College News
Rastetter Provides Gift for Ag Entrepreneurship
Iowa entrepreneur and businessman Bruce Rastetter has made a $1.75 million commitment to the entrepreneurship program in Iowa State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Rastetter's gift will enable the college to establish an endowed professorship in entrepreneurship.
College Sets United Way Events
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will sell pizza on Monday, Sept. 24, to raise funds for the United Way of Story County campaign. A pizza slice and beverage will be $2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of Curtiss Hall. The College also is holding a United Way drawing for an autographed basketball signed by coaches Bill Fennelly and Greg McDermott, two sets of two tickets to a men's basketball game, two passes to Reiman Gardens and a copy of Roy Reiman's autobiography, "I Could Write a Book..." You can enter by donating nonperishable items (food and toiletries) or a cash donation with a suggested value of $3 or more. Nonperishable items will be delivered to the Mid-Iowa Community Action Food Pantry. The cash collected will be given as a lump sum to United Way from the College. One entry per person. The drawing will take place on Oct. 23. Contact: Carla Persaud, 4-1823 or cpersaud@iastate.edu.
Vilsack Named Distinguished Fellow in BIGMAP
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack has been named a Distinguished Fellow in ISU's Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products. "Governor Vilsack's expertise in issues relating to public policy and science will greatly enhance the work of our institute," said ISU President Gregory Geoffroy.
Employers Flocking to Ag Career Day Next Month
Ag Career Day has been full since Sept. 1. The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Oct. 23, in the Great Hall and Campanile Room, Memorial Union. Due to construction at the Memorial Union, the number of companies will be 148 compared with 155 last year. The event filled within two weeks, demonstrating the demand for interns and graduates within the industry, said Mike Gaul, director, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Services. A list of companies planning to attend can be found online.
Summary of Starting Salaries for Ag, Life Sciences Grads
A summary of starting salaries of spring 2007 graduates in agriculture and life sciences from several Midwestern universities has been compiled by Mike Gaul, Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Services, and Jen Neef, University of Illinois. Due to the high demand for tracking salaries from employers and students, Gaul and Neef identified the top five to 10 most common jobs in each of the various disciplines to make the composite. Universities contributing to the summary were Iowa State, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Kentucky. You can find the link under the News/Announcements section on the website.
Horticulture Senior Wins National Award
Horticulture and landscape architecture senior Grant Thompson has won the Communications Honor Award in the American Society of Landscape Architects Student Competition. Thompson won for his Digital Art on Campus Project that uses web-based video and audio to feature the university's public art collection online. His advisers were Ann Marie VanDerZanden, horticulture; Allison Sheridan, University Museums; and Michael Martin, landscape architecture. Thompson will received the award in October at the society's national meeting. More: http://asla.org/awards/2007/studentawards/193.html
Dairy Judging Team First in Competition
ISU's Dairy Cattle Judging Team won first place overall in the 2007 Accelerated Genetics Collegiate Dairy Judging Contest last weekend in Viroqua, Wis. The team was composed of dairy science majors Matt Jaschen, Jessica Tekippe and Morgan Welper. The team won high team overall and high team in reasons. Jaschen was second individual overall and first in reasons; Tekippe was third individual overall and third in reasons.
Swine Farms, Livestock Team Successful at Barrow Show
The Lauren Christian Swine Research Center at Bilsland had a successful showing at the Sept. 10 National Barrow Show in Austin, Minn. They had two Super Sires in the progeny test; first lightweight and reserve champion crossbred truckload; first heavyweight, champion crossbred and grand champion truckload; and overall reserve champion Duroc gilt that was the top-selling gilt at $2,600. At the same show, the Swine Teaching Farm had the second place lightweight purebred truckload, third place middleweight purebred truckload and third place lightweight crossbred truckload. Also, ISU students in the Livestock Judging Team finished fourth at the National Barrow Show in Austin.
Gamma Sigma Delta Chapter Named Silver Chapter
The national Gamma Sigma Delta organization has presented the Iowa State chapter with one of five 2007 Silver Chapter awards. The award recognizes chapters that have done the most to promote the objectives of Gamma Sigma Delta on their campuses. The society's objectives include the advancement of agriculture, the maintenance and improvement of the relations of agriculture and related sciences to other industries. Tom Brumm, agricultural and biosystems engineering, is this year's president of the Gamma Sigma Delta local chapter, which started at Iowa State in 1907.
