storm, Rodriguez thought, why not take advantage of the opportunity to engage in the perfect academic exercise?

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“

On one hand, I saw the ubiquitous signs of a recent disaster, and on the other hand, a quiet optimism about the recovery.

”

“Puerto Rico has been forced into a renewal process,” he says. “Future classes will tackle the challenge of assessing and developing suggestions for rebuilding an entire industry into its ideal state from ground zero. The list of high-impact learning experiences and possibilities is endless.”

“Primarily, we worked in ecosystem restoration at Cataño,” Rodriguez says. “We cleared invasive species, prepared the soil for mangrove transplants, and worked on the restoration of a nursery to promote a healthy ecosystem in the neighboring Las Cucharillas Nature Preserve.

AN ENLIGHTENING EXPERIENCE

“A healthy ecosystem will have more potential for flood mitigation.

The Juanna Matos neighborhood of Cataño is quite flood prone for a variety of reasons, including the overgrown Cucharillas.”

On March 17, Rodriguez boarded a plane for Cataño, Puerto Rico, with 37 students and three staff for a nine-day journey. The goal: identify resilient responses to the recent disaster. They met up in Puerto Rico with staff from Amizade, a global service-learning organization that helped Rodriguez identify the opportunity to work with Caras Con Causa, the local group who hosted the Illini.

Together, they all set out to investigate the cultural, political, and social factors that preceded Hurricane Maria and that currently influence sustainability and viability of solutions.

Motivated by a variety of life experiences and goals, the students on this trip discovered common ground in their desire to help. The hurricane provided them a tragic opportunity, Rodriguez says.

Prior to their departure, students learned how to assess potential solutions for challenges local communities may be facing after the disaster. They also received training about the safety issues associated with entering potentially dangerous areas.

The students performed infrastructural assessments in the Juana Matos and Puente Blanco communities of Cataño. They also assessed two dairy farms in Hatillo and Camuy and a nature reserve in Manatí. Rodriguez says infrastructure encompasses many factors. Around a community, especially when considering the aftermath of Maria, this primarily refers to inadequate drainage that might have exacerbated flooding. At the dairy farm, it also includes shelters, watering structures, manure handling, and dairy parlors.

It may also include electrical infrastructure, roadways, fencing, canals, signage, utility poles, and structures, among many others.

In an infrastructural assessment, a community is surveyed using the Fulcrum web application to take photos or videos of the locations of infrastructure concerns. The web application allowed students to annotate a report, including GPS locations and details regarding the problems, while incorporating imagery. Students later reviewed

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 7

all these assessments and created a set of four reports, including recommendations for next steps in a longerterm recovery for the sites they were able to visit.

Aya Bridgeland, a junior in crop sciences, says that she expected Hurricane Maria’s damage would impact agricultural systems, but she had no idea that it would affect food availability and security across the entire island.

“I was surprised to see how much agricultural systems were suffering, even six months after the hurricane,” Bridgeland says.

“

If we do our job well, we can be responsive to many such unfortunate events around the world.

”

Because Puerto Rico does not produce most of its own food, when shipping and related transportation infrastructures are down because of an unforeseen disaster, the immediate result is insufficient food to feed the island's population.

Bridgeland says, “Learning about Puerto Rico’s food security problems caused a massive shift in my thinking.

When Americans think about food security, we often look at faraway places removed from our own experience, like sub-Saharan Africa or southeast Asia. Now I realize I was blind to the struggles of Americans who also suffer from food insecurity and deserve just as much help and aid as anyone else who is hungry.”

The students were impressed with how the Puerto Rican communities came together to tackle various problems, Rodriguez says.

Katherine East, a sophomore in political science, says, “I think that the most important thing that you can do while

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abroad is to recognize that you live behind a filter built by your own identities and perceptions of the world. Once you recognize that, it allows you to challenge what you think you know.”

REFLECTIONS This course is just the beginning of a bigger opportunity to make a difference in the world, Rodriguez says. After the trip, Rodriguez’s primary colleague at UPR-Mayagüez used the students’ reports to develop a summer practicum for his own students. And this fall, four U of I students will undertake independent study coursework to continue the project. If all goes as planned, Rodriguez will offer the course again; the hope is to take a group to Puerto Rico in summer 2019.

“If we do our job well, we can be responsive to many such unfortunate events around the world,” he says. “There is no doubt the students have the desire and energy. The only thing we need is a local network on the ground—we had this without much trouble in Puerto Rico.”

March 26, 2018 I’m back in the United States now, but Puerto Rico will always be home. I hope this is the start of something bigger than we can imagine. I hope my students learned that their time, effort, energy, ideas, and desires matter.

I want them to recognize that the skills they are developing here at the University of Illinois are broadly applicable to a variety of environments. I hope this course helped them emerge better prepared to understand the influences of local factors, such as culture, when seeking to solve problems and act as change agents.

It makes me proud that this can be in Puerto Rico—but if I am honest, it can be anywhere. The world is waiting for their bright ideas to break up the darkness.

CO L L A B O R AT I O N S]

FULFILLING a

Mission

“It’s like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval,” Jarrell says.

“AAALAC accreditation matters to funding agencies—they want to know the experimental protocols have been reviewed rigorously by the IACUC, but also that the housing, veterinary care, and everything else pass muster.”

SETTING THE STANDARD Because its animal programs had been largely unreviewed prior to accreditation, the animal sciences department needed to demonstrate that its facilities and husbandry met AAALAC standards.

“You can’t do good science without good animals.”

According to Jarrell, “Excellent animal care was taking place, but little was written down. The program didn’t have the necessary structure, but the farm employees were already doing high quality work.”

That’s the philosophy of Vickie Jarrell, associate director of the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station—the entity on campus that fulfills the university’s land-grant mission. Research animals that aren’t cared for properly are in no condition to advance science, she believes. That’s why Jarrell has dedicated more than 18 years of her professional life to ensuring that all animals used for research, at the University of Illinois and at universities across the country, are treated humanely, housed in clean and comfortable conditions, and maintained in optimal health.

The department hired Jarrell to document the existing programs in animal sciences and develop the pieces forming the needed structure. It meant a significant amount of paperwork, frequent visits to the university’s farms, and meeting upon meeting with campus administrators, but Jarrell and the animal sciences team got it done within six months—in time for AAALAC’s first site visit. And, yes, campuswide accreditation was earned. Today, only about 15 percent of accredited programs include their agricultural animals.

“If we are going to keep animals in order to advance science for the benefits of both humans and other animals, we owe them the highest quality of care,” she says.

“Vickie has the kind of personality that makes everyone comfortable—from farm workers to university administrators.

They trust her, which created a world of difference in making the argument for folding agricultural animals into the program,” says Rodney Johnson, department head for animal sciences.

An animal scientist who grew up in small farming communities out west, Jarrell followed her love of farm animals to Illinois in 1977 to study as an undergraduate in the Department of Animal Sciences. She went on to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in reproductive physiology in the department.

IT’S THE LAW Animals used for research have been protected under federal law for decades. Under the 1966 Animal Welfare Act, protocols involving regulated animals must be reviewed by campus Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC) before experiments can begin.

But agricultural animals? They are exempt when the research relates to production of food and fiber. But the UrbanaChampaign campus decided to oversee animal activities regardless of the types of research conducted.

That decision came in 2000, when U of I applied for campuswide accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC, I.), an organization that ensures facilities meet the highest standards of care for research animals.

The Agricultural Animal Care and Use Program was born out of the AAALAC accreditation process, and Jarrell was director of the program until 2014. During that time, she also served as an ad hoc consultant for AAALAC, I., traveling on site visits to universities across the country, particularly those with agricultural animal programs.

“Few AAALAC consultants have real experience with ag animals in ag settings. This is where Vickie has been an invaluable contributor nationwide,” says Neal Merchen, former associate dean and professor emeritus in the college.

Thanks to her rare expertise, Jarrell has recently been elected to the Council on Accreditation for AAALAC, I. “As far as an individual that has made a commitment to upholding, overseeing, and advocating for the appropriate use of animals in research and teaching settings, there would be very few people that have made more contributions nationally than Vickie Jarrell,” Merchen says. “That’s no exaggeration.”

By Lauren Quinn

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 9

“Shedding” light on the

MICROBIOME

By Lauren Quinn Photos by James F. Quinn

Visitors to Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium are naturally drawn to the dolphins and smiley white beluga whales that make the 3-milliongallon Abbott Oceanarium their home. People crowd against the railings, waving and grinning at the chirping belugas, or go below to watch dolphins plummet and glide through the blue depths.

“Now the microbial diversity in the cetacean habitat is similar to what you’d see in the ocean, so everyone wins! And we’re conserving water as well.”

