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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
February 10, 2014 No. 785
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COLLEGE NEWS
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REGISTRATION OPEN FOR GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER SYMPOSIUM
Registration is open for the George Washington Carver Life and Legacy Symposium to be held April 23 at the Iowa State University Scheman Center. The symposium is being held to honor the life and legacy of George Washington Carver who was born 150 years ago. The daylong event will focus on nurturing future George Washington Carver students through an integrated vision of recruiting and retaining diverse students in agricultural sciences.
IOWA SOYBEAN INVESTMENT IN ISU RESEARCH MARKS $50 MILLION
The Iowa Soybean Association was recognized Feb. 8 for its commitment to funding private-public soybean research during events held on the ISU campus. Since its founding in 1964, the ISA has invested nearly $50 million in checkoff funding to further the work of ISU scientists in improving soybean yields through better disease, insect and week management. “This relationship has been a long and strong one and we look forward to doing even more in the future,” said Brian Kemp, president of the Iowa Soybean Association. A ceremonial check presentation with President Steven Leath and CALS Dean Wendy Wintersteen was made at center court during the first half of the ISU vs. TCU men’s basketball game. More: https://www.facebook.com/IowaSoybeans?hc_location=timeline
SCHNABLE TO LEAD IOWA STATE’S PLANT SCIENCES INSTITUTE
Patrick Schnable, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in CALS, has been named director of the Plant Sciences Institute at ISU, effective Feb. 1. The Plant Sciences Institute oversees eight centers, with research involving nearly 200 faculty from six colleges and 30 departments. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/schnable-lead-iowa-state-s-p…
WEB BANNER FEATURES PATRICK SCHNABLE
On Feb. 1 Patrick Schnable, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was named director of the Plant Sciences Institute at Iowa State University. Schnable received the inaugural Iowa Corn Promotion Board Endowed Chair in Genetics in the Department of Agronomy. To view the banner and story go to https://www.cals.iastate.edu/.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FEED AND FOOD
Consumers are increasingly concerned that animal agriculture takes away human food supplies and wastes resources. To help answer those questions and help consumers learn about the role animals can have in a healthy diet, as well as maximizing resources that could otherwise be unusable, the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology has released a new video based on its Issue Paper “Animal Feed vs. Human Food: Challenges and Opportunities in Sustaining Animal Agriculture Toward 2050.” Helen Jensen, economics, is one of the task force authors. More: http://bit.ly/1bFl0j8
LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION PROGRAM FOR 4-H TO BE DEVELOPED
Amy Powell was recently hired to help develop an online curriculum to teach youth in 4-H about raising livestock. The new Extension and Outreach position of 4-H livestock specialist will work with Department of Animal Science professors to ensure the information is scientifically sound. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/livestock-production-program…
IOWA LEARNING FARMS RELEASES COVER CROP VIDEO
To help farmers understand how cover crops work and the best management practices for including them in rotations, Iowa Learning Farms has developed several educational resources, including a new video, “Cover Crops: Farmer Perspectives.” The video features seven Iowa farmers who use cover crops on their agricultural fields.
LECTURER LOOKS AT PASSENGER PIGEON EXTINCTION
To mark the 100th anniversary of the loss of one of the world’s most abundant birds, the Leopold Center is bringing renowned ornithologist and wildlife biologist Stan Temple to ISU. His presentation, “The Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon: Lessons from the Past for a Sustainable Future,” will be held March 6 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Co-sponsors of the lecture include the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, the Graduate Program for Sustainable Agriculture and CALS.
HORTICULTURE CLUB TO SELL ROSES FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
This ISU Horticulture Club is taking rose orders in addition to its sale on Valentine's Day in the Memorial Union. If you order roses ahead of time you may pick them up on Feb. 14 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. in 0045 Horticulture Hall. To order email roses@iastate.edu or call (515) 450-1920. Orders must be made by Feb. 10. The club also will sell roses on Feb. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Memorial Union. The club will sell red, yellow, pink and white roses for $5 for a single stem, $25 for six, $30 for six with a vase and $55 for one dozen in a vase.
PRE-VET CLUB TO HOST NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
The Iowa State Pre-Veterinary Club will be hosting the 2014 American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association Symposium in Ames on March 21-23. The APVMA Symposium is one of the largest pre-vet conferences in the country and includes a dynamic schedule of labs and lectures that introduce pre-vet students to the myriad of careers available in the field of veterinary medicine.
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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REMINDER: BAILEY RESEARCH AWARD APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 3
Applications for the Baily Research Career Development Awards should be submitted electronically to Joe Colletti (colletti@iastate.edu) and to the applicant’s department chair by March 3. Any full-time tenured associate professor or professor may apply. Faculty split between two colleges should submit to the college in which they are tenured.
USDA SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION RESEARCH PROGRAM
The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service is accepting expressions of interest for the Scientific Cooperation Research Program. The objective of SCRP is to reduce global poverty and hunger by supporting applied scientific research, extension or education projects that address challenges faced by small farmers, particularly women, in Feed the Future countries countries. Budgets are limited to $40,000 over two years. Expressions of interest are due March 28.
