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RESEARCHERS TO KNOW 2018

Steve Long is listed as a "Pioneer" in the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition's 2018 Researchers to Know.

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Plant science on a screen

“In silico” computer simulations allow plant scientists to model and adjust crop attributes while avoiding some of the repetition of producing real-life crops in cycles.

By: Patrick Williams | Greenhouse Management Magazine

Clarivate logo

Eleven Illinois researchers rank among world’s most influential

Steve Long is among those named to the 2018 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list.

By: Lois Yoksoulian | Illinois News Bureau

Miscanthus field

Help Or Hinder? Federal Agencies At Odds Over Biofuels

Federal agencies are at odds when it comes to renewable fuels. Millions of dollars go to research, but the EPA has been accused of holding the industry back. But now that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has resigned, advocates are feeling optimistic.

By: Madelyn Beck | Harvest Public Media

Steve Long

The plant whisperer

A famine crisis is looming. Stephen Long's work aims to feed the masses by supercharging the plants we eat. 

By: Duncan Greere | BBC Focus Magazine

rock dust

Adding silicate rocks to farmland could restore soil, protect against pests and disease, and capture CO2, improving global food security

The groundbreaking results of a new British-led study suggested a simple yet profoundly effective way to improve global food supplies and cut down on carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution.

By:  | Natural News

in silico plants logo

in silico Plants (isP) launches – a computational plant science journal

There is a new home for cross-disciplinary research at the interface between plant biology, mathematics and computer science: in silico Plants (isP).

By: Rachel Shekar | in silico Plants

cassava production graphic

Cassava breeding could impair yield by 20 per cent

Breeding African cassava cultivars for improvements such as pest and disease resistance could impair their yield potential, a study suggests.

By: Paul Adepoju || SciDevNet  

tobacco plant

Rebooting food: Finding new ways to feed the future

Welcome to the brave new world of food, where scientists are battling a global time-bomb to find new ways to feed the future.

By: Thin Lei Win | Reuters

extracting the oil from sugarcane

Department of Energy grant funds University-involved bioenergy research

The University received a $10.6 million grant from the Department of Energy to form new methods of creating biofuels that might reduce dependence on oil as a source of fuel.

By: Samantha Boyle || Daily Illini

dry ground

Genetic engineering innovation makes plants more efficient at using water

Agriculture uses 90 percent of the world’s freshwater supply, but this will need to be stretched even further as Earth’s population increases.

By:  | Digital Trends 

field irrigation

‘Major breakthrough’: Genetic modification of single gene could reduce crops’ water use by 25 percent

Researchers unveiled a genetic modification that enables plants to use a quarter less water with scant reduction in yield.

By:  | 

women working

Plagued by pest, African farmers may soon have access to insect-resistant GMO cowpeas—for free

Nigeria is poised to become the first country to release a genetically modified variety of insect-resistant cowpeas to farmers.

By: Paul McDivitt | Genetic Literacy Project

4 endowed Chairs

Faculty members selected for distinguished chairs

Stephen Long, a professor of plant biology and crop sciences, was named a Stanley O. Ikenberry Endowed Chair.

By: Illinois News Bureau