When the visitors are ready to say goodbye to their new cetacean friends, many head up the steps toward a gift shop and the dramatic floor-to-ceiling Caribbean Reef exhibit. Few notice the doors to the left, through which something equally dramatic—if less visually stunning—is happening.

Through those doors, scientists are discovering microscopic creatures that live inside, on, and around every animal in the aquarium and in aquatic habitats in the wild. The first-of-its-kind project is designed to improve the health of aquatic animals at Shedd and around the world.

MARINE MAMMAL MICROBES The microbiome—the unique collection of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that lives in and on every animal body, including yours—is having a moment. In recent years, scientists have made discoveries linking the human microbiome to everything from inflammation to cancer to brain function. But far fewer researchers are investigating the role of the microbiome in animal health.

Angela Kent, a microbial ecologist and professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, might argue that aquatic animals make ideal subjects for microbiome research. After all, they swim in a literal sea of microbes, some of which have formed intimate partnerships with the animals for their mutual benefit. The finely tuned and complex system is difficult to study, much less replicate in highly managed, artificial environments like public aquariums, but Kent and her Shedd collaborators are trying to do both.

Take the cetaceans. About a decade ago, Kent got involved in a project to investigate how the Abbott Oceanarium compares to the true ocean habitat of belugas and dolphins. In terms of the microbiome of the water, the oceanarium was less diverse.

“Shedd follows federal regulations to keep the habitats clean with frequent water changes, but that means the microbes never had a chance to establish. The dolphins

and belugas were healthy, but we know from human studies that being ‘too clean’ can keep our immune systems from receiving beneficial stimulation,” Kent says.

Aquarium staff decided to replace some of the water going into the oceanarium with nitrogen-rich water that would typically have been discarded from marine fish tanks throughout the aquarium.

Kent explains that because cetaceans breathe air, not water, they aren’t bothered by a little extra nitrogen in the water. Instead, the nitrogen allows certain beneficial microbes to flourish.

“Now the microbial diversity in the cetacean habitat is similar to what you’d see in the ocean, so everyone wins!

And we’re conserving water as well,” she says.

To follow up on this move, Kent suggested cycling the water temperature in the oceanarium to mimic natural seasonal variations in the ocean.

“Temperature is a primary ecological driver of the microbial community, so we see annual cycles of microbial communities in the oceanarium now, too. Using ecological drivers to optimize the microbiome for these animals was a really creative use of microbial ecology,” she says.

INTO THE WILD The Shedd Aquarium Microbiome Project optimizes animal health by working to understand and manipulate the aquatic microbiome, but the project isn’t confined to Shedd Aquarium. Participating scientists are working on projects at zoos and aquariums, as well as in wild habitats, around the country.

During a seven-month sabbatical at Shedd last year, Kent learned about an ongoing project in the Pacific Northwest that she thought could use some help from a microbial ecologist. Zoos in Washington, Oregon, and California were working together to save the Western pond turtle from extinction.

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 11

The little turtle, once common in rivers and ponds along the west coast of North America, began to decline dramatically starting in the 1980s due to habitat destruction, disease, and predation by nonnative bullfrogs and sport fish. Several area zoos started bringing turtle eggs to “head start” habitats in their facilities, where babies could hatch and grow large enough to avoid being gobbled up when returned to the wild. The program was successful for over 20 years, but then it hit a snag.

“The population had been recovering very well, but recently the turtles have been coming down with a shell fungal disease that decomposes the keratin of their shells and causes ulcers,” Kent explains. “We thought, what if we could manipulate the head-start environment to give the animals some protection from this disease?”

The first step is to understand whether the microbiomes of healthy and diseased, wild and human-reared turtles differ. NRES master’s student Monique Hazemi is heading up a study to answer that question. She spent the summer swabbing wild and head-start turtles in Oregon and Washington and analyzing their microbial makeup through DNA sequencing in the Shedd Aquarium Microbiome Project’s laboratory.

Hazemi suspects that, as was once true of Shedd’s oceanarium habitat, the turtles’ head-start environments might be too clean.

“Because of the disinfecting and frequent water changes, microbial communities that might have a protective effect against pathogens can’t sustain themselves,” she says. “But Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo is trying a new biofilter system. If we find that it allows beneficial microbes to sustain themselves, then other head-start programs can implement similar systems and give those turtles the edge they need.”

Back at Shedd, Kent says the aquarium's microbiome project is really highlighting the importance of the microbiome and its management in maintaining animal health. “We’re showing it’s a critical part of the care we provide these animals.”

As the belugas frolic and dive in their finely tuned microbial sea, it would seem they couldn’t agree more.

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Several area zoos started bringing turtle eggs to “head start” habitats in their facilities, where babies could hatch and grow large enough to avoid being gobbled up when returned to the wild.

I N N OVAT I O N S]

NEW Major

future of

is the

Agriculture

Choosing to pursue an untested, first-of-its-kind major has its risks. So what made the incoming class of Computer Science + Crop Sciences students decide to take the chance? They want to make a difference in the world by advancing agriculture.

CS+CPSC, a new major housed in the Department of Crop Sciences, will combine coursework from both the computer science and crop sciences departments, encompassing bioinformatics, quantitative genetics, data science, precision agriculture, and computer science. In the works for nearly two years, the major has generated anticipation from students, faculty, the university, and the agriculture industry. (Being the only major of its kind in the United States will do that.)

“This major addresses a unique need that has arisen in three key areas: agriculture, computer science, and statistical programming,” says Carrie Butts-Wilmsmeyer, research assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences.

“Historically, it’s been difficult for employers to find graduates with knowledge in all three areas. We have a lot of data coming at us very quickly, and these graduates will allow us to make informed decisions more efficiently than researchers may have been able to do on their own.”

But students won’t simply walk away with better job opportunities. They’ll change the course of agriculture at a critical moment.

Lindsay Clark, crop sciences research specialist, points out that “CS+CPSC graduates will help secure the world’s food supply at a time when it’s insecure due to rising population and climate change. They’ll have a direct impact helping prevent worldwide food shortages and making agriculture more sustainable.”

Incoming freshman Omkar Haridas of Bengaluru, Karnataka, in India chose the CS+CPSC degree because he wants to make a global impact. “I was excited about the innovative applications these subjects could have in tandem through this newly introduced program. Across the world, there are numerous opportunities to make an impact by inventing new tools and technologies, developing better-performing seed varieties, and utilizing natural resources to enhance productivity and to feed billions sustainably.”

Photo courtesy UI Public Affairs: Jason Lindsey

Matt Hudson, associate chief scientist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and crop sciences professor, knows the program will be tough but very rewarding. “Students in CS+CPSC will have a tremendous advantage in the marketplace with such a unique degree.

It joins together computer science and crop sciences programs that are ranked among the best in the world.

Graduates from this program are going to get a lot of interest from a lot of big employers,” he says.

Ample job opportunities, flexible lifestyles, friendly work environments, and high starting salaries are just a few of the perks CS+CPSC students can expect after graduation.

But the greatest perk? The direct impact on agriculture and the world. These graduates will do more than advance agriculture; they’ll revolutionize it.

By Amber Ruedi

Upon graduation, Haridas and his classmates will be sought by seed, machinery, and technology companies in addition to large farming organizations, startups, and academia.

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 13

Behind “

It still brings tears to my eyes to watch a healthy dog team cross the finish line after 300 miles with dogs banging their harnesses, wanting to keep going.

Opposite page: Dr. Kelli Kramer (l) and Dr. Nina Hansen show off their Illini pride at the Copper Basin 300.

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�

the Paws Helping the heroes of Alaska's toughest 300-mile sled dog race

By Angela Boesche

E

each checkpoint is a team of volunteer veterinarians ready to inspect paws, listen to any musher concerns, and make sure the dogs are staying hydrated and healthy.

“It’s chaotic, and I love it!” Hansen says.

One of this year’s volunteers was Dr. Kelli Kramer, who graduated from the College of ACES with a degree in animal sciences in 2001 and from the U of I College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. Kramer was impressed with the consistent quality of care she observed from both mushers and veterinarians at the checkpoints.

A 2003 animal sciences graduate, Hansen went on to obtain a doctorate of veterinary medicine from the University of Illinois in 2007. Over the past nine years, as the head veterinarian for the Copper Basin 300, she has seen the race double in size, with 43 teams competing in 2018.

“On arrival at each checkpoint the mushers always tend to their dogs first,” Kramer says. “They touch every dog, refer to every dog by name, talk to them as they’re doing things, praise and kiss them. It’s like the mushers and dogs are buddies on the trail, and they’re just going about their day.”