Schultz Named 2007 Friend of Conversation
Dick Schultz, professor of natural resource ecology and management, has been named a Friend of Conservation by the Iowa Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society.
Niman Ranch Recognizes ISU'S Allee Demonstration Farm
ISU's Allee Demonstration Farm near Newell recently was recognized by Niman Ranch Pork Co. for producing high quality pork. The farm placed seventh out of hundreds of farms affiliated with Niman Ranch across the nation. Lyle Rossiter, farm superintendent, was awarded a plaque at a Des Moines dinner honoring the farms that have achieved quality pork. The dinner featured pork in five of the six courses.
Animal Scientists Speak Before Legislative Committee
Last Thursday, Iowa State animal scientists Dan Loy, Lee Kilmer and Mark Honeyman presented information to an Iowa Legislature Joint House-Senate Study Committee that is studying animal feeding of distillers dried grains. They spoke on feeding dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) to beef cattle, dairy cattle and swine. Their presentations focused on the corn milling process, feeding recommendations, nutrient variability and the advantages and challenges of feeding DDGS to Iowa livestock.
Animal Science in Spotlight For 150 Points of Pride
As part of Iowa State's sesquicentennial celebration, 150 points of pride related to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are being posted online to coincide with 150 days of the 2007-2008 academic year. This week five animal science notables are featured. In case you missed any of the first 20 offerings, all are available under the "archives" link at the bottom of the page.
Leopold Center Surveys Consumers About Local Foods
A survey shows that American consumers are skeptical about the safety of the global food system and many believe local foods are safer and better for their health. These are the views of a nationwide sample of 500 consumers who participated in a web survey conducted by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in July. Details: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2007/consumer_091107.htm
Kirschenmann, Lang to Address Farm Bill at Grinnell
Leopold Center Distinguished Fellow Fred Kirschenmann and Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Lang will address "How Can the 2007 Farm Bill Meet the Needs of Iowa?" at a Grinnell College symposium Thursday, Sept. 20, on the 2007 Farm Bill. The symposium will provide national, state and local views on the Farm Bill.
Lonergan Speaks at Next Feeding the World Seminar
Elisabeth Lonergan, animal science, will present the second seminar in the Feeding the World: Are We Making Progress fall series. Her presentation, "Ghana: Enhancing Child Nutrition through Animal Resource Food Management (ENAM): An Animal Scientist's Perspective on the Role of Animal-source Foods in Diets of Young Children in Rural Ghana," is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 20, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee Hall. The series is sponsored by the M.E. Ensminger International Chair in Animal Agriculture, Raymond and Mary Baker Chair in Global Agriculture and the Center for Sustainable and Rural Livelihoods.
College, University Award Deadline November 20
The deadline for award nominations for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and most of the university awards is Nov. 20.
College Team Raises Funds for Cancer Society
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences team raised more than $1,400 for the Story County Chapter of the American Cancer Society 5K for Life on Aug. 25. The team was led by Mike Gaul, Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Services Office. Steve Lonergan, animal science, placed first in his age group and Associate Dean David Acker placed second in his age group. Other team members were Angie Rieck-Hinz, John Hinz, John and Cathy Lawrence and Melea Reicks Licht.
Deadlines and Reminders
Sept. 17-18: Agricultural Entrepreneurship Institute, Gateway Hotel & Convention Center, more: http://www.entrepreneurship.ag.iastate.edu/2007_Institute/index.html
Sept. 21: Deadline for entries to the Sixth Annual Norman Borlaug Lectureship Poster Competition, contact: Patricia Murphy, pmurphy@iastate.edu
Sept. 24: FACEBOOK 101 for Faculty, noon to 1 p.m., 142 Curtiss Hall, RSVP by Sept. 19 to Mike Gaul, career services, at mikegaul@iastate.edu
Sept. 24: Think Tank on Animal Agriculture, Provost Elizabeth Hoffman, presentation on the impact of the new budget model on animal agricultural research, 6 p.m., Pioneer Room, Memorial Union
Oct. 1: Deadline for submitting concept papers describing the next generation of undergraduate academic programs for the College, contact: David Acker, dacker@iastate.edu
Oct. 15: Borlaug Lecture, Monty Jones, executive secretary of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa and the 2004 World Food Prize winner, 8 p.m., Sun Room, Memorial Union
Communications Kiosk
Elwood Drive Change Official Today
As of today, Sept. 17, Elwood Drive has changed to University Boulevard. University offices are asked to update brochures, maps and other printed materials to reflect the change and to use the new name when giving directions to campus locations.
