CALS Online and Dean’s Message
Feb. 3, 2025
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS – I hope you can attend this evening’s celebration of the life and legacy of George Washington Carver in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union (registration begins at 5 p.m., followed by the program at 5:30 p.m.). It’ll be a great event and always so fitting that especially our college celebrates Carver and the lasting inspiration he provided us…
Top Stories
Celebrating George Washington Carver Day in Iowa
The university community is invited to celebrate two accomplished alums, George Washington Carver and Frederick Douglass Patterson, on Feb. 3 during the third annual George Washington Carver Day event. The 75-minute program begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall (registration opens at 5 p.m.), followed by an ice cream reception in the South Ballroom. Jewel Bronaugh, president and CEO of the 1890 Universities Foundation, is the keynote speaker. The Iowa State Cantamus Treble Ensemble will perform and student posters will be displayed from the George Washington Carver “I Can” competition. On George Washington Carver Day in Iowa, Carver’s life and legacy live on as a potent symbol of courage, perseverance and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
Suza Leading GWC Future Hunger Fighters Program
Walter Suza, agronomy and George Washington Carver Endowed Chair, is leading the George Washington Carver Future Hunger Fighters Program in collaboration with writing specialist Erin Todey, to engage Iowa high school students in developing innovative solutions to food insecurity challenges. Students must work in teams to write essays identifying a hunger-related issue in their community and proposing a way to address it. The winning teams will be awarded funds to make those projects a reality. Students in Ames High School’s Students Helping to Eliminate Poverty and Hunger Club are the first to take part in the program and will submit their essays in May.
Seed Science Center Celebrates with Free Popcorn
Faculty, staff and students are invited to enjoy a free bag of popcorn from the Seed Science Center in celebration of George Washington Carver Day in Iowa today, Feb. 3. Stop by anytime from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Research
AES Awards Eight Grants for Facilities, Equipment
Iowa State’s Agricultural Experiment Station funded eight strategic seed grants for equipment or infrastructure to advance research and research capacity for existing Hatch/Multistate projects.
Teaching and Students
CALS Student Named Iowa Pork Ambassador
Brady Allan, freshman in animal science, was named to the 2025 Iowa Pork Youth Leadership Team by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. As an Iowa Pork Ambassador, Allan will participate in a variety of events from county fairs and community activities to the Iowa State Fair and the World Pork Expo.
Horticulture Club Accepting Preorders for Valentine’s Bouquets
The Horticulture Club is accepting preorders for its annual Valentine's bouquet sale through Friday, Feb. 7, or while supplies last. Also, arrangements can be purchased on site Feb. 13-14 (9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily while supplies last) at the Union Drive Community Center lobby. Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted payment.
Extension and Outreach
Wild-harvested Mushroom Certification Class Returns this Spring
ISU Extension and Outreach’s Wild-harvested Mushroom Certification Class will return this spring. The class is particularly relevant for those hoping to sell wild-harvested mushrooms, as sellers are legally required to complete a certification workshop to sell eight different varieties of wild-harvested mushrooms.
What in the Weather? The Best and Worst of 2024
The Jan. 17 podcast of “What in the Weather?” presented an annual review of Iowa’s weather and its impact on specialty crops in 2024. Hosts are Dan Fillius and Madelynn Wuestenberg, ANR Extension, and state climatologist Justin Glisan.
Around the College
Two Candidates Remain for Chair of Agronomy
Two candidates for chair of the Department of Agronomy remain and will provide a public seminar on their “Vision for the Future of Agronomy at ISU as a Land-Grant University.” All seminars will take place from 9-9:50 a.m. A faculty forum will follow from 10-10:50 a.m. in the same room. The seminars will be recorded and posted in CyBox. Candidate information will be released a week before their interview.
- Candidate #2 Seminar – Wednesday, Feb. 5 – 3022 Agronomy Hall
- Candidate #3 Seminar – Thursday, Feb. 27 – 2020 Agronomy Hall
Nominations for Gamma Sigma Delta due March 7
The Iowa chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture, is accepting nominations for membership and awards. Nomination forms for faculty, staff and alum membership and awards are available online and are due March 7, at 5 p.m.
