CALS Online and Dean’s Message
October 20, 2025
Dean’s Message
Good Morning CALS – I hope you’ve had a great weekend. Last week we had the annual and fantastic CALS Career Day, attended by more than 1,800 of our own students… We also had the annual fall version of our college’s Town Hall, at which I presented on the state of the college… On Friday last week, I made the trip up and back to Minneapolis to visit with leadership at Cargill and discuss the many ways we have cooperated with them, received their generous support, and where our relationship with them may go in future years… This week, some of us will be happily consumed by the annual October World Food Prize Foundation and Borlaug Dialogue meetings in Des Moines, as well as associated side events and discussions…
Top Stories
2025 World Food Prize Focuses on SOILutions for Security
The 2025 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, taking place Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 21-23, in Des Moines, will focus on SOILutions for Security, underscoring the foundational role that agriculture plays in sustaining global stability. Events related to the World Food Prize taking place on campus and involving CALS or Iowa State faculty and staff are listed below. An agenda and full list of side events are available on the World Food Prize website.
World Food Prize: Norman Borlaug Lecture, Oct. 21
The 2025 World Food Prize Laureate, Mariangela Hungria, will deliver the Norman Borlaug lecture Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Dolezal Auditorium, 0127 Curtiss Hall. Hungria, a professor at the State University of Paraná and the Federal University of Technology of the State of Paraná, has developed biological seed and soil treatments that help crops source nutrients through soil bacteria, significantly increasing yields of major crops while also reducing the need for synthetic fertilizer. She will present “SOILutions for Food and Nutrition Security: A MicroGreen Revolution in Agriculture.”
World Food Prize: Borlaug Poster Competition, Oct. 21
Iowa State’s Nutritional Sciences Council is holding the 22nd Annual Norman Borlaug Lecture Poster Competition for Graduate and Undergraduate Students Tuesday, Oct. 21, on the ground floor of Curtiss Hall. The poster session and judging will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The Norman Borlaug Lecture featuring 2025 World Food Prize Laureate Mariangela Hungria begins at 7:30 p.m. Poster winners will be announced at 8:30 p.m.
World Food Prize: Iowa State Side Event, Oct. 22
Iowa State is hosting a side event on Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 7-8:30 a.m. in 314 Iowa Events Center on Public-Private Partnerships to Advance AI in Agriculture: Research to Adoption to Workforce Development. Through the AI Institute for Resilient Agriculture, CALS, ISU Research, and ISU Extension and Outreach offices, Iowa State advances data-driven solutions and deployment for innovative and profitable agriculture.
World Food Prize: President Wintersteen, Oct. 23
Wendy Wintersteen, member of the World Food Prize Foundation Board of Directors and president of Iowa State University, will speak at a C-Suite Connect Series on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 10:15-10:35 a.m. on the fourth floor of the Iowa Events Center.
World Food Prize: David Lambert Scholarship, Oct. 23
Manjit Misra, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, will announce the recipient of the David Lambert “Hunger Fighter” Scholarship on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 10:35 a.m. on the fourth floor of the Iowa Events Center. Iowa State’s Seed Science Center awards the $1,000 scholarship to a sophomore or junior in CALS who demonstrates a strong commitment to seed science, global food security and childhood nutrition.
Research
From a Vision of AI in Plant Science to the Reality of Pest-ID in Global Agriculture
Nine years after exploring a vision for using emerging tools in machine learning – a branch of artificial intelligence – to help plant scientists study stress in plants, Iowa State's AI in Agriculture team has built a web-based tool that helps farmers identify and manage crop pests. Team members include Baskar Ganapathysubramanian and Soumik Sarkar, mechanical engineering; Arti Singh and Asheesh “Danny” Singh, agronomy; and collaborators.
Cracking the Code of Corn’s Billion-Dollar Bug
Bt corn once offered farmers an effective defense against western corn rootworms, but these populations are now evolving resistance. Eliott Smith, a doctoral candidate in plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, is combining detailed studies of the insect’s life cycle with cutting-edge genomic analysis and uncovering the biological and genetic secrets behind resistance, knowledge that could shape the future of sustainable pest management.
Educating the Next Generation of Researchers
Introducing students to fundamental research is a key strategy in Iowa State’s goals to create new knowledge and solutions worldwide. Since joining Iowa State in 1991, Don Sakaguchi, genetics, development and cell biology and director of biology and genetics undergraduate programs, has welcomed more than 200 undergraduate student researchers to his projects studying experimental repair strategies for damage to the nervous system.
Teaching and Students
Block and Bridle Summer Sausage and Cheese Sale Now Open
The Block and Bridle Club’s annual summer sausage and cheese sale is now open. Orders close on Nov. 1. Orders will be available for pick-up during the weeks of Nov. 17 and Dec. 8. The summer sausage is made in the ISU Meat Lab. Cheese curds and cheese blocks are sourced from Homestead Dairy in Waukon, Iowa.
CALS Students Place in Fall Startup Pitch Competition
Two CALS students placed in the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship’s Fall Startup Pitch Competition. Hadley Shatek, sophomore in food science, placed second under new ideas with Natural Food Coloring. Cam (Schafer) Reiman, senior in animal ecology, placed third under existing businesses with Spock’s Sanctuary.
