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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
August 2, 2010 No. 613
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COLLEGE NEWS
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CALS PRESENT AT FARM PROGRESS SHOW, AUG. 31-SEPT. 2
CALS and ISU Extension will be present at the 57th Annual Farm Progress Show, Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 in Boone. Four large interactive displays will be staffed by specialists and outside will be displays of corn and soybean breeding and biomass energy crops.
BIORENEWABLES RESEARCH LABORATORY DEDICATION, SEPT. 17
The Biorenewables Research Laboratory will be dedicated on Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. in the Biorenewables Research Complex. The BRL is headquarters for ISU's research, education and outreach in biorenewables. It houses the Bioeconomy Institute, the NSF Engineering Research Center of Biorenewable Chemicals and the Biobased Industry Center. The BRL is phase one of the two-phase, $104.3 million Biorenewables Complex. More: http://www.foundation.iastate.edu/site/MessageViewer?dlv_id=11921&em_id…
BRUMM RECEIVES ENTREPRENEURSHIP FELLOWSHIP
Thomas Brumm is among 40 non-business faculty members nationwide named as 2010-11 Coleman Fellows. The Illinois-based Coleman Foundation funds entrepreneurship education throughout the U.S. Brumm, agricultural and biosystems engineering, will use the grant for the ISU BioBus project.
TEACHER ACADEMIES INFUSE CURRICULUM WITH AG PERSPECTIVE
Teacher Academies on Agricultural Awareness were held this summer in Nashua and Fort Dodge. The two-day workshops focus on helping Pre-K to 12 teachers in Iowa schools infuse an agricultural perspective into the curriculum at all levels of education (see External Voice). Collaborators include the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies (Robert Martin), Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (Barb Lykins), ISU 4-H Youth Programs (Janet Toering), Iowa 4-H Foundation and various Area Education Agencies. More: Robert Martin, drmartin@iastate.edu
WINTER WHEAT/RED CLOVER ROTATION SHOWS SEVERAL BENEFITS
Fields of winter wheat underseeded with red clover are not a familiar sight in Iowa, but it could become a favored rotation if energy costs continue to rise. Jeremy Singer, a research agronomist with ARS/USDA in Ames, is looking to find viable crop rotations for Iowa. An ISU Extension publication about Singer's work is available at: www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM2025.pdf. More: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2010/072810_cover.html
"BUY LOCAL ENERGY" PROPONENT VISITS AMES FARMERS MARKET, AUG. 5
Steve Fugate, president of Yoderville Biodiesel Collective and education director for the Iowa Renewable Energy Association, will be at the Ames farmers market Thursday, Aug. 5, in his biodiesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta. Fugate's goal is to persuade people to buy locally produced forms of energy. The farmers market tour is sponsored in part by the Leopold Center. More: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2010/072610_energy.html
WORKSHOP EXAMINES MECHANIZATION ON VEGETABLE FARMS
A hoe and a rototiller can get the job done in a home vegetable garden, but commercial and direct-market growers need more complex tools to produce and move larger volumes of vegetables to market. This topic will be explored at an Aug. 22 workshop. More: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2010/072710_workshop.h…
SAUSAGE! SAUSAGE! AND MORE SAUSAGE AT WURSTFEST 2010
Approximately 220 people took part in Wurstfest 2010 on July 22 at the Gateway Conference Center in Ames. The Wurstfest was held in conjunction with the 32nd Annual Sausage and Processed Meats Short Course, July 19-23. This year 71 participants representing 19 different states and 8 international countries attended the week long Sausage and Processed Meats Short Course held at the ISU Meat Laboratory. Those attending the Wurstfest had the opportunity to sample 62 different processed meat products, including long time favorites landjager, lovecky, German salami, whiskey fennel smoked sausage, roast beef, polish sausage with cheese, smoked brisket and smoked pork loin. Products making their first appearance at the Wurstfest included pizza loaf, coffee loaf, cuatro loaf, toffee mini salami and cyclone salami. Special guests at the Wurstfest included Arlette Hollister, Iowa State Fair food superintendent, and Diane Roupe, distinguished author and food judge. Klaus Kreibig, Hamburg, Germany, spent three weeks at Iowa State helping prepare products for the course and serving as a speaker during the course.
ANIMAL SCIENCE FACULTY, STUDENTS HONORED AT INTERNATIONAL MEETING
Animal science faculty and students won several awards and honors at the Joint Annual Meeting of the American Dairy Science Association, Poultry Science Association, Asociacion Mexicana de Produccion Animal and the American Society of Animal Science held July 11-15 in Denver.