A quick run of the math for 43 teams (12 dogs per team) tells us that Hansen must do a complete exam on 2,064 paws before the race starts. Combine those 516 dogs with the buzz of a community coming together to prepare food, greet old friends, and get ready for race day, and “chaotic” might be an understatement. Luckily, Hansen’s patients seem eager to cooperate.

The first-place team usually completes the 300-mile race in roughly 48 hours, while the last team, or the “red lantern,” might take over 72 hours to finish. While the mushers and their dogs must take a minimum number of rest hours, the veterinarians need to be on call the entire time.

very January the snow-packed parking lots of Glennallen, Alaska, fill with trucks carrying hundreds of barking, jumping sled dogs and their mushers.

Every dog is bursting with energy, ready to run the Copper Basin 300, Alaska’s toughest sled race. There to greet the dogs and mushers and to thoroughly check every paw the day before the race is head veterinarian Dr. Nina Hansen and her team of veterinary volunteers.

“These are the happiest, most socialized dogs in the world,” she says. “They are used to being handled daily, and most will kiss you on the face while you examine them.”

The health inspections don’t end at the starting line. As with any race, a number of issues can come up along the 300-mile trail. Lameness, whether from fatigue or injury, is one of the most common. Mushers are on the lookout for dangerous spots on the snowy trail, including “moose holes,” deep hoofprints where dogs could stumble and injure themselves.

To ensure the safety of both mushers and dogs, sled teams stop at a series of checkpoints during the race. Waiting at

Hansen says, “I warn rookie vets not to expect to sleep at all the first night.”

While lack of sleep, temperatures below freezing, and falling snow may sound like a grueling combination, Hansen and Kramer agree that the sense of community the race brings out makes the experience worth the discomfort. That sense of community was even more tangible than usual this year.

The Mendeltna Creek Lodge, traditionally a checkpoint for the race, burned down a month before the race. Hansen says the situation was devastating; the lodge owners lost not only their home, but two pets.

The owners and a crew of volunteers still managed to set up a welcoming checkpoint. Kramer describes the scene

as an interesting juxtaposition; despite the cold ashes and rubble left from the fire, the atmosphere was still uplifting to the spirits of weary mushers and volunteers.

“People brought in food and warming tents,” Kramer recalls. “The fireplace was still standing, even after the lodge burned down.

So the hosts built a fire and had a cozy area for people to come sit and warm up.”

As the race began winding down, folks started gathering at a church near the finish line. From the first team in to the red lantern 36 hours later, volunteers and spectators cheered each one’s return and provided food to everyone who had been out on the trail.

While the revelry is certainly a high point of the race, the true excitement comes with every animal that sprints back into Glennallen.

“It still brings tears to my eyes,” Hansen says, “to watch a healthy dog team cross the finish line after 300 miles with dogs banging their harnesses, wanting to keep going.”

The Alaskan beauty, the infectious sense of community, and the interactions with dogs and mushers made for an unforgettable combination for Kramer. She hopes to experience them again one year.

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 15

When Oppor Connections take Emely Lopez from El Salvador to the University of Illinois

By Marla Todd Photo by Gregory Rothstein

E

mely Lopez, food science and human nutrition graduate student, believes that each person she meets may be a link to her future. The connections in her life have opened many of the doors through which she has found her current success.

Lopez’s dreams and her interest in agriculture started early in her life. Growing up in an urban area of El Salvador, she started growing plantain, cilantro, and celery in her family’s garden. “I liked that special feeling that something that I had taken care of was being useful to my family.”

As she began to consider higher education opportunities, Lopez knew she wanted to study outside of El Salvador, but it was not until her godmother mentioned Zamorano University in Honduras that she learned about the institution. Even after being accepted there, Lopez wasn’t sure attending Zamorano was an option due to cost. Just one week before reporting for classes, she learned that she would receive a full scholarship for three years from a foundation in El Salvador.

“Without the right people to talk to, you might not have opportunities,” Lopez notes. “If I had not had the conversation with my godmother, attending Zamorano probably wouldn’t have happened.”

The motto of Zamorano University is “learning by doing,” explains Jim Albrecht, an ACES alumnus familiar with the institution. “Students know what it takes to get something from a seed in the field to a grocery store in the marketplace.”

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rtunity KNOCKS “The students at Zamorano do everything together,” explains Bill Helferich, professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Lopez’s advisor in ACES. “They work together. They eat together. They train together. They count on each other to come up with creative ways to do things and solve problems.”

A unique aspect of the Zamorano curriculum is a required internship in the final year. The University of Illinois College of ACES is one internship partner. Albrecht's generous support creates accessibility to the internship experience, defraying costs for faculty hosts and Zamorano students.

During Lopez’s internship in 2013 Albrecht also ensured she could attend the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) annual meeting and expo in Chicago. Lopez returned to the gathering of food science professionals in 2017 to present a poster on her graduate work.

She also participated in the Global Purpose Challenge, in which people from all over the world collaborate over three days to address nutritionand industry-related problems.

“Dr. Albrecht’s support has opened up so many opportunities. When I arrived here for my first internship, I didn’t know the extent of the possibilities I had in my hands,” Lopez explains. “Once I opened up and started talking about what I wanted to do, people became interested, and I think that’s the biggest impact.

I now have the ability to express myself, communicate my research, and build collaborations.”

A student at Zamorano starting at age 15, Lopez came to Illinois for her first internship at 19 and returned for a postgraduation internship two years later in 2015. Her internship experiences sparked a specific interest in malnutrition and food insecurity and

linked her to Helferich, with whom she started graduate work in fall 2015.

“My early years in El Salvador were really tough,” Lopez explains. “Due to the political situation, my family experienced the consequences of food insecurity, violence, and more. I saw food shortages and the effects, but I didn’t understand the concept of food insecurity. It was just something that happened to my family and many others in my community.”

Early in her graduate work, connections allowed Lopez to work on a global food insecurity project in the Philippines. An introduction from Albrecht to Chris Nielsen, a professor emerita of business at the University of Baltimore, resulted in a collaboration to fortify coconut

something positive. My first time traveling off of the North American continent was to bring my research to the people of the Philippines.”

In April, Lopez was part of a team of students from multiple universities that won the Campus 1871 competition. In the 3-day event, students share ideas, collaborate, and build an original startup business plan. Lopez’s diverse team created Bridge, an app that connects highly qualified refugees with employers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

One of Lopez’s connections, a fellow student majoring in aerospace engineering, first shared the competition announcement with her. “I read the requirements and what they were looking for—mostly

“Dr. Albrecht’s support has opened up so many opportunities. When I arrived here for my first internship, I didn’t know the extent of the possibilities I had in my hands.” vinegar, commonly used on Filipino food. Because the vinegar is a dark color and an acidic environment, it is easily fortified, Helferich explains.

programming, IT, hackers, etc.,” Lopez says. “I don’t have any tech experience, but I applied as a dreamer and was accepted.”

Lopez recently published on the project after creating the product, ensuring stability, and conducting sensory and accessibility tests in the Philippines. A graduate student international research award from the ACES Office of International Programs enabled her research and travel to the Phillipines. The research awards are made possible by generous gifts from Bill and Mary Lee Dimond.

Now, she says, she wants to add coding to her list of skills.

Lopez is appreciative for the support she has received from Albrecht and the Dimonds. “Without it I wouldn’t have visited the Philippines to do

Helferich notes that “I tell all students in nutrition they will be more successful if they link nutrition to something. Link it to medicine, engineering, medical modeling, economic development, or some other field.”

Lopez continues to create professional links, but ultimately wants to do something good for others. Just as Albrecht influenced her, she plans to build collaborations that bring people together to improve lives.

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 17

Kids in the Kitchen Involving children in mealtime planning and prep leads to healthy habits

The struggle is real: getting kids to select nutrient-packed fruits and vegetables over other, not-sohealthy, choices. Do you bargain with them to take another bite of broccoli at the dinner table? Or do you find yourself giving in once again to your child’s favorite fast food restaurant?

By Stephanie Henry

Family Resiliency Center (FRC) researchers get it—the challenges parents face over food. They also know how important it is to help children build healthy eating habits and relationships with food early in life. Now, their new research shows that getting kids into the kitchen might just be the perfect way to help them make healthier choices.

The FRC is a transdisciplinary food and family research lab in ACES Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

Barbara Fiese, director of the FRC and professor in human development and family studies, and a team of

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ACES researchers focus on research that sheds more light on children and healthy food habits. One of the FRC’s flagship programs, STRONG Kids 2, will provide insights into how individual biology interacts with the family environment, with the goal of promoting healthy eating habits in young children. The team also studies multiple factors—genetic, family, community, child care, cultural, and media—that may contribute to childhood obesity, health behaviors, and health beliefs.

The STRONG Kids 2 team hopes ultimately to provide information to build obesity prevention and intervention programs.

