College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
May 26, 2015 – No. 851
Top Stories
Xin Discusses Avian Flu on Iowa Press
Hongwei Xin, director of the Egg Industry Center at ISU, was one of three guests on the May 22 edition of IPTV’s Iowa Press. Xin, along with Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, and Randy Olson, executive director of the Iowa Poultry Association, provided insight on the fight against avian flu. More
Memorial Day Ceremony Held May 25
ISU employees, retirees and spouses who died during the past year were remembered at the university’s annual Memorial Day ceremony on May 25 in the Reiman Ballroom at the ISU Alumni Center. From the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Murray Kaplan, food science and human nutrition; Reid Palmer, agronomy; Wilbert Russel, agronomy; Hideo “Tachi” Tachibana, plant pathology and microbiology; and Donald Voelker, animal science. The faculty senate memorial resolutions can be viewed online.
Research
ISU Seeks to Develop Pig to Benefit Human Medical Therapies
A $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund ISU research to develop a line of pigs with an immune system that is uniquely suited to testing medical therapies for people. Christopher Tuggle, animal science, will lead the research project. More
Gift of Kinze Planter Expands Crop Research
The Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm near Sutherland will begin new crop row spacing trials thanks to a recent gift from Sorensen Equipment in Harlan. Mark Licht, agronomy, said the research will provide farmers important data for use in determining if narrower rows offer economic or managerial benefits. More
Sense of Community Slipping in Small Town Iowa
A new survey of residents in 99 Iowa towns offers a snapshot of how these communities have changed over the past 20 years. While a majority of residents describe their community as safe and friendly, Terry Besser, sociology and team lead for the project, found attitudes about certain amenities and the level of community involvement have declined. More
Teaching and Students
FSHN Student Invents New Way to Improve Dairy Desserts
Hanyu Yangcheng, a graduate student in food science and human nutrition, created a food stabilizer system that has the potential to make dairy products taste and feel better and last longer. The KIK food stabilizer system ranked as one of three national finalists in the Institute of Food Technologists’ Global Student Innovation Challenge.
ICIA Presents Scholarships to Agronomy Students
The Iowa Crop Improvement Association has presented scholarships to four agronomy students based on their academic and leadership achievements. The $1,500 scholarships were given to: Abbygail Bultema, a sophomore from Beecher, Illinois; Kendra Keitzer, a junior from Mediapolis; Jacob Lamkey, a senior from Ames; and Joshua Knight, a senior from Manchester.
CALS Students Turn Global Adventure into Startup Business
Known as the Gung-ho Globies at the time, global resource systems majors Mikayla Sullivan, Ella Gehrke, Elise Kendall, Clayton Mooney and Alexandria Wilson designed a mobile, solar dehydrator for fruit and vegetables called KinoSol for the Thought for Food global challenge. Their team was one of only 10 teams out of 336 entries chosen to compete at the finals. And now, four of the team members have transitioned this project into a startup business that will help battle post-harvest loss and increase nutrition for people in developing countries.
Food Science Major Welcomes Students with Open Arms
Volunteers at SHOP, the on-campus food pantry at ISU, are helping students who need food assistance while trying to eliminate the food pantry stigma. Jessica Schaumburg, a senior in food science and president of SHOP, Students Helping Our Peers, said, “On campus, we try to encourage anyone to stop by and grab food if they need it and know they won’t be judged for coming in.”
Extension and Outreach
Proper Use of Nitrogen Encouraged in Iowa’s Corn Production
A new publication, Nitrogen Use in Iowa Corn Production, released by ISU Extension and Outreach, provides an overview of nitrogen use in regard to the soil system and corn fertilization. The author is John Sawyer, agronomy.
