College News
College Invites New Program Concept Papers
The College of Agriculture, in collaboration with the College Curriculum Committee, encourages individuals and groups of faculty to prepare and submit short concept papers describing an idea for a new undergraduate certificate, minor or major. Oct. 1 is the deadline for submitting 1-2 page concept papers describing the next generation of undergraduate academic programs that are appropriate for the college. In consultation with faculty leadership, the dean will invite the development of up to five concepts and will provide development grants of $10,000 for new majors and $7,500 for new certificates and minors. Contact: David Acker, Associate Dean, Academic and Global Programs, at dacker@iastate.edu.
Recipients Selected for Alumni Association Honors and Awards
The ISU Alumni Association will present its 2007 honors and awards to 15 alumni and friends of Iowa State. The awards will be conferred at a public ceremony at Homecoming 2007, Oct. 19. Several College alumni are among those to be honored: Eric J. Hentges (PhD '84 animal nutrition), Alexandria, Va., Alumni Merit Award; John Ringkob ('97 agricultural business), Highlands Ranch, Colo., James A. Hopson Alumni Volunteer Award; Lyle Campbell ('66 agricultural business) and Nancy Campbell, Paradise Valley, Ariz., Impact Award; Craig Beer ('50 agricultural engineering, MS '57, PhD '62) and Janet Beer, Ames, Iowa, National Service Award. More: http://www.isualum.org/honorsandawards
Birrell Named to Newly Established KINZE Professorship
Stuart Birrell, associate professor in Iowa State's agricultural and biosystems engineering department, has been named to fill a new professorship created by the founders and owners of KINZE Manufacturing Inc.
80th Soil Management & Land Valuation Conference Held
Last week's Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference holds the record for the longest running conference at Iowa State, with 80 annual meetings. Mike Duffy, economics, coordinates the conference. Sponsored by the College of Agriculture and ISU Extension, the conference offers continued education and informational sessions presented by ISU professors and specialists from around the Midwest. This year the conference featured topics ranging from Iowa's land market and land values, to the state of the bioeconomy.
Agri-Sciences Commercialization Fellows Selected
The College of Agriculture's Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative has named Melissa Madsen, assistant scientist in veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine, and Colin Shepherd, doctoral candidate in genetics, as the first Agri-Sciences Commercialization Fellows. The fellowship is a year-long program designed to expand participants' knowledge of business and technology transfer. Madsen earned a bachelor's of science degree in animal science from the University of Illinois and a doctorate degree from Iowa State in molecular, cellular and developmental biology. Prior to accepting the fellowship, Madsen worked as an assistant scientist in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Shepherd received a bachelor's of science degree in agricultural biotechnology from the University of Kentucky and will receive his doctorate in June from Iowa State in genetics. The Agri-Sciences Commercialization Fellowship is funded through the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative and the PappaJohn Center for Entrepreneurship.
Landscape Publication Wins Horticulture Award
An ISU Extension publication, "Home Landscape: Understanding the Basics of Landscape Design," won a 2007 American Society for Horticultural Science Award. Ann Marie VanDerZanden, horticulture, wrote the publication. It previously won a Bronze Award from the Association for Communications Excellence.
Iowa State Equine Stories Part of New Land Grant News Site
Stories featuring recent renovations at the ISU horse barns and a study of the economic value of Iowa's equine industry are online as part of a new information resource. Staff from ISU Extension communications and marketing coordinate the national virtual news room known as eXtension (pronounced e-extension). eXtension, http://www.extension.org, is an educational partnership of more than 70 land grant universities. Links to the Iowa State equine stories are here: http://www.extension.org/horses/news
ISU Demonstrates First Use of Nanotechnology to Enter Plant Cells
Kan Wang, agronomy, is a member of a team of Iowa State plant scientists and materials chemists who have successfully used nanotechnology to penetrate plant cell walls and simultaneously deliver a gene and a chemical that triggers its expression with controlled precision. Their breakthrough brings nanotechnology to plant biology and agricultural biotechnology.
New ISU Fact Sheet on Using DDGS in Swine Diets
The first in a series of fact sheets on feeding distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to pigs is available from the ISU's Iowa Pork Industry Center. Animal science professor Mark Honeyman and research assistant Pete Lammers prepared the fact sheet and are developing additional topics for the series.