Getting kids involved in planning, shopping for, or preparing family meals has been one area of research.

Results from a recent study by Fiese and human development and family studies doctoral student Jessica Metcalfe show that kids as young as 3 tend to make healthier choices

when they help with meal prep or shopping. In the study, children who helped out when they were 3 years old ate more fruits and vegetables as opposed to items like fast food offerings when they were 4.

“The important thing to emphasize is how early this involvement can start,” Fiese says. “Three to 4 years of age seems to be kind of a sweet spot, because that’s when kids’ exposures to new tastes and textures are really expanding.”

The preschool years are a time when kids are growing cognitively and beginning to seek their autonomy and assert themselves, Fiese adds.

“Every parent or grandparent has dealt with a 3- or 4-year-old who says, ‘No, I want to do it myself.’ Use that drive to have a child do things like stirring or pouring in the kitchen.”

And that’s the key—finding ageappropriate tasks that children can help with. Can they plan a meal with you? Can they help shop for ingredients? Put together the ingredients in a salad?

“Find ways to encourage kids’ confidence so that whatever you’re asking them to do is not way above their development level,” Fiese says.

“You’re not going to give a knife to a 4-year-old—you want to be safe.

And you’re also not going to ask a preschooler to read a complicated recipe; you’ll wait for that to come later. To start, you want to build kids’ confidence and expose them to a variety of foods.”

“

Find ways to encourage kids’ confidence so that whatever you’re asking them to do is not way above their development level. granddaughter and my daughter-inlaw, standing in the kitchen with their arms around each other, looking at a cookbook. Kitchen time creates those memories as well, memories that can start at the preschool age.”

By now many parents may be thinking, “This sounds great, but I don’t have time to prepare meals, let alone get my child involved in meal planning.”

It might surprise you that research has already determined that family mealtimes usually last only 18 to 20 minutes. And, further, most people in the United States spend 40 minutes or less a day in meal preparation, including cooking and cleaning up.

“That’s really just an hour,” Fiese says. “Do you know how long people watch TV in a day? It’s a lot more than an hour for adults.

”

“People assume the problem is not enough time. But it’s more how you choose to allocate time. Of course, there are real time constraints, like if you work long hours and you’re a commuter. But if you are someone who feels pressured for time, it’s likely you’re highly stressed, and that may present a different set of barriers,” she says.

Does this sound like you? If so, start small. Maybe set a goal of having your kids help prepare one meal per week. Or to set the table, or mix up the dinner salad.

Visit the FRC website (familyresiliency.illinois.edu) for resources, such as Mealtime Minutes and the Sprouts curriculum, that can help families develop healthy food habits with their children.

While you’re fostering healthy food relationships and habits by letting your kids help, they can be learning many other lessons by assisting in the kitchen. Fiese explains, “If you think about it, getting kids involved in the kitchen is a perfect learning environment. It’s not only about the food—it’s about creating cognitive skills, social–emotional skills. The children learn basic math, such as quantities, and eye–hand coordination skills.

“It’s also a great bonding time.

I just received a photo of my

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 19

Planting HOPE

Michelle Halpin was awakened in the night by the call that no wife wants to answer. Her husband had been in an accident, and it wasn’t looking good. To top it off, they weren't even at home: they were at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, several hours from their Illinois home.

Her husband, Mike, and a friend were up late with the cows the night before the show and needed additional bales of hay stored in the livestock trailer. While Mike was unloading bales, his hand got caught on the twine and it pulled him from the trailer headfirst into the ground.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the surgeon discovered that Mike had dislocated his C5 and C6 vertebrae and suffered a spinal cord injury. As a result, he had no feeling or mobility from the middle of his chest down.

“No one knew what we should expect. And the uncertainty of the situation was scary,” Mike says. the route to recovery

Due to challenges faced after surgery to realign the cervical vertebrae, Mike spent 30 days in the ICU at UW Health in Madison. During this time, he was able to indicate regained sensation in his legs, deeming his spinal cord injury ‘incomplete’ and opening the door for hope.

“Based on the initial evaluation of the injury, even his main surgeon was shocked from these developments,” Michelle says. However, physical recovery was slow, and Mike and Michelle’s young family suddenly faced an unfamiliar set of daunting challenges. Mike was moved to the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab (SRAL) in Chicago to work with experts to get stronger and rebound from his injury. Not long after his stay, his sensation improved, and he began to move his toes, just enough to make the future seem bright.

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National program helps farmers with disabilities keep their independence

By Kelsey Litchfield and Kelly Gagnon

By early March, five months after his injury, Mike was bending his knees. This comeback in mobility influenced his team at SRAL to start gait training to reteach Mike's muscles how to walk and become stronger. Since returning home in May 2017, Mike continues to attend physical therapy sessions, which have allowed him to advance to walking with braces and a walker.

“It’s been miraculous,” Michelle says. “He can do a lot more than anyone ever expected. And he’s always pushing himself to do more.”

Michelle works from home, where she also helps take care of Mike. His mother drives him to therapy in Bloomington three times a week, and their sons Owen, 13, and Colt, 11, help with cattle chores, including running the tractor and grain carts. The Halpins have been overwhelmed by the support they’ve received from their friends, family, and community.

“I’ve really learned not to be shy,” Mike says. “If you ask people for help, they understand for the most part. For the first month or two, that was the hardest for me.” adapting to a new way of farm life

It wasn’t long after his accident that Mike was itching to get home and back to the farm near Cullom, Illinois. Mike, alongside his dad, George Halpin, and uncle, William Halpin, farms about 4,000 acres of corn, soybeans, and hay and raises beef and dairy cattle.

Thanks to a family friend, Mike learned about AgrAbility Unlimited of Illinois. AgrAbility partnered with the Illinois Assistive Technology Program to make the home adaptations needed for him to return home.

After AgrAbility started at Purdue University in 1989, the program came to the University of Illinois a year later. Robert Aherin, program director for Illinois and professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, brought AgrAbility to Illinois, one of 10 initial states that qualified through a competitive USDA grant to receive national funding support for its program.

The USDA funding provides support for the basic services AgrAbility provides, but the funds cannot be used to help buy assistive technology for farmers. If farmers don’t qualify for financial assistance from the Illinois Department of Disability Services, the program relies on private contributions.

With a background in agriculture safety, Aherin saw the potential to help farmers make adaptations on their farms.

where they need to be during the busy times of the year, Michelle says.

“I do anything I can to help out,” Mike says. “I want to work.”

Mike can operate farm equipment with his hands, but he struggles with getting into or out of a truck or tractor.

AgrAbility Illinois and Illinois Assistive Technology are exploring adaptive farm equipment options with him. He is looking forward to being more hands-on at the farm with their help.

The Halpins count their blessings for every little victory, and they attribute each one as another step toward Mike’s independence.

“I saw a need to help these farmers with disabilities—some caused by accidents, but mostly the result of disease and age-related issues—so we developed a program to help meet their needs and utilize technology available from the land-grant systems and private industry,” Aherin explains.

“Family members tell us that their whole attitude has changed, and they are now more positive than negative after we come in and help,” Aherin says. “Farming is a way of life—it’s something farmers enjoy doing and want to do. AgrAbility allows them to continue to work and be productive. This program provides a quality of life—people develop an enhanced sense of purpose and self-worth.”

To get the process started, AgrAbility worked with Mike’s physical therapist to determine his capabilities and learn about their farm’s priorities.

Mike still uses his power wheelchair to navigate around home and the farm. His current goal is to walk unassisted

by October 5, the two-year anniversary of his accident.

“We also connect them with other resources that help farmers with disabilities—professional counseling and financial services—as well with peer counselors or people with similar injuries,” Aherin says.

“Even if it is only 5 feet, to be able to get up and do it on my own is my goal right now,” he says. “I look forward to one day being back on the farm with my family full time and more hands-on with the day-to-day operations.”

Currently, Mike pitches in by processing grain tickets and keeping bookwork up to date; recently, he started driving again. This has been instrumental in getting people

To learn more about supporting AgrAbility, contact the ACES Office of Advancement at 217-333-9355 or acesadvancement@illinois.edu.

500,000 Illinois farm family members and farm employees are at high risk for workrelated injuries.

Source: AgrAbility Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 21

Gone...

But Not Forgotten 4-H Memorial Camp serves as a living tribute to military heroes

By Judy Mae Bingman

With the world at war, 1944 saw the beginnings of a centralIllinois memorial to servicemen and servicewomen who lost their lives in World War II—a memorial lived out each year by hundreds of youth at summer 4-H camp. Thanks to Robert Allerton and countless additional donors, World War II heroes are not forgotten there.

