Walter Hurley, Professor Emeritus of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, received his B.S. and M.S. in Dairy Science from the University of Maryland and his Ph.D. in Animal Science from the University of Kentucky, followed by a postdoctoral research experience at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His research has focused on lactation and mammary gland biology, particularly in dairy cattle and swine. He has published over 100 scholarly articles and book chapters on topics related to lactation biology. He has taught an undergraduate course in Lactation Biology for over 30 years at the University of Illinois. His excellence and innovation in teaching have been recognized locally and nationally through a number of honors, including the Land O'Lakes/Purina Teaching Award in Dairy Production, presented by the American Dairy Science Association, numerous College and campus teaching excellence awards, the campus Distinguished Teacher-Scholar Award, teaching awards from NACTA, and the Regional Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences from the APLU and USDA.