We are pleased and proud to add the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as a new recipient institution.  This fall we will honor the five UIUC scholars from the following departments:

Aerospace Engineering
Entomology
Agricultural & Biological Engineering
Crop Services
Natural Resources and Crop Services

The University of Illinois is one of the original land grant colleges created by the Morrill Act, which was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.  By the 1860's, higher education was more accessible, and so to make it possible for all young Americans to receive an advanced education, congress passed the Morrill Act.

Every state that remained in the Union received a grant of at least 90,000 acres of federal land.  The proceeds from the sale of this land were to be used to establish colleges in engineering, agriculture, and military science, moving the primary focus of education from classical studies.  UIUC is one of the original 37 public "land grant" institutions founded as the Illinois Industrial Unversity in 1867 and renamed The University of Illinois in 1885.

From this beginning we find that in 2009, UIUC spent $563,710,000 on research and development in science and engineering.  In June 2012, the National Research Council released Research Universities and the Future of America: Ten Breakthrough Actions Vital to Our Nation's Prosperity and Security, which identified UIUC as #25 in the top 50 research universities in the world.