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Each year, freedom is celebrated at 4-H Memorial Camp near Monticello during four weeks of 4-H youth camp, as well as during a camp week exclusively for youth of military families who have experienced the death or serious injury of a family member. Camp Corral, sponsored by Golden Corral restaurants, serves about 200 youth annually.

Last July marked the 70th anniversary of the dedication of 4-H Memorial Camp. An advisory committee first proposed the camp in September 1944 as a memorial to the 4-H members and alumni who lost their lives in World War II. In July 1946, Allerton donated 250 acres from his Monticello estate to house the camp, and it was dedicated two years later.

4-H Memorial Camp is used 190 days a year, with more than 8,500 guests staying annually. The 34 cabins can house 256 campers, with every bunk filled for the four weeks of 4-H youth summer camp.

About 60 counselors are hired each year to mentor the summer campers, ages 8 to 15, and nearly half of the counselors return the following year.

“There’s something about fresh air, campfires, starry nights, and lake water that brings out the best in humanity,” says camp director Curt Sinclair, who celebrates 25 years on staff at Memorial. The camp is popular with University of Illinois student groups, who use the camp’s high ropes and challenge courses to build teamwork. These groups return year after year for unique leadership training offered by Sinclair and Andy Davis, University of Illinois Extension 4-H camping educator. “We know we are making a difference because they keep returning,” Davis says.

about fresh g in h t e m o s ’s There nights, y r r a t s , s e r fi p air, cam t brings out a h t r e t a w e k and la anity. the best in hum

“

”

The week devoted to children of military families holds special meaning. Camp Corral allows children to bond with peers across the state who understand the unique challenges facing military families. Daphne Tapia, a former Camp Corral camper, now serves as a counselor for the five weeks of youth camp. Her dad, a Purple Heart recipient, was injured saving 13 people after a car bomb exploded in Afghanistan.

and now I want to give the campers what other counselors gave me—a place to feel safe.”

Many campers feel homesick, but those at Camp Corral experience homesickness coupled with many other emotions, and counselors such as Tapia take time during the week to listen and share their own experiences growing up in a military family.

“Most kids don’t understand that when military families move, we have to be ‘the new kid’ all over again,” Tapia says. “And we have to see our parents return from combat in a different frame of mind—PTSD is real.”

Another former Camp Corral camper, Josh Bushart, just served his first year as a 4-H Memorial Camp counselor. Bushart’s father was killed while serving in Iraq in 2003. “There is power in numbers,” Bushart says, referring to the support of campers whose families share a military background, “and talking is important.”

Bushart says he tells campers, “I’ve been where you are, and I’m here to help you work it out.”

According to Sinclair, camping is powerful for inspiring youth to appreciate our natural resources, build new friendships, and participate in physical activities, but he also believes that in his 25 years of camp work, his biggest impact has been on the 700 young adult counselors he’s worked with during a transitional phase of their lives.

“It’s in these moments during the counselors’ time living at camp that you can impact what comes next for them,” Sinclair says. “These young adults reassure me there is hope for the future.”

Sinclair and Davis are an important factor in the transformational growth of character that counselors experience. Former counselor Kendra Greenlee of Urbana, now 20 years old, is moving to Chicago to work at Lurie Children’s Hospital as a child life specialist. She stopped at camp to thank Sinclair, saying that the path to her career began right on the grounds of 4-H Memorial Camp.

Greenlee will help children dealing with trauma associated with hospitalization and illness.

“Everything here at 4-H camp is why I’m doing what I’m doing for a career.”

For Bushart, the relationship with Sinclair runs deep. “I didn’t grow up with a dad,” he says, “so Curt is like a dad for me when I’m here.”

That lump that arises in Sinclair’s throat at hearing Bushart’s declaration is evidence the feeling is mutual.

“I feel at home at Camp Corral,” Tapia says. “People here have gone through the same thing I have,

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 23

back

Giving

Three immigrant students are becoming financial planners to help others achieve their American dreams

By Lauren Quinn

When finances get lost in translation

Jocelyn Li started thinking about money and finances long before most children do, but it wasn’t because of an innate desire to get rich. She just wanted her dad back.

When Jocelyn was only 6 months old, her father moved from Shanghai to Los Angeles to earn a better salary to support his young family. But due to financial difficulty, he didn’t go back to China to visit for more than five years.

“For the first six years of my life, I didn’t see my dad. I just didn’t know him,” Jocelyn says. “My grandma would always tell me that if we could have saved enough, my dad would have come back earlier. So the concept of money has been on my mind for a long time.”

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It wasn’t until she was 14 that Jocelyn’s dad was financially stable enough to bring her and her mom to join him in Los Angeles. Fitting in was hard, even though Jocelyn had learned English in China.

So much about America was different, she noticed, including its financial systems. And those differences were making it harder for recent immigrants to get ahead.

“Other immigrants in my community would ask me to translate or interpret their bank statements. At first I didn’t understand the statements either; I had to do my own research,” Jocelyn says. And residents at the mostly Chinese nursing home where she volunteered explained they had trouble saving even small amounts of money. “I thought, yeah, I can help them with that. I came up with a workshop educating them on how they can save more toward their little goals.”

Success in financial planning isn't necessarily proportional to the client’s financial portfolio, though. Instead, Lemoine says, it can be measured in the way it changes lives.

“Our students learn about money, credit, investing, life insurance, and more, and they share that knowledge with every client they touch once they’re out in the workforce.

It’s not an academic exercise anymore. These families’ entire trajectories are different because of our advice. You can see it ripple.”

Easing the transition for immigrant families “My parents came to America with nothing but a suitcase, my sister, and the little money they had from farming back in Poland,” Daniel Ogrodny says. “That’s it. They had to work hard jobs, overtime every day to afford their tiny one-bedroom apartment in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village.

Even though I was little, I still remember days when I didn’t get to see them.”

“People’s minds shouldn’t always revolve around finances. They should be enjoying other things in life, getting that weight off their shoulders.”

Seeing the impact on families of basic financial literacy, and believing it might have been the key to bringing her own family back together, led Jocelyn to pursue the financial planning program in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at Illinois.

Currently a junior in the program, Jocelyn plans to return to LA after graduation so she can make up for lost time with her parents and help other immigrant families avoid common financial mistakes that could keep them from realizing their American dreams.

“I can’t make up my childhood; it’s gone,” she says. “But I know there are a lot of other families in similar situations.

That’s why I want to pursue my career in financial planning.”

A career that changes lives The financial planning program has been around for less than a decade, but graduates are already doing big things, according to program director Craig Lemoine, who holds a doctorate in personal financial planning and is a Certified Financial Planning professional.

“One is on a partner track in a registered investment advisory firm in Chicago. The type of families he’s working with are leaders of industry, worth tens of millions of dollars,” Lemoine says. “Another of our graduates was the president of the Financial Planning Association of Illinois, and I would say at least three or four have started their own firms and are at the point where they're hiring.”

Daniel’s parents were working to make a life in the U.S., and one of their highest priorities was education. “They started saving for college tuition the moment they came to America. Every bonus, any extra money, and a decent cut out of every weekly paycheck went into a tuition savings account,” he says. “They sacrificed vacations, social events, and all other ‘wants’ to fund our tuitions.”

Unlike Jocelyn, who is a James Scholar, Daniel wasn’t offered any scholarships or financial assistance from U of I. He had those options at other institutions, but he chose U of I because, for him, it had the best reputation and afforded the biggest opportunities.

Daniel first chose an engineering track for the promise of a high-paying future. But it just didn’t feel like a fit. After hearing Daniel’s story, one of his advisors suggested the financial planning program.

“She kept asking me, ‘Why aren’t you following what you believe in?’ Finally, I decided to give the program a shot, and suddenly I knew what I was missing,” he says.

The program feels right to Daniel, now a junior, not only because of the small class sizes and meaningful relationships he’s forged with faculty and classmates, but because he sees it as an opportunity to give back to his own community, people like his parents.

“I wish my parents could have gotten a financial planner to help them with their stress,” he says. “People’s minds shouldn’t always revolve around finances. They should be enjoying other things in life, getting that weight off their shoulders. Those are the people I want to help—people with the most trouble, who are just trying to find a way out.”

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 25

“ Our students learn about money, credit, investing, life insurance, and more,

and they share that knowledge with every client they touch once they’re out in the workforce. It’s not an academic exercise anymore. These families’ entire trajectories are different because of our advice. You can see it ripple.”

Speaking the language of financial literacy Areeba Ahmed was only a year-anda-half old when she, her mother, and her siblings reunited with her father in America. He had emigrated from Pakistan years before marrying Areeba’s mother, visiting his growing family back home as often as possible on his meager salary.

“My dad’s big dream was for all his kids to get a better education. He wanted us to pursue the things that we wanted versus what he had to go through as a child,” Areeba says.

