CALS Online and Dean’s Message
September 15, 2025
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS Colleagues – I hope this finds you well. The fall season has really run up on us faster than usual, at least it seems. Final hay harvests are happening, and combines across the state are already running corn and beans with percent harvest into the double digits… This week, I’ll have the opportunity to go to our Rod and Connie French Conservation Education Camp (aka Montana Camp), 50 minutes west of Missoula, Montana, to visit with Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management students and faculty, and partners, alums and donors to the facility and its programs. Camp director and NREM assistant professor Jennifer Schieltz and CALS Development director Michelle Blair have put this visit together…
Top Stories
Statistical Research Center Opening at Iowa State
After a decade of planning, a new Federal Statistical Research Data Center opens this month on Iowa State’s campus, benefiting researchers across the state and region. A grand opening on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 10-11:30 a.m. in 368A Heady Hall, will introduce the facility to interested users. “To be competitive, social scientists need access to this kind of data,” said Joshua Rosenbloom, economics, who will serve as the center’s executive director. Rosenbloom collaborated with Zhengyuan Zhu, director of the Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology, to bring the center to Iowa State. Cassandra Dorius, a senior scientist with the Census Bureau, is acting administrator for the new FSRDC.
Research
Food, Pesticides and Public Perception: What’s Behind the Label?
Katie Dentzman, sociology and criminal justice, is involved in an interdisciplinary project examining neonicotinoid use in potato production and what it means for agriculture, regulation and the environment. She is conducting a national consumer survey and says one challenge is overcoming “social desirability bias,” the tendency for people to give answers they believe are more socially acceptable, rather than truthful.
Applications for Equipment Seed Grants due Sept. 22
Applications for CALS/AES Strategic Seed Grants for Facilities and Equipment for Faculty with Existing Hatch and Multistate Projects will be accepted until Sept. 22. Information about the awards, eligibility and the application form is available online.
Teaching and Students
New Study Abroad Program a ‘Springboard’ for Future Travel
Erica Beirman and Karla Boetel, food science and human nutrition, led six students on a new study abroad experience in May – For the Love of Food and Puerto Rico. Beirman said the Puerto Rico trip, currently offered every other year, can be a great first step into international travel because of the island’s proximity to the U.S. and the relatively low cost of the program, thanks in part to donors.
PPEM Faculty Inspire Teachers Through Summer Research Experience
Amber Crowley-Gall and Larry Halverson, plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, opened their labs to high school educators this summer through the Research Experiences for Teachers program, bridging cutting-edge science with K–12 classrooms. Each led teams of educators and Iowa State students in immersive projects that connected research with real-world classroom applications.
Food Science Club Holding Bake Sale for SHOP Food Pantry
The Food Science Club is hosting a bake sale (cupcakes and brownies), with every dollar raised going directly to the SHOP food pantry on campus. Items can be preordered to pick up Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Memorial Union (right outside the bookstore), or goods can be purchased on site Sept. 26. All containers are sold by the half-dozen and cost $8. Payment will be due at pickup, by card, check or cash.
Extension and Outreach
2026 Garden Calendar Now Available
The 2026 Garden Calendar, “A Bounty of Bulbs,” is now available for purchase through the Iowa State University Extension Store. This year’s edition highlights the beauty and variety of bulbs, such as spring tulips, summer lilies, autumn crocuses and even winter’s amaryllis.
Workshop will Introduce RUSLE2 and Iowa Phosphorus Index
A Sept. 24 workshop in Ames will provide information on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2 and the Iowa Phosphorus Index. It is a collaborative effort between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, USDA and ISU Extension and Outreach.
Resources Available through ‘Homegrown Lifestyle’ Online Series
ISU Extension and Outreach is offering a new Homegrown Lifestyle series, developed by the Farm, Food and Enterprise Development Program. It offers three online courses designed to help small farm owners grow their food, raise livestock and preserve their land.
Around the College
ELA Class Lends Expertise to Campus Initiatives
The 31-member cohort of the 2025-2026 edition of Iowa State's Emerging Leaders Academy met for the first time Aug. 29 and will meet monthly through May. Sessions focus on leadership theory and practice, communication, budgeting and resource management, performance management and ethical leadership. Cohort members from CALS departments are:
- Tara Fisher, CALS student services
- Ulrike Genschel, statistics
- Claire Kruesel, biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology
- Buddhi Lamsal, food science and human nutrition
- Bradley Miller, agronomy
- Jarad Niemi, statistics
- Catherine Swoboda, horticulture
CSRL Holding Lunch and Learn for Faculty, Staff, Graduate Students
The Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods is holding a lunch and learn session for faculty, staff and graduate students on Oct. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in 368A Heady Hall. Francis Owusu, CALS associate dean for global engagement and CSRL director, and Gideon Nadiope, national director of the Iowa State University-Uganda Program, will share details about CSRL and the work of ISU-UP in rural Uganda. RSVP by Oct. 8.
Lytle Wins CALS Staff Council Tailgate Bag
Congratulations to Mindan Lytle, animal science, for having the closest guess for the final score of the CyHawk Game to win the Tailgate Bag. Approximately 35 CALS staff attended the Touchdown for CALS Tailgate hosted by the CALS Staff Council on Sept. 5.
Calendar
Sept. 18: Why True Crime is So Popular
Matt DeLisi, sociology and criminal justice, will present “Our Obsession with Murder: Why True Crime is So Popular” on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room.
Oct. 4: Introductory BBQ Class
The Iowa Pork Industry Center, collaborating with meat science program faculty, is offering an Introduction to BBQ class on Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Kildee Hall. Participation is limited and registration is required. The $75 registration fee covers all supplies.
Oct. 14: CALS Career Day
CALS Career Day is Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lied Recreation Athletic Center. More than 200 companies and organizations are registered so far to participate and recruit students.
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.
Infograzing
Fall 2025 Enrollment Climbs to 31,105
For the third consecutive year, enrollment at Iowa State is up, due in part to a first-year record retention rate of just over 89% and growth in first-year students. Total enrollment stands at 31,105, which is an increase of 673 students.
University Museums Celebrate 50th Anniversary
University Museums will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Friday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Brunnier Art Museum, Scheman Building. The event is free and open to all. No RSVP required.
Parks Library Centennial Celebration Continues
The Parks Library Centennial celebration continues Sept. 24 from noon to 2 p.m. There will be tastings of "Centennial Cyder” from the ISU Brew Lab and “Aha! Moments” ice cream from the ISU Creamery, a performance by the Department of Music and Theatre, building tours and more.
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.