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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 7, 2014 No. 793
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COLLEGE NEWS
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ISU RANKED AMONG TOP IN WORLD IN AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
ISU has been ranked fifth in the world among universities in the area of agriculture and forestry by a British organization’s annual university rankings. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/iowa-state-university-ranked…
VEISHEA: CALS SPONSORS CAMPUS COOKOUT FRIDAY, APRIL 11
CALS is sponsoring a campus cookout on Friday, April 11, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring hot dogs (donated by ISU Meat Science Extension), mac and cheese by ISU Dining and Otis Spunkmeyer cookies.
VEISHEA: COMPLETE CALS’ CLUBS PASSPORT TOUR FOR PRIZE
CALS invites students, visitors and alumni to visit Curtiss Hall to pick up a CALS Clubs Passport to Veishea and tour the newly renovated Curtiss Hall. Visit CALS Club activities on campus and get your passport stamped. When completed, return to Curtiss Hall for a prize.
VEISHEA: VISIT CALS DEPARTMENTS, CLUBS AT VEISHEA VILLAGE, APRIL 12
Here are selected activities and location of CALS student and department exhibits:
* Block and Bridle – Livestock exhibit with pigs, sheep, chickens and calves (Iowa Farm Bureau Livestock Pavilion).
* ISU Collegiate Beef Team – Power Up With Protein is an educational program designed to create public awareness about the health benefits of dietary protein and the availability of protein in everyday foods.
* CALS Student Council – selling CALS merchandise (central campus).
* Culinary Science Club – Homemade popcorn in two flavors: Cyclone (raspberry and lemonade mix) and caramel. New item this year is marshmallow popcorn pops (200 MacKay Hall).
* Dairy Products Evaluation Club – Freshly-made cheese curds for sale (209 MacKay Hall).
* Department of Agronomy – Sweet Soil Treats, find out how KoolAid is linked to clean drinking water, free bag of popcorn, watch water underground, see the only cotton and rice crops in Iowa, walk through a corn forest and dig in the dirt (central campus).
* Environmental Science Graduate Organization – Selling reusable bags and water bottles as an Environmental Science GSO fundraising event.
* Equestrian Club – Join the ISU Equestrian Team after the parade at the ISU Horse Barn for $5 pony rides or decorate your own horseshoe for $3.
* Graduate Student Horticulture Society – Apple pie slices for visitors at Horticulture Hall.
* Horticulture Club – Spring Plant Sale including annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs, 0045 Horticulture Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Children’s activities will be hosted in the hallway and include seed matching trivia and an interactive picture board.
* Insect Zoo – Hands-on experience with arthropods from all over the world. Will be held on the fourth floor along with the honeybee observation hive. Kids and adults will be able to create their own butterfly with real butterfly wings. Chirpy-chip cookies and insect fondue will be served on the first floor (Science Hall II).
* International Agriculture Club – Test your knowledge on agriculture around the world (central campus).
* Landscape Club – Pond display in Horticulture Hall atrium.
* Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences – Celebrate the life and legacy of George Washington Carver by learning about the products he created and the patents he was awarded (central campus).
* Natural Resource Ecology and Management – Face painting, meet Smokey the Bear, learn about water systems and challenge your friends to a casting contest, along with cotton candy and a fish fry (central campus). ?
* Pre-Veterinary Club – Petting zoo (Iowa Farm Bureau Livestock Pavilion).
* Seed Science Center – (Seed Science Building).
* Sigma Alpha – Interactive display exploring many commodities of Iowa agriculture (central campus/Beardshear).
* Undergraduate Microbiology Club – Tour the life of a bacterium, try homemade soda-pop or Jell-O petri plates (Room 101, 109 and 123 Science Hall I).
RESEARCH FARMS SENDS FIRST E-NEWSLETTER OF THE SEASON
The ISU Research Farms issued its first electronic newsletter of the season last week. If you did not get one and would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact Sally Medford, smedford@iastate.edu.