The family settled in a suburb of Chicago, but the adjustment was hard.

“We didn’t know many people here, so we were very lonesome. And we couldn’t go back to Pakistan because getting there was too expensive. So we had to rely on each other.”

are clamoring over them—not only for their high academic achievement, but because of their unique backgrounds.

For example, Lemoine helped Daniel find an internship in Chicago with a financial planner who wanted to better serve his Polish-speaking clients. And Jocelyn is getting interest from companies for her ability to speak two Chinese dialects.

The sky’s the limit, Lemoine says.

“All three of them have the commonality of coming from immigrant families, realizing their communities need help with financial literacy, and wanting to help. So many people talk about wanting to be a financial advisor to help people with their investment and risk management needs, your basic capitalist reasons. But these three all picked this premier university to make their communities better. It's wonderful to see.”

As was true for Jocelyn and Daniel, witnessing the sacrifices of her parents gave Areeba a desire to give back. And financial planning felt like the right fit for her personality.

“To me, financial planning is an art.

Translating what you learn in a way that makes sense to people—I think it’s really beautiful,” says Areeba, now a junior in the program. “And because of my background and bilingualism, I’ll be able to help other immigrant families understand financial literacy and reach their goals.”

Achieving their own American dreams Program director Craig Lemoine sees something special in Jocelyn, Daniel, and Areeba, and he’s not the only one.

A believer in the value of professional development for undergraduates, Lemoine has taken these students and many others to financial planning conferences and company visits. And, the way he tells it, people in the industry

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Photos, top to bottom: Jocelyn Li poses in her Chinese school uniform with a friend. She spent her first 14 years in Shanghai before joining her father in Los Angeles.

Daniel Ogrodny and his family wear traditional dress from their native Poland for special occasions to help keep their culture alive in America.

Areeba Ahmed, shown as a child wearing a blue shalwar qameez, poses with her younger sister during the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Jack Harlan’s

Botanical Legacy

By Lauren Quinn “From the Black Sea coast, Trabzon is not particularly impressive. A small point ending in low cliffs is sprinkled with square box-like houses. A few ramshackle warehouses on the waterfront, a single short wooden dock, a large new government-built warehouse for filberts, some ruins of medieval fortifications about the town were all I could see from the deck of a little Turkish coastal steamer. My interpreter and I stood by the rail and watched the ship maneuver to within a couple hundred yards of the dock. This was an exciting moment for me and the beginning of a long search which is the subject of this story.”† For the late Jack Harlan, the search was long indeed. The world-renowned crop geneticist and former Illinois crop sciences faculty member spent his career scouring the globe for undiscovered crop cultivars and their wild and weedy relatives. He believed his explorations might uncover genes that could revolutionize modern cropping systems. And he was right.

During travels in Turkey in 1948, Harlan collected a wheat plant he called “miserable looking.” It was put aside for 15 years, until a disease called stripe rust hit epidemic proportions across the wheat-growing country of the northwestern U.S. It turns out the Turkish wheat was robust in its resistance to four types of stripe rust, as well as multiple other diseases. The majority of today’s wheat cultivars contain genes from that sad little wheat plant, preventing millions of dollars in crop losses every year.

Chance Riggins, research assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences, says there are countless stories like that, with many yet to be told. Riggins curates Harlan’s collection of herbarium specimens— dried, pressed plants and seeds—which he describes as a gold mine of genetic resources. Riggins just needs to organize the mine.

When Harlan retired from the University of Illinois in the 1980s, his massive collection of specimens was boxed up and stored in the basement of Turner Hall. It remained in storage, untouched and untapped, for 20 years until Riggins came along. Now he’s slowly sorting through the trove. But with 55,000 specimens, he’s barely made a dent.

“The specimens are all there, but they haven’t been properly labeled.

There are 40- to 50-year-old notebooks, all handwritten, stuff you’re not going to find anywhere else,” Riggins says. “Harlan and his colleagues collected from places that are very difficult to get to now, including centers of origin for world ag—the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Africa. It’s truly amazing what’s there. If you’re interested in history, archaeology, anthropology, or crop science, the collection is really cool, but it’s a nightmare if you’re trying to curate it.”

Riggins says that even 50-year-old dried specimens can be used to improve crops today. With modern tools, scientists can extract DNA from a single seed or a tiny fragment of dried leaf. Once the materials in the collection are mounted, labeled, and digitized, Riggins hopes, geneticists, taxonomists, and breeders will recognize and use the resource for what it truly represents: the next major breakthrough in plant breeding. †From Harlan’s unpublished 1950 manuscript, Trebi Trail.

“For the sake of future generations, we must collect and study wild and weedy relatives of our cultivated plants as well as the domesticated races. These sources of germplasm have been dangerously neglected in the past, but the future may not be so tolerant. In the plant breeding programs of tomorrow we cannot afford to ignore any source of useable genes.”

—Jack Harlan Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 27

Project REBOUND BRINGING BACK GALESBURG

In Galesburg, Illinois, the sunlight filters through maple leaves onto the freshly painted exterior of Vanessa Morrison’s new home. Just a year ago, this was the abandoned house on the block, with a crumbling garage and discolored walls. Now the house gleams with new flooring, windows, and countertops.

By Deborah Seiler

This is Morrison’s first home, restored and purchased with the help of Project Rebound, a partnership among University of Illinois Extension, the City of Galesburg, Midwest Bank, F&M Bank, and contractors Shauna and Alfonso Pugh and Lindsay and Craig Hillery.

“There are so many dimensions to this program, it’s really hard to wrap your head around all the ways it can help the community.”

Project Rebound restores abandoned or distressed Galesburg homes for purchase by first-time home buyers who have good credit and employment history but haven’t saved enough for a down payment. In the process, the program does more than save city houses—it changes lives.

For Morrison, it means her three young children—5, 3, and 2—will have space to run and play, a change from their third-floor apartment. As they wait to move, Morrison says, “I can provide for my kids—that’s what excites me the most. Our kids will have a yard. They have all kinds of toys they can’t even use now—baseballs and bats, stuff like that. They came with me to look at the house, and now they ask me every day, ‘Mommy, when are we moving in?’ ” Galesburg gained national attention in 2004 when the local Maytag factory relocated to Reynosa, Mexico, a factory town across the border from Texas.

Many area workers lost their jobs. In 2002, 18 percent of children in Knox County lived below the poverty line. By 2016, that figure was up to 24 percent.

Carrie McKillip, an Illinois Extension educator in community and economic development, saw the impacts firsthand through her involvement with a housing committee (that has since been dissolved) for the Galesburg Area Chamber of Commerce.

“The fallout from the closing of the Maytag factory began to show in the deterioration of the housing stock,” McKillip says. “At the same time, young people were now working at jobs in the service economy paying $12 or $13 an hour, where in the past they could find jobs that paid a much higher wage. When rent is $600 per month, it’s really hard to save for a house.”

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BEFORE Local contractors Alfonso and Shauna Pugh stepped up.

On the lookout for a way to give back to their community, the Pughs were willing to take on the initial cost of purchasing and renovating houses if Project Rebound could find buyers. To date, the Pughs have flipped three houses, with Lindsay and Craig Hillery renovating a fourth.

McKillip stresses that Project Rebound runs entirely though business collaborations and does not accept donations, which helps it boost the Galesburg economy.

Removing an abandoned home can cost Galesburg $15,000 to $20,000, whereas a restored and purchased home adds to the city property-tax base. Contractors earn money for their work, and the banks gain clients.

Recently, the Galesburg Community Foundation pledged $50,000 to finance 20 percent of five additional Project Rebound homes, which will reduce the risk to the banks.

Judy Guenseth, the city’s housing program coordinator, says Project Rebound is providing inspiration for addressing the city’s aging housing stock.

AFTER

At over 30,000 residents, Galesburg is well above the population limit for USDA Rural Development mortgage assistance, so the housing committee set its sights on finding an alternative path to homeownership for city residents. Members formed the non-profit Project Rebound and developed a plan: the project’s board members would work in teams to identify approved buyers, identify potential homes, and advertise the program, while Midwest Bank and F&M Bank would finance buyer mortgages. All they needed was an investor to purchase and renovate the first homes.

losing any money; no one is making a ton of money. You’re opening the door for rehab and helping a family. It’s just a positive thing.”

McKillip agrees. “There are so many dimensions to this program, it’s really hard to wrap your head around all the ways it can help the community,” she says. “My philosophy as an Extension community development educator is that cities need to retain their young people.

If you can purchase a home, it’s one of your biggest investments in life and helps invest you in the community.

I think it really solidifies the buyer’s residency in a town.”

Despite the loss of Maytag as an employer, Galesburg is striding forward. “Our downtown is as vital as almost any other in the state,” McKillip says. “It's safe. It’s friendly.