CALS Co-Hosts Annual Food Insecurity Challenge
Students from across disciplines are invited to participate in the annual Food Insecurity Challenge, a team-based activity to generate new and innovative solutions to food insecurity. The event kickoff, including a hunger banquet, is Nov. 4 from 5-8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. The pitch competition is Nov. 18 from 5-8 p.m. in the Memorial Union South Ballroom. The event is hosted by the Ivy College of Business, CALS and the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship.
Student Entries Sought for CALS Art Science Exhibition
CALS seeks student work in any material or medium on Agricultural Icons (open interpretation) for a Dec. 8 group exhibition. Two $500 prizes will be awarded to Best of Show, Graduate Student and Best of Show, Undergraduate Student. Email applications to CALS Art Science Curator Dior Kelley (dkelley@iastate.edu). Submission deadline is Nov. 19.
Around the College
Medallion Ceremony for Carl Bern Professorship Oct. 31
Timothy Shepherd, agricultural and biosystems engineering, is the inaugural holder of the Dr. Carl Bern Professorship, endowed by Charles and Mary Sukup. A medallion ceremony honoring Shepherd will take place Oct. 31 at 3:45 p.m. in the Sukup Atrium, Biorenewables Complex. RSVP online by Oct. 30.
Datta Receives Medallion Award from Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Mridul Datta, food science and human nutrition, received a 2025 Medallion Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics during the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo, Oct. 11-14 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Medallion Award honors participation, leadership and devotion to others in the field of nutrition and dietetics and allied health professions.
Mosher Receives Marvin Pomerantz Award
Gretchen Mosher, agricultural and biosystems engineering, received a Marvin A. Pomerantz Award for Faculty Enrichment for 2025-2026. The award supports faculty deemed outstanding in their position responsibilities, which may encompass teaching, research, service, professional practice, and/or outreach and extension.
Mindes Receives RSS National Teaching Award
Sam Mindes, sociology and criminal justice, received the Excellence in Instruction Award from the Rural Sociological Society at its annual conference, July 30–Aug. 2 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mindes was recognized for innovative and impactful rural-oriented teaching at the graduate or undergraduate level.
CALS Opens Search for Associate Director of Career Services
CALS is seeking an associate director of Career Services to lead strategic initiatives that enhance student career readiness, employer engagement and post-graduation outcomes. The application deadline is Oct. 30.
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. Nominations are due to the college by Nov. 18 through the online submission portal. Nominations will be reviewed in December, and award recipients will be notified in January. Awardees will be honored during the annual CALS Awards Program in the spring. Contact your departmental awards committee, or Julie Stewart (jstewart@iastate.edu), for additional information.
Student Services Holding Winter Coat and Accessories Donation Drive
CALS Student Services is holding a winter weather coat and accessories drive (and new warm socks) starting Tuesday, Oct. 21, through Nov. 3. All sizes are needed. Items will be housed on a coat rack and in bins in Harl Commons. There will be a donation drop-off location outside of CALS Student Services (20 Curtiss Hall) during normal office hours. The bin will be brought in every night for storage in Student Services. All donations need to be clean and in good condition. Contact Carah Mabry (camabry@iastate.edu) with questions. Also, Iowa State's free Business Attire Pop-Up Shop, which has a permanent space in the east Memorial Union, is accepting new or gently used business attire in all sizes and styles to share with students in preparation for the spring career fairs. Donations can be left at the drop-off location in Curtiss Hall.
Calendar
Oct. 22: The Story of C.Y. Stephens
The 2025 book, “A Giving Man: The Story of C.Y. Stephens,” from Iowa writer Steven Jones, details Stephens’ life and the unprecedented national fundraising campaign he led to build the Iowa State Center in the 1960s. Jones will be at Beaverdale Books in Des Moines on Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. to give a presentation about the book.
Oct. 30: Featured Writings of Leopold Center Visionary
Paul W. Johnson (1941-2021) was a state legislator, state and national agency leader and champion of private lands conservation. He is also remembered as a co-creator of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State. A new book that brings together his writings, “We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation and Public Policy,” will be the focus of an event led by the book’s editor, Curt Meine, on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. at the Ames Public Library.
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.
Communications Kiosk
Using a Semicolon to Link Independent Clauses
Use a semicolon when a coordinating conjunction such as “and,” “but” or “for” is not present. For example: The package was due last week; it arrived today. If a coordinating conjunction is present, use a semicolon before it only if extensive punctuation also is required in one or more of the individual clauses. For example: They pulled their boats from the water, sandbagged the retaining walls and boarded up the windows; but even with these precautions, the island was hard-hit by the hurricane. Unless a particular literary effect is desired, however, the better approach in these circumstances is to break the independent clauses into separate sentences. (Associated Press Stylebook, 2024-2026 edition, pg. 404)
Infograzing
Homecoming Week Includes Food on Campus
Homecoming 2025, "Lights! Camera! Cyclones!," began yesterday, Oct. 19, and runs through the home football game against Brigham Young University on Saturday, Oct. 25 (2:30 p.m. kickoff). A list of all Homecoming events is available online.
Marginalia
Seed Ball vs. Seed Paper for Monarch and Pollinator Conservation
In a newly published research article, Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium alums Emma Donahey and Kelsey Fisher studied the effectiveness of seed balls. Their research shows that while seed balls can be a fun activity that do allow some milkweed seeds to grow, there may be other ways to increase community-based conservation that allow for a greater number of milkweed plants to successfully sprout. Seed paper, for example, seems to be a good alternative.
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.