Paving his own way
Pumpkin harvest helping shape students' futures
It's starting to look like fall at the Iowa State Horticulture Research Station. There, a small group of students is harvesting thousands of pumpkins in addition to learning about the fruits and vegetables grown at the research farm. This knowledge is shaping some of these students' futures. Kira Rieck, agronomy and global resource systems, got involved to gain more hands-on experience working in the fields. She hopes to take her knowledge back to poor communities in Africa, where she's spent time volunteering. Katherine Sutter, meanwhile, discovered a real passion for growing plants while working at the farm. She's now changed her major to horticulture, with hopes of starting her own small farm in the future.
Young Alum of the Month
Caryn Dawson ('21 global resource systems, horticulture) helps farmers and landowners assess and address potential environmental risks on their farms through her role as a Michigan Agriculture Assurance Program technician. Her job comes with a lot of variety - one day she'll be on a blueberry farm, the next she'll be at a pasture-raised beef operation. She says the diverse background knowledge she acquired through her majors/minors at Iowa State prepared her for this role.
Innovation in Action
Using blood cell data to improve swine health
Iowa State scientists are leading a new study to analyze the intricate content of pigs’ blood cells to improve selection for disease resilience. “To make blood useful as a test for disease resistance, we need to better understand the composition of the cells and their numbers, as well as learn what they are actually doing," said Christopher Tuggle, professor of animal science and the lead investigator on this study, funded by a new $650,000 grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).