I can get local banks to commit to a project like this and meet people who want to give back to the community.

I think that’s the whole Midwest ethos—we want to give back and make our communities better places to live.”

Guenseth calls Illinois Extension “an anchor” in the community. “It’s a blessing in a community to have an organization that is multifaceted and does all the things that they do, that steps up to the plate. It’s good to see people who are passionate, not about making a huge paycheck but about making the community grow.”

For Project Rebound’s new homeowners, that anchor has given them staying power. Morrison already knows the first thing her family will do once they’ve unpacked: “The kids are going to be out in the backyard, and I’m going to decorate the house—make it my own.”

“It’s a worthwhile investment—all partners are working together to solve a problem, using creative resourcing to make the community over,” Guenseth says. “Nobody is

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 29

]ACCO L A D E S Highlighting some of the successes of our ACES family in their pursuits to make an impact on society and find solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges.

Marlon Ac Pangan, a master’s student in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, was selected as a 2018 Borlaug Summer Fellow in the Global Food Security Program.

Tyler Angus, a sophomore in agricultural and biological engineering, and Rhea Bridgeland, a sophomore in natural resources and environmental sciences, were members of a fiveperson team whose "UIUC Water Warriors" placed first in the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors/Environmental Engineering and Science Foundation’s national student video competition.

Videos were evaluated on originality and creativity, content accuracy, and potential to motivate middle and high school students to pursue careers in environmental engineering and science.

EarthSense, a company that develops ultracompact autonomous robots for crop breeders, agronomists, and growers, received the second Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize. The EarthSense team that developed TerraSentia's robotics and machine-vision technology included chief technology officer Girish Chowdhary, an assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, and agricultural and biological engineering senior Ben Thompson.

Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics financial planning undergraduates Presley Fee and Jocelyn Li, under the instruction of Craig Lemoine, took second place in the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants financial planning competition. The two competed against 47 teams at Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.

The Stahly/Peo Outstanding Swine Nutrition Midwest Graduate Student Award was given to Gloria Casas, a Ph.D. student in the Stein Monogastric Nutrition Laboratory, for her research in determining the composition and nutritional value of rice co-products when fed to pigs. Casas is from Bogota, Colombia, where she received a degree in veterinary medicine from the National University of Colombia.

Jazz Collins, assistant professor of agricultural leadership education, was named 2018 recipient of the Education Alumni Association’s Outstanding Student Medal at the doctoral level.

Hannah Dougherty, a graduate student in the Department of Crop Sciences, was selected as a Fulbright Fellow.

She will travel to New Zealand to meet, work, live with, and learn from the country’s people, deepening her understanding of other countries’ ways of thinking and cultural acceptance.

John Erdman, professor emeritus in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, received the Conrad A. Elvehjem Award for Public Service in Nutrition from the American Society for Nutrition during the society’s 2018 meeting in June.

The American Psychological Association recognized Barbara Fiese with the 2017 Service Award, Society of Child and Family Policy and Practice. Fiese is director of the Family Resiliency Center and professor of human development and family studies.

Lowell Gentry, principal research specialist in agriculture with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, was one of six 2018 recipients of the University of Illinois CAPE (Council of Academic Professionals) Award. The award recognizes academic professionals for their personal and professional contributions to the university.

Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences graduate students Elizabeth Golebie, Nate Shipley, Lorraine Stamberger, and John Strauser won first place at the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management’s Quiz Bowl Competition in Salt Lake City, Utah, in June. The students are advised by Carena Van Riper, assistant professor in natural resources and environmental sciences.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT The North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) recently recognized the work of ACES faculty and graduate students.

The NACTA Teaching Scholar Award was presented to Lisa Burgoon, director of the Minor in Leadership Studies and instructor in the Agricultural Education Program. This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate teaching influence beyond their own campus.

Esperanza Shenstone, a master’s student in the Department of Crop Sciences, received the NACTA Graduate Student Teaching award. A newly hired assistant professor of agricultural communications, Taylor Ruth, also received the NACTA Graduate Teaching Award for her work at the University of Florida. The award recognizes the excellent performance of graduate students involved in classroom instruction.

The NACTA Educator award, which recognizes the best agriculture educators, was given to Juan Andrade, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition; Debra Korte, Agricultural Education Program; Jeffrey Matthews, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences; Andrea Faber Taylor, Department of Crop Sciences; and Erica Thieman, Agricultural Education Program.

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Rod Johnson was chosen to receive the Norman Cousins Award, the highest honor given by the PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society for outstanding contributions to research in psychoneuroimmunology.

Johnson, former director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences, now serves as head of the Department of Animal Sciences.

Online master’s student Christine Lepine was named a Future Leaders in Science Award winner by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. The award recognizes Lepine’s achievements and funds her travel to the Congressional Visits Day in Washington.

Steve Long, of the Departments of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology, was named a Stanley O. Ikenberry Endowed Chair early in 2018.

The appointment recognizes distinguished faculty members in honor of Ikenberry’s tenure as the 14th president of the university.

The Outstanding Dietetic Student of the Year in a Coordinated Program for 2018 is Jennifer Lotton, a master’s student in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Lotton was chosen for the award by the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Assistant professor Zeynep MadakErdogan of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition was selected as a 2018 Health Disparities Research Institute Scholar and participated in the research institute in the summer.

Hugh P. Morrison Award winner Ali Nation is a recent graduate of the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics. The award was granted to recognize Nation’s strong academic record, evidence of her leadership, and her commitment to the agriculture industry.

Brian Ogolsky, associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, received the 2018 Teaching Award from the International Association for Relationship Research.

Gary Schnitkey, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, was selected to receive the 2018 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association’s Distinguished Extension/Outreach Program Award.

The 2018 Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center Ebony Excellence Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field was given to Shardé Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

Pawan Takhar received the Marcel Loncin Research Prize at the 2018 annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists. The prize provides research funding for an IFT member or a nonmember scientist or engineer conducting basic chemistry, physics, or engineering research applied to food processing and improvement of food quality.

Five new faculty have joined the College of ACES this year: Jaime Amengual Terrasa, assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition McKenzie Johnson, assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Melissa Plugh Prescott, assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition Taylor Ruth, assistant professor in the Agricultural Communications Program Yi-Chen Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

Division of Nutritional Sciences master’s student Sharon Thompson received the Commission on Dietetic Registration Doctoral Scholarship, funded by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation. The scholarship is awarded annually to 10 registered dietitians to support their doctoral work.

Brianna Vasquez, a junior in agricultural communications, was awarded a 2018 Center of Excellence scholarship from the Midwest Poultry Consortium.

Scholars take courses and participate in poultry-related internships.

Elizabeth Villegas, a doctoral student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, received a 2017–2018 American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Caminos Program USDA Graduate Fellowship.

A Fulbright Scholarship was awarded to Anna Waller, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, to conduct research in Mexico on development of diagnostic tools for easy detection of nutrients in human samples, such as breast milk, and in foods, such as sugar.

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 31

]CO N N EC T I O N S

LivingSERVE to

Ag Education grad commits to making a positive difference in students’ lives

By Kelsey Litchfield

“She’s been in our shoes.”

That’s how Joseph Birrittier, at the time Illinois State FFA president, introduced Mindy Bunselmeyer during the 90th Illinois FFA State Convention in June.

She has walked the convention stage as an agricultural education student, an FFA member, an agricultural education teacher, a facilitator, and now as the executive director of Illinois FFA. “Illinois FFA was an organization that I wanted to give back to. When I was a state officer, I wanted to do great things for others as leaders in FFA had done for me. I always hoped that someday I would end up back here to complete the circle,” Bunselmeyer says.

To work toward this goal, Bunselmeyer attended a university that gave her more than a quality education.

“I wanted the opportunities of a big campus and as much diversity as possible,” she says. “Being a part of the College of ACES, you could still have that family, that tight-knit group, but being in the big pond of the University of Illinois pushed you to grow.”

Bunselmeyer decided to major in agricultural education because of her positive experiences in high school. “I had a great ag teacher and a world of opportunities in FFA,” she says. “That drove me to go to the U of I and teach agriculture like he did.”

32

a part of the College of “Being ACES, you could still have that

family, that tight-knit group, but being in the big pond of the University of Illinois pushed you to grow.

“I was starting to turn toward impacting FFA and agricultural education on a broader level. I could see firsthand in my district and across the state how agriculture teachers were changing lives and shaping others’ futures,” Bunselmeyer explains.

”

Once on campus, Bunselmeyer was active in many ACES organizations and worked as an orientation student leader and coordinator. These experiences prepared her to take her first step as a teacher at Monticello High School, which hired her after she graduated in 1995.

