CALS Online and Dean’s Message
October 16, 2023
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS Colleagues – After the big wind and rain of Friday afternoon, we had a pretty nice weekend after all… Last week was the fantastic CALS Career Day that Mike Gaul and Lois Benning make happen each year. It’s an amazing activity… The scope and activity of the Career Day, the largest of its kind in the nation, is about far more than the terrific employment opportunities our students end up with – it’s really about the professional development of our students. They go to the event and learn about the industries and sectors they are planning to enter, learn about themselves, and see and explore the widest range of possibilities. I truly think this is one of those activities that, perhaps more than any other, informs our students about the depth and breadth of the entire college. Where else do they actually “see” the variety of organizations that want our students from every department and program in the college…
Top Stories
Iowa Nitrogen Initiative to Bring More Precision to Fertilizer Rates
Despite incentives to use just the right amount of nitrogen fertilizer on corn fields, current official recommendations are broad and ideal rates can vary widely from field to field and year to year. A research team led by Michael Castellano and Sotirios Archontoulis, agronomy, is collecting data from trials across Iowa – mostly in fields of participating volunteer farmers – to build models that offer far more granular guidance. The Iowa Nitrogen Initiative is supported with annual funding from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Research
Plant Pathology Researchers Benefit from New Research Space
Management of the Hinds Irrigation Farm was turned over to Iowa State’s Horticulture Research Station last year. This past summer, plant pathology researchers used it to conduct 40 different projects looking at diseases in corn and soybeans.
Teaching and Students
Growing Forestry Knowledge Across Campus
Sierra McCoy, senior in forestry, installed informational, interactive signs across Iowa State’s campus to help educate individuals about the trees they see. In addition to the signs, she worked with the university’s IT department to add a tree identification feature to the MyState app.
Craft Sale Benefits Ugandan Artists
The Uganda Alliance Club is holding a craft sale on Friday, Oct. 20, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the Marston Hall east lawn. Baskets were created by members of the Tusubila ("hope") Crafts Group in Kamuli, Uganda, and mostly sell for $5-$15 each. The Uganda Alliance Club was started by students studying abroad through Iowa State's Uganda program who witnessed a limited market for the baskets locally.
Block and Bridle Summer Sausage and Cheese Orders Due Oct. 27
The Block and Bridle Club is holding its 47th annual summer sausage and cheese sale. Orders close on Oct. 27. Orders will be available for pick-up on Nov. 7-9 or will be shipped the week of Nov. 13. The summer sausage is from the Meats Laboratory. Cheddar cheese from the ISU Creamery is available again this year, along with white cheddar cheese curds from WW Homestead Dairy. Profits from the fundraiser help fund more than 30 events put on by the club each year as well as fund interest group industry tours.
Seed Science and Technology Webinar Series Begins in November
The Graduate Program in Seed Technology and Business is holding its free Seed Science and Technology webinar series on Tuesdays at noon in November. This year’s topics include optical sorting, seed treatment and testing, and precision agriculture.
Snow Blower Service Days Scheduled for Nov. 10-11
The Agricultural Systems Technology Club will hold its annual snow blower service days Nov. 10 (1-6 p.m.), and Nov. 11 (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.), at Sukup Hall. The $25 cost includes an oil change, a new spark plug and a power wash. Pickup and delivery (Ames zip code only) is available for an additional $25; send an email request to astservicedays@gmail.com.
Video: AgEdS Interns Talk with Career Fair Attendees
Brandon Chantamarinh and Gracelin Dahlhauser, digital media interns with the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies, talked with current AgEdS students, advisors, professors and Mike Gaul, director of CALS Career Services, at the CALS Career Day last Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Extension and Outreach
USDA, Cooperative Extension and APLU Award Top Honors in Extension
The Growing Together Multistate Collaborative, which includes Iowa State University, has received the national Excellence in Extension Team Award from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Cooperative Extension and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. The collaborative effort expands access to fresh produce at food distribution sites and offers companion nutrition and gardening education to those experiencing nutrition insecurity.
Meat Short Courses Offer Hands-On Learning
The Meats Lab at Iowa State is offering eight meat short courses over the next year. It begins with the Basic Sausage Short Course on Nov. 14-16. Registration is open through Nov. 7, with a reduced rate for those who register by Oct. 24. Terry Houser, extension meat specialist, said participants receive hands-on education and instruction by industry experts.
Spiders in the Home are No Cause for Worry
As autumn leaves begin to turn and the temperature begins to drop, people aren’t the only ones looking to get cozy indoors. Many Iowans notice an increase in insect and spider populations around the home during fall. While finding unexpected spiders hiding around the home can be alarming, Zach Schumm, insect diagnostician with the Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic at Iowa State, explains that most spiders in Iowa pose little threat to people.