COLLABORATIVE SCIENCE YIELDS NEW INSIGHT
A highly collaborative approach to gathering data spearheaded by ISU faculty and students has revealed new insight into plant biodiversity and netted publication in a top scientific journal. The "Nutrient Network," a global grid of scientists who record and share ecological conditions at various sites, was co-founded in 2005 by Stanley Harpole, ecology, evolution and organismal biology. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/04/01/nutrientnetnitrogen
IOWA WINE INDUSTRY POISED FOR EXPANSION
The expansion of Iowa’s wine industry in recent years shows its potential to become a regional leader, according to Murli Dharmadhikari, food science and human nutrition and director of the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute at ISU. A recent study reported that the economic impact of Iowa’s wine and wine grapes industry was $420 million in 2012, an increase of around 80 percent from $234 million in 2008. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/04/07/iowawinestudy
APRIL 10 BEAL LECTURE ADDRESSES RURAL LIFE, RURAL IOWA
The George M. Beal Distinguished Lectureship in Rural Sociology will be held April 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Curtiss Hall auditorium. Claude Fischer, professor of sociology at the University of California at Berkeley, will present “Rural Life, Rural Iowa and the Making of the American Character.” More: http://www.soc.iastate.edu/
JOIN THE CALS SAFE ZONE TRAINING APRIL 14
Please consider attending the CALS Safe Zone Training on April 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in 13 Curtiss Hall. Lunch will be provided. This training is a an opportunity for faculty, staff and graduate students to advance awareness, knowledge and skills around the services and support that we provide to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) students and colleagues. For more information about the Safe Zone Program and the benefits for you and the entire campus, please take a moment to read throughout Safe Zone Program Overview. Those interested in participating need to complete the Safe Zone 101 Training Registration Form (link provided on the overview page). To complete the registration form, you will be asked to provide a Registration Access Code. Please enter, exactly as written, the word “RainbowAgSci" into the Registration Access Code blank to allow the system to recognize the specific training date and time of April 14.
BLOCK AND BRIDLE’S 4TH ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT APRIL 14
The ISU Block & Bridle Poultry Interest Group will hold its 4th Annual Easter Egg Hunt for children ages 2 to 12 on April 14, 5 to 7 p.m. Check-in will be at 5 in Lagomarcino Classroom 162. The hunt will begin at 5:30 in the Lagomarcino Courtyard. Alternate location indoors will be the Iowa Farm Bureau Pavilion in Kildee Hall. Activities will include: Easter egg hunt (bring your own basket), egg dying and decorating and Easter coloring pages. Refreshments provided and free will donations accepted at the door. Contact ISUPoultryInterestGroup@gmail.com with questions.
SAVE THE DATE: SCIENCE WITH PRACTICE POSTER PRESENTATION
The Science With Practice poster presentation will be April 29, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Kildee Hall Atrium. Science With Practice is a CALS experiential learning and work program for undergraduate students in agriculture.
AMBASSADOR AND CONSUL GENERAL OF PERU VISIT CALS
Ambassador of Peru Harold Forsyth and Consul General of Peru Agustin de Madalengoitia visited CALS April 2 to discuss future collaborations with Max Rothschild, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture in animal science, and Curt Youngs, animal science. In partnership with La Molina University, the next Ensminger School will be Nov. 3-5 in Lima, Peru. Rothschild leads the schools. Youngs has been involved in collaborative efforts and research projects with La Molina University since 2006. The ambassador also met with President Steven Leath and administrators in the College of Design. The visit was organized by CALS Global Programs.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
April 23: George Washington Carver Life and Legacy Symposium, Scheman Center
April 29-30: Global Food Security Consortium Spring Symposium, Ames
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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LIMITED SUBMISSION: NSF S-STEM
The NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program emphasize the importance of recruiting students to STEM disciplines, mentoring and supporting students through degree completion, and partnering with employers to facilitate student career placement in the STEM workforce. Institutions can submit one proposal per constituent school or college. Interested individuals whose primary appointment is in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences should contact Joe Colletti (colletti@astate.edu) by April 11 so the college can determine whether an internal competition will be needed. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/research/fundingResources/
LIMITED SUBMISSION: NSF SCALABLE NONMANUFACTURING
The Office of the VPR is accepting pre-proposals for the NSF Scalable Nonmanufacturing program. The emphasis of this program is on research to overcome the key scientific and technological barriers that prevent the production of useful nanomaterials, nanostructures, devices and systems at an industrially relevant scale, reliably, and at low cost and within environmental, health and safety guidelines. One proposal per institution will be accepted by NSF. Preproposals should be sent to Sue Shipitalo (sue@iastate.edu) by April 28. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/research/fundingResources/
LIMITED SUBMISSION: BRAIN RESEARCH FOUNDATION SIA
The VPR Office is soliciting pre-proposals for the Brain Research Foundation’s Scientific Innovation Award for senior researchers. This funding mechanism is designed to support creative, cutting edge research in well-established research laboratories, under the direction of established investigators. This funding opportunity is for projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings in a very short timeframe. One proposal per institution will be accepted. Preproposals should be sent to Sue Shipitalo (sue@iastate.edu) by May 12. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/research/fundingResources/
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/
April 28 (concept papers): U.S. DOE Technology Incubator for Wind Energy Innovations. More: http://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/technology-incubator-wind-ener…
May 1 (pre-proposal): United Sorghum Checkoff Program FY 2015 Request for Proposals.