HOFF NAMED TO 2010 CLASS OF ASABE FELLOWS
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers inducted Steven J. Hoff as an ASABE Fellow at a ceremony on June 22, during the 2010 ASABE International Meeting held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Hoff was honored for his exceptional research and teaching performance in animal production engineering and for his service to the profession.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
Aug. 16: Pre-proposal deadline for Leopold Center's 2010 RFP, http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2010/062810_rfp.html
Aug. 25: Register for ISU tours to be held during Farm Progress Show
Sept. 7: CALS Fall Convocation, 4 p.m. in the Sun Room, Memorial Union.
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EXTERNAL FUNDING
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FUNDING INFORMATION, OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINE REMINDERS
Dates listed are application deadlines. Contact: Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu
Aug. 13: Research and Development of Low-Emissions Combustor Concepts and Associated Fuel Control Valves; multiple one- and two-year awards, $2.3 million total anticipated funding for new baseline awards, $1.5 million total anticipated funding for new optional program awards. More: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=ini…{68CD4045-61D8-1FA7-B5D5-224EB92AC551}&path=open
Aug. 28 (letter of intent): Climate Change and Health: Assessing and Modeling Population Vulnerability to Climate Change (R21); $275,000 direct costs for two years. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-235.html
Sept. 1: American Educational Research Association Dissertation Grants Program; 15 awards, $20,000 for one year.
Sept. 13: USAID North Caucasus Agricultural Development Project, one award, $6.5 to $7 million.
Sept. 16: Education Research; $100,000 to $1.2 million, up to five years. More: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-2514.pdf
Sept. 20: 2011 NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program (DP2); $300,000 per year for five years. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-10-009.html
Sept. 30: Dept. of Energy FY 2010 Annual Notice Submission of Renewal and Supplemental Applications for Office of Science Grants and Cooperative Agreements.
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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BECOME A FAN OF THE CALS DISTANCE EDUCATION FACEBOOK PAGE
From earning a Food Safety Certificate to signing up for a master's program or just taking courses for credit, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Distance Education facebook fan page is the place to look. The page lists deadlines and tips on how to prepare for a distance education course. The latest update has videos introducing the fall lineup of classes. Check it and become a fan on theur website and click on the facebook icon or go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ames-IA/ISU-College-of-Agriculture-Life-S…
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INFOGRAZING
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MAP DEPICTING GLOBAL FOREST HEIGHTS MAY HELP FIND MISSING CARBON
Using NASA satellite data, scientists have produced a first-of-its kind map that details the height of the world's forests. The map has implications for an ongoing effort to estimate the amount of carbon tied up in Earth's forests and for explaining what sops up 2 billion tons of "missing" carbon each year.
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INTERNAL VOICES
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SANDOR LOOKS TO THE PAST TO IMPROVE THE FUTURE OF SOIL
"Because nature is so complex, models are always some simplification of nature, but they can show us things we didn't realize or weren't even thinking about, too." Jon Sandor, agronomy, has studied the way agriculture alters soils over long periods of time. Although a model can look far into the future, it must be verified by some sort of testing. Advanced computer models allow archaeologists to treat the past as a proving ground for calibrating models. For example, understanding how and why past farmers depleted or preserved their soils over long periods of time can improve researchers' ability to make recommendations to improve the sustainability of contemporary farming. Published July 30 in PhysOrg.com, a web-based science, research and technology news service. More: http://www.physorg.com/news199713742.html
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT LEARNS THERE ARE EXCITING CAREERS IN AG
"I never knew there were so many exciting careers in agriculture. I'm very surprised," said one participant in the 2010 Teacher Academies on Agricultural Awareness workshops. These workshops have been conducted in Iowa for nearly 20 years with more than 50 teachers a year participating (see College News). Many hands-on activities are developed to add an agricultural perspective to every subject area taught, including Agriculture: Then and Now, The Agriculture Web, Agriculture "“ It's More Than You Think, Meat is Marvelous, Tree Time, International Pizza, Grow Your Own Groceries, Plants in Surprising Places. More: Robert Martin, drmartin@iastate.edu.
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MARGINALIA
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LAST POST FROM NANJING
Zachary Larson, a junior in agronomy and a Borlaug Summer Intern, spent eight weeks interning with the Plant Sciences Institute at Nanjing Agricultural University. He's returning to Iowa this week, but his last post talks about his presentations and some of the challenges he faced during his last week in Nanjing. You can see photos at Borlaug Summer Intern Photo Album http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimmcomm/sets/72157624201935828/ and his blog at http://agwired.com/2010/07/28/last-post-from-nanjing/
THOUSANDS GET AN ANNUAL LOOK AT WHERE THEIR FOOD COMES FROM
A bicycle ride than began 38 years ago has grown into a week-long excursion that gives thousands of riders a look at some of the most productive farmland in the world. Ragbrai bikers from all 50 states and many foreign countries eat their way across Iowa, and in doing so, they savor the products that farmers produce. More: http://www.cast-science.org/
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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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EDITOR
Julie Stewart, jstewart@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Website: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
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