College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
June 24, 2019
Top Stories
More Than 3,000 Books Donated to Uganda Program
Pupils at public schools in rural Uganda begin learning English in 4th grade. Their final exams for admission to secondary school are given in 7th grade in English. Many students understand the concepts being tested but have difficulty communicating in English on the exam. To help students learn reading and writing, the ISU - Uganda Program began an after-school reading program. CALS students in the 2019 Uganda Service Learning Program collected more than 3,000 children’s books during spring semester to take with them to the Kamuli District of Uganda, and now pupils read aloud in small groups. They learn vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation and public speaking skills with the help of service learners from ISU and Makerere University. Farouk, pictured above, is a p6 pupil at Namasagali Primary School. “We are learning good English and the books help us concentrate on our English in a fun way,” he said.
One Week and Counting – Workday Go-Live
In the final week before Workday Go-Live, review the following information to make sure you and your units are prepared.
- Improved Service Delivery – The Pine Service Team provides financial and HR services for CALS-administered departments and ISU Extension and Outreach. The Spruce Service Team does the same for CALS’s coadministered departments.
- A special session of CALS Roundtable will be held today, June 24, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the CCUR Auditorium to go over topics regarding Workday Go-Live.
- Consult the training maps to ensure you are prepared for Go-Live. Workday job aids can be found on the WorkCyte website, and computer-based training materials are accessible 24/7 at Learn@ISU.
- User labs are still available this week to provide hands-on navigation and interaction with the Workday system. Registration is open on Learn@ISU and must be completed by 4 p.m. the day prior to the session. More
- Beginning July 2, student workers will be required to enter their hours electronically in Workday. Ensure they have completed the following required training through Learn@ISU (located in the course catalog): 1) Introduction to Workday and 2) Employee Self Service for Students and Graduate Assistants, under WorkCyte All General System Training, and 3) Time Entry for Nonexempt Employees, under WorkCyte Human Resources System Training.
- July 1 or July 2? Much of the go-live work on Monday, July 1, will happen behind the scenes by ISD specialists and central-office experts. Once the system passes its last rigorous checks, it will be opened to campuswide access at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2. More
Research
CALS Scientists Earn 8 of ISU’s 34 Patents in 2018
Earlier this month, the National Academy of Inventors and Intellectual Property Owners Association ranked ISU No. 69 in the world in the number of U.S. patents granted in 2018. Of last year’s 34 patents granted to the ISU Research Foundation, eight were linked to the research of CALS scientists in biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology; plant pathology and microbiology; horticulture; agronomy; agricultural and biosystems engineering; and food science and human nutrition.
Teaching and Students
CALS Senior Inspired to Change the World
Nick Battles, a senior in global resource systems, spent two months as an intern at an NGO in Gurugram, India. An eight-week global internship is required for the GRS major, which studies the way the world uses limited resources to create sustainable systems. Battles said the global resource systems major at ISU is the perfect fit for him, with the ability to tie together his aspirations in agriculture, policy and international affairs. More
Summer Internships Fulfill Dreams
Justin Wigdahl, a senior in horticulture, shares why his summer internship at Country Landscapes is the perfect fit for him. Internships offer an opportunity for CALS students to build their resumes, network and get hands-on experience. More
Extension and Outreach
Land Value Experts Predict Modest Declines, Stable Crop Prices
Agricultural professionals at the 2019 ISU Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference expect a continued modest decline in land values, according to the June edition of Ag Decision Maker. Wendong Zhang, economics, said the results reflect uncertainty with U.S.-China trade relations and the low returns expected for production agriculture. More
Field Day to Focus on Latest Herbicide Technology
The Weed Science Program has organized an ISU Extension and Outreach Herbicide Research and Demonstration Program Field Day for June 27, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Curtiss Farm. Prashant Jha, agronomy, will provide an introductory talk and hand out copies of the field book explaining the trials conducted in 2019. More
Summer Field Days Offer Tips for Gardeners
Gardeners will have the opportunity to learn about growing cut flowers, sweet corn and tomatoes in the home garden during this year’s Demonstration Garden Field Days, hosted by ISU Extension and Outreach and the ISU Research and Demonstration Farms. Seven field days will be held across the state beginning July 23. More
Around the College
CALS to Co-Host Ag and Food HR Roundtable
CALS and BASF are co-hosts of the 2019 Ag and Food HR Roundtable, scheduled for July 30 to August 1 in Ames. The event is for human resource and educational professionals and provides relevant content examining recruitment and retention specifically within the agriculture and food industry. More
Project Results from ISU Research Farms Available Online
The results of agricultural research trials conducted last year at ISU’s Research and Demonstration Farms are available online. At the Library’s digital repository, the reports are grouped by farm. More
Nominations for Spencer Award Due June 30
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture is accepting nominations for the 2019 Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture. Nominations are due June 30. More
Edelman Discusses IREP Strategies in Egypt
Mark Edelman, economics, discussed strategies from the Iowa Rural Equity Project on June 17 during a weeklong Innovate Egypt workshop in Cairo. The workshop was for Egyptian angel investors, entrepreneur teams and university entrepreneurial ecosystem stakeholders. More
Johnson Retires from Economics Department
Becky Johnson, secretary in the economics department, is retiring after more than 46 years of service. Her last day will be July 1. More
Calendar
June 26: Retirement Reception for Carl Bern
A retirement reception is scheduled for Carl Bern, University Professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering, on June 26 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Sukup Atrium of the Biorenewables Complex (program at 1 p.m.). Bern has been at ISU for 50 years. His research focused on storage, preservation and applications of grains and oilseeds.
July 9: Pest Resistance Management Field Day
The Harrison County Pest Resistance Management Project team will hold a field day on July 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ten herbicide programs will be available for comparison to evaluate success and implications for resistance management of weeds including waterhemp, marestail, giant ragweed and Palmer amaranth. More
Communications Kiosk
Adverse vs. Averse
Adverse means unfavorable: He predicted adverse weather. Averse means reluctant, opposed: She is averse to change. (Associated Press Stylebook, 2018 edition, pg. 7)
Infograzing
Researchers Looking at Biochar as Fertilizer for Crops
Researchers looking for ways to add value to biochar have found that it could be a slow-release fertilizer that delivers nutrients to crops while keeping those nutrients from washing away in the rain or leaching into groundwater. More uses for biochar could make thermochemical biofuel production a more economically attractive technology. Researchers include Robert Brown and Santanu Bakshi, Bioeconomy Institute. More
New SARE Report Looks at Economics of Cover Crops
Cover Crop Economics, a new report published by USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, looks at the economic returns that can be expected from cover crops, both under various management scenarios and as cover crops improve soil health over time.
Marginalia
Interns Achieve Celebrity Status
At a recent event, summer interns with the Water Rocks! program were approached by a sixth grader and presented with two $100 bills of hand-crafted money. Moments later, they were each presented with gold replicas of the previous bills. “Here’s a bonus because I actually learned something today,” the child said. Then, a fourth-grader asked for all of their autographs. In a June 20 blog post for Iowa Learning Farms, intern Clara Huber reflects on this experience and the opportunity to inform students during their outreach events this summer. More
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Julie Stewart, Editor
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
http://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.