CALS Online and Dean’s Message
June 9, 2025
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS – Happy Monday. A short note this week. I hope things are going well for each of you as the summer unfolds. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the ribbon cutting of the new headquarters for the consumer products division of KENT Worldwide in Muscatine… KENT Worldwide purchased the old McKee Button Company building in Muscatine a few years ago and painstakingly restored it into their new facility… Sometimes Muscatine was/is known as the Pearl of the Mississippi because of the tremendous freshwater clam/mussel beds there that were harvested to yield mother-of-pearl buttons for many decades… I have to wonder, during the heyday of shell-based button manufacturing, if anyone in our college did work/study on the ecology of these clams/mussels to improve the sustainability of their management and harvest…
Top Stories
Undergraduate Researcher Looks at ‘Limitless Possibilities’ of Genetics
Laboratory work in many undergraduate classes is focused on achieving a certain outcome. For Wren Murzyn, a senior in genetics at Iowa State, uncertainty in the lab has been more valuable. As a freshman in fall 2022, Murzyn enrolled in Biology 1140X, a one-credit course designed to give first- and second-year students hands-on research experience. Her section was taught by two faculty in genetics, development and cell biology, Ping Kang and Hua Bai. That led to working in Kang’s lab the next four semesters, contributing to research exploring the genetic causes of aging in fruit flies. Murzyn is credited as a co-author of a recent research article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Photo by Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University)
Research
First Year of Farming at Solar Power Site Shows Promise
Iowa State researchers studying how solar energy production and agriculture can co-exist say the first year of a four-year study showed produce farming can work amid solar panels. At the Alliant Energy Solar Farm at Iowa State University, a 10-acre facility south of Ames, the researchers are studying agrivoltaics – agricultural use of land that’s also home to solar panels. The project, funded by a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, has attracted more attention than the researchers expected. The grant calls for two to three outreach events per year, but roughly 40 different groups visited the farm in 2024. The list of tours included students, growers, nonprofits, government officials, utility companies and other interested researchers. Some came from as far away as Africa and Australia.
Teaching and Students
Video: Blanding’s Turtles Released into Wild
Remember the story about the Blanding’s turtles Iowa State students were working with alongside Blank Park Zoo and Iowa DNR officials? They were just released into the wild. Watch the video of their release and read more about the project.
Extension and Outreach
Uncover the Story of Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy
The Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council launched a five-part video series highlighting Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy—where it started, how it’s measured and advanced, and where the effort is headed next. In the first video, John Lawrence, CALS professor emeritus, and Adam Schnieders, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, discuss how the strategy was collaboratively developed and adopted, and the important considerations made to ensure the framework is effective for all Iowans.
Urban Ag Showcased through Statewide Pilot, Field Days, Conference
ISU Extension and Outreach is working with farmers in four major metropolitan areas on the Growing Urban Ag in Iowa program, a pilot project that addresses issues relevant to urban farming, including alleviating hunger and increasing sustainability. The project also focuses on job skills training, food safety, community building and youth involvement.
Around the College
Produce for Sale at the Horticulture Research Station
The Horticulture Research Station community produce sale is starting the 2025 season with strawberries. They also have honey. Orders can be placed from Mondays at noon through Thursdays at noon. Pickup is at the Meat Lab parking lot on Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Credit cards are now accepted at pickup.
Children Invited to Propose New Ice Cream Flavor
Children 12 years and younger are invited to “color” a new ice cream flavor for the ISU Creamery. Coloring sheets and the contest entry form can be downloaded from the ISU Creamery website, or picked up at the ISU Creamery store, 2955 Food Sciences Building. Entries are due at the retail store by 5 p.m. on June 30. The ISU Creamery team will announce the winning entry on July 2. The ice cream flavor will be made at the Creamery and sold for a limited time in the store.
In Memoriam: John Mabry
John Mabry, professor emeritus of animal science and former director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center, died on May 29. He was 74. Mabry’s major research emphasis was in the development and implementation of across-herd and within-herd genetic evaluation programs, along with development of cost-effective genetic systems for the swine industry. He was an Iowa State faculty member from 2000 until his retirement in 2015.
Calendar
June 12: Mike Gaul Retiring
Mike Gaul, CALS Career Services director, is retiring Thursday, June 12 (no public event).
More Events Listed on CALS Website
Find more events on the CALS Events webpage. Submit events for inclusion on this list to madelyno@iastate.edu or jstewart@iastate.edu.
Marginalia
Despite Damage, Historic Maple will Remain on Campus
A large black maple tree, one of two remaining original trees from the William M. Beardshear Memorial Grove on central campus, was severely damaged by strong winds during the weekend of May 16-18. The trees were dedicated in 1917 in memory of the former Iowa State College president, who served from 1891 to 1902. Horticulture, forest and landscape architecture faculty said the mostly hollow tree should remain standing. Campus service arborists will trim it to ensure safety. Seeds and cuttings from the tree will be gathered to try to cultivate seedlings. Successful seedlings would be planted back on campus.
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.