John Tunnell’s journey to an advanced degree in agricultural engineering was longer than most, but it gave him the experience and insight he needed to succeed in a career that was off the beaten track.

Gary Uken’s Illini Pride runs deep. He and his wife Janet are both two-time alumni of the University of Illinois. Gary graduated in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering and in 1994 with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. Janet has a bachelor’s degree from the College of ACES and a master’s degree from the School of Social Work.

The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering would like to take this opportunity to recognize the outstanding achievements of our faculty, students and alumni. In a year that has brought unprecedented changes and challenges associated with the COVID-19 crisis, we are even more aware of the privilege to acknowledge the unique contributions and accomplishments of the people from our department.

Congratulations to the winners of the ABE 469 Trade Show! ABE 469: Industry-sponsored Design Project is the capstone design course for seniors in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Like so many other proceedings around the country, the trade show for this class went virtual this year. Changing course mid-semester, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, presented many challenges for the instructor, Ann-Perry Witmer, and for the teams, and we applaud their persistence and ingenuity in the face of those challenges.

A University of Illinois Extension team has successfully completed the 2019-2020 Certified Livestock Manager Training (CLMT) workshops. Neslihan Akdeniz, a clinical assistant professor in ABE, manages the extension program with Jay Solomon, an extension educator and a member of the Energy and Environmental Stewardship team. Yijie Xiong, an ABE postdoc research associate, and Rosario Johnstone, with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), round out the CLMT team.

For K.C. Ting, former head of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE), working in higher education has always been about finding small ways to give back to an educational system that he says “prepared him for life.” During his time at Illinois and now at Zhejiang University in China, Ting focused on connecting students to opportunities that provide a holistic educational experience, preparing them for success in both their professional and personal lives.

The University of Illinois System is sharing expertise and resources from across its three universities and healthcare enterprise to support the state’s efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Tim Killeen said the university system’s contributions include being chosen as a clinical trial site for a  possible new COVID-19 treatemnt, helping accelerate testing, producing hand sanitizer to ease shortages, and leading-edge analysis to inform state leaders on the spread of the virus and gauge its economic impact.

Hosted by: Angie Boesche
Produced by: Stephanie Henry

Dr. Robert Aherin, Professor and Extension Agricultural Safety Specialist, retired after 35 years with the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Aherin joined the faculty of ABE in 1984, and he has been an Adjunct Professor with the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois Chicago, since 1991.

Aherin’s teaching, research, and outreach has been in Agricultural Safety and Health, and his contributions to the department and the agricultural community have been significant.

Dr. Alan Hansen, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, retired on December 31, 2019.

Dr. Hansen joined the department in December of 1999. Prior to joining this department, he established a successful academic career at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, where he earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1975, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering in 1978 and 1990 respectively.