However, she decided that she wasn’t quite done with her own schooling. While teaching at Monticello, she completed her master’s degree in agricultural education in ACES in 1999.

Joining Illinois FFA in 2013 as associate director, Bunselmeyer helped oversee the many moving parts of the Springfield office; in 2015 she became executive director after the retirement of her predecessor.

Kevin Daugherty, education director for Illinois Ag in the Classroom and a longtime colleague of Bunselmeyer’s, says that “the change from FCAE to FFA was just a natural fit. Her passion not only for agriculture, but also for her students, really shows.”

With two degrees in hand, she wanted to expand her impact in the realm of agricultural education and follow in the shoes of her own mentor.

He also credits her with always keeping students’ interests at heart. Courtney Gerstenecker, who worked with Bunselmeyer as a former state officer, agrees.

“I wanted to do what my teacher did for me and for countless other individuals in my school—I wanted to be a positive role model and influence in students’ lives. I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as too many positive role models in a child’s life.

“I want to find every student’s strengths and help them develop those strengths and empower them to do more with their lives,” Bunselmeyer says.

“Mindy helped encourage and kindle my passion for others by being a true servant leader,” Gerstenecker says.

“She played a special role in helping me to grow and learn in life. Now I am an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor in Webster County, Kentucky. Mindy has been and continues to be one of the instrumental encouragers in my career of serving others in my classroom and community.”

Bunselmeyer’s impact is inspiring to others, which is the mark she wants to make.

Though she loved being in the classroom, Bunselmeyer changed direction in 2003 and became the District 4 advisor for Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education (FCAE), a project administered by the Illinois State Board of Education.

She saw the opportunity with FCAE to help grow agricultural education beyond the classroom. She interacted with teachers in her district and helped students get excited about becoming teachers themselves. She even helped communities start their own agricultural education programs.

“The biggest benefits of my job are the young men and women I work with every day,” she says. “Their lives are being shaped, changed, and carved into something amazing during their time in FFA. It’s my privilege to be a part of it.”

Noteworthy headlines during Bunselmeyer's years at Illinois

06

19 91

Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord, surrenders to the police.

02

11

19 92

U.S. athletes, all female, capture 5 gold medals in the winter Olympic games.

19 92

The first “smartphone,” the IBM Simon Personal Communicator, is invented.

041994

011994

The Holocaust Memorial Museum is dedicated in Washington, D.C.

The Northridge Earthquake, magnitude 6.7, kills 60 and injures more than 9,000 in north-central Los Angeles.

07

19 94

Forrest Gump is the week’s (and the year’s) highest grossing movie.

101995

A jury finds OJ Simpson not guilty in the deaths of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.

1991

1995

01 1991

081991

Super Bowl XXV ended in a score The Super Nintendo of 20-19 when the New York Giants Entertainment System is defeated the Buffalo Bills, whose released in the U.S. home state is also New York.

$ $$ $$ $ $ $$ $$ $ $$$ $ $ $ $$ $ $ $$ $$ $ $$$

05 1992

The 27th amendment of the U.S. Constitution takes effect, prohibiting legislators from giving themselves pay raises.

021993

061993

Whitney Houston’s cover of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You tops the Billboard charts.

English mathematician Andrew Wiles solves Fermat’s last theorem.

031995

12 1995

NAFTA—the North American The company Yahoo is founded.

Free Trade Agreement—comes into effect.

The final Calvin and Hobbes comic strip runs.

011994

Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 33

]A LU M N I

I N AC TI O N

ACES Alumni Association

t h e p r e s i d e n t ’s m e s s ag e

By Sue Gray

Whether it’s the season, the final months of my term as alumni board chair, or simply the agronomist in me, I am especially touched by the story of the late Professor Jack Harlan's collection of over 55,000 plant specimens from around the globe (p. 27). Since early civilizations, humans have recognized the value of gathering and treasuring their bounty; particularly for anyone involved in growing crops, doing so is a genuine and quantitative measure of success.

For the ACES alumni board, the bounty that we both recognize and seek is the assembly of fellow alumni who are bearing fruit throughout the world. Like Dr. Harlan's collection, their activities imply a rich diversity of ACES DNA that contains the secrets and solutions for our future: While we all function independently, we are a diverse ecosystem of more than 37,000 people who share not only an alma mater, but a vocation of bettering lives.

Clearly, each of our alums is a part of that, and we cherish discovering and mapping their individual roles and contributions toward the greater ACES “kingdom.”

Of course, no one and nothing is spared from extinction simply by being “collected,” but the collection does bring recognition in relationship to other specimens, plus it allows association with like members and strengthens the

value of the group as a whole. Each of you is doing great things, but collectively we represent a synergy that is changing the world.

That is exactly why we continue to reach out to our alumni and celebrate when you reach back, whether through email correspondence, attendance at ACES alumni events, or participation in ACES departments. The board greatly appreciates the tireless work of our “person in the field”—Tina Veal—for building and curating the collection, and at the same time we're a bit in awe of the breadth of connections she has personally built. While the collection that Dr. Harlan amassed during his life may be in the process of resurrection after years in storage, in maintaining a strong and vibrant ACES Alumni Association our goal is to ascertain that our collection is always relevant and recognized!

2018 Award of Merit Winners College of ACES alums bring honor to themselves and their alma mater in many ways.

Each year the College of ACES Alumni Association celebrates with the Award of Merit a number of alumni who have significantly improved the lives of others through outstanding leadership and service or have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement.

The 2018 College of ACES Alumni Association Award of Merit winners (from left): Donald L. Moffitt, David W. Mies, Eric H. Jackson, Sam R. Eathington, John G. Reifsteck

34

ON THE HORIZON

College Connection Recognizes Outstanding Alumni and Friends

September 8 :: ACES College Connection luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Champaign; Celebrate Food and Ag Day (formerly Salute to Ag Day), game kickoff 6:30 p.m.

Join us on Saturday, September 8, for the ACES College Connection. We will recognize the following award winners at a luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn & Conference Center.

October 15 :: ACES Award of Merit applications due December 2 :: ACES in Places: Illinois Farm Bureau meeting, Chicago, IL

ACES Outstanding Young Alumni Award

December 7 :: ACES Alumni Board of Directors meeting; JBT Scholarship Banquet

K aren M. Jones, B.S. ’04

Matt J. Barnard, B.S. ’01

April 8 :: ACES Award of Merit luncheon; College of ACES Awards Banquet

Sarah M. Potts, B.S. ’05, M.S. ’10, Ph.D. ’14 ACES Family Spirit Award Richard and Frances Johnson Family, Kankakee, Illinois

May 12 :: ACES Tassel Turn/ACES Commencement

ACES Career Achievement

May 15 :: ACES Young Alumni, Family Spirit, and Career Achievement nominations due

Lynne M. Borden, Ph.D. ’97, HDFS Professor, Department of Family and Social Science, University of Minnesota, Maplewood, Minnesota David A. Hollinrake, B.S. ’92, Ag Economics President, Syngenta Seeds, LLC and Syngenta Region Director of North America, Raleigh, North Carolina

For more event announcements, including regional alumni events, visit acesalumni.illinois.edu.

John S. Kermicle, B.S. ’80, Ag Economics General Manager, AgriGold, Olney, Illinois

ACES Family Academies ACES E-Alum Report Stay connected to the College of ACES! To have the latest news delivered to your inbox every other month, be sure we have your current and correct email address. Email us at acesalumni@illinois.edu, or complete the Class Notes survey on the ACES Alumni Association website at acesalumni.illinois.edu.

ACES Alumni Class Notes

The College of ACES Alumni Association hosted the fourth-annual ACES Family Academies on July 12 and 13. From embarking on virtual reality expeditions to designing crops of the future, ACES alumni had a great time back on campus learning alongside their younger family members and catching up on the latest happenings in the college. Mark your calendars for next year's ACES Family Academies on July 11-12, 2019.

Check out Class Notes online at go.illinois.edu/ acesclassnotes! Keep your fellow alums in the know by sharing any special times in your life with the ACES Alumni Association. Newly married or a new parent?

Started a different job or received a promotion?

Published a book? We hope to hear from you!

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214 Mumford Hall, MC-710 1301 West Gregory Urbana, IL 61801

]PA RTI N G

S H OT

We love a good celebration. And we have a lot to celebrate this fall with the grand opening of the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory, the completed renovation of the Food Science and Human Nutrition Pilot Processing Plant, and the Turner Hall transformation! Our state-ofthe-art facilities provide opportunities for not only our students and faculty, but also for our community, to advance science and discovery.

We want your feedback about ACES@Illinois. Please send your comments to editor Jennifer Shike at jshike@illinois.edu.

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