Issue: 620

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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
Sept. 20, 2010 No. 620

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COLLEGE NEWS
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FACULTY AND STAFF HONORED AT TODAY'S CONVOCATION
ISU's annual fall convocation is today, Sept. 20, at 3:15 p.m. in the Sun Room, Memorial Union. CALS faculty and staff receiving university and state Board of Regents awards are:
* Alicia Carriquiry, statistics, Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences
* Suzanne Hendrich, FSHN, University Professor
* Richard Schultz, NREM, University Professor
* Gregory Tylka, plant pathology, Regents Award for Faculty Excellence
* C. Lee Burras, agronomy, Louis Thompson Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award
* Brian Steward, ABE, Louis Thompson Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award
* William Graves, horticulture, Margaret Ellen White Graduate Faculty Award
* Ruth MacDonald, FSHN, ISU Award for Departmental Leadership
* Russell Mullen, agronomy, ISU Award for Academic Advising Impact
* Barbara Osborn, horticulture, ISU Award for Academic Advising Impact
* Alan Myers, BBMB, ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research
* Hongwei Xin, ABE and animal science, ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research
* Elisabeth Huff-Lonergan, animal science, ISU Award for Mid-Career Achievement in Research
* Meghan O'Brien, economics, P&S Outstanding New Professional Award
* Charles Schwab, ABE, ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Extension or Professional Practice
* J. Gordon Arbuckle, sociology, ISU Award for Early Achievement in Extension or Professional Practice
* Kapil Arora, agricultural engineering program specialist, ISU R.K. Bliss Extension Award

WOTEKI CONFIRMED AS USDA UNDERSECRETARY FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND ECONOMICS
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Catherine Woteki as Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. From 2002 to 2005, Woteki served as Dean of the ISU College of Agriculture and Director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station.

CALS SEEKS INTERNAL APPLICANTS FOR EQUITY ADVISOR
CALS seeks internal applicants for the position of equity advisor for ISU ADVANCE. The position is open to tenured faculty in the College as a one-year renewable term at one-third time. Proposed start date is Oct. 15. To guarantee consideration for this position, apply by Sept. 29. More: Joe Colletti, colletti@iastate.edu, 4-1823.

CALS ONLINE DISTANCE EDUCATION REGISTRATIONS INCREASING
There was a 12 percent increase this fall in registration for online distance education courses through the College, compared to last year. Sixty-six percent of the students are from Iowa, representing 171 communities in 78 counties. The remaining students are from 20 states and six countries. There are 50 to 60 course offerings per semester as part of five masters programs and three certificate programs. CALS has invested $650,000 in course development grants in the last seven years.

ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHOR BILL MCKIBBEN TO SPEAK AT ISU
Author and environmentalist Bill McKibben will lecture at ISU as part of the Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture. His presentation, titled "Sustaining Life on a Tough New Plant," will be at 8 p.m. on Oct. 14, Memorial Union Great Hall. The annual Pesek Colloquium presents lectures on sustainable agriculture and encourages discussion and community response. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2010/sep/McKibbenLecture

RUSSIAN SENATOR SPEAKS ON U.S./RUSSIAN COLLABORATION, OCT. 18
Senator Vladimir Plotnikov, a member of the Upper Chamber of the Russian Parliament and president of the Association of Private Farmers and Cooperatives of Russia, will be speaking on Family Farms in Russia and U.S./Russian Collaboration on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m., South Ballroom, Memorial Union. The lecture is cosponsored by CALS.

PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND ART IN NEW ISU BUILDING
The Bioeconomy Institute's new Biorenewables Research Laboratory, which was dedicated Sept. 17, is not only home to some of the university's most innovative research, but also some of its most inventive artwork. Jill Euken, deputy director of the Bioeconomy Institute, and Ingrid Lilligren, professor and director of integrated studio arts, worked together to have design students and faculty create art for the laboratory on an ongoing basis. Faculty artwork includes pieces made with biochar and soy-based wax. Faculty who teach drawing or biological and pre-medical illustration will be encouraged to use the visual BRL Laboratories and the ISU BioCentury Research Farm as settings for student drawing assignments. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2010/sep/IngridJill

CALS PROGRAMS PROMOTED BY KEMIN DURING CYCLONE FOOTBALL GAMES
This fall, Kemin Industries, the nutritional ingredient manufacturer based in Des Moines, is sponsoring radio commercials that promote the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences during Cyclone football games. Six 30-second spots were written about programs or areas in the college that match areas of interest to the company. Each spot will air twice during the football season. Topics covered include food safety, animal welfare, Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, Global Resource Systems major, Egg Industry Center and the impact of production agriculture and ag-related industries on Iowa's economy.

