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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
January 13, 2014 No. 781
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COLLEGE NEWS
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FARMER PERSPECTIVES ON CLIMATE SUMMARIZED IN REPORT
A new report on farmer perspectives on climate and agriculture, gathered in a 2012 survey of nearly 5,000 farmers from 11 Corn Belt states, presents survey results by watershed. "Farmer Perspectives on Agriculture and Weather Variability in the Corn Belt: A Statistical Atlas" is a new publication of the Climate and Corn-based Cropping Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project, based at ISU. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/corn-belt-farmer-perspective…
ROTHSCHILD RECEIVES GREATER GOOD GRANT FOR STUDY IN EGYPT
In a Jan. 9 news release from Illumina, Max Rothschild, distinguished professor of animal science, is featured as a recipient of the company’s Agricultural Greater Good Initiative Grants. ISU will use the grant to better understand the genetics associated with grazing under heat stress in goats and sheet in Egypt.
WEBINAR LOOKS AT LAST 10 YEARS AND FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE
The Iowa Learning Farm's monthly webinar will be Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 11:30 a.m. This month kicks off the fourth year of ILF webinars as well as the 10th year of the Iowa Learning farms program. Jacqueline Comito, ILF program manager, will present "Building a Culture of Conservation: A 10-Year Review." She will offer an overview of ILF, how it started and the accomplishments that the program has experienced. She also will consider the future of Iowa agriculture in relation to the nutrient reduction strategy.
IPIC TO HAVE PROMINENT PRESENCE AT IOWA PORK CONGRESS
The Iowa Pork Industry Center will have a prominent presence at the Iowa Pork Congress, scheduled for Jan. 22-23 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. ISU faculty and staff will take part in educational seminars, including:
* Rodger Main and Rodney “Butch” Baker, Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine – Understanding PEDv: Diagnostics, Impacts and Biosecurity
* Lee Schulz, economics – Managing the Margin: Economic Outlook
* Dave Stender, Extension field specialist – PQA Plus
* Tom Miller, Extension program specialist – TQA
* John Lawrence, CALS associate dean – Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy
* David Baker, Beginning Farmer Center – Farm Transitions and Beginning Farmer Opportunities
* Angela Rieck-Hinz, agronomy – Manure Applicator Certifications
The trade show will take place in HyVee Hall. Attendees can find the IPIC and IMMAG booth near the Pork Information Plaza. More: http://www.iowaporkcongress.org/
BEEF SALE TO BE HELD JAN. 25 AT HANSEN AGRICULTURE LEARNING CENTER
The Iowa State University Beef Sales Team is selling purebred Angus and Simmental heifers on Jan. 25 at the Hansen Agricultural Student Learning Center. The cattle were raised on the ISU Beef Teaching Farm. Heifer viewing begins at 9 a.m. Lunch is at noon followed by the auction at 1 p.m. For more information contact Marshall Ruble at (515) 460-2384, Molly O'Regan at (563) 380-7133 or Ty Sexton at (319) 461-0519.
BEGINNING FARMERS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR FEB. 1
The ninth annual Beginning Farmers Conference will be held Feb. 1 at the Scheman Building in Ames. The keynote speaker will be Pat Grassley, chair of the Iowa House Agriculture Committee. Other speakers include Chard Hart, economics; Lee Schulz, economics; and Dave Baker, Beginning Farmers Center.
ROSS AND SELSBY CO-AUTHOR ARTICLE FOR FASEB JOURNAL
Jason Ross and Joshua Selsby, animal science, are co-authors of an article published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Titled “Dystrophin insufficiency causes selective muscle histopathology and loss of dystrophin-glycoprotein complex assembly in pig skeletal muscle,” it was published online Dec. 17. More: https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15306860?allch=&gca=fasebj%3Bfj.13-241141v1&submit=Go
RESEARCH RESULTS AVAILABLE FOR FIVE COMPLETED PROJECTS
Summaries of five recently completed grant projects and links to related sources are available on the Leopold Center website.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
March 12: CALS Spring Awards Program, 4:10 p.m., Memorial Union South Ballroom
April 15-16: 2014 Egg Industry Issues Forum, Indianapolis
April 29-May1: Global Food Security Consortium Spring Symposium, Ames.
May 14: Food and Agriculture National Conference, Minneapolis
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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NCRCRD FY 2013/14 SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM
The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development small grants competition will award up to $20,000 to teams of land grant employees drawn from at least two north central states. Additional partners from other regions or types of employers may be team members. Awards will be made for work in innovation diffusion for rural development, sustainable communities, leadership development and entrepreneurial communities. Proposals are due Jan. 31. More: http://ncrcrd.msu.edu/ncrcrd/grants
NSF STEM-C Partnerships Webinars Jan. 14 and 15
A National Science Foundation webinar, scheduled for Jan. 14 and repeated on Jan. 15, will provide information about submitting proposals to the NSF STEM-C Partnerships: MSP program. Opportunities for funding in five focal areas for targeted partnerships will be highlighted. More: http://www.nsf.gov/events/event_summ.jsp?cntn_id=130095&WT.mc_ev=click
GIF PROVIDES BIG DATA SERVICES FOR DNA SEQUENCING
The Genome Informatics Facility empowers ISU faculty to explore biological questions by providing bioinformatic analyses of Big Data from Next Generation DNA Sequencing technology and training. The three highest priorities of the GIF are to inform faculty of best practices of Next Generation Sequencing analysis to increase the success of extramural grants, to transform Next Generation Sequencing data into formats that can be used for preliminary data analysis in grant applications and data for publications, and to provide access to computing infrastructure for researchers to learn and perform these analyses. GIF provides grant consultations, data management plans and experimental design strategizing free of charge. Contact: Andrew Severin, andrewseverin@gmail.com, 294-1320.