Infograzing
United Way of Story County FAQ: Ames or County-Wide?
Are programs supported by United Way of Story County provided throughout Story County or just in Ames? Nearly all of the more than 90 services and initiatives supported by UWSC donors are provided throughout Story County. Statistics are available to give you a snapshot of that county-wide service provision. Contact UWSC at (515) 268-5142 or unitedway@uwstory.org for more information. Please consider your support for United Way. Iowa State's campaign ends on Oct. 12, and the university hopes to break last year's record-setting donations with a goal this year of $276,000.
Extension Annual Conference Oct. 10 and 11
The 2007 Extension Annual Conference will be held Oct. 10 and 11. This year's theme is "Strengthening Our Extension Family Through Realism, Optimism and a Shared Vision." Conference Roundtables will be a new feature this year with sessions that are an informal yet structured opportunity to learn about successful, new or innovative programs, management and marketing ideas from your ISU peers and co-workers. David Horsager will give the keynote speech. More: http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/eac07/home.html
Vice President for Research Seeks Publication Proposals
Proposals are sought for the endowment that helps assure publication of scholarly writings and other worthy original works of Iowa State faculty and staff. The deadline for the Publication Subvention Grants Program is Oct. 15.
Family Weekend Decorating Contest Deadline Sept. 21
Cyclone Family Weekend Decorating Contest will judge university offices on their decoration skills Oct. 12. The deadline for entering the contest is Sept. 21. The theme this year is, Lets get Ex-Cy-ted! Celebrating 150 Years of Excellence! To enter the contest, contact Whitney Davis at davisw@iastate.edu.
NASULGC Updates Website
NASULGC (National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges) last week unveiled the first phase of a redesign of its website. More content and new tools, such as discussion boards, blogs, job boards and RSS feeds are among the changes slated for the new site.
External Voices
Many Opportunities for Beginners, on the Farm or Main Street
From an article written by Jeff Ward, executive director, Iowa Agricultural Development Authority, that appeared in the Sept. 8 Iowa Farmer Today: "Thoughts about beginning farmers can take a couple of directions. One being negative -- it can't be done -- or, there are numerous opportunities for Iowa's aspiring beginning farmers. Over the past six years, I have seen many success stories and continue to believe there are numerous opportunities for those young people who choose a career in production agriculture . . . Today, there are many more avenues available for those young people that want to think outside the box . . . Currently, the Beginning Farmer Center at Iowa State University is matching aspiring beginning farmers with older producers, thus creating a transition plan for the retiring farmer and access to much needed resources for the beginning farmer. This method of transition allows the asset owner to continue in the operation, mentor the beginning farmer and begin the transfer of assets in an orderly cost-effective manner . . . I feel it is an exciting time for aspiring beginning farmers in Iowa. While challenges exist, there are challenges for anyone wishing to start a business, whether it is a farm or on Main Street. Numerous resources, from financial to advisory, exist for those desiring to enter farming and choose to utilize those resources. I would encourage anyone who desires production agriculture as a career to take advantage of all the resources available and realize your goal of helping feed the world."
Marginalia
Giant Soybean Artwork on Display in CCUR
The College purchased a piece of soybean artwork that was part of the Iowa Soybean Association's Soy on Parade promotion. It is on display outside the main office in the Center for Crops Utilization Research in the Food Sciences Building. The giant soybean is titled "History of Soy" and features ISU's George Washington Carver and Henry Ford. This was the artwork that was on display over the summer in Dean Wintersteen's office. The auction raised more than $20,000 for the soybean association's agricultural scholarship fund.
Ag and Life Sciences Online
Editor: Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616
Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
Subscribe: Ag and Life Sciences Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is e-mailed every Monday. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag and Life Sciences Online subscribe" to edadcock@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe, send "Ag and Life Sciences Online unsubscribe."
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