CALS Online and Dean’s Message
December 19, 2022
Dean’s Message
Happy Holidays CALS Colleagues – This past Friday and Saturday, we celebrated our graduating students at the CALS Convocation on Friday morning, the university graduate student commencement on Friday evening, and the university undergraduate commencement on Saturday afternoon. What a truly wonderful line-up of recognitions and celebrations to help launch our newest alums! It is a great pleasure to watch our students file across the platform and receive congratulations and diplomas, to contemplate what they have accomplished here, and even more so all that they will each accomplish over the many next phases of their careers… More
Top Stories
Years of Monarch Research Shows How Adding Habitat will Help Conservation
A newly published overview of Iowa State research on the monarch butterfly synthesizes years of study that includes field observations, laboratory experiments and simulation modeling. The findings estimate the state’s monarch conservation plan will increase the size of the monarch population by 10-25% per generation. “Basically, we’ve concluded that planting habitat anywhere you can in the agricultural landscapes of the Upper Midwest will support growth of the monarch’s breeding generations, even if some of that habitat is near crop fields treated with insecticides,” said Steven Bradbury, natural resource ecology and management. More
Research
CALS Seed Grants Leverage Existing and Future Research
The Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station announced seed-grant funding for eight applications to advance research capacity in the college. Total funding awarded is $513,190 to enhance equipment and infrastructure, which represents more than $791,000 with matching funds leveraged. More
Teaching and Students
ABE Students Experience Entire Manufacturing Process
From design theory to hands-on manufacturing, students in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering are experiencing the entire design and development process through the teamwork of two new faculty members. Chad Dolphin and Bailey Adams teach different concepts (systems modeling and manufacturing), but the two came up with an idea to merge their courses so students can experience the manufacturing process from beginning to end. More
CALS Convocation Photo Album Available Online
Congratulations to the fall 2022 CALS graduating students. An online photo album is available from CALS Convocation, held Dec. 16.
Extension and Outreach
Iowa Farmland Values Hit All-Time High
One year after skyrocketing 29%, the average value of an acre of Iowa farmland jumped another 17%, or $1,660, to $11,411 per acre. The nominal value of an acre of farmland is again higher this year than at any point since Iowa State began surveying values in 1941. When adjusting for inflation, the 2022 average value surpasses the previous inflation-adjusted record value set in 2013 for the first time. More
Winter Master Gardener Training Begins in February
The application window for the 2023 Winter Master Gardener training cohort opens Jan. 9. The training will be offered in 27 counties or extension regions, beginning in February. Training will benefit Iowans wanting to deepen their understanding of gardening and horticulture, while impacting their communities. More
Around the College
Dean Robison to Host CALS Chat
Dean Robison will host a CALS Chat on Jan. 13, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, Kildee Hall. The informal, drop-in event will be an opportunity for casual conversation.
CALS Staff Social Scheduled for January
The CALS Staff Council is hosting a welcome back ice cream social on Jan. 25 from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Iowa Farm Bureau Pavilion in Kildee Hall.
CALS Online: Next Issue Jan. 9
CALS Online will not be published for the next two weeks. It will resume Monday, Jan. 9. Happy holidays.
Calendar
Dec. 21: Conversations about Carbon
Sandra Campos-Diaz, high school science teacher for the Madison Wisconsin Metropolitan School District, is the featured guest for Conversations about Carbon, scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 21, from noon to 12:50 p.m. The webinar series is hosted by the ISU Bioeconomy Institute in association with CALS. More
Dec. 21: ISU Creamery Curbside Pickup
The ISU Creamery is offering curbside pickup of ice cream quarts, 8 ounce cups and aged cheddar cheese on Wednesday, Dec. 21, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Email your order by noon on Tuesday, Dec. 20, to creamery@iastate.edu. Pickup will be on the east side of the Food Sciences Building in the semi-circle drive. Pay at pickup with credit/debit cards, cash and gift certificates or vouchers. More
Infograzing
Board of Regents Issues Guidance on TikTok Ban
On Dec. 15, Iowa Board of Regents President Mike Richards provided guidance to all regent institutions to comply with a directive by Gov. Kim Reynolds to ban TikTok, the social media platform, on all state-owned devices. Effective immediately, the TikTok app must be removed from all electronic devices owned, leased or controlled by the university. Also, content can no longer be posted to any TikTok accounts owned or controlled by the university. More, or Inside Iowa State article.
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.