Around the College
Carriquiry Named 2023-24 Hagler Fellow
Alicia Carriquiry, Iowa State University President’s Chair in Statistics and director of the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence, has been named a Hagler Fellow. Carriquiry is one of 15 scholars from around the globe who comprise the 2023-24 class of Fellows and Distinguished Lecturers of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University.
Exploring Wetland Conservation and Research at Iowa State
Ducks Unlimited visited with Adam Janke, natural resource ecology and management, Sara McMillan, agricultural and biosystems engineering, and several CALS students to discuss wetland conservation and research at Iowa State. Videos from the visit are available on the Camps Waterfowl blog.
Family Receives Posthumous Degree for Jack Trice
During a central campus ceremony on Oct. 8 to close the yearlong commemoration of former student-athlete Jack Trice, Iowa State leaders presented an Iowa State degree in animal husbandry for John “Jack” Trice to his family. Trice had completed 22 credits toward a bachelor’s degree before he died.
Calendar
Oct. 17: CALS Town Hall
Join Dean Robison for a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in 127 Curtiss Hall, Dolezal Auditorium.
Oct. 20: Prairie Birthday Party
The Science II Prairie is turning 50, and a birthday party (with cake) is being held Friday, Oct. 20, at 4 p.m. in the parking lot east of the prairie. Celebrate all the prairie has done for five decades of students.
Oct. 25: CALS Staff Awards Coffee Talk
The CALS Staff Council is hosting a Coffee Talk on revised staff awards on Oct. 25, from 2-3 p.m. in 142 Curtiss Hall. Ruth MacDonald, CALS associate dean for personnel and finance, Nate Dobbels, CALS Staff Council president, and Julie Stewart, who provides staff support for the awards program, will present information and answer questions from attendees. Registration is not required and refreshments will be served.
Oct. 26: Errington Memorial Lecture
The annual Paul L. Errington Memorial Lecture is Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Amanda Rodewald, Cornell University, will present “City Bird, Country Bird: How Human Activity Affects Predator-Prey Interactions.” Co-sponsors include natural resource ecology and management; ecology, evolution and organismal biology; agronomy; CALS; and the Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.
Oct. 30: Beal Lecture in Rural Sociology
The George M. Beal Distinguished Lectureship in Rural Sociology is Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. Shannon Monnat, Syracuse University, will present “Population Health in Rural America: Contemporary Trends, Causes and Complexities.” The Beal lecture is co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice.
Communications Kiosk
Historic vs. Historical
Historic refers to what is momentous in history (January 16, 1991, was a historic day in Kuwait). Historical refers simply to anything that pertains to or occurred in history (the historical record). Also, when the h is pronounced, it takes an a (an hour-long talk at a historical society). (The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, pgs. 306 and 334)
Infograzing
World Food Day Sheds Light on Global Water-Food Connection
Today, Oct. 16, is World Food Day, an annual event of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This year's theme, "Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind," emphasizes the link between water resources and food security, spotlighting the challenges faced by 2.4 billion people in water-stressed countries and the 600 million people dependent, at least partially, on aquatic food systems for a living.
The SHOP Receives ‘I Will’ Action Grant
The SHOP food pantry received one of five “I Will” Action Grants, funds provided by the Jack Trice centennial commemoration committee to student groups planning events that “represent all the things Jack Trice stood for: courage, strength and making the world a better place.” The SHOP will work with ethnic grocery stores to purchase additional culturally relevant foods each month for the pantry, located in Beyer Hall.
Employee Flu Vaccine Clinic Open through Oct. 20
The Iowa State Employee Flu Vaccine Clinic is open through Friday, Oct. 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in the State Gym Fitness Studio, Room 1218. Enter through the south entrance. Reserved parking spots are available near the doors.
Marginalia
If They Say it's MAA-drid, Then it's MAA-drid
In an Oct. 13 blog post for Iowa Learning Farms, Jon Dahlem, postdoc research associate in agricultural and biosystems engineering, talks about place names and imitating the locals. "When you’re new to Iowa, you are almost guaranteed to mispronounce a local town. The correct pronunciations can defy expectations: Madrid is “MAA-drid,” Nevada is “neh-VAY-duh,” Tripoli is “trih-POE-luh,” Buena Vista is “BYOO-nah VIH-stuh,” and Des Moines is somehow pronounced in neither English nor French. Iowa Public Radio has a 100-entry audio guide on how to pronounce Iowa places. Driving around the state, I’ve been thinking about these unexpected town names, and I wonder if they don’t hold a small sociological lesson about the value of setting aside outsider expectations and listening to locals about their own communities. If they say it’s MAA-drid, then it’s MAA-drid… right?"
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Julie Stewart, Editor
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
https://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.