CALS Online and Dean’s Message
Dec. 2, 2024
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS – Welcome back from the Thanksgiving holiday! I hope you each had a wonderful break. This week we begin the interviews for our four candidates for the position of Associate Dean for Global Engagement and Director of the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods. Please turn out for those interview seminars and afterward fill out the survey document on the search website. Watch for an email announcing each candidate the day before their scheduled interview and seminar…
Top Stories
Yu’s Research Links Data on Genetics, Traits and Environment
Understanding how environmental conditions and genetic makeup affect crops is essential to developing varieties that are more resilient and productive. But the interplay between weather and genes is difficult to untangle. That dynamic is called phenotypic plasticity and is the main research interest of Jianming Yu, agronomy. A new study from Yu’s research team and collaborators aims to increase the emphasis on plasticity by showing a systematic approach for wringing insight from data that links crop traits, genetics and weather conditions. (Illustration by Deb Berger/Iowa State University)
Research
Soybean Research Seeks to Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions
Over a typical two-year rotation of corn and soybeans, 40% of nitrous oxide emissions are in the fertilizer-free soybean year, according to new research by Michael Castellano and Tomas Della Chiesa, agronomy. Winter cover crops and planting soybeans earlier could reduce emissions of the potent greenhouse gas by one-third while increasing yields.
Teaching and Students
Teacher in Residence Strives to Make an Impact on Students
Ashley Wolfe (’06 MS agricultural and life sciences education) has spent the last 19 years teaching Grinnell High School students about soils, animal science, agricultural leadership and fostering an environment of education in and out of the classroom. Wolfe was on campus Nov. 11-12, participating in the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies’ Teacher in Residence Program, which aims to connect Iowa agricultural education instructors with current students, faculty and staff in the department.
Science with Practice Poster Session Set for Dec. 11
This semester’s Science with Practice poster session open house is Dec. 11, from 2-4 p.m. in the Kildee Hall atrium. Science with Practice is a CALS experiential learning and work program for undergraduate students. All are invited to come talk to the students about their research.
Horticulture Club Selling Poinsettias
The Horticulture Club is holding its annual poinsettia sale. They can be purchased at these campus locations on a first-come, first-served basis:
- Wednesday, Dec. 4 (9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m.), Curtiss Hall
- Thursday, Dec. 5 (9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m.), Beardshear Hall
- Friday, Dec. 6 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.), UDCC
- Saturday, Dec. 7 (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Reiman Gardens
Sizes are 4, 6 and 10 inches; prices vary from $12 to $40. The poinsettias are grown by club members in the Horticulture Hall greenhouses. Funds raised are used for club activities, traveling expenses and student enrichment.
Forestry Club’s Christmas Tree Sale Continues
The Forestry Club is holding its annual Christmas tree fundraiser at the Reiman Gardens parking lot. Trees will be for sale Dec. 6-8 and Dec. 13-15. Hours are Fridays, 3-6 p.m., Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The club will have Korean fir, balsam fir, Canaan fir and white pine, as well as wreaths. Proceeds go toward club activities and student development.
Agronomy Club Accepting Popcorn Orders
The Agronomy Club is holding its annual holiday popcorn sale. Boxes sell for $10. Contact Tyler Atkinson (tyatkins@iastate.edu) or Aidan Bobholz (abobholz@iastate.edu) for an order form. Orders are due following winter break.
Extension and Outreach
Iowa State Selected as Support Entity for New Initiative in Africa
Iowa State was recently selected to participate in an international collaborative effort to train African plant breeders to improve the genetics of traditional and indigenous food crops and to help boost farm productivity. Walter Suza, agronomy, was instrumental in getting Iowa State designated as a support entity in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Food Security’s Feed the Future Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils Capacity Activity.
Francis Joins National Effort to Empower Women over 50
Sarah Francis, food science and human nutrition and state extension specialist in food and health, is part of a multistate team awarded a $1.09 million grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The project will create StrengthenHER, a virtual exercise and nutrition program designed to help women over 50 maintain independence and enhance their health by reducing the risk of sarcopenia, a condition involving muscle loss.
