CALS Online and Dean’s Message
September 29, 2025
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS – … last week we enjoyed celebrating the University Faculty and Staff Awards, including more than 20 awardees from our college! Last week, we also recognized the alums and partners who give to the university at the annual fall ISU Foundation Governor’s Week. Here in the college, we had a number of special events, including a team and donor review of the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods program, and the same for Global Resource Systems. We also hosted an evening reception for key donors and celebrated the unveiling of a new mural on the second floor of Curtiss Hall that recognizes the past/present/future of the Ag 450 Farm…
Top Stories
College Announces Inaugural Recipients of Bill Northey Scholarship
Jordan Johnson (left), agricultural business and international agriculture, and Braden Wells (right), agricultural business, are pictured with Cindy Northey, wife of the late Bill Northey, at the CALS Alumni BBQ on Aug. 30, where the two students were announced as the inaugural recipients of the Bill Northey Legacy of Leadership in Agriculture scholarship. Bill Northey (‘81 agricultural business) was a former Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and fourth-generation farmer. He dedicated his career to promoting the state of Iowa, its people and its agriculture.
Research
Iowa State Researchers Create New Food Packaging Restricted Chemicals Resource
Researchers with Iowa State’s Polymer and Food Protection Consortium carefully reviewed and analyzed global chemical lists and regulations to create a resource for stakeholders and manufacturers in the food packaging sector. This resource can be referenced when designing new food packaging.
Landmark ISU Study Still Shapes Biotechnology Perceptions
A special edition of the journal Phytopathology celebrating landmark studies that have had a sustained impact on plant disease research included a 1997 paper by Gary Munkvold, plant pathology, entomology and microbiology and the Seed Science Center, and Rick Hellmich, PPEM Emeritus. It was recognized as groundbreaking work that altered perceptions in both maize pathology and crop biotechnology.
Teaching and Students
CALS Students to Hold Annual Bacon Expo Oct. 11
The annual Bacon Expo is Oct. 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center. The event includes sizzling bacon, hands-on agricultural education and activities for all ages. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.
Iowa Corn Selects Students for Collegiate Advisory Team
The Iowa Corn Growers Association has selected the following students to participate in the 2025-2026 school year’s Collegiate Advisory Team program, which focuses on increasing college students’ understanding of the corn industry and providing experience and training in areas such as leadership, effective communication, policy and industry relations.
- Henry Rose – senior in agricultural studies (peer mentor)
- Nolan Engelbrecht – junior in agricultural business
- Jorja Holliday – junior in agricultural studies
- Bridget Johnson – junior in agricultural and life sciences education
- Emily King – senior in agronomy
- Meghan Klemme – sophomore in agricultural and life sciences education
- Kelly Marshek – junior in agricultural communication
- Olivia Marti – senior in agricultural business
- Cody Messer – junior in animal science
- Davis McGrew – junior in agricultural studies
- Belle Netolicky – sophomore in agricultural studies
- Leah Parker – senior in agricultural studies
- Beth Pickar – sophomore in agronomy
- Emma Seiboldt – junior in agricultural studies
- Caroline Strawhacker – senior in agricultural business
- Jacob Thomas – junior in agricultural studies
Submit Abstracts for Borlaug Poster Competition by Sept. 30
Time is running out to submit poster abstracts for the 22nd Annual Norman Borlaug Lecture Poster Competition for Graduate and Undergraduate Students. Poster abstracts must be submitted online by Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 11:59 p.m. The competition and display of posters will take place Oct. 21 on the ground floor of Curtiss Hall, prior to the Norman Borlaug Lecture featuring 2025 World Food Prize Laureate Mariangela Hungria.
Student Club Spotlight: Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow
The mission of the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Club is to provide opportunities for Iowa State students beyond what they experience in the classroom. They bring in industry professionals to share their agricultural communication stories to encourage members to explore their passions and become aware of opportunities.
Extension and Outreach
Webinar to Explore Impact of PFAS Chemicals on Agriculture
ISU Extension and Outreach, in collaboration with Michigan State University and the Center for PFAS Research, will host a webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 10-11 a.m. titled “PFAS in Agriculture: What It Means for Your Farm and the Food Supply Chain.” The webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of PFAS in agriculture, including how these chemicals enter farming systems and move through the supply chain, and what farmers, ag professionals and policymakers can do in response.
New Iowa Farm Poll Report Looks at Views on Nutrient Reduction Strategy
A new report from ISU Extension and Outreach examines awareness and attitudes among Iowa farmers regarding the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, a statewide initiative launched in 2013 to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff into Iowa’s waterways and contributions to Gulf hypoxia. The report, authored by J. Arbuckle, extension sociologist, draws on data from the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, an annual survey of Iowa farmers.
Farmer Boredom and the Innovation of Relay Intercropping in Iowa
Iowa Learning Farms has published “From Ennui to Empowerment: Farmer Boredom and the Innovation of Relay Intercropping in Iowa,” a social science assessment of what drives innovation and experimentation among farmers. The report is part of a multi-year project studying on-farm trials of the relay intercropping practice that promises to deliver three cash crops – corn, soybean and small grain – over two years.
