College News
Large Crowd Helps Open New ISU Dairy Farm
An estimated 450 people attended the public opening at the new Iowa State Dairy Farm Oct. 20. The program included remarks by President Gregory Geoffroy; Bill Northey, Iowa secretary of agriculture; Warren Madden, ISU vice president for business and finance; Wendy Wintersteen, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Wayne Dykshorn, president, Iowa State Dairy Association; and Lorilee Schultz, president, Dairy Science Club. Maynard Hogberg, animal science department chair, served as master of ceremonies. Tours and made-to-order omelets were offered after the program. The dairy farm will begin operations in November after the cows are delivered. The farm is a complex of buildings constructed on 27 acres of an 887-acre site south of the Iowa State campus. The facility matches current industry standards and makes use of the latest technology available. (See item in "Internal Voices" below.)
MacDonald, Riley Appointed to IDED Board
Governor Chet Culver has appointed Ruth MacDonald and Robert Riley Jr., to the Iowa Department of Economic Development Board. MacDonald will represent the life sciences industry on the board. She is chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Riley of Des Moines, will represent Iowa's agricultural industry. He is the president and CEO of Feed Energy Co. and serves on the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Advisory Council. Their terms on the board begin immediately and expire in 2010.
Block and Bridle Club Honored at National Meeting
The Block and Bridle Club was honored last weekend at the national convention in Kansas City, Mo. The club's website was judged one of the top five sites in the nation (https://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/blockandbridleclub). It also won the yearbook competition for 2006. George Brant and Brad Skaar, animal science, are advisers to the club.
Horticulture Senior Featured for His Time at Wimbledon
Joe Bowser, a senior from Fort Dodge, spent his summer at Wimbledon. An internship with the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club gave the horticulture major, with an emphasis in turfgrass. an impressive addition to his resume. Bowser is featured in Iowa State's "Two minutes with..." online feature.
ISU Advance Brown Bag Nov. 14
An ISU Advance Networking Event, "Making a Career in STEM: Three Women's Stories," will be a brown-bag lunch on Nov. 14 from noon to 1 p.m. in 240 Bessey. It will include an informal discussion of the special issues faced by women working in STEM careers. Presenters will offer perspectives on the issue and will discuss research on the gender-related issues of working in STEM disciplines, experiences with the challenges of recruiting women into STEM careers in business and industry and the challenges and rewards of maintaining a STEM career.
Students Win Borlaug Poster Competition
Eighteen graduate and undergraduate students participated in the 2007 Borlaug poster competition Oct 15. The top three winners in the graduate competition were: first, Rebecca Lukac, food science and human nutrition, "The Quantitation of Ferritin in the Seeds of Staple Crops: ELISA Method Development"; second, Haroon Sseguya, sustainable agriculture and sociology, "Achieving Sustainable Gains in Food Security: Collaborative Efforts in Kamuli, Uganda"; third, Ariun Ishdorj; economics, "The Importance of Intra-Household Allocation of Food Program Benefits." The top three undergraduate winners were: first, Lisa Wasko, biology, and Susannah Stofer, horticulture, "Influence of School Garden Program on Ugandan Primary School Pupils' Home Gardens"; second, Elizabeth Sukup, public service and administration in agriculture and international agriculture, "Dynamics and Impacts of School and Home Garden Participation in Uganda"; third, Greta Ann Kallevang, dietetics, "The Effect of Carotene on Iron Bioavailability of Maize Using a Caco-2 Cell Culture Model."
College Reaches Nearly 85 Percent of United Way Goal
As of Oct. 19, the ISU United Way Campaign had received pledges for $233,538, or 84 percent of the goal of $276,500. The College of Agricluture and Life Sciences had reached 84.5 percent of its $57,300 goal, with $48,433 pledged.
150 Points of Pride: Career Day, Pork Industry Center, More
As part of Iowa State's sesquicentennial celebration, 150 points of pride related to the College are being posted online to coincide with 150 days of the 2007-2008 academic year. This week's offering features Ag Career Day, the Crop Adviser Institute, the nation's first crop bioterrorism course, the Iowa Pork Industry Center and the PQA Plus Program for swine producers.
Research Shows Midwest Forests Losing Diversity, Complexity
Forests in the nation's Upper Midwest have changed greatly since the time of the early settlers. And more changes may be coming. That's according to research done by Lisa Schulte, assistant professor in natural resource ecology and management, and her team of researchers.
Food Scientists Seek Volunteers for Flaxseed Study
Iowa State food science researchers are seeking volunteers for a study to determine the effect of components found in flaxseed (lignan extract) on blood cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose and blood pressure levels. If chosen, volunteers will take a tablet (flaxseed lignan extract) with meals, have 11 blood samples taken at intervals over three months, provide two fecal samples, and complete a food recall questionnaire at each of the five visits over three months. Interested persons who are hypercholesterolemic (high cholesterol) men (40-65 years of age) or women (50-65 years of age, no more than five years postmenopausal), not allergic to flaxseed or soy, not consuming flax on a regular basis, not diabetic, are asked to contact: Sun-Ok Lee, sunok@iastate.edu, 4-1990, 223 MacKay; Kathy Hanson, kbh1@iastate.edu, 4-4247, 1127 HNSB; or Suzanne Hendrich, shendric@iastate.edu, 4-4272, 224 MacKay. Compensation is available.