FUNDING INFORMATION, OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINE REMINDERS
Dates listed are application deadlines. Contact: Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu
Additional information is posted at CALS Funding Resources, http://www.ag.iastate.edu/research/fundingResources/
Feb. 3 (white papers): DARPA Folded Non-Natural Polymers with Biological Function (Fold F(x)).
Feb. 27: USDA NIFA Small Business Innovation Research Phase II; requires successful completion of Phase I grant.
March 14 (letter of intent): USDA AFRI Food Security Challenge Area.
March 27: USAID et al., Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development (Round 4). More: http://www.savinglivesatbirth.net/
April 8: NSF Cyber-Innovation for Sustainability Science and Engineering (CyberSEES). More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504829
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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FINE-TUNE FOR RADIO AND TELEVISION
Because radio and television allow the audience to see and/or hear the story, you have to consider much more than your words in an interview with a broadcast reporter. Enthusiasm, energy and emotion—or lack of them—will translate directly into the final product. Spend a little extra time preparing for broadcast interviews, and always be on the lookout for vivid ways to tell a more compelling, visually oriented story. (Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter, 2010, pg. 151)
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INFOGRAZING
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USDA LISTENING SESSION IN OMAHA, JAN. 14
USDA Undersecretary and USDA Chief Scientist Catherine Woteki is holding a listening session in Omaha on Tuesday, Jan. 14, to discuss views on models for the Innovation Institutes for Agricultural Research Challenges, which were proposed by the President’s Council on Science and Technology in its report to the President for agricultural preparedness and the agricultural research enterprise. Manjit Misra and Roxanne Clemens are attending on behalf of the college and will report back. Others interested in attending should RSVP to REEcomments@osec.usda.gov. Other questions about the session should be directed to Caren Wilcox, (202) 720-6118 or caren.wilcox@osec.usda.gov.
VISITATION FOR NELDA CHRISTIAN, JAN. 14
Nelda Cobb Christian, wife of the late Lauren Christian, animal science, died Jan. 9. She was 78. Christian was a home economics and physical education teacher until she retired in 1961 to raise her children. A gathering of friends will be 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care in Ames. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at Gilbert Lutheran Church. More: http://grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com/obituary/121725/Nelda-Christi…
UPCOMING EVENTS AT ISU WILL HONOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
ISU and the Ames community will honor the legacy of Nobel Peace Prize winner and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. through several events beginning Wednesday, Jan. 15, and continuing during the next three weeks. All events are free and open to the public. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/01/13/mlkevents
GRADUATE INFORMATION SESSION, JAN. 27
New and current graduate students are invited to attend an information session on Jan. 27, 6 to 6:50 p.m. in the Memorial Union South Ballroom. Topics include new policies from the Graduate College, paperless POS, professional development opportunities, upcoming events for graduate students, first graduate and professional student research conference and more. At 7 p.m., Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance and the ISU Police will be making presentations and answering questions. More: http://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/news/news.php?id=046
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INTERNAL VOICES
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Ag450 STUDENT: CONTRIBUTING EXPERIENCES AND IDEAS
For more than 70 years, ISU has provided students enrolled in the Agricultural Education and Studies 450 class the opportunity to manage a working farm. Iowa Public Television’s Market to Market program featured this student-managed farming operation, the only one of its kind at a land-grant institution, on Jan. 10. Josh Faivre, a senior in agricultural business and a student in Ag450, will return to work on his parent’s farm after graduation. Faivre said on his time in the class: “I want to learn new things—some technology, new equipment—I might not have gotten a chance to run. So when I go back to the farm I can contribute some experiences and ideas…Eventually, I want to take over the farm. A lot of people do stuff in life for the money. I’m gonna farm just ‘cause I love it.” More: http://www.iptv.org/mtom/story.cfm/feature/11321/mtom_20140110_3920_fea…
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MARGINALIA
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TRUCKER TRICKS FOR KEEPING STUDENTS AWAKE
Sean Heuston, an associate professor of English at The Citadel and former truck driver, passes on his “trucker tricks” for staying awake to his students on the first day of class. He has his students lift a foot three inches off the ground, or an arm three inches off the desk, and hold the pose. As long as their muscles are tensed or active, he tells them, they won’t fall asleep. Heuston follows up these tips by inviting the students, at any time during class throughout the term, so stand up if they feel like they are getting sleepy. They can take their notebooks and stand at the back or side of the classroom. He tells them he’d much prefer a class full of standing students to one full of sleeping or drowsy students. Read the full article at Pedagogy Unbound, https://chroniclevitae.com/news/219-pedagogy-unbound-trucker-tricks-for…
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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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EDITOR
Julie Stewart
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/agonline
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