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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
Oct. 27, 2014 No. 822
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COLLEGE NEWS
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MORRIS NAMED CHAIR OF STATISTICS DEPARTMENT
Max Morris is the new chair of the Department of Statistics. He succeeds Kenneth Koehler, University Professor, who served as chair since 2003 and remains on the faculty. The department is co-administered by CALS and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Morris’ appointment is effective Nov. 1. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/max-morris-named-chair-depar…
CENTER HELPS ISU RESEARCHERS LAUNCH STARTUP COMPANIES
Basil Nikolau, Frances M. Craig Professor in the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology and deputy director of CBiRC at Iowa State, has two postdoctoral researchers in his lab who are establishing startup companies. The Biobased Foundry, established by the NSF Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals, gets a lot of credit for launching the startups. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/10/20/biobasedfoundr
50th ERRINGTON LECTURE ON YELLOWSTONE WOLVES
The 50th anniversary Paul L. Errington Memorial Lecture is scheduled for Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Douglas Smith, senior wildlife biologist with the National Park Service, will speak on “Twenty Years of Yellowstone Wolves: Reintroduction to Recovery.” The lecture is co-sponsored by CALS and the departments of agronomy; ecology, evolution and organismal biology; and natural resource ecology and management. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/10/23/lectures-smith.
WHO WAS PAUL ERRINGTON?
The 50th anniversary of the Errington Memorial Lecture (see above) is an appropriate time to consider the legacy of Paul Errington. Learn more about Errington at the natural resource ecology and management website.
NACTA INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP RENEWED
CALS has renewed its institutional membership for the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture for 2015. This allows individual faculty and staff to join NACTA at a reduced rate. For more information: http://www.nactateachers.org/. Membership also allows participation in the yearly NACTA Judging Conference.
ANR WEBINAR TO FEATURE FARM BILL UPDATE, OCT. 31
The ANR at Noon webinar scheduled for Friday, Oct. 31, at 12 p.m. will feature Chad Hart, economics. Hart will present an overview of the new Farm Bill, focusing on the specific programs that will impact Iowa farmers for the next five years. He will also describe and outline the ISU Extension and Outreach educational programming planned for the next six months designed to help farmers understand the Farm Bill and become better informed about the program decisions they need to make within the next few months. More: https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/anr
GENETICS AND GENOMICS: NEW NAME FOR GRADUATE DEGREES
At the October 2014 meeting of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, the Board approved ISU’s request for a name change for the Master of Science and PhD program in genetics to “genetics and genomics.”
CALS STUDENT SELECTED FOR LAND O’LAKES EMERGING LEADER PROGRAM
Trey Forsyth, sophomore in agricultural business and in agriculture and society, is one of 10 students selected for the Global Food Challenge Emerging Leaders for Food Security fellowship, an internship and development program introduced by Land O’Lakes, Inc. Throughout the academic year, students will participate in a series of assignments designed to spur their thinking about food security issues. The experience will culminate in an 11-week paid summer internship.
ABE GRADUATE STUDENT WINS POSTER COMPETITION
Martin Gross, graduate student in agricultural and biosystems engineering, received first place in the Iowa NSF EPSCoR Annual All-Hands Meeting Poster Competition. Gross also presented “Optimization of a pilot-scale revolving algal biofilm cultivation system” during the bioenergy platform session.
ISU STUDENTS FEATURED ON “THE BIGGEST LOSER”
Laura Meany, sophomore in agricultural studies, and Allie Lansman, junior in dietetics, were featured on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” on Oct. 23. The students are part of a national 4-H healthy living initiative. More: http://whotv.com/2014/10/23/two-iowa-state-students-featuring-on-bigges…
CALS STUDENTS TO COMPETE AT NATIONAL ENTREPRENEURS COMPETITION
Two CALS students will compete at the National Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization Pitch Competition, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, in Orlando, Fla. Wicitra Mahotoma, senior in environmental science, and Eve Iverson, graduate student in natural resource ecology and management, will each have 90 seconds to pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges at the national competition with hopes of advancing to the final round.