FIRST PLACE FOR INTERCOLLEGIATE DAIRY JUDGING TEAM
The ISU Intercollegiate Dairy Judging team finished first at the Accelerated Genetics Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest in Viroqua, Wis. The team consisted of Zach Deutmeyer, Megan Kregel, Amy Maxwell and Jess Peter. Former ISU dairy science graduate Jessica Tekippe and Lee Kilmer, animal science, coached the team.

DAIRY FARM HOSTS MORE THAN 6,000 VISITORS
Since opening in late November 2007, the ISU Dairy Farm has hosted more than 6,000 visitors and more than 300 tours. There have already been 1,833 visitors to date in 2010. The Dairy Farm is an educational resource for students and the community. To arrange a tour, contact Mary Healey, 296-4219, mhhealey@iastate.edu.

LIVESTOCK JUDGING TEAM AWARDED HIGH TEAM OVERALL
The ISU Livestock Judging Team was awarded high team overall, high team in reasons and high team in cattle at the Northern Lights Contest on Sept. 11 in Jackson, Minn. Individually, Jalane Alden was third overall, Kaylee Keppy fifth, Ashley Wiebe eighth and Blake VanderMolen ninth. The Livestock Judging Team is coached by Jon DeClerck, animal science.

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EXTERNAL FUNDING
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NCRCRD GREEN POLICY WEBINAR SCHEDULED FOR OCT. 11
Would "green policies" such as cap-and-trade kill jobs? Is "clean" or "green" alternative energy a major jobs creator and an effective state and local economic development policy? Are there less expensive ways for governments to create jobs while protecting the environment? Mark Partridge of The Ohio State University will address these and other questions during the webinar presentation, "Green Policies, Climate Change and New Jobs: Separating Fact from Fiction," on Oct. 11, at 11 a.m. Access the webinar online. "Enter as a guest" by typing your name into the text box and click on "enter room." If you've never used Adobe Connect, test your connection well in advance of the scheduled meeting time. If you have technical difficulty connecting, call 800-500-1554.

CALL FOR EXTENSION AGROSECURITY PRIORITY PAPERS
The Extension Disaster Education Network is calling for scholarly papers on cooperative extension's role in emerging, critical or dynamic national extension agrosecurity priorities. Up to three authors will receive a $1,000 travel stipend (or actual travel cost, if less) to present their "extension agrosecurity priority papers" at the 2011 EDEN Annual Conference in Portland, Ore. Land- and sea-grant university extension faculty and staff should submit letters of intent before Nov. 15. Others who wish to serve as lead authors, including graduate students, must identify an extension faculty or staff member as co-author.

APPLICATIONS DUE NOV. 15 FOR NIH STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM
NIH offers a student loan repayment program to encourage outstanding health professionals to pursue careers in biomedical, behavioral, social and clinical research. For individuals who commit at least two years to conducting qualified research funded by a domestic nonprofit organization or U.S. federal, state or local government entity, NIH may repay up to $35,000 of qualified student loan debt per year, including most undergraduate, graduate and medical school loans (including veterinary medicine). More: http://www.lrp.nih.gov/

ANNIE'S HOMEGROWN 2011/2012 SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION
The Annie's Homegrown Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship Program will award $75,000 in scholarships to students studying sustainable and organic agriculture. The program is open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students beginning or returning to an accredited two- or four-year technical or college program or graduate school in the United States for the 2011/2012 school year. The application deadline is Dec. 15.

IOWA ENERGY CENTER REQUESTS PROPOSALS TO SUPPORT CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
The Iowa Energy Center is soliciting proposals to develop and present conferences, workshops, seminars, symposiums and expos in support of the Center's mission areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Requested funds can cover up to 50 percent of project costs, not to exceed $7,500 per award. Proposals will be accepted on a continuous basis through April 30, 2011, but must be submitted eight weeks prior to the date funds are needed. The request for proposals contains several changes from previous years, and applicants are asked to read and understand the RFP before submitting a proposal.

FUNDING INFORMATION, OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINE REMINDERS
Dates listed are application deadlines. Contact: Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu

Sept 30 (letter of intent): Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program; eight awards, direct service, cost sharing required, $50,000 per award.

Oct. 18: Paleo Perspectives on Climate Change; 35 new awards, projects up to three years, $9.75 million total anticipated funding per fiscal year. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5750&WT.mc_id=USNSF_39&…

Nov. 29: 2011 National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program; six awards of up to $285,000 each.

