CALS Online and Dean’s Message
March 7, 2022
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS Colleagues – A wind-swept layer of snow this morning can’t hide our thoughts of spring. And spring break is only a week away… This week we’ll have our virtual Capitol Hill meetings with each congressional office to encourage our elected officials to support the land-grant university system… More
Top Stories
Iowa State Part of FFAR Project Exploring Links between Health of Soils, Plants and Humans
Kathleen Delate, horticulture and agronomy, is leading the Iowa State portion of a new $1 million project funded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. The overall goal of the project is to investigate how management practices may alter nitrogen-related nutritional content of grains, such as protein, amino acids and B vitamins, and affect indicators of chemical, physical and biological soil health. Delate oversees research at the Long-Term Agroecological Research study at the Neely-Kinyon Research and Demonstration Farm near Greenfield, Iowa. Established in 1998, it is one of the longest-running studies of organic cropping systems in the country. Iowa State’s role will include providing samples of organic corn and wheat grain, plant tissue and soils from the long-term field plots to be analyzed. The LTAR will also provide similar samples from the same plant varieties managed conventionally. More
CALS Spring Awards Program Thursday, March 10
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Spring Awards Program, honoring faculty and staff achievements, is scheduled for Thursday, March 10, at 4:10 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. The program will include brief comments from Dean Robison and recognition of the 2022 CALS faculty and staff award recipients. A wine and cheese reception will follow.
Teaching and Students
Four CALS Students Named to Brown Graduate Fellowship Program
Four CALS graduate students have been selected to receive Brown Graduate Fellowship Program funding to support strategic university research over the next year. Recipients are: Bibek Byanju, food science and technology; Jialu Wei, plant breeding; Tiffanie Stone, environmental science; and Brian Zebosi, genetics and genomics. More
CALS Student Elected Student Government Vice President
Jacob Ludwig, senior in economics and political science, and Jaden Ahlrichs, senior in global resource systems, were elected Student Government president and vice president. Inauguration will take place April 12. Learn more about Ludwig and Ahlrichs and see other CALS students elected to Student Government seats.
New Study Abroad Scholarship Established
With a charitable gift from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, D.C., Iowa State has established a study abroad scholarship in the memory of Maktoum Al Seiari, a 2019 chemical engineering graduate. The endowed Maktoum Al Seiari Scholarship for Excellence in Cultural Understanding and Global Citizenship will enable students, who otherwise would not have the financial means, to travel to the UAE through the CALS Study Abroad program. More
Students Learn Dog Training Skills through Independent Study Class
Cheryl Morris, animal science, is working with 24 undergraduate students in an independent study class to learn about dog training activities including agility training, service dog training and behavior modification. The first dog agility class was held in the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center arena on March 2. More
Animal Science Student First Woman Enlisted as Iowa National Guard Infantry Soldier
Taylor Patterson, junior in animal science, is the first woman to successfully be enlisted as an infantry soldier in the Iowa National Guard after completing 22 weeks of basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia. The U.S. Army opened combat arms positions to women five years ago. More
Extension and Outreach
Educational Series to Improve Forestry Knowledge for Iowans
The Iowa Master Woodland Steward Program consists of seven modules of forestry training focused on managing woodlands for multiple benefits. The program, which begins April 5, is primarily intended for woodland owners and land managers, but may also be of interest to school teachers, loggers and government employees, said Billy Beck, extension forestry specialist. The program is sponsored by ISU Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with county conservation boards. More
Summer Master Gardener Training Offered as Hybrid Course
Applications are being accepted for the summer Master Gardener session, which begins May 16 and will be offered in 25 counties or extension regions. Iowa State has offered Master Gardener training for more than 40 years, engaging more than 15,000 people in learning about gardening best practices, said Alicia Herzog, Master Gardener Program coordinator with ISU Extension and Outreach. More
Around the College
Davis Receives Golden Owl Award
Jon Davis, agricultural education and studies, was named one of seven Golden Owl Award recipients in the state of Iowa during a ceremony Feb. 18. He joined Iowa State in August 2021, after spending 31 years as a high school agricultural education instructor and FFA advisor. More
CALS Faculty and Staff Honored by 25 Year Club
More than 15 faculty and staff in CALS departments and units were honored by Iowa State’s 25 Year Club at a banquet on Feb. 28. Those recognized for 25 years of service are: Philip Becraft, genetics, development and cell biology; Randy Breach and Lyle Rossiter, Iowa State Research Farms; Rohan Fernando and Mark Hawley, animal science; Debra Hop and An-Ping Hsia, agronomy; Manju Reddy, food science and human nutrition; and John VanDyk, entomology. The following were honored for 35 years at the university: Mark Gleason, plant pathology and microbiology; Dermot Hayes, economics; Michael Lee, agronomy; Renea Miller, sociology and criminal justice; Alan Myers, biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology; and Jonathan Wendel, ecology, evolution and organismal biology. Charles Hurburgh, agricultural and biosystems engineering, was recognized for 45 years of service. More
CALS Online: Next Issue March 21
CALS Online will not be published on March 14, the week of spring break. The newsletter will resume Monday, March 21.