SNOW BLOWER SERVICE DAYS, NOV. 7-8
The Agriculture Systems Technology Club will hold its annual snow blower service days Nov. 7 (1 to 6 p.m.) and 8 (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at Sukup Hall on the west side of campus. The $25 cost includes oil, spark plug, grease and a half tank of gas. Pickup and delivery (Ames only) is available for $15; call (515) 708-8672 or send an email to astservicedays@gmail.com by 2 p.m. on Nov. 6 to request this service.
DAIRY PRODUCTS EVALUATION CLUB RECEIVES HONORS AT REGIONALS
The Iowa State Dairy Products Evaluation Club competed over the weekend at the regional Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest. Undergraduate student results: Sandy Sivaskandan, senior in food science, second place in milk; Nicole Walski, senior in food science, second place in cottage cheese and third place in milk; and Angelica Merz, senior in food science, fourth place in milk. Graduate student results: Vaishnavi Sankarlal, food science and human nutrition, first place overall, first place in yogurt, milk and cottage cheese and second place in Cheddar; and Lily Benner, food science and human nutrition, second place in ice cream and third place in Cheddar and cottage cheese. ISU team scores were second in yogurt, third in milk and cottage cheese, and a fourth overall finish.
BLOCK AND BRIDLE CLUB RECEIVES HONORS AT NATIONAL CONVENTION
The ISU Block and Bridle Club placed well in several categories at the 95th National Block and Bridle Convention in Lubbock, Texas, this past weekend. The club received second place in the website category and the yearbook category and fourth place in chapter activities. Brady Zuck, animal science, received first place in outstanding senior.
HORSE JUDGING TEAM PARTICIPATES IN QUARTER HORSE CONGRESS
The ISU Horse Judging Team participated in the Quarter Horse Congress with 15 teams competing and 74 individuals. Meredith Behr, sophomore in animal science, placed second in overall individual and first in performance.
HARVEST CAFÉ OPEN IN SUKUP HALL
Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering’s Harvest Café, located in Sukup Hall, is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Daily hot lunch specials are available, along with Roasterie coffee and espresso, soup, sandwiches, salads, snacks and more. ABE’s Harvest Café is operated by ISU Dining and accepts cash, credit or Dining Dollars.
STUDENTS SHOWCASE SHOWMANSHIP SKILLS AT LITTLE NORTH AMERICAN
Students showcased their livestock showmanship skills at the Little North American competition on Oct. 18. The event helps students who have not shown livestock before and it helps students who want to get a broader understanding of all livestock. The show was hosted by the Block and Bridle Club. View a short video of the event at held at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center.
CALS ALUMNI HONORED
CALS and the ISU Alumni Association presented awards at the annual Alumni Association Honors and Awards Ceremony on Oct. 10.
- Sig Cornelius – Floyd Andre Award
- Antoine Alston – George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award
- Steven Bradbury – Henry A. Wallace Award
- Laurie Hueneke Martens – Superior Achievement Award for Early or Mid-Career Alumni
- Kevin Drury – Alumni Medal Award
- Matthew Eddy – Outstanding Young Alumni Award
- Nupur Ghoshal – Outstanding Young Alumni Award
- Rachel Hymbaugh – James A. Hopson Volunteer Award
- Douglas and Ellen Nelson – Alumni Service Award
More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/college-agriculture-and-life…
PESEK RECEIVES AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRONOMY PRESIDENTIAL AWARD
John Pesek, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Emeritus Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences, was presented with the American Society of Agronomy Presidential Award on Oct. 15. The ceremony also included the unveiling of a portrait in his honor that will hang in the second floor of the Agronomy Building. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/pesek-receives-american-soci…
CALS UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN UPDATES
As of Oct. 24, the college has raised $56,103 (based on 11 percent participation), which is 77 percent of its goal of $72,500. Overall, ISU pledges and gifts total $318,227, which is 90 percent of ISU’s goal. The ISU campaign ended last week, Oct. 15. Pledges are still being accepted, so please send your contributions in now.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
Nov. 19: General Sekouba Konate, former transition president of Guinea, to speak at ISU, 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall.