First Superintendent of ISU Western Research Farm Dies
Bob Zimmerman of Onawa, the first superintendent of the Western Research Farm in Castana, died May 9. He was superintendent from 1946 to 1954 and was a leader in the farm's association. Zimmerman also was active in soil conservation efforts in western Iowa and a long-time employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service.
Deadlines & Reminders
May 21-23: Spring Research Conference on Statistics in Industry and Technology, Scheman Building, more: http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/src/home.html
June 1: Open forum with Rich Leopold, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 1 p.m., Center for Crops Utilization Research Theatre (Room 1951, Food Sciences Building)
June 24-28: Ninth International Pollination Symposium, Scheman Building, more: http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/plantbee/home.html
Communications Kiosk
The Principal Talked About the Principles Students Should Follow
Principal is a noun and an adjective meaning someone or something first in rank, authority, importance or degree: She is the school principal. He was the principal player in the trade. Principle is a noun that means a fundamental truth, law, doctrine or motivating force: They fought for the principle of self-determination. (Associated Press Stylebook, 39th edition, 2004)
Infograzing
Iowa Soybean Rust Investigation to Continue
Officials with Iowa State and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) have verified that one leaf submitted in a plant sample was infected with Asian soybean rust, but how it got into Iowa still needs to be determined. An IDALS news release today, May 21, reported that an investigation found no further evidence of Asian soybean rust in the Iowa field where the leaf was said to have come from or in neighboring fields. After analyzing additional plant materials and finding no evidence of rust, IDALS and ISU officials determined that it warranted further investigation by the USDA's Office of Inspector General. More: http://www.plantpath.iastate.edu/soybeanrust/node/405
ISUComm Workshop Tuesday and Wednesday
A free ISUComm workshop for faculty in all disciplines who want to integrate written, oral, visual and electronic (WOVE) communication into their courses will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, May 22-23. It is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in 212 Ross. There will be a special emphasis on WOVE in upper-division courses. Registration is required; free breakfast and lunch are provided.
Cast Releases New Animal Agricultural Issue Paper
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has released a new issue paper titled, The Role of Transgenic Livestock in the Treatment of Human Disease. It was written and reviewed by a six-member task force, and is Part 6 in the CAST series on "Animal Agriculture's Future through Biotechnology." The full text of the paper may be accessed on the CAST website for a $5 download fee. More: http://www.cast-science.org
Reiman Gardens to be Featured in Public Garden Display
Reiman Gardens is one of 20 gardens featured this year at the U.S. Botanic Gardens in Washington, D.C. "Celebrating America's Public Gardens: A Sense of Place" will be on display from May 26 to October 8. There are 460 gardens affiliated with the American Association of Public Gardens that were invited to be part of this exhibit. The display celebrates the beauty and diversity of America's public gardens by showcasing gardens from across the nation.
External Voices
Wallaces Farmer Editor Cited for Contributions to Ag Communications
Rod Swoboda, Wallaces Farmer editor, recently received an Alumni Association Award of Merit from the University of Illinois, where he earned an ag communications bachelor's degree. The award's citation included: "He has served as a major contributor to the flow of life-improving information from Iowa State University, the University of Illinois, and other agricultural research institutions and agencies."
Marginalia
Alumni Share Memories of College's Past
The College of Agriculture's Alumni Days reception last Friday gave alums the chance to recall what Iowa State and the College were like when they attended back in the 1950s. Here are a few of their memories: -- Darrell Schaper, animal husbandry bachelor's degree, 1956, recalled having class in the Livestock Pavilion and the last student to arrive to class had to clean up after the cows. Needless to say, he was never the last one to arrive. He also said his animal husbandry major came in handy in the armed services, as he was placed on a medical care team. -- David Hanson, animal husbandry bachelor's degree, 1958, remembered working in a lab and making egg coffee in a beaker every day. He also said he was in charge of pulling test samples from a fistulated cow's rumen. -- Keith Hildreth, agricultural business bachelor's degree, 1957, said he was a member of the first graduating agricultural business class. -- Bill Gode, horticulture bachelor's degree, 1957, said he worked with Griffith Buck growing roses as a summer job. -- James Roberts, agricultural education bachelor's degree, 1957, lived in Alumni Hall when he was taking courses here at ISU and said it was the best place to live on campus.
Ag Online
Editor: Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616
Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
Subscribe: Ag Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture, is e-mailed every Monday. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag Online subscribe" to edadcock@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe, send "Ag Online unsubscribe."
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.