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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
April 4, 2011 No. 645
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COLLEGE NEWS
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CALS STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE SEEKS INPUT
The strategic planning committee has put together a survey to gather your priorities regarding the objectives in the College's strategic plan for the next five years. The committee also is holding an open forum this Friday, April 8, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Memorial Union Pioneer Room. You can review the draft plan online.
ROBERTSON TO COORDINATE EXTENSION FOR SOYBEAN DISEASE GRANT
ISU is part of a team that was awarded a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant to create new disease management technologies to improve the sustainability of soybean production. Alison Robertson, plant pathology, will coordinate the extension component of this $9.28 million grant to the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
RAY TOWNSEND DIES, AN INNOVATOR IN MEAT INDUSTRY
Ray Townsend of Des Moines died Saturday at the age of 97. He founded Townsend Engineering Co., the world's largest designer and manufacturer of skinning, stuffing and injecting machines that are used worldwide in the meat, fish and poultry industries. CALS honored Townsend in 2005 with the Henry A. Wallace Award. Townsend attended Iowa State from 1931 to 1933, majoring in mechanical engineering. He was a charter member of the Iowa Inventor's Hall of Fame, holding more than 100 patents. He supported ISU's Department of Animal Science and its meat science programs and students. The Ray T. Townsend Meat Research Laboratories were dedicated in Kildee Hall in 1999, which expanded capabilities in meat biochemical and microbiological research. The labs were made possible by a gift from Townsend Engineering in honor of Townsend. He also was a member of the Order of the Knoll and had served as an ISU Foundation Governor. He was inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame in 2009.
2011 AG WOMAN AND AG MAN ANNOUNCED AT BARBECUE
Elizabeth Baudler, senior in animal science, and Jacob Hunter, senior in agricultural and life sciences education, were named the 2011 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Ag Woman and Ag Man of the Year at the Ag Day barbecue on March 29. Students, faculty and staff were invited to a free lunch for the announcement in the Kildee Hall Pavilion.
MURRAY MODERATES DIALOGUE ON ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS
John Murray, the son of William (Bill) Murray, a CALS faculty member who served as head of the Department of Economics and Sociology at Iowa State from 1943 to 1955, will moderate a dialogue on the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process on April 5, at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. John Murray is an external advisor to the Palestinian Negotiation Support Unit. William Murray and his wife, Alice, played an instrumental role in making Living History Farms a reality in the 1960s.
ADVANCE WORKSHOP ON MANAGING YOUR TIME, APRIL 6
Susan Johnson, university ombudsperson for the University of Iowa, will present "Managing Your Time" on Wednesday, April 6, 10 a.m. to noon in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee. This session will present core principles for organizing your work and managing your time, and describe in detail a system for implementing these principles in your own work. Co-sponsored by the food science and human nutrition department, CALS and ISU ADVANCE.
JAMES BOREL TO PRESENT HERTZ LECTURE, APRIL 6
James Borel, executive vice president of DuPont, will present the 2011 Carl and Marjory Hertz Lecture on Emerging Issues in Agriculture April 6 at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. Borel will present "How Agricultural Innovation and Collaboration Will Shape the Future of the World." He is a 1978 agricultural business alum.
EGG INDUSTRY CENTER HOSTS ISSUES FORUM, APRIL 7
Food safety, animal welfare, hen housing and environmental quality will be the focus of the third annual egg industry issues forum hosted by ISU's Egg Industry Center, beginning at 8 a.m. on April 7 in Columbus, Ohio.
USDA SCIENTIST TO PRESENT STANIFORTH MEMORIAL LECTURE APRIL 14
Robert Kremer, microbiologist with the USDA-ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit, will present the 22nd annual David W. Staniforth Memorial Lecture on April 14 from 4:10 to 5 p.m. in 125 Kildee Hall. Kremer will address the most current research on other effects of glyphosate (RoundUp) such as soil and non-lethal plant interactions in the speech titled, "Glyphosate Interactions Beyond Weed Control: Current State of Knowledge." A recording of the presentation will be made available online at the Department of Agronomy website. More: http://www.event.iastate.edu/event/24593/?channel_id=97&s=w&sy=2011&sm=0...
ISU FOOD PRICE EXPERTS AVAILABLE FOR MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Uncertainty in the oil market, commodities market and stock market can mean broad fluctuations in the food market. Iowa is the commodity provider for the world's breadbasket. A list of ISU experts, including CALS faculty and staff, has been compiled that can be contacted directly, or through Dan Kuester (4-0704) to arrange an interview. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/mar/FoodPricesTipSheet
XIN RECEIVES OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD FROM MIDWEST POULTRY
Hongwei Xin, agricultural and biosystems engineering and director of the Egg Industry Center, has received the 2011 Midwest Poultry Consortium's Outstanding Service Award. Xin administers the consortium's Midwest Poultry Research Program.
FABIOSA JOINS ADVISORY BOARD ON CLEAN TRANSPORTATION
Jacinto Fabiosa, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, has been invited to be on an advisory board of the International Council on Clean Transportation, as the council produces a report on modeling land-use changes in agriculture and energy. The report, "Modeling the Indirect Effects of Biofuels: A Guide for the Perplexed," will draw on a set of supporting studies, including those conducted by FAPRI at ISU. The council is an international consortium working on progressive policies for motor vehicle technology and transportation fuels, with funding support from the Hewlett Foundation and the ClimateWorks Foundation.
