CALS Online and Dean’s Message
February 9, 2026
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS – A reminder about the helpful information contained on the Faculty and Staff Information webpage on the CALS website that all of you can benefit from. Also, please scan the Cyclone Support website to see all the ways that students can find assistance… Congratulations to everyone involved in planning the CALS Research Day, which was led by Associate Dean Danny Singh and team. It was a huge success, featuring 63 poster presentations, 29 poster judges, four Three Minute Thesis competitors, and lots of attendees in the Student Innovation Center last Tuesday…
Top Stories
Training the Next Generation of Seed Technologists
Across the seed industry, a quiet but serious challenge is unfolding. The number of trained seed technologists is declining at the same time demand for their expertise continues to rise. For decades, Iowa State’s Seed Science Center has played a central role in training seed analysts and supporting professionals on their path to certification. “Seed quality testing is one of those careers where the impact isn’t always loud, but it’s real,” said Jessica Blake, Seed Quality Lab manager. “As a Registered Seed Technologist, you take on responsibility that agriculture quietly depends on every single day.”
GermiNation Episode Focuses on Registered Seed Technologists
There are only 114 Registered Seed Technologists in North America, leading to a quiet but critical challenge that is emerging across the global seed industry. In the latest episode of GermiNation, the Seed Science Center podcast, host Cindy Hicks is joined by two leaders in seed quality testing: Jessica Blake, Registered Seed Technologist and manager of Iowa State’s Seed Quality Lab, and Quinn Gillespie, Registered Seed Technologist and seed quality and lab manager at Universal Seed in Oregon.
Teaching and Students
Student Entrepreneurs Sought for College Pitch Off Competition
The Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, in conjunction with Iowa State’s seven colleges, is hosting its annual College-by-College Pitch Off. Students deliver a 90-second pitch about an idea or business they are working on to a panel of judges for cash prizes. Registration is open to 25 students in each college. CALS students will present on Feb. 17.
Meats Lab Turns Students into Educated Consumers
Under the instruction of Caroline Downey, animal science, Animal Science 2700: Foods of Animal Origin and its corresponding lab teach students how to grade beef, chicken, lamb and pork carcasses and assign value to them. That knowledge, combined with an understanding of where different cuts of meat come from on the animal, will be useful when students go to the store to buy meat products – specifically, which cut offers the best value in terms of price and quality.
Exploring the Hidden World of Fungi
A group of ninth-grade students recently traded their Saturday routines for lab coats and microscopes as they stepped into the world of fungi at Iowa State University. Hosted by the Microbiology Outreach Program in Silvina Arias’ Seed Science Center lab, the hands-on workshop invited 15 students, in partnership with Science Bound, to explore crucial and different roles fungi play in our world, from beneficial organisms that support plant growth or food fermentation to harmful pathogens that threaten seeds and grains.
Extension and Outreach
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 Thursday, 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.
Prairie Establishment to be Explored During Virtual Field Day
Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with C-CHANGE: Grass2Gas, will host a virtual field day on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. The event is available at no cost and will feature a live discussion with Carl Kurtz, a professional writer, teacher, naturalist and photographer with more than 50 years of prairie establishment and management experience.
Around the College
Search Underway for Assistant Director for Career Services
Applications are being accepted for an assistant director for CALS Career Services to lead an office that connects students and alumni with employers in agriculture, natural resources and life sciences. They will manage the Career Services team and Pathways to Innovation and Leadership staff, guide the planning and execution of recruiting and networking events, and develop initiatives that prepare students to be competitive in the workforce. Application deadline is Feb. 22.
Dishing Up Sweet Experiences
Stephanie Clark joined Iowa State in 2009, ready to equip students for work in the dairy industry — but something was missing: a creamery. Relaunching a creamery on Iowa State’s campus was no simple task. One ingredient in Clark’s recipe for a successful relaunch was storytelling, using the sweet medium of ice cream to shine a spotlight on Cyclone history.
Donate to ‘pRICE Is Right’ Food Drive through Feb. 27
The CALS Staff Council is holding a “pRICE Is Right” food drive through Feb. 27 to support students experiencing food insecurity at Iowa State. Faculty and staff are invited to donate bags of long-grain white rice to the SHOP Food Pantry, helping provide a reliable and nutritious staple for students in need. There are seven collection locations around campus.
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
Feb. 9: CALS Chat with the Dean
Dean Robison will host a CALS Chat today, Monday, Feb. 9, from 2-3 p.m. in 248 Bessey Hall. The informal, drop-in event will be an opportunity for casual conversation.
Feb. 11: INRC Seminar
The Iowa Nutrient Research Center’s first spring seminar is Wednesday, Feb. 11, from 3:10-4 p.m. online. Joseph Bonnell, nutrient reduction strategy coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will present.
Feb. 17: Bitcoin Will Demonetize Agriculture
Start Something CALS is co-sponsoring a lecture on Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. “Bitcoin Will Demonetize Agriculture: How Young People Could Own Farmland in the Future,” will be presented by Vance Crowe, founder of Legacy Interviews and host of “The Vance Crowe Podcast.”
March 25: Baker Plant Breeding Symposium
Registration is now open for the 13th annual Raymond F. Baker Plant Breeding Symposium, scheduled for March 25 at the ISU Alumni Center. This year’s theme is “Traditional and Technological Trends: Pioneering the Future of Plant Breeding.” Registration is free for both in-person and virtual attendance. The Plant Breeding and Genetics Graduate Student Club organizes the symposium, which is hosted by the Department of Agronomy.
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
Help Faculty Succeed, Participate in COACHE’s Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey
All faculty should have received an email inviting them to complete the 2026 Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey. Additional information is available through the links below. For questions or more information, contact Tera Jordan, 515-294-1527, trh@iastate.edu, or Dawn Bratsch-Prince, 515-294-6410, deprince@iastate.edu.
- What is important to know about the 2026 COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey
- Joint video message with Senior Vice President and Provost Jason Keith and Faculty Senate President Meghan Gillette
- Faculty survey
- COACHECast featuring Dawn Bratsch-Prince
Complete Free Speech Survey by Friday
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 Friday, Feb. 13. The results will help both board members and university communities understand perceptions of free speech on campus and how to strengthen their commitment to the First Amendment.
Engineering Student Finds his ‘Why’ Working in Iowa Wetlands
Iowa’s wetlands are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the state, providing critical habitat for many protected species. Once covering 11% of the state’s surface area, more than 95% of Iowa’s wetlands have now been drained or contaminated. Eli Gannon, a senior in biological systems engineering, worked under the direction of professor Sara McMillan to study restored wetlands. The project aims to better understand how restoration efforts influence wetland support, construction and long-term conservation of different wetland types.
Marginalia
World Food Prize Launches Podcast to Discuss Feeding the World
The World Food Prize Foundation has launched a podcast, hosted by Foundation CEO Tom Vilsack, creating a new global platform for dialogue at the intersection of food, science and human progress. Released twice monthly, "The World Food Prize Podcast: Dialogue that Feeds the World" will feature in-depth conversations with leaders from across the global food system, uncovering the stories, breakthroughs and lived experiences driving solutions to hunger, nutrition and sustainable agriculture. Episode 1 features Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America.
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.