Get to know new ACES facultyACES@Illinois aces.illinois.eduYuji Arai of the Department of NaturalResources and Environmental Sciencesreceived a Ph.D. in environmental soilchemistry from the University of Delaware.Areas of interest: environmental soilchemistry and understanding thepredominant and fundamental chemicalreactions of nutrients, metals, andradionuclides at the mineral–water interface in soils andsediments. Such knowledge greatly enhances the ability tounderstand contaminant speciation and predict the fate,transport, and bioavailability in terrestrial water environments.Tell us something no one knows about you. My students say I ama speed walker.Dustin Boler of the Department of AnimalSciences received a Ph.D. in animal scienceswith a specialization in meat science andmuscle biology from the University ofIllinois.Areas of interest: how on-farm productiontechniques influence fresh meat quality andfurther processed product characteristics.What piqued your interest in the field you’re now studying? Ifirst developed an interest in the meat industry during high schoolwhile participating in the meat-judging career development eventin FFA. That interest grew during my employment with TysonFoods.Jonathan Coppess of the Department ofAgricultural and Consumer Economicsreceived a juris doctor degree from GeorgeWashington University Law School.Areas of interest: agricultural policy andlaw, including farm support, crop insurance,conservation, renewable energy and biofuels,and biotechnology and related issues,including the political process for creating and implementingagricultural policies.What piqued your interest in the field you’re now studying?I trace my interest in these issues to having grown up on a familyfarm, and especially to my grandfather who farmed and was veryinterested and involved in politics. When I was young, he waselected county commissioner for a term, and we talked politicsand policy quite a bit over the years. For the last eight years, I’vebeen working in Washington, D.C., both in the Senate and atUSDA.Megan Dailey of the Department of AnimalSciences received a Ph.D. in behavioralneuroscience from Georgia State University.Areas of interest: how our bodies sense thenutrients we eat; the mechanisms responsiblefor cellular adaptation in the intestine, findinga therapy for such intestinal disorders asCrohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome,and cancer.What hidden treasure have you found on campus? The facultymembers here are passionate about their jobs and creative in theirresearch endeavors. I am impressed by the continuing efforts of thisuniversity to improve teaching and enhance the student learningenvironment.Todd Henry Kuethe of the Department ofAgricultural and Consumer Economicsreceived a Ph.D. in agricultural economicsfrom Purdue University.Areas of interest: measuring and forecastingaggregate agricultural asset values, the impactsof policy on agricultural asset values and farmprofitability, economic decision-making fornon-operating farmland owners, spatial modeling of real estatemarkets, and economic analysis of large-dimensional data systems.Tell us something no one else knows about you. My dream job is tobe a television writer for a sitcom or procedural drama.Nathan E. Schroeder of the Department ofNatural Resources and EnvironmentalSciences received a Ph.D. in plant pathology atthe University of Wisconsin–Madison and wasa postdoctoral fellow in genetics at RutgersUniversity.Areas of interest: how nematodes sense andrespond to environmental stress.What piqued your interest in the field you’re now studying?My interest in nematodes was love at first microscopic sight.20
Building a futureLanans leave a legacy for Turner HallField and Furrow supports Turner ProjectIn September 2012, the Turner Hall transformation project wasofficially launched with a gala at the home of Dr. Larry Hageman (B.S.’78, Agriculture Science) in Rochelle, Illinois. Last fall, Hageman hosteda dinner in the ACES library during homecoming for Field and Furrowalumni. Attenders were welcomed by ACES leaders and the Turner Hallcommittee members, and student Field and Furrow members gave toursof planned renovations.Alumni from across the generations enjoyed connecting andreconnecting as the club celebrated 78 years on the Urbana campus.Volunteers including Mark and Becky Baxa, Julie Quick, Bill Kirk,Frederick Groya, Mark Parrish, Steve Scates, Jerry Brookhart, and LarryHageman have spent months researching and reaching out to clubofficers dating back to the 1950s, with the goal of strengthening ties tothe college and to the club. The Turner Hall project is nearing thehalfway mark toward the $5-million fundraising goal for renovatingclassrooms and teaching laboratories.Growing and nurturing a good life were central to Howardand Evelyn Lanan as they spent 62 years together on theirfarm in Kingston, Illinois, just north of DeKalb. The pair,with degrees from Northern Illinois University and IowaState University, were deeply involved as leaders in theircommunity and church and as hosts for exchangestudents from around the world. Their appreciation ofboth agriculture and home economics and of the role of aland-grant university led them to establish the Howard T.Lanan and Evelyn M. Lanan Endowment for Excellence inthe College of ACES. Their interest in supporting theteaching of soils and soil science will allow five years ofaccumulated income from the endowment to support theTurner Hall Transformation Project, which includesrenovation of the soils teaching laboratory.Take a seatA major gift from Mrs. Jane Romweber Santogrossi andDr. John Santogrossi has placed 12 benches in the LindenAllée at the University of Illinois Arboretum. The benches arededicated to Frank and Margery Romweber and Fred andDorine Santogrossi and the importance they accorded toan Illinois education. Their encouragement helped 12family members receive Illinois degrees, including SusanRomweber Apuzzo (LAS ’73), Constance Romweber(CFAA ’75), Jane Romweber Santogrossi (BUS ’75),Elizabeth Romweber Sullivan (ACES ’84), Fred SantogrossiJr. (BUS ’64), Judith Santogrossi Tomaras Dingman, DavidSantogrossi (PSY ’69), Mary Santogrossi Mah (LAS ’71),Patricia Santogrossi (m. Delasko) (GEOL ’74, ’77), John A.Santogrossi (BIOL ’76, MD ’80), Janice Santogrossi Carroll(ISU ’76), and Melina Tomaras-Collins (PSY ’91, MBA ’94).ACES@Illinois Winter 201421
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