NUTTER ADVISOR FOR NATIONAL PLANT DISEASE RECOVERY SYSTEM
Forrest Nutter, plant pathology, is serving as an advisor for the USDA National Plant Disease Recovery System. This program is charged with developing response plans for non-native plant pathogens that threaten U.S agriculture, before such pathogens are introduced accidentally, deliberately or by natural pathways. Nutter recently presented a talk on the concept of pathogen matching to assess disease risk at a planning workshop held in Dallas.
STUDENT TEAMS PLACE HIGH AT NATIONAL AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE
ISU students competing at the National Postsecondary Agricultural Student Organization Conference earned second- and third-place finishes in career-oriented contests. One of the two teams competing in College Bowl contests placed second while Swine Specialist and Crops Specialist teams each placed third.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
April 4: Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, 8 p.m., Memorial Union Great Hall
April 6-7: Egg Industry Issues Forum
April 19-20: BIGMAP Symposium, http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/bigmap/home.html
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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
AMES E-WASTE RECYCLING EVENT FOR STATE AND FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
An e-waste recycling event will take place from 7 a.m. to noon April 21 at the Department of Transportation offices, 800 Lincoln Way. There is a slight cost for monitors and televisions, but all other items can be recycled for free. The event is being offered for personal e-waste from state and federal employees. Contact: Shelene Codner, scodner@region12cog.org, Department of Natural Resources Iowa Waste Exchange.
April 27 (brief proposal): Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH): Community Grants Program; 14 awards, $200,000 for 24 months.
May 1: Wildlife Without Borders-Amphibians in Decline; 25,000.
May 2: Conoco Philips Energy Prize; team or individuals, $125,000 first prize, $25,000 runners-up. More: http://www.conocophillips.com/EN/tech/energyprize/Pages/index.aspx
May 4 (letter of intent): Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 2012 Multistate Conservation Grant Program; $2.5 million total anticipated funding.
May 12: Timor-Leste and South Pacific Scholarship Programs; $500,000 - $1 million. More: http://exchanges.state.gov/grants/open2.html
May 24: EU-U.S. Atlantis Program; 25 awards, $66,000 - $456,000 per award.
June 1: Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program; $4,500 - $262,000; maximum of $525,000 to a single institution.
June 30: The Doctors Cancer Foundation; management of cancer other than lung cancer; $50,000.
Oct. 15 (letter of intent): The Role of Microbial Metabolites in Cancer Prevention and Etiology (U01).
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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ISU'S NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT UPDATED
ISU's nondiscrimination statement has been updated to include "genetic information" in the list of protected classes. Please share this and use on all printed material. More: http://www.hrs.iastate.edu/hrs/node/344. The new statement is: "Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612."
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INFOGRAZING
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ISU REVISES INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICE FORM
A revised Independent Personal Service form is available under university forms templates and should be used immediately. The form is a required attachment for honorarium or expense voucher forms generated to pay for services performed by non-employees when the amount per voucher is less than $600 and the amount for the year is not expected to exceed $1,000. For more information: Bill Cahill, accounting, 4-5124. More: http://www.controller.iastate.edu/templates/ips.pdf
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INTERNAL VOICES
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HART ON INFLUENCES ON FOOD PRICES
"It's a whole slew of things that have influenced that price. When you look at the cost of our food, it is related to the cost of corn, soybeans and wheat and cattle but also the cost of oil, gas, diesel and unrest in other parts of the world." Chad Hart, economics, quoted in an Associated Press story on the Forbes magazine web site.
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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HUNGRY FOR SOLUTIONS: SCIENCE AND FEEDING WORLD
"As an agronomist, [University of Nebraska-Lincoln's] Ken Cassman has spent his career working on issues related to food security. These days he keenly focused on what kinds of agricultural research will produce the most bang for the investment of time and money. He chairs a council of scientists that advises international ag research centers "” the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, known as CGIAR "” on global agricultural research projects. While Cassman doesn't buy the doomsday predictions that a global food crisis is inevitable, he says science must play a leading role. And researchers must make wise choices about the most critical issues to address." From a guest post on Discover Magazine's website, written by Vicki Miller of the Office of Research and Economic Development at the University of Nebraska. The piece was written as part of an NSF Science: Becoming the Messenger Workshop.
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MARGINALIA
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SIGN OF SPRING: CALVING AT ISU'S MCNAY FARM
As of April 1, 61 calves have been born and are doing well at ISU's McNay Memorial Research and Demonstration Farm near Chariton, according to Kevin Maher, beef cattle manager and agricultural research specialist. The McNay farm is site of 400 purebred Angus cows that are involved in beef cattle breeding, nutrition and management studies. About 250 cows will calve this spring.
SIGN OF SPRING: BARLEY, CLOVER, LETTUCE PLANTED AT ISU FARMS
Kevin Van Dee, superintendent of ISU's Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Crawfordsville, reports that barley and clover plots were tilled and planted last week. The barley is part of an organic agriculture trial led by Kathleen Delate, agronomy and horticulture. At the Horticulture Research Station near Gilbert, leaf lettuce has been planted in a high tunnel, as part of a project led by Linda Naeve, Extension's Value-Added Agriculture Program.
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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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Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.