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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DOE JOINT GENOME INSTITUTE COMMUNITY SCIENCE PROGRAM
The Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute Community Science Program provides scientists with access to high-throughput sequencing and other resources for projects of relevance to DOE missions. Proposals are solicited in four different program areas. A proposal schedule is listed on the website.
WORKSHOP: FINDING FUNDING FOR RESEARCH
Rebecca Jackson from Parks Library will demonstrate how to approach funding searches in the Foundation Center’s large nonprofit database, and Sue Shipitalo from the VPR Office will show how to use PIVOT to search for opportunities and receive funding alerts in your email. Training will take place Thursday, Oct. 30, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at 134 Parks Library. Seating is limited and registration is required.
NIH NIAID CONCEPT LIST SIGNALS POTENTIAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Together with focus groups from the extramural research community, the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases starts planning initiatives to address research opportunities and needs. These ideas are called concepts at this stage, which starts two years before any resulting grants or contracts are awarded. While not all concepts become initiatives, they highlight NIAID's research interests and are good topics for investigator-initiated applications. More: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/council/concepts/pages/default…
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/
Continuous Submissions (letter of inquiry): Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. More: www.sloan.org/major-program-areas
Continuous Submissions through April 2015 (letter of intent): USAID FY 2014-2015 Development Innovation Ventures; $25,000 to $15 million. More: http://www.usaid.gov/DIV
Nov. 20: USAID Livestock Production for Improved Nutrition Program - Bangladesh; $5.8 million to $6 million over five years. More: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=268888
Nov. 21 (concept paper): DOE Landscape Design for Sustainable Bioenergy Systems; $3 million to $14 million over five years, 20 percent cost share. More: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/#FoaIdfe2ab85d-f92e-4f03-a386-efe605ac…
Nov. 30: American Society for Mass Spectrometry Research Award; open to scientists within four years of joining the tenure track faculty or equivalent, $35,000. More: www.asms.org/about/asms-awards/research-awards
Jan. 5 (letter of intent): NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program; cost sharing is required. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5501
Jan. 14: EPA Water Quality Benefits; $800,000 regular awards, $400,000 early career awards.
Jan. 16: DOE Joint Genome Institute - Community Science Program - DNA Synthesis Science. More:
http://jgi.doe.gov/collaborate-with-jgi/community-science-program/csp-p…;
Feb. 3: NSF EHR Core Research – Fundamental Research in STEM Education; $500,000 to $2.5 million. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15509/nsf15509.htm
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INFOGRAZING
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WEBINAR FOR NEW NIFA STRATEGIC PLAN, OCT. 28
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will be holding a webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2 to 3:30 p.m., to introduce its new strategic plan for FY2014-2018. The full plan is available online. For access to the webinar: go online and use the access code 417304, teleconference number 888-621-9649.
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INTERNAL VOICES
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HOFMOCKEL: SCIENCE QUESTIONS INTRIGUING, STIMULATING
Kristen Hofmockel, ecology, evolution and organismal biology and an Iowa NSF EPSCoR bioenergy researcher, was profiled in the October issue of the Iowa EPSCoR newsletter. “The whole process of science is just really stimulating and the questions themselves, I find them really intriguing and it’s such a luxury to be able to answer them,” Hofmockel said.
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MARGINALIA
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ENCYCLOPEDIA TO FEATURE ALL KNOWN APPLE VARIETIES, 1623 TO 2000
In 1983, Dan Bussey, a restaurant-supply salesman, started a file on his computer that would prove to be momentous in the annals of American pomology. He had recently planted an orchard in his hometown of Edgerton, Wis., and was putting together a file of all the old apples he came across. Three decades later, that file is the manuscript for a seven-volume, almost 3,000-page encyclopedia called “The Illustrated History of Apples in North America.” Bussey’s list now encompasses all 17,000 apple varieties known to have grown between the years 1623 and 2000. The series, published by JAK KAW Press, should begin to come out in January. More: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/garden/apple-picking-season-is-here-d…
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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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