College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
April 27, 2015 – No. 847
Top Stories
Johnson Looks Back on His Time at Iowa State
Lawrence Johnson, retiring director of the Center for Crops Utilization Research, looks back on his time at ISU and his plans for the future. Johnson came to ISU in 1985.
Eggs and Poultry Safe to Eat
Avian influenza does not impact the foods that consumers eat, says Angela Shaw, food science and human nutrition and an extension specialist in food safety. “Consumers should feel safe to eat properly cooked and prepared meat and eggs from poultry,” she said. More
Teaching and Students
CALS Student to Serve as MANRRS Region V President
Lawrence Caudle, a graduate student in agricultural education and studies, was selected as the Region V Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences National Graduate President at the MANRRS annual career fair and conference held March 26-28 in Houston. Four students from CALS attended the conference. Ellen Tisdale, a graduate student in genetics, placed third in the graduate oral research contest for her work on “Analysis of Blood Vessel Tube Formation Using Rab and Rac Proteins in Zebrafish.”
Extension and Outreach
Comito Receives National Wetlands Award
Jacqueline Comito, director of the Iowa Learning Farms and the Water Rocks! program at ISU, will be honored as a 2015 National Wetlands Award recipient at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on May 21. Comito, a program manager in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, is recognized for her exceptional and innovative contributions to wetlands.
New Sulfur Fertilizer Recommendations for Iowa's Planting Season
A new ISU Extension and Outreach publication, "Sulfur Management for Iowa Crop Production," provides a summary of research efforts and guidance on sulfur fertilization and application needs. The 2005-2013 data comes from on-farm, small-plot and field-length strip trials in fields across Iowa. Publication authors are John Sawyer and Daniel Barker, agronomy, and Brian Lang, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach.
Pesticide Record Keeping Made Easy with Mobile App
A new release of the ISU Extension and Outreach Pesticide and Field Records mobile app supports sending emails and printing hardcopies of crop and pesticide application information to comply with state and federal record keeping requirements. The app was designed by the ISU Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program, led by Kristine Schaefer. More
Calendar
April 27: ISU United Way Food Drive
The seventh annual ISU LIVE UNITED Food Drive starts today, April 27. Non-perishable items will be collected through May 6 for Story County food pantries. Campus collection boxes can be found at the Harl Commons (near the elevator) and ground floor Rotunda in Curtiss Hall, 2312 Food Sciences Building, 251 and 351 Bessey Hall, 207 Science I, 2610 and 3750 Beardshear Hall, 2200 Gerdin Building, and 117 Library. More: Carla Persaud, cpersaud@iastate.edu, 4-1823.
April 28: Science With Practice Poster Presentation
This semester’s Science With Practice poster presentation and reception will be April 28, 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Kildee Hall Atrium. Science With Practice is a CALS experiential learning and work program for undergraduate students in agriculture.
May 6: P&T Mirroring Session (RSVP by April 27)
A promotion and tenure mirroring session for pre-tenure assistant professors and tenured associate professors with an appointment in CALS will be held May 6, 12 to 1:30 p.m. in 142 Curtiss Hall. RSVP to Carla Persaud (cpersaud@iastate.edu) by April 27. This is an opportunity to reflect on the P&T process, ask questions and engage in grass-root level discussions. This will be facilitated by David Acker, Joe Colletti, Gwen Beattie and Sue Lamont.
Funding Opportunities
ISU Biobased Industry Center Requests Proposals
The ISU Biobased Industry Center is requesting grant proposals focused on the national and global economic, business, social and workforce policy impacts that improve the biobased industry’s profitability, sustainability and carbon and greenhouse gas impacts. Past awards have ranged from $25,000 to $75,000. Proposals are due by May 10. Contact: rgsmith@iastate.edu
VPR Office Accepting Notice of Interest for USDA Rural Health and Safety Education
The VPR Office is accepting notices of interest for USDA NIFA’s Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program. Proposals are expected to be community-based, outreach education programs in individual, family and environmental health. Awards are limited to one per region. Send notices of interest to sueship@iastate.edu by April 27. More
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.
May 5, Sept. 5 (letter of intent): NIH Preclinical Research on Model Organisms to Predict Treatment Outcomes for Disorders Associated with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (R01); $2.5 million (direct costs) over five years. More
May 15: USAID Improving Food Security and Resilience through Agricultural Disaster Risk Reduction Programs in Guatemala; two awards. More
June 1: Samsung 2015 Global Research Outreach Program; $100,000, renewable up to three years.
June 3: USDA NIFA Special Research Grants Program – Aquaculture Research; $300,000 over two years. More
June 18: USFWS White-Nose Syndrome Research; $35,000 to $300,000. More
June 19: Wildlife Without Borders – Critically Endangered Animals Conservation Fund and Amphibians in Decline; $25,000 for each program.
June 27 (letter of intent): NIH Pre-doctoral Training in Biomedical Big Data Science (T32). More
July 15: Environmental Research & Education Foundation Research in Sustainable Solid Waste Management; $15,000 to $500,000.
Aug 25 (letter of intent): NIH Genomic Resource Grants for Community Resource Projects (U41). More
Communications Kiosk
Mark Twain on Using Adjectives
"I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English?it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them?then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice." Mark Twain
Infograzing
“Jazz in the Courtyard” on Friday in Food Sciences Courtyard
University Museums is hosting Jazz in the Courtyard on Friday, May 1, 12 to 1 p.m. in the courtyard of the Food Sciences Building. Chairs and benches will be set up. The public is invited to bring their lunch and listen to jazz pianist Ken Jolls in and amongst the “Rashomon” sculpture exhibit. “Rashomon” is a traveling sculpture collection by Charles Ginnever consisting of 15 identical pieces that can be placed in 15 distinct stable positions. By walking around the collection, each different angle creates a different perspective of the work as a whole. See page 5 for more information.
P&S Council Hosts Meet, Greet and Eat on May 13
The Professional and Scientific Council and the CALS representatives are hosting a Meet, Greet and Eat reception on May 13, 3 to 5 p.m. in the Harl Commons, Curtiss Hall. Ice cream from the ISU Dairy Science Club will be served along with snacks from ISU Catering and door prizes. P&S Council representatives include Jessica Bell, natural resource ecology and management; Katrina Harden Williams, aerospace engineering; Michael White, ISU Extension and Outreach; and Wendy Stensland, veterinary diagnostic lab.
USDA Asks for Help to Stop “Hungry Pests”
USDA is asking the public to help prevent the spread of invasive pests, which cost our nation an estimated $120 billion each year in damages to the environment, agriculture and native species. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has identified 19 “Hungry Pests” as some of the most destructive invasive species that people can unknowingly spread in the things they move, pack and bring home from vacations. Visit the Hungry Pests website for more information and a new public service announcement.
Marginalia
Louis Pammel and Iowa State Parks
Iowa was one of the first states in the U.S. to adopt a state park system, and it did so in large part due to the efforts of Iowa State professor of botany Louis H. Pammel. In 1917, the Iowa General Assembly created the State Board of Conservation for the purpose of making recommendations for acquiring land for state parks and to administer the parks. Pammel served as the Board’s first chairman from 1918 to 1927. Under his tenure, Iowa acquired 38 state parks. More
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Julie Stewart, Editor
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/agonline
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is published by email every Monday. The deadline for submitting content is 12 p.m. on Friday.