Videos Earn 2015 Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards
Water Rocks! brought home 29 awards from the Iowa Motion Picture Association awards ceremony held earlier this month in Pella. Categories included acting, direction, art direction, student production, educational production, visual effects, original musical score and editing. Water Rocks! videos are created to bring awareness and teach about different water issues. More
Calendar
May 29: ANR at Noon
The ANR at Noon webcast on Friday, May 29, will focus on ISU Extension and Outreach resources available to provide information and guidance on business start-us or other endeavors related to economic development activity. Speakers are Ray Hansen, Value-Added Agriculture, and Ross Wilburn, Extension’s Community and Economic Development unit. More
June 5: Dairy Farm Open House
The ISU Dairy Farm will celebrate dairy month with its seventh annual open house on June 5 from 6 to 11 a.m. The event is open to the public and tours will be given every 30 minutes. Tour stops include the milking parlor, milk house and a trolley tour of the farm. Milk, cheese, ice cream and yogurt are a few of the samples available at the open house. More
Funding Opportunities
Registration Open for SBIR Road Tour Pre-Conference
The Small Business Administration is getting ready to kick off their national SBIR Road Tour - an outreach effort that conveys funding opportunities provided through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. The pre-conference for the road tour will be held July 13 in Ames and July 14 in Iowa City. Registration for one of the pre-conference events will automatically register attendees for the main conference, held on July 15 in Iowa City. The main conference includes panel discussions and presentations from numerous funding agencies. Register
USAID Accepting Comments on Community Capacity for Health in Madagascar
USAID has issued a draft proposal for Community Capacity for Health in Madagascar. Areas of interest include infant and child health, maternal health, nutrition, water and sanitation, and malaria. Comments are due June 1. 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.
June 1: USDA NIFA Renewable Resource Extension Act- National Focus Fund Projects; $60,000 to $90,000 over 24 months, Project Director must have extension appointment. More
June 3 (pre-proposal): Egg Industry Center Avian Influenza Research. More
June 22: EPA Funds Distribution Program for Pesticide Safety Education Programs; $5 million over five years.
June 29: USDA NIFA National Training, Education, Extension, Outreach and Technical Assistance Competitive Grants Program: Regional Center Grants to Enhance Food Safety; $1.15 million total up to three years.
July 2: EPA National Priorities: Life Cycle Costs of Water Infrastructure Alternatives; $1.95 million over three years, 25 percent match, national labs funded by federal agencies may not apply.
July 3: United States Golf Association Turfgrass and Environmental Research; $30,000 per year up to three years. More
Sept. 9: NSF Science of Science and Innovation Policy. More
Nov. 6 (concept paper accepted on rolling basis): USAID Feed the Future Ebola Recovery Partnership in West Africa; food security, 1:1 match. More
Communications Kiosk
Tips for Radio Interviews
The box the sound comes out of may look different, but stories with sound are here to stay. To get science across in this medium, Christopher Joyce, science correspondent for National Public Radio, offers the following tips for radio interviews:
- Use simple language. There is no such thing as an idea or phenomenon too complicated to describe to the layperson – only language that’s too complicated.
- Paint visual pictures. Use words that evoke the senses, and be specific.
- Use metaphor and analogy. They can serve either to describe a complicated process or simply as a visual and memorable way of describing an object or event.
- Use personal anecdotes. Describe scenes, places you went to do your work. What it was like.
- Speak with energy and emotion. Let people hear that you are excited about what you do.
(Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter, 2010, pg. 146)
Infograzing
Hope for Healthy Soil in 90 Seconds
To most people, soil is far from huggable. But after watching a new, 90-second YouTube ad, the video’s producers hope viewers will embrace it with new-found respect and admiration. Because healthy soil, the ad suggests, could provide solutions to some of our planet’s biggest challenges. The public service announcement is part of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service “Unlock the Secrets in the Soil” campaign.
Marginalia
Kids Make Elephant Food at CALS Reception on Cyclone Tailgate Tour
CALS provided a reception for alumni at their first Cyclone Tailgate Tour at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha on May 19. Kids who attended created a snack that illustrated what goes into an elephant ration. The diet for one female elephant per day at the Henry Doorly Zoo totals 224 pounds of food. Cheryl Morris, animal science, and Cayla Iske, graduate student, are researching elephant nutrition at Henry Doorly Zoo and helped with the activity. Here is how to make your own elephant ration:
5 mandarin orange slices (= Training Treat)
6 scoops of Combos (= Wild Herbivore Pellets)
5 scoops of shoestring potatoes (= Hay/Grass Mix)
4 scoops of granola (= Omolene #100, a concentrated feed supplement)
5 baby carrots (= Training Treat)
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.