Handling of Biofeedstocks Featured at Bio Conference
Harvest, storage and transportation systems for "next generation" biomass crops will be key topics at the 2007 Biobased Industry Outlook conference at Iowa State University Nov. 5-6.
Horticulture's Herbaceous Perennial Symposium Nov. 10
The Department of Horticulture's Herbaceous Perennial Symposium will be held Nov. 10 at Iowa State's Scheman Auditorium. Six Midwestern gardening professionals are scheduled to share their expertise on topics ranging from achieving continuous color to maximizing garden enjoyment with water features.
IPIC Contributes to Swine Poster Development
Colin Johnson at ISU's Iowa Pork Industry Center worked with the Pork Checkoff, PigChamp Inc., Babcock Genetics and National Hog Farmer magazine on a poster about "Heat Detection." The poster contains definitions, photos and descriptions with one side in English and the other Spanish. The poster is being included in National Hog Farmer magazines, and is available from each of the partners as well.
Deadlines and Reminders
Oct. 22: Think Tank on Animal Agriculture, 6 p.m., Pioneer Room, Memorial Union
Oct. 22: Keeney Distinguished Lecture, 7 p.m. Curtiss Hall Auditorium
Oct. 23: Ag Career Day, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Great Hall and Campanile Room, Memorial Union
Oct. 23: College United Way drawing, enter by donating nonperishable items (food and toiletries) or a cash donation with a suggested value of $3 or more, contact: Carla Persaud, 4-1823 or cpersaud@iastate.edu
Oct. 30: F. Wendell Miller Lecture, Cynthia Lloyd, director of the Policy Research Division at the Population Council, 8 p.m., Sun Room and South Ballroom, Memorial Union
Oct. 31: ISU Advance workshop on unintentional bias, 9 a.m. to noon, Sun Room, Memorial Union.
Nov. 5-6: Bio-based Industry Outlook Conference More
Nov. 20: Deadline for award nominations for the College and most University awards
Communications Kiosk
What is Biannual, Semiannual and Biennial?
"Biannual" and "semiannual" both mean twice a year. Example: These roses bloom biannually. But "biennial" means once every two years or every other year. Example: In some states the legislature meets biennually. To avoid confusion, write semiannual, instead of biannual, and consider writing once every two years, instead of biennial. (The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003)
Infograzing
Iowa Soybean Association Fights Hunger with Challenge
The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) board of directors has challenged Iowans to join the fight against malnutrition and hunger, in the United States and across the globe. A new ISA initiative titled "Acres of Giving: Harvest an Acre, Feed the World" was launched last week in conjunction with the Iowa Hunger Summit. The association's board, comprised of 21 farmers, is donating the equivalent of 21 acres of soybeans. The ISA leaders challenge Iowans to contribute the equivalent of 10,000 acres of soybeans in the coming year. With soybeans valued at approximately $400 per acre, the goal is to raise $4 million, with proceeds going to the World Soy Foundation and the Soy for Life Foundation.
I-Cash Conference on Health and Safety Nov. 14-16
The Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health will hold its fall conference, "The Changing Face of Agricultural Health and Safety: Biofuels, Food Safety and Alternative Agriculture," Nov. 14 to 16. The Embassy Suites/Downtown-Old Market Omaha is the site of the meeting.
Internal Voices
Imagining the Potential of the New ISU Dairy Farm
"As a student, it has been thrilling to watch the plans for the new dairy unfold and develop over the last several years. ... This new dairy will provide students with a golden opportunity to apply what we've learned in the classroom and make the connection between lecture and real life. As I look around, I can't help but imagine the potential of this place. We could be standing where a future winner of the National Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest will first learn to judge. Or where yet another winning Dairy Challenge Team will come to prepare. What kind of breakthroughs in research will happen here? How many future industry leaders will pay for school by working in these barns? And how many students will find a passion for research after completing undergraduate projects here? The possibilities are endless! As many of us prepare to enter careers in dairy, it's promising and encouraging to see so much support for continued research and education in the industry. That kind of commitment lets us know the future of dairying is brighter than ever." -- Lorilee Schultz, president of the Dairy Science Club, speaking at the public opening ceremony at the new dairy farm Oct. 20
Marginalia
Long History of Honeycrisp Apple Revealed
The tree that ultimately produced the popular Honeycrisp apple was "weeks from the chainsaw" when the University of Minnesota apple breeders gave it another chance, the Chicago Tribune reported. It was to be destroyed because it had done badly after a particularly harsh winter. Jim Luby, professor of horticulture, and his colleague, research scientist David Bedford, tasted one of its apples and gave the tree one more chance. And the rest is apple history. ("One sexy apple," Chicago Tribune, Oct. 10)
Ag and Life Sciences Online
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