CALS Online and Dean’s Message
August 1, 2022
Dean’s Message
Hello, CALS, on this first day of August! – I hope you all had a good weekend. This past week was consumed with all kinds of things, for me especially with work as co-chair (with College of Human Sciences Dean Laura Jolly) of the Provost’s search for the next Iowa State Vice President for Extension and Outreach. Our current, terrific VPEO, John Lawrence, will retire as planned in March 2023. The goal is to secure the next great person in leadership for this key work - work that is so inextricably linked to our college… More
Top Stories
Cyclone Power Pullers Celebrate 25 Years
Each year, members of the Cyclone Power Pullers club design and build a 1/4 scale tractor for the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition. Safety, testing, tractor performance and maneuverability are just a few of the components they focus on. This year’s tractor represents the 25th anniversary of the club’s involvement in the annual competition. They placed fourth overall and won many individual events. More
Research
Modeling the Agro-Ecosystem to Minimize AMR Risks
Michelle Soupir, agricultural and biosystems engineering, leads a $1 million project to create a predictive model of antimicrobial resistance sources and transport through agricultural environments – and to assess which ag management practices will most effectively reduce AMR health risks. Research collaborators include Adina Howe and Daniel Andersen, ABE. More
Teaching and Students
Food Entrepreneurship Club Takes Second at New Product Competition
The Food Entrepreneurship Club took second place at the National Dairy Council’s New Product Competition with their product “Combo Puffs.” They are a bit-sized, gluten-free, high-protein, ready-to-eat snack in two flavors: savory and sweet. More
Iowa State Hosts AgDiscovery
Iowa State hosted 16 high school students from across the country in July for AgDiscovery 2022.
The program allows students to experience hands-on activities and explore career opportunities in agricultural sciences. Claudia Lemper-Manahl, plant pathology and microbiology, in partnership with Science Bound and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, coordinated this year’s program. More
Extension and Outreach
Test Your Weed Identification Skills at the Iowa State Fair
The annual Iowa State Fair Weed Identification Contest will be held Aug. 12 from 9-11:30 a.m. in front of the John Deere Agriculture Building. The event is organized by ISU Extension and Outreach and includes three divisions: future agronomists (youth under age 19), general and professional. More
Agritourism Bus Tour Set for Aug. 31
Four diverse farming operations will be featured in an agritourism bus tour on Aug. 31 in central Iowa. “The tour is designed to provide people the chance to see different ways of diversifying within the agricultural landscape,” said Kendra Meyer, ISU Extension and Outreach's Farm, Food and Enterprise Development program. More
Around the College
Raman Named ASABE Fellow
Raj Raman, agricultural and biosystems engineering, was named a 2022 Fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers at its annual international meeting, July 18, in Houston, Texas. ASABE Fellows represent members of unusual professional distinction, with outstanding and extraordinary qualifications and experience in, or related to, the field of agricultural, food or biological systems engineering. More
Licht Receives Arden Campbell Award
Mark Licht received the Arden R. Campbell award, recognizing a faculty member who has made notable contributions and provided distinguished service to the M.S. in Agronomy Distance Education Program. More
ISU Animal Breeding and Genetics Group? Attends Livestock Conference in the Netherlands
A group of 14 students, post-docs and faculty from the Iowa State Animal Breeding and Genetics Group visited the Netherlands for the World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production conference in Rotterdam July 4-9. Several faculty and students presented research papers as short pitches (90 second talks) or seminars. At the meeting, it was announced the next WCGALP meeting will be co-hosted by Iowa State University, University of California at Davis and University of Wisconsin-Madison in the summer of 2026.
College Alumni BBQ Sept. 3 – Call for Volunteers and Invitation to Attend
Faculty and staff volunteers are needed for the annual CALS barbecue, to be held Sept. 3 at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center. Approximately 500 CALS alumni and friends are expected to attend this year’s event, which will run from 9 a.m. to noon, prior to the ISU vs. SEMO football game (kick-off is 1 p.m.). Complimentary breakfast, parking and shuttle to the stadium will be provided. Volunteers who register will receive a CALS barbecue t-shirt in thanks for their service. Register to volunteer online by August 5. For questions, contact Angie Weeks (amweeks@iastate.edu). Volunteer opportunities include:
- Registration/Greeting (8:30-10:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m. to noon)
- Beverage service (8:30-10:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m. to noon)
- Tear down (noon to 1 p.m.)
CALS faculty, staff and guests are also invited to attend the barbecue as guests. Details are available on the CALS barbecue webpage. Registration required by Aug. 23.
In Memoriam: David Topel
David Topel, former CALS dean and professor emeritus of animal science, passed away July 25. He was 84. Topel served as dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station from 1988-2000. Topel was known internationally for his research in pork quality and the causes of porcine stress syndrome. His wife, Jay-Lin Jane, is distinguished professor emeritus in food science and human nutrition. Visitation will be Wednesday, Aug. 3, from 4-6 p.m. at Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care in Ames. The service will be Thursday, Aug. 4, at 2 p.m. at Collegiate Presbyterian Church in Ames. More
Calendar
Aug. 3: Carbon Sequestration in Ecosystems
The Iowa Learning Farms conservation webinar at noon on Aug. 3 will feature Michael Burchell, biological and agricultural engineering at North Carolina State University. In the webinar, “An Overview of Carbon Sequestration in Ecosystems,” Burchell will discuss the increased interest in different ecosystems’ potential to sequester carbon as an offset to atmospheric carbon dioxide. More
Aug. 19: Ice Cream Social
Dean Robison is hosting an ice cream social on Aug. 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the patio behind Curtiss Hall. CALS faculty and staff are invited to celebrate the new school year. In the event of inclement weather, the gathering will take place inside Harl Commons.
Marginalia
Ag Business Student Shares Farming with RAGBRAI Riders
The highest point on the 2022 RAGBRAI route was on day one at a spot about halfway between Anthon and Battle Creek in a small, unincorporated area called Midway. Iowa farmer Lance Hamann hosted thousands of riders for a fundraiser on his farm. In a July 24 Des Moines Register article, Hamann’s son Camric, a junior in agricultural business, talked about the Ask a Farmer booth they had available. “Not many opportunities to get people from all over the world to come out to the middle of a cornfield in Iowa,” he said. 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 Thursday.