CALS Faculty, Staff and Students Recognized on Calendar
This year, four of the 12 Women Impacting ISU calendar honorees are from CALS. A ceremony to celebrate the 2025 awardees took place Jan. 22.
- Albulena Basha, doctoral student in agricultural economics
- Ashlyn Rairdin, doctoral student in plant breeding
- Rachel Burlingame, administrative assistant, sociology and criminal justice
- Amani Elobeid, teaching professor of economics and Deiter Endowed Chair for Sustaining Excellence in Agricultural Business
Calendar
Feb. 5: Iowa Learning Farms Conservation Webinar
“Expanding the Value of Ag Conservation Programs for Monarch Butterfly Recovery in Iowa” is the topic of Iowa Learning Farms conservation webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at noon. Justin Meissen, Tallgrass Prairie Center at the University of Northern Iowa, will present.
Feb. 10: The Magic of Mold-Based Fermentation
Chef Jeremy Umansky will present “Koji Alchemy: Rediscovering the Magic of Mold-Based Fermentation” on Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. Co-sponsors of the lecture include the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, the Culinary Science Club and the Meats Laboratory.
Feb. 12: Kildee Hall Art Walk
University Museums is hosting an art walk in Kildee Hall on Feb. 12 from 3:10-4 p.m., beginning at the south entrance of Kildee Hall. Learn about the history and research of the animal science department through a tour of the public works of art.
Feb. 21: CALS Chat with the Dean
Dean Robison will host a CALS Chat on Feb. 21, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in 220 Science II. The informal, drop-in event will be an opportunity for casual conversation.
March 11: Save the Date
The CALS Spring Awards Program, honoring faculty and staff achievements, is March 11 at 4:10 p.m. in Dolezal Auditorium, 127 Curtiss Hall. The program will include brief comments from Dean Robison and recognition of the 2024 CALS faculty and staff award recipients. A reception in Harl Commons will follow the program.
March 14: Baker Plant Breeding Symposium
Registration is now open for the 12th annual R.F. Baker Plant Breeding Symposium, scheduled for March 14 at the ISU Alumni Center. This year’s theme is “Transformative Research: Pushing the Genetic Frontiers of Plant Breeding.” Registration is free for both in-person and virtual attendance. The Plant Breeding and Genetics Graduate Student Club organizes the symposium, which is hosted by the Department of Agronomy.
Communications Kiosk
Verbal vs. Oral
If something is put into words, it is verbal. Technically, verbal covers both written and spoken utterance. If you wish to specify that something was conveyed through speech, use oral. (The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, pg. 356)
Infograzing
Generative AI Guidance for Iowa State Researchers Released
The Office of the Vice President for Research has compiled a list of frequently asked questions to provide guidance to Iowa State’s research community on the responsible and ethical use of GenAI in research endeavors.
CELT Addresses the Science of How Students Learn
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching is offering a new speaker series on “The Science of How Students Learn.” The series will include an overview of the neuroscience behind the learning process, how motivation impacts learning, how recall tasks can boost learning, how to write better multiple-choice questions to assess learning, and how to design for neurodiversity with multimedia learning. All six sessions will be held virtually, beginning Thursday, Feb. 6, from 3-4 p.m.
Secretary Vilsack Appointed CEO of World Food Prize Foundation
The World Food Prize Foundation announced that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will serve as the organization’s chief executive officer, beginning March 1. As CEO, Vilsack will leverage his leadership and diplomatic experience to enhance the Foundation's global impact in food security and sustainable agriculture.
Marginalia
The Origin of that Yellow Bucket in Your Lab
A student intern's idea to repurpose yellow cat litter buckets for a laboratory glass recycling pilot has endured for more than a decade. The intern suggested the Tidy Cats 35-pound square buckets because they were durable, came with a handle and snap-on lid, color-coordinated with the city's glass recycling bins on building docks and -- if the donation request caught on -- free.
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.