Dec. 6 (letter of intent): NIH Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network Short-term Interdisciplinary Training Program for New and Early-Stage Investigators (R25); $150,000 for up to one year. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NR-11-002.html

Dec. 15: Ecology of Infectious Diseases; eight new awards, $2.5 million for up to five years, US-UK Collaborative Projects can request additional funding for the UK component, $10 million total anticipated funding including $7 million from NSF for new standard or continuing awards, and $3 million from NIH for new continuing awards. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10616/nsf10616.pdf

Jan. 5: Promoting Research and Innovation in Methodologies for Evaluation; awards for 10 to 12 full-scale and three to five exploratory projects, remaining funds allocated to conference and workshop projects, $6,000,000 total anticipated funding. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10615/nsf10615.pdf

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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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PURPOSELY VS. PURPOSEFULLY
What is done "purposely" is done intentionally, or "on purpose." What is done "purposefully" is done with a certain goal in mind. An action may be done "purposely" without any particular interest in a specific result"”that is, not "purposefully." The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003.

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INFOGRAZING
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COMBINED ISU COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY PLANNED FOR DECEMBER
Traditionally ISU has held the Fall Semester Graduate College ceremony on the evening of the last Friday of the semester. For Fall 2010, ISU will pilot a combined graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremony, scheduled for Dec. 18 at 1:30 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum.

RESILIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE SEMINAR, SEPT. 21
The ISU Employee Assistance Plan provider will be on campus Tuesday, Sept. 21, 4 to 5 p.m. in the Cardinal Room, Memorial Union, to provide a seminar on "Resiliency in the Workplace." The seminar will provide participants with skills to identify stressors in their lives, understand how these stressors affect them, and learn to practice a variety of effective coping techniques. The session will be offered again on Oct. 5, 12 to 1 p.m. in the Pioneer Room, Memorial Union. Employees can register on the HRS Training page in AccessPlus.

CAYUSE 424 GRANT SOFTWARE TRAINING, SEPT. 22
A one-hour training session on the Cayuse 424 grant-application software will be held Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. There will be a 30-minute question-and-answer segment at the end of the webinar. To register or for more information: ospa-proposals@iastate.edu

ERS FOOD ENVIRONMENT ONLINE TOOL NOW AVAILABLE
Food environment factors"”such as store/restaurant proximity, food prices, food and nutrition assistance programs, and community characteristics"”interact to influence food choices and diet quality. Research is beginning to document the complexity of these interactions, but more is needed to identify causal relationships and effective policy interventions. The USDA Economic Research Service has developed "Your Food Environment Atlas," a new online mapping tool that compares U.S. counties' food environment. With the atlas, users can create maps showing the variation in a single indicator across the U.S., view all county-level indicators for a selected county; and use the advanced query tool to identify counties sharing the same degree of multiple indicators. More: http://www.ers.usda.gov/FoodAtlas/

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INTERNAL VOICES
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TAKLE SPEAKS ON INCREASE OF SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT AT AMES LIBRARY
Gene Takle, agronomy, will discuss "avoiding the unmanageable and managing the unavoidable" in climate change at 7 p.m. tonight, Sept. 20, in the auditorium at Ames Public Library. Takle says irrigation and crop-planting practices are also factors in the increase in severe weather. "Irrigation throughout the Great Plains, from the Dakotas all the way to Texas, has led to a tremendous amount of water that's been mined and put into the atmosphere." There also has been an increase in corn plants per acre over the last 50 years, pulling more water from the soil and evaporating it to the atmosphere. Climate change compounds the problem, says Takle, because the warmer that atmosphere is, the more water it can hold. This means when water is released from the atmosphere, it is released in higher quantities.

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EXTERNAL VOICES
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VILSACK ON WOTEKI'S DEPTH OF EXPERIENCE
"As a tireless champion of science's power not just to create knowledge but to improve the lives and health of all Americans, Dr. Catherine Woteki brings an incredible depth of experience that will help USDA accelerate scientific discovery and application of new knowledge to address challenges facing U.S. and global food and agriculture. I am delighted to welcome such an outstanding advocate for science back to USDA." Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the above statement after the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Woteki as Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. From 2002 to 2005, Woteki served as Dean of the ISU College of Agriculture and Director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. More: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&content…

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MARGINALIA
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DIG IT! THE SECRETS OF SOIL
There are more living creatures in a shovel-full of soil than human beings on the planet, yet more is known about the dark side of the moon than about soil. These are just a couple of the facts visitors can learn from the new temporary exhibition "Dig It! The Secrets of Soil," which will be on display at The Durham Museum in Omaha, Oct. 2 through Dec. 26. Created by Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, The Durham Museum is the only location outside of Washington, D.C. to host the exhibition. More: http://durhammuseum.org/Post/sections/36/Files/DigIt%207-26-10.pdf

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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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EDITOR
Julie Stewart, jstewart@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/

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