CALS Online and Dean’s Message
August 14, 2023
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS Colleagues – I hope you had a great weekend. One week to go before classes begin, and already the campus is starting to hum with energy. And then there’s the energy of the Iowa State Fair – some of which can be felt up here in Ames! I’ll get to the fair next week to visit the Iowa State exhibit in the Varied Industries Building and to make a circuit to visit the booths, displays, exhibits and food(!) of our many partner organizations representing commodities, agencies, youth, and much more. It's always a fun thing to do and lots of important touchpoints to make… More
Top Stories
Entrepreneurship Fellow Delivers Engaging Course Material
Walter Suza, agronomy, is making plant genetics educational materials more engaging and accessible for students on campus and beyond. He created a new open education resource that was introduced in 2021 with support from a Miller Open-Education Mini-Grant through the University Library at Iowa State. Through Suza’s recent participation in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows Program sponsored by CALS and Start Something CALS, he and a team are now creating a new set of Applied Learning Activities to enhance the lessons. More
Research
Winter Rye Prized for Versatility
A series of studies, begun in 2015, by a team of Agricultural Research Service and university collaborators suggest that establishing a cover crop of winter rye between rotations of corn and soybean can reduce nitrate losses, sequester carbon and provide a source of renewable natural gas. Robert Malone, with the ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, is coordinating the studies. Collaborators include Matt Helmers, agricultural and biosystems engineering, and Lisa Schulte Moore, natural resource ecology and management. More
Teaching and Students
Faculty Advisor Bikes 1,000 Miles to Support Club Project
Dirk Maier, agricultural and biosystems engineering, rode 1,000 miles over 10 days on RAGBRAI to raise money for Iowa State Engineers Without Border’s sustainable engineering projects with the Ullo, Ghana, community. Maier is faculty advisor to ISU-EWB. More
Extension and Outreach
Neely-Kinyon Organic Field Day is Aug. 22
The Iowa State Organic Ag Program will share its latest research at a field day on Aug. 22 from 4-6 p.m. at the Neely-Kinyon Memorial Research and Demonstration Farm near Greenfield. Kathleen Delate, professor and organic specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, said the field day includes a meal with local and organic foods. More
Conservation on Tap Event Scheduled for Waukee
Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Des Moines Water Works and Conservation Learning Group, will host the second of three “Conservation on Tap” events on Aug. 31 from 6-7 p.m. at Kinship Brewing Co. in Waukee. Hosts include Mark Licht, agronomy, and Matt Helmers, Iowa Nutrient Research Center. To ensure adequate space and food, RSVP by Aug. 28 to 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu. More
Around the College
Training Provided for Seed Systems Development in Asia and Africa
The Seed Science Center hosted 26 participants from eight countries in Ames from May 20-June 5, as part of a three-year grant from USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service. Now in its second year, this phase involved the training of executives and policymakers, regulators, scientists and researchers in three countries in Asia (the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) and five in Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania). More
Tuteja Appointed Research Faculty Fellow
The Office of the Vice President for Research has appointed Geetu Tuteja, genetics, development and cell biology, to serve a Research Faculty Fellow position centered on the National Institutes of Health and related private foundations. The part-time position is supported through Iowa State’s Strategic Plan success funding initiatives. More
Calendar
Aug. 15: Plant Introduction Station Observes 75th Anniversary
The North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station will observe its 75th anniversary with an open house on Tuesday, Aug. 15, from 2-6 p.m. at the NCRPIS facility in Ames. More
Aug. 17: Seminar with the King of Busoga, Uganda
CALS is hosting His Majesty William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV, King of Busoga, Uganda, on Thursday, Aug. 17, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in 142 Curtiss Hall (Dean’s Conference Room). The King and members of his delegation will share their experiences in improving livelihoods in Eastern Uganda. More
Aug. 18: CALS Faculty and Staff Ice Cream Social
Dean Robison is hosting an ice cream social on Friday, Aug. 18, from 11:30 a.m. to noon 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.
Infograzing
CELT Teaching Symposium Scheduled for Aug. 15
All members of the Iowa State community are invited to the morning session of the CELT Teaching Symposium 2023 on Tuesday, Aug. 15, in the Lee Liu Auditorium in 2271 Howe Hall. Todd Zakrajsek will speak about “The Power of Connections.” Attendance is free, but registration is required. More
Researchers Want to Take Greenhouse Gas Emissions Out of Crop Fertilizer
Researchers from Iowa State and Wichita State University are working together to develop and promote a new green fertilizer that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The $4 million project is supported by a National Science Foundation program designed to build scientific infrastructure and capabilities across the country. More
September Forum to Focus on Farm Bill
The Farm Foundation’s September forum will be held by Zoom on Sept. 26 at 9 a.m. “What to Expect From the 2023 Farm Bill Now” will provide an updated forecast into the current factors influencing how the next farm bill is being shaped and what the likely policy outcomes will be. More
Marginalia
23 Questions with Dr. Skaar
The animal science department has started a new video project that takes a play on the popular Vogue "73 Question" interview. They take a walk with some people in the animal science department during their day to get to know them a little better. Join them as they talk to Brad Skaar at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center and hear about his secret talent, his path to Iowa State and much more. 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.