USAID SEEKS COMMENTS ON NEW PANDEMIC INFLUENZA-EMERGING THREATS PROGRAMS
USAID is seeking comments on draft program descriptions for three programs: (a) Pandemic Influenza and Other Emerging Threats Program – One Health Workforce; (b) Pandemic Influenza and Other Emerging Threats Program – PREDICT 2; and (c) Pandemic Influenza and Other Emerging Threats Program – Prepare and Respond. USAID plans to issue Requests for Applications within the next few months. In the draft program descriptions, educational institutions are eligible to apply. Single awards up to $50 million, $100 million and $45 million, respectively, are anticipated. Comments are due by Feb. 26. More: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=251077 ; http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=251079 ; http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=251082
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/
March 3 (concept papers): Renewable Carbon Fibers, one or two awards, $6 million to $12 million. More: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/
March 3: Clare Boothe Luce Program; undergraduate, graduate and post-doc, and tenure-track women in STEM.
March 7 (pre-proposal): USDA NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants. More: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financi…
May 20: Bioengineering Research Partnerships R01. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-092.html ??
Apr. 4: USDA Organic Transitions (ORG).
Sept. 18: NIH Human Immunology Project Consortium. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-14-007.html
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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ACCEPT vs. AGREE
Don’t confuse agree and accept. When you want to say that someone expresses their willingness to do something, use agree with an infinitive. For example: Some people readily agree to work at weekends. You can use accept when you want to say that someone recognizes that something is true, fair or right. It is followed by a noun phrase or a that-clause: Our clients will never accept this proposal. The great majority of landowners accept that they must obey the law. (Macmillan Dictionary Blog, Feb. 6, 2014, http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/language-tip-of-the-week-accept-…)
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INFOGRAZING
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HOW WOMEN LEAD AND THE DIFFERENCE IT MAKES, FEB. 11
Melissa Harris-Perry will present “How Women Lead and the Difference It Makes” on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Room. Harris-Perry is a professor of political science at Tulane University, where she directs the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race and Politics in the South. She also hosts a weekend MSNBC program, the "Melissa Harris-Perry Show," that features analysis and guest-driven discussion of political, cultural and community issues. Part of the Women and Leadership Series. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/01/30/harris-perry
SESSIONS ON NEW RESEARCH FOCUS FOR PSI
Patrick Schnable, director of the Plant Sciences Institute, will hold two sessions this month to explain a new research focus and funding model for the Institute. He will describe a new Faculty Fellows program and gage interest in a future workshop series. The first session will be held Feb. 21, 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Gallery. The second session will be held Feb. 25, 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Multicultural Center.
SMOKIN’ G’s MOVES TO KILDEE HALL
The Smokin’ G’s BBQ food truck has moved inside to the Iowa Farm Bureau Pavilion in Kildee Hall for the winter months. They are open Tuesdays through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Smokin’ G’s from Marshalltown is one of the new vendors that joined the food truck fleet on campus in August 2013. More: http://www.inside.iastate.edu/article/2013/08/22/food
NCRCRD WEBINAR ADDRESSES REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT
The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development is hosting an Innovations in Agriculture and Rural Development webinar on Feb. 18, 12 to 1 p.m. Rick Funston, a professor and reproductive physiologist at the University of Nebraska, will speak on “Increasing Production Efficiency through Reproductive Management.” More: http://ncrcrd.msu.edu/ncrcrd/innovations_in_agriculture_and_rural_devel…
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INTERNAL VOICES
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BROWN: WHY PRODUCE BIOFUELS?
In a guest column for the Feb. 9 issue of The Gazette, Robert Brown, director of the Bioeconomy Institute and the Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering at ISU, explains why we are producing biofuels. “Conversion of biomass into biofuels is the best option for reducing use of petroleum and other fossil fuels. Why? Except for biofuels, none of the other fossil-fuel alternatives – coal, natural gas, tar sands, oil shale – has prospects for long-term sustainability as evaluated in terms of production costs, greenhouse gas emissions, water demand, impact on local communities or infrastructure investment.” More: http://thegazette.com/2014/02/09/why-we-are-producing-biofuels/
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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WHY LABELING GMO FOODS MAKES NO SENSE
New Hampshire Representatives Tara Sad and Bob Haefner, members of the Environment and Agriculture Committee that studied House Bill 660, the bill to require the labeling of genetically modified foods, recently submitted an editorial to the New Hampshire Union Leader. “After 19 meetings during which we investigated every aspect of the bill in exhaustive detail, both of us voted against the mandatory labeling of foods made with genetic engineering. We’d like to share with you the reasons why.”
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MARGINALIA
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AG SECRETARY A FARMER'S SON WITH PASSION FOR AGRICULTURE
Five Iowans have served as U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture, prior to current incumbent Tom Vilsack. Iowa Farmer Today is publishing a series of articles highlighting these individuals. Mike Johanns, born and raised on a dairy farm in Osage, was the fifth Iowan to serve as Secretary of Agriculture (2005-2007). He describes himself as "a farmer's son with an intense passion for agriculture."
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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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