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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
March 10, 2014 No. 789
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COLLEGE NEWS
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CALS SPRING AWARDS PROGRAM WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Spring Awards Program, honoring “Best in the College” faculty and staff achievements (formerly Spring Convocation), is Wednesday, March 12, at 4:10 p.m. in the Memorial Union South Ballroom. A reception will follow.
HORTICULTURE SEMINAR DISCUSSES SUSTAINABILITY AT ISU, TODAY
Steve Jonas, composting facility, ISU Research and Demonstration Farms, will discuss sustainability at ISU at a Department of Horticulture seminar today, March 10, 4:10 to 5 p.m. in 118 Horticulture Hall. Light refreshments will be served.
SCHNABLE’S PSI PRESENTATION VIDEO AVAILABLE ONLINE
Plant Sciences Institute director Patrick Schnable, agronomy, outlined a new research focus at a presentation on Feb. 21. The video of that presentation is now available online.
A SIGN OF SPRING: LAWNMOWER SERVICE DAYS, APRIL 4-5
The Agriculture Systems Technology Club will hold its annual Lawnmower Service Days on Friday, April 4, from 1 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 5, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Industrial Education II building, west of the ISU horse barns. Cost for routine maintenance is $35 for a push mower and $50 for a riding mower. (Major repairs not provided.) Pick-up and delivery are available for Ames only; $15 for push mowers and $20 for riding mowers. More: astservicedays@gmail.com, (515) 708-8672.
IOWA LOCAL FOOD CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 8
The Iowa Local Food Conference is scheduled for April 8 at Quality Inn in Ames. Keynotes and panels will highlight the growing number of opportunities available to food producers in their local networks.
CALS STUDENT SELECTED AS CAMPUS AMBASSADOR FOR AFA
Adam Striegel, junior in agricultural and life sciences education, is one of 17 students selected as a campus ambassador by Agriculture Future of America for the 2014-15 year.
P&S CYTATION AWARDS ANNOUNCED
Dan Burden and Jacqueline Comito received the Professional and Scientific Council’s CYtation awards for fall 2013 in a ceremony at the Memorial Union on March 5. Burden is a program coordinator with Value-Added Agriculture Extension. Comito is program manager for Iowa Learning Farms.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
March 21-23: American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association Symposium, Ames
April 15-16: 2014 Egg Industry Issues Forum, Indianapolis
April 23: George Washington Carver Life and Legacy Symposium, Scheman Center
April 29-30: Global Food Security Consortium Spring Symposium, Ames
May 14: Food and Agriculture National Conference, Minneapolis
May 14-16: Integrating Resistant Starch, Microbiome and Disease Risk Reduction international symposium, Ames
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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GATES FOUNDATION GRAND CHALLENGES EXPLORATIONS ROUND 13
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its funding partners invite innovators to apply for the Grand Challenges Explorations Round 13. Initial grants will be $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to US $1 million. Proposals are due May 6.
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 14: Great Rivers CESU Future Precipitation Effects on Fire Frequency in the South Central U.S.; $110,039. More: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=252137
April 1: Fish and Wildlife Services Marine Turtle Conservation Fund.
April 13 (letter of intent): NIH NIBIB Biomedical Technology Service Centers (P30). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-145.html
April 13, Aug. 13: NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-14-147.html
April 17 (letter of intent): USDA AFRI Childhood Obesity Prevention.
April 28: NIFA Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Fields Program (WAMS); $75,000 to $300,000.
May 19 (letter of intent): NIH Consortium for Food Allergy Research; one application per institution. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-14-003.html
June 10: NIH Genomes to Natural Products (U01). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-GM-15-001.html
July 9: William T. Grant Scholars Program; early-career researchers in the social, behavioral and health sciences; limited submission. More: http://www.wtgrantfoundation.org/funding_opportunities/fellowships/will…
Sept. 26 (concept papers): DOE Open Innovative Development in Energy-Related Applied Science. More: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx
Oct. 15: AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science; early-career scientist or engineer, $5,000 prize.
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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IN DEFENSE OF CLICHES
“At the end of the day, it is tougher than a nickel steak to banish from American popular parlance certain phrases such as at the end of the day,” writes Linton Weeks, national correspondent for NPR Digital News, in the Feb. 26 blog the protojournalist. “As a believer that the English language is a living, breathing thing, I think detractors should take a step back. Hold your horses. Picking on low hanging fruit is easy as pie. So I am writing like a maniac in defense of clichés. Or at least asking that they be forgiven. In other words: Pardon the expression.” More: http://www.npr.org/blogs/theprotojournalist/2014/02/26/282505433/50-cli…
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INFOGRAZING
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SPRING BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES CONTINUES, MARCH 12
Strengthening the Professoriate at ISU continues their spring brown bag lunch series on Wednesday, March 12, 12 to 1 p.m. at 192 Parks Library. The topic is data management planning. These are informal discussions led by faculty and staff that are experienced in various areas of broader impacts and are open to all graduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff. The series runs through April 9. More: http://www.spisu.iastate.edu//newsletters/spring-2014-brown-bag-lunch-s…
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 31
Applications are now being accepted for the 2014-2015 Undergraduate Research Assistantship program, which encourages outstanding juniors and seniors to pursue graduate study by offering them hands-on experience in a formal research environment. Applications are due March 31.
REGISTER NOW FOR SUSTAINABILITY WORKSHOP, APRIL 7
Registration is open for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ workshop “Economic, Environmental and Societal Sustainability,” scheduled for April 7 at 1 p.m. in the Iowa State Alumni Center. ISU researchers will examine approaches for collaboration between the sciences, the humanities and business in fields related to sustainability. Pre-registration is required for this free workshop.
WORLD CONGRESS ON CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE, JUNE 22-25
The sixth World Congress on Conservation Agriculture will be held June 22-25 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The goal is to promote the practical application of conservation practices to improve the sustainability of agriculture. North America will host this conference for the first time. More: http://www.wcca6.org/
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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UNIVERSITY ENCOURAGES HELICOPTER PARENTS TO HOVER
Helicopter parents try to remain as involved as possible in the lives of their collegiate offspring. Many colleges politely tolerate doting parents. The University of Tennessee at Martin welcomes them. The university has given parents access to a website where they can see what courses their children have signed up for, whether they have been missing classes, students' midterm and final grades, any warnings that professors have issued about the behavior or academic performance of their child, as well as any financial-aid paperwork that might be missing. Brandy Cartmell, interim executive director for student engagement and registrar at Martin, describes the site as a "landing pad" for helicopter parents. For some students, the hazards of helicopter parenting pale in comparison to the hazards of having parents who are totally disengaged, says Cartmell. "So we give them the landing pad so they know how to help us help their students." More: http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/u-of-tennessee-at-martin-encoura…
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MARGINALIA
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SEED LIBRARIES PROMOTE HEIRLOOM GARDENING
A project at Hampshire College is part of a small but growing group of “seed libraries” across the country, local centers that aim to promote heirloom gardening and revive a more grassroots approach to seed breeding. Seed libraries see themselves as an important part of a bigger movement, to bring the issue of global plant diversity down to the community level. More: http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/03/09/seed-libraries-try-save-wor…
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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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