Calendar
March 8: Workshop on Incorporating Perennial Vegetation on Farms
Iowa Learning Farms and C-CHANGE will host a workshop regarding the opportunities and challenges of incorporating perennial vegetation on farms on Tuesday, March 8, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City. Presenters include Lisa Schulte-Moore, C-CHANGE director, Matt Woods, agronomy, Omar de Kok-Mercado, Iowa State STRIPS project coordinator, and David Bruene, Iowa State beef farm manager. The event is free, but reservations are requested.
March 9: Iowa Learning Farms Webinar
“Incorporating Conservation into Farm Land Leasing” is the topic of the Iowa Learning Farms webinar on Wednesday, March 9, at noon. Ann Johanns, ISU Extension and Outreach, will present.
March 23: INRC Water Quality Research Seminar
Antonio Mallarino, agronomy and extension nutrient management specialist, will present “Performance of In-field Practices at Reducing Dissolved and Particulate Phosphorus Loss” at this month’s Iowa Nutrient Research Center’s water quality research seminar, scheduled for March 23 from 3:10 to 4 p.m. at 3306 Elings Hall and online. More
March 24: Gender and the Agricultural Innovation Process
Hale Ann Tufan will present “Shifting Gender Equality from Afterthought to Guiding Goal of Agricultural Innovation” on March 24 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. Tufan is a research professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Global Development and Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell University. CALS is a co-sponsor of the lecture. More
April 22: Carbon Removal Forum
This year’s Carbon Removal Forum, to be held virtually on April 22 from 9 a.m. to noon, is focused on measuring soil carbon. Attendance is free, but registration is required. The forum is organized by the Bioeconomy Institute and the Department of Agronomy, with support by Iowa Farm Bureau and Renewable Energy Group. More
Infograzing
Engineers Study Biochar to Fertilize Crops
Iowa State researchers are working to add value to the bioeconomy by using a co-product of bio-oil production to separate and capture nutrients from livestock manure. The nutrients would then be processed into slow-release fertilizer pellets that would be applied to farm fields, rather than raw manure, which can have issues with odor, runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. More
Lecturer to Discuss ISU Chemist Who Saved the Manhattan Project
Teresa Wilhelm Waldof will present, “Wilhelm’s Way: The Inspiring Story of the ISU Chemist Who Saved the Manhattan Project” tonight, March 7, at 6 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. The lecture will also be livestreamed and recorded. Waldof is the granddaughter of Harley Wilhelm, co-founder of the Ames Laboratory. More
ISUAA to Host Virtual State Day, March 22
The ISU Alumni Association is hosting virtual STATE Day on March 22 at 7 p.m. STATE Day is a celebration of Iowa State’s Founders Day. There is no cost to attend, but registration is requested. More
Marginalia
Otters on Campus Take Students by Surprise
A couple of unlikely characters have recently made Iowa State University their temporary home. Two North American river otters mysteriously appeared on Lake LaVerne a few weeks ago and have been stealing attention from the lake’s winged tenants ever since. More Isabella Maiwurm, sophomore in animal ecology, shared a video of the otters romping around in the snow.
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 Thursday.