CALS Online and Dean’s Message
January 20, 2026
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS, and Welcome to the Spring Semester – It’s always a great pleasure and energizing at the start of each semester to see and feel the hallways, classrooms and labs filled with the buzz of students and the sounds of learning and doing. So good to all be in this enterprise together… Two action items for you all…
Top Stories
Class Captures Wild Yeasts for Brewing, Learning
Scott Nelson, biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, teaches Biochemistry of Beer, offered through CALS. The recent recipient of the Regents Faculty Excellence Award, known best for his research into the keystone elements of DNA repair, is also an engaging instructor with a passion for beer and brewing. His popular course got a boost when Nelson received a small grant for it through the CALS Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows program in 2024. The funds went for brewing kegs and ingredients, like barley and hops. He said the support was a “nice bit of recognition for a course that’s fun, but also a fair bit of work.” (Photo by Madelyn Ostendorf, CALS Communications Service, Iowa State University)
Research
Research Advances Genetic Tools to Better Understand Malaria-Transmitting Mosquitoes
A newly published study in Nature Communications marks an advance in mosquito genetics, offering new tools to better understand the biology and immune function of Anopheles mosquitoes, the sole vectors of malaria. The research, co-authored by Ryan Smith, plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, introduces the first genome-wide CRISPR screening platform developed specifically for Anopheles mosquito cells.
Extension and Outreach
Bins of Tomorrow Webinar to Focus on Grain Conditioning for Profitability
The ISU Extension and Outreach agricultural engineering team is holding a webinar on Feb. 9 from noon to 1 p.m. “Bins of Tomorrow” will focus on issues encountered during the 2025 grain harvest, grain quality and its storability in 2026.
Urban Agriculture Program to Host Choose Iowa Webinar
Iowa State’s Urban Agriculture Program will host a webinar focused on Choose Iowa, the state’s signature brand for Iowa-grown and Iowa-made agricultural products, on Feb. 12 from 1-2 p.m. Choose Iowa is an Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship program that helps consumers identify products that are grown, raised or made in Iowa.
Extension Creates New Emergency Management Program Position
Lori Williams has joined ISU Extension and Outreach as an emergency management program specialist, a newly created position focused on strengthening disaster preparedness, communication and resources across the state. The position was developed to help clarify and strengthen extension’s role in disasters, particularly in preparedness, mitigation and recovery education for individuals, communities and Iowa’s agricultural sector.
Around the College
College Announces New Associate Director of Career Services
Eric Anderson will serve as the next associate director of CALS Career Services, effective Feb. 25. He will lead strategic visioning for career readiness and employer engagement, oversee the Pathways to Innovation and Leadership program and collaborate with the CALS Development Office and ISU Foundation to strengthen employer, alumni and donor relationships. Anderson will also oversee the organization of the CALS Career Day.
Compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Required
All faculty and staff should be taking actions now to make public-facing and internal online content accessible. Following a federal ruling by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Americans with Disabilities Act, all public entities are required to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 at the AA level by April 24. Iowa State’s Digital Accessibility Team offers training and resources to help ensure digital materials are accessible. What you should do:
- Read Inside Iowa State's "What to know about the digital accessibility initiative" article
- Faculty: Complete the Core Digital Accessibility Training for Faculty in Workday by May 15
- Staff: Complete the Core Digital Accessibility Training for Staff in Workday by May 15
Calendar
Jan. 23: Women Impacting ISU Calendar Reception
The 2026 Women Impacting ISU calendar will be officially unveiled during a reception on Friday, Jan. 23, from 3:30-5 p.m. (program at 4 p.m.) in the Memorial Union Sun Room. The 20th anniversary commemorative edition features women who had left Iowa State before the publication of the first calendar in 2007. Honorees with CALS connections are: Rowena Edson Stevens (1873 agriculture) and Kate (Nelson) Terrell (’02 horticulture).
Jan. 26: RSVP for George Washington Carver Day
Iowa State will celebrate the annual George Washington Carver Day of Recognition on Feb. 2 from 5-7:30 p.m. in the Durham Great Hall, Memorial Union. Amanda Williams, visual artist and architect, will present how Carver invented and patented a way to create a famous blue pigment from clay and how she used his process and pigment for a renewal project in New Orleans and other art experiments. RSVP by Jan. 26.
Feb. 9: CALS Chat with the Dean
Dean Robison will host a CALS Chat on Feb. 9, from 2-3 p.m. in 248 Bessey Hall. The informal, drop-in event will be an opportunity for casual conversation.
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
Faculty, Staff Asked to Complete Free Speech Survey
The Iowa Board of Regents' free speech and student affairs committee distributed a five-minute survey about free speech to students, faculty and staff at the regent universities via email on Jan. 14. Recipients should complete it before Feb. 13. Responses will be anonymous and not linked to respondents; results will be reported in group form only. The results will help both board members and university communities understand perceptions of free speech on our campuses and how to strengthen their commitment to the First Amendment.
Mapping Infrastructure/Mapping Agriculture Exhibit Opens at the Brunnier
Norwood Viviano’s “Mapping Infrastructure/Mapping Agriculture” exhibit opens today, Jan. 20, at the Brunnier Art Museum. The exhibit features the debut of a new commission for University Museums' permanent collection: two sculptures specifically designed to recognize Iowa State's legacy of agriculture and innovation.
Marginalia
New American Innovation $1 Coin Features Norman Borlaug
The first 2026 American Innovation $1 coin released by the United States Mint on Jan. 6 features Norman Borlaug. The reverse design of the coin depicts Borlaug holding a sheaf of wheat and wheat stalks, highlighting his pioneering work developing resilient crops capable of feeding a growing global population.
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.