May 6: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations Round 13: Innovations in Feedback & Accountability Systems for Agricultural Development.
May 6 (letter of intent): USFWS FY2015 Multistate Conservation Grant Program. More: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=253220
May 8: USDA NIFA Supplemental and Alternative Crops Competitive Grants Program (canola).
May 9, Dec. 25 (letter of intent): Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (R25). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-170.html
May 15: NIFA Special Research Grants Program Potato Breeding Research.
June 27: NSF Innovation Corps Sites Program; one proposal per institution. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504802
July 31: USFWS Ecological Services Program – FY 2014 Recovery Implementation Fund; endangered species. More: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=253309
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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NUMBERS DON’T SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
In covering a story, journalists will use one or two key numbers and, even then, probably in conversational terms. You will have to sacrifice some degree of precision, but you can make sure that your number is usable, memorable and still faithful to the data by following these suggestions:
* Sum it up and simplify.
* Use frequencies instead of probabilities.
* Compare and contrast.
* Explain significance versus magnitude.
(Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter, 2010, pg. 110)
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INFOGRAZING
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RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH TRAINING FOR GRAD STUDENTS AND POST-DOCS
The National Science Foundation, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and certain National Institutes of Health awards require that graduate students and postdoctoral associates be trained in the responsible conduct of research. To help meet this requirement, each fall and spring term, ISU offers both graduate level and postdoctoral level courses in RCR. The graduate level course is GR ST 565. Responsible Conduct of Research in Science and Engineering. The postdoctoral course is a non-credit version of GRST 565. Both versions of the course are open to all interested parties on a first-come, first-served basis.
INSTRUMENT TO STUDY EFFECTS OF GENES, ENVIRONMENT ON PLANT TRAITS
ISU's Liang Dong, electrical and computer engineering, is leading a research team that's developing an accessible instrument with the scale, flexibility and resolution needed to study how genes and environmental conditions affect plant traits. Dong says the instrument could enable experiments that are now impossible. The project is supported by a three-year, $697,550 grant from the National Science Foundation. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/03/25/planttraitsinstrument
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INTERNAL VOICES
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WINTERSTEEN: WHAT AGRICULTURE HAS DONE FOR IOWA
At the annual meeting of the Northeast Iowa Agricultural Experimental Association in Nashua on March 19, Dean Wendy Wintersteen said it is important to look at what agriculture has done for Iowa in the past decade. "Agriculture and its associated industries made a huge difference in the Iowa economy in the last decade and a lot of people still don't know that," Wintersteen said in a March 31 article in the Post Bulletin. More: http://www.postbulletin.com/archives/agriculture-making-huge-difference…
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT: PROUD TO HAVE BORLAUG STATUE IN NASHUA
The Borlaug Learning Center at ISU's Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Nashua had an unveiling of its own Norman Borlaug statue at the March 19 annual meeting of the Northeast Iowa Agricultural Experimental Association. The bronze sculpture is a three-foot replica of the seven-foot Borlaug statue officially unveiled March 25 in National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. “I’m proud that we were able to raise the money and put this in the center,” said Frank Moore, a Cresco farmer and president of the Northeast Iowa Agricultural Experimental Association, in a March 31 article in the Post Bulletin. More: http://www.postbulletin.com/archives/borlaug-learning-center-unveils-st…
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MARGINALIA
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CALS STUDENT HELPS ORGANIZE CANCER AWARENESS VIDEO
Brad Pickhinke, a sophomore in agricultural biochemistry and state FFA reporter, helped organize Rock’n Out Cancer at Iowa State, two awareness videos about cancer. The first video is the theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjXpIz4AKHo); the second is an extended version with interviews with some of the dancers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVtrMI9hge4&feature=youtu.be). Their goal is 15,000 views.
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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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