Agronomy Department Welcomes Extension Weed Specialist
Wesley Everman has joined the Department of Agronomy as an assistant professor and extension weed specialist. He will conduct research and teach an upper level weed management course in the fall of 2025 in addition to his extension appointment.
Around the College
Interviews Set for CALS Associate Dean for Global Engagement
Four candidates have been identified for the position of CALS Associate Dean for Global Engagement (currently held by David Acker). As part of the interview process, each candidate will present a public seminar on the “Vision for a Globally Engaged Land Grant College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University” (9 a.m.), followed by an open forum (10-10:45 a.m.). Candidates’ names will be released online one day before their interview. Seminars will be recorded and posted after all candidates have presented. Seminars will not be live-streamed. A feedback survey will also be available. Dates and locations are as follows:
- Tuesday, Dec. 3 – CCUR Auditorium, 1951 Food Sciences Building
- Wednesday, Dec. 4 – CCUR Auditorium, 1951 Food Sciences Building
- Thursday, Dec. 5 – 0163 Hamilton Hall
- Dec. 9 – CCUR Auditorium, 1951 Food Sciences Building
CALS Staff Council Hosts Holiday Tour of Farm House Museum
The CALS Staff Council is hosting “A Look Back in Time,” a holiday tour of the Farm House Museum on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. There is a limit of 20 participants for each tour. Sign up for a tour time using the link found in the email sent by Alison Parker on Sunday evening. Additionally, the CALS Staff Council will be collecting donations of hats, gloves and blankets for the Boys & Girls Clubs and other groups within the community.
Holiday Season Wine Sales Open for Pre-Orders
The Iowa State University Winery has launched pre-orders for its 2022 La Crescent, 2023 Marquette and 2023 Rosé wines (limited quantities of Rosé available). Pick-up and purchase will be on the following Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Meat Lab in Kildee Hall: Dec. 6, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20. Sales will continue until winter break.
Calendar
Dec. 5: Agronomy Seminar
An Agronomy Seminar featuring Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is Thursday, Dec. 5, from 1-2 p.m. in 3580 Memorial Union. Naig will present “From Policy to Practice: A Conversation on Agriculture.”
Dec. 5: Agriculture Innovation Lab Open House and Ribbon Cutting
A ribbon cutting and open house for the Alliant Energy Agriculture Innovation Lab at the Iowa State University Research Park is Thursday, Dec. 5, from 3-6 p.m. Opening remarks will be at 3:30 p.m. followed by a facility tour at 4 p.m.
Dec. 10: CALS Holiday Party
Dean Robison and the CALS leadership team are hosting a holiday party on Dec. 10 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the Sukup Atrium, Elings Hall. There will be brief remarks at 5 p.m. Enjoy food, drinks and live music. See the email from Dean Robison sent this morning to RSVP by Tuesday, Dec. 3.
Communications Kiosk
May vs. Might
May expresses what is possible, is factual or could be factual (I may have turned off the stove, but I can’t recall doing it). Might suggests something that is uncertain, hypothetical or contrary to fact (I might have won the marathon if I had entered). (The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, pg. 341)
Infograzing
EPI Center Event Focuses on Food Access and Food Security
The American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues and the MOST Policy Initiative are co-hosting a virtual policy briefing on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 1-2:30 p.m. The focus will be on food insecurity and food access to bring trusted sources of scientific evidence to local and state decision-makers throughout the U.S.
World Food Prize Foundation Announces Leadership Change
The World Food Prize Foundation announced that Ambassador Terry Branstad will retire as president on Jan. 31, 2025, and Foundation chief operating officer Mashal Husain will become president. In addition, the Foundation will conduct a global search for a newly created chief executive role focused on organizational leadership and global diplomacy.
Marginalia
Art and Science at Work Together in the Student Innovation Center
Sculptor Catherine Widgery narrates a three-minute video about Interface, the public Art on Campus work of art for the Student Innovation Center. Interface consists of dichroic glass in the vestibules and LED-lit copper panels suspended above the outdoor courtyard. Its "not static" components are appropriate, she said, "in a building about creativity, innovation and discovering new boundaries."
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Julie Stewart, Editor
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
https://www.cals.iastate.edu/cals-online
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.