Drive Safely on Iowa Roads this Harvest Season
With harvest underway, combines, grain carts and other large equipment are appearing on Iowa roads. Drivers are reminded to slow down and share the road with farm machinery this fall.
Autumn Garden Cleanup a Crucial Step in Preventing Plant Diseases
With autumn settling in, gardeners are turning their attention to an important and often overlooked task of the season: fall cleanup. ISU Extension and Outreach experts advise that neglecting the garden now can promote more disease problems next spring.
Around the College
Medallion Ceremony for Rothschild Endowed Professorship Oct. 3
Maria Wurzinger, animal science, is the inaugural holder of the Rothschild Endowed Professor in Global Food Security and Animal Science. A medallion ceremony honoring Wurzinger will take place Friday, Oct. 3, at 3:30 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee Hall.
Two SSC Leaders Named Among High-Impact Women in U.S. Seed
The Seed Science Center is celebrating the recognition of Susana Goggi and Kelly Iverson, who were both named to Seed World magazine’s list of 30 High-Impact Women in U.S. Seed. This national honor spotlights women whose leadership, research and vision are shaping the future of the seed industry.
Interviews Set for Egg Industry Center Director
Michael Toscano, the first finalist for director of the Egg Industry Center, presented a public seminar and an open forum the morning of Sept. 29 in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee Hall. As part of the interview process, all four candidates will present a public seminar on “My vision and strategy for the Egg Industry Center to fulfill its missions,” followed by an open forum. Seminars will be recorded and posted after all candidates have presented. All seminars will take place in the Ensminger Room from 9-9:50 a.m., followed by the open forum from 10-10:50 a.m. in the same room. The remaining three candidates will present Oct. 6, Oct. 9 and Oct. 16.
CALS Staff Council to Host Jack Trice Stadium Tour
CALS staff are invited to tour Jack Trice Stadium and learn about turf management on Friday, Oct. 3, at 10 a.m. The registration deadline is Thursday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m. The tour group will meet on the south side of the stadium at the Sukup Endzone Club. Participants can park in lot S2, which is also located on the stadium's south end.
CALS Award Nominations Due Nov. 18
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences recognizes the excellence and dedication of its faculty and staff through the conferring of college awards. Award descriptions and nomination guidelines are found on the CALS Honors and Awards website. Nominations are due by Nov. 18 through the online submission portal. Contact your departmental awards committee, or Julie Stewart (jstewart@iastate.edu), for additional information.
In Memoriam: Shannon Harper
Shannon Harper, associate professor in sociology and criminal justice, passed away Sept. 14. She was 43. Harper also served as core faculty in the U.S. Latino/a Studies Program and affiliate faculty in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. Her research explored the relationship between intimate partner violence and intimate partner homicide and the gendered, structural and cultural contexts through which both correlate and occur.
Calendar
Oct. 2: Feeding the World Seminar Series
The Feeding the World seminar series continues Thursday, Oct. 2, from 3:40-4:55 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee Hall. Roger Wheeler, co-founder of Shoulder 2 Shoulder, will present.
Oct. 2: Biodiversity in Art
Adam Janke and Katherine Kral-O'Brien, natural resource ecology and management, will lead a Biodiversity in Art gallery walk on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Art Gallery. Take a deeper look into selected works from Encounters, paintings and prints by Natalie Deam and Cayline Jayde, to see the connection between art and research, how we contribute to biodiversity conservation and promote sustainable living conditions for all.
Oct. 8: INRC Water Quality Research Seminar
The Iowa Nutrient Research Center’s next water quality research seminar is Oct. 8 from 3:10-4 p.m. Jacqueline Comito, Iowa Learning Farms and Water Rocks!, and Catherine Kling, Cornell University, will present “Understanding (and perhaps reducing) Hypothetical Bias through Collaborative Research.” Participants can attend in-person in 3306 Elings Hall or online.
Oct 15: CALS Town Hall
Join Dean Robison for a Town Hall meeting on Oct. 15 from noon to 1 p.m. in 1131 NSRIC (National Swine Research and Information Center) Building.
Nov. 5-6: International Conference on Pig Livability
The second International Conference on Pig Livability is Nov. 5-6 in Omaha, Nebraska. The program features two days of plenary sessions, expert panels and breakout discussions focused on improving livability across all phases of swine production.
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
Experience Fine Dining at Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom
The Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom will offer three opportunities during the fall 2025 semester for guests to experience fine dining. The kickoff event on Oct. 8 will feature a European menu. Oct. 29 will feature a Latin menu, and Nov. 19 will feature an Asian menu. Events are being organized and hosted by students as part of a class. The evening begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner service and closing remarks at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $60 per person.
Marginalia
Iowa Pork Renews NIL Partnership with Cyclones Moore, Bacon
The Iowa Pork Producers Association has renewed a name, image and likeness partnership with Iowa State football players Tyler Moore and Caleb Bacon. The new #MooreBacon initiative once again connects Iowa pig farmers, football fans and pork lovers across the country. The ad debuted Sept. 23 and will air throughout October in celebration of National Pork Month.
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.