CALS Online and Dean’s Message
April 13, 2026
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS - It feels like we’re rushing now full-speed toward graduation exercises and summer activities. Make plans to attend this week's CALS Town Hall and the Hertz Lecture...
Top Stories
New Pasteurizer Increases Production Capacity at Iowa State Creamery
The new combo batch pasteurizer/cheese vat is up and running at the Iowa State University Creamery, just in time for peak ice cream season. The purchase of the pasteurizer was made possible by a Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant the Creamery was awarded last year, which provided half of the funding for the $50,000 vat. Sarah Canova, Creamery business manager, said 25 undergraduate students operate the Creamery under her and production manager Danielle Christofferson’s leadership, aligning with the Creamery’s mission of educating and engaging students in experiential learning. The pasteurizer exposes student employees to modern cheese technology, similar to what they will see in industry positions.
Research
Research Aims to Provide Solutions for Organic Vegetable Growers
Smriti Chaudhary, a graduate student in sustainable agriculture and horticulture, was awarded a 2026 Graduate Program Research Excellence Award. Her research focuses on improving organic vegetable production systems by strengthening two key stages of crop production: transplant quality and pest management.
Pig Livability Conference Recordings Now Available
Recordings from the 2nd International Conference on Pig Livability held in November 2025 are now publicly available on YouTube. Improving Pig Livability is an ongoing project encompassing research, education and extension efforts with the goal of reducing overall mortality in the U.S. commercial swine industry.
Teaching and Students
Professor Brings Industry Experience to New Digital and Precision Agriculture Major
The new digital and precision agriculture major that will officially launch in the fall, has students learning to apply technology and data analysis to crop and soil management to help farmers make the best choices for their land. Students draw from coursework across agricultural systems technology, agronomy, data science and geographic information systems. Helping lead the new major is Robert Gunzenhauser, agronomy, whose industry experience spans more than three decades across farming, consulting and agricultural technology development.
Block and Bridle Club to Host Animal Learning Day April 18
Iowa State’s Block and Bridle Club will hold its annual Animal Learning Day on Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center. The event is free and provides an opportunity for the public to learn about animals in agriculture. There will be activities for all ages and free lunch while supplies last.
Extension and Outreach
Be Prepared with New Disaster Readiness Website from Extension
To support communities statewide, ISU Extension and Outreach has launched a new Disaster Readiness website – a one-stop hub for trusted information and resources to help Iowans prepare, respond and recover from disasters.
Extension to Host Two New Summer Cooking Camps for Youth
ISU Extension and Outreach is hosting two new Cyclone Kitchen Summer Camps in June. Designed for students entering fourth through seventh grade, the hands-on culinary camps give youth the chance to explore cooking, creativity and healthy living in a real teaching kitchen. Space is limited.
Extension Releases New Healthy Eating Active Living Guidelines
ISU Extension and Outreach has released the Healthy Eating Active Living Guidelines Toolkit to help organizations that serve or sell food promote health and well-being. The HEAL Guidelines Toolkit is available at no cost from the Extension Store.
Extension to Host Brewing Workshop on April 28
ISU Extension and Outreach is holding a “Let’s Talk Brewing: No-Low and Beyond” workshop on April 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost to attend is $50, and participants must register online. The program will explore production considerations for no-and-low-alcohol beverages and provide opportunities for brewers to engage with industry experts and researchers.
Around the College
Assistant Director to Join CALS Career Services Team
Katy Griner is excited to step into her new role as assistant director for the CALS Career Services office on June 1. Griner will provide the day-to-day leadership of the office, serving as the "face" of CALS Career Services. She will manage the Career Services team, which includes the Pathways to Innovation and Leadership program, coordinate the annual CALS Career Day, build relationships with employers and create programming that prepares students to enter the workforce.
Next Generation Institute Offers Training for Early-Career-Professionals
The 2026 Next Generation Institute, led by Francis Owusu, associate dean for Global Engagement and director of the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, along with Catherine Swoboda, horticulture, was held March 14-23 at the Mpirigiti Rural Training Center in Kamuli, Uganda. Sixteen participants from Africa, Europe and the United States, including four students from Iowa State, engaged in an intensive curriculum focused on sustainable rural development.
25 Year Club Honors Faculty and Staff
Faculty and staff in CALS departments and units will be honored by Iowa State’s 25 Year Club at its annual banquet tonight, April 13. Those being recognized for 25 years of service are:
- Tom Brumm – agricultural and biosystems engineering
- Madan Bhattacharyya – agronomy
- Amani Elobeid, Chad Hart and Quinn Weninger - economics
- Anne Oldham – food science and human nutrition
- Greg Gebhart and Steve Whitham – plant pathology, entomology and microbiology
- Matt DeLisi – sociology and criminal justice
- Amy Froelich and Dan Nettleton – statistics
The following are being honored for 35 years at the university:
- Udoyara (Sunday) Tim – agricultural and biosystems engineering
- Lisa McEnaney – agronomy
- Mary Mayes – animal science
- Robert Wallace – ecology, evolution and organismal biology
- Tammy Porter – natural resource ecology and management
- Greg Tylka – plant pathology, entomology and microbiology
- Alicia Carriquiry – statistics
The following are being honored for 45 years at the university:
- Michael Thompson – agronomy
- Ralph White – Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm
CALS Faculty Honored with CELT Awards
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching annually recognizes educators dedicated to teaching excellence and who show unwavering commitment to student success through the CELT Honors and Awards. The following CALS representatives were honored:
- CELT Teaching Excellence Award in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning - Christina Campbell, food science and human nutrition
- CELT Exemplary Service Award for Leadership in Advancing Teaching and Learning at ISU - Steven Lonergan, animal science; Dan Nettleton, statistics
- 2025-26 Miller Faculty Fellowship Cohort - Amani Elobeid, Beomyun Kim, Angelos Lagoudakis, economics, "Transforming Economics Examinations: A Token-Based System for Enhanced Learning, and Student Success"
- 2026-2027 Miller Faculty Fellowship Cohort - Skyler Rinker, Shuyang Qu, Fally Masambuka-Kanchewa, agricultural education and studies, "Practice with AI Audiences Before Live Presentation: Assessing PitchVantage as a Tool for Building Presentation Confidence and Competence"
- Quality Matters Certified Courses - Renu Srivastava, genetics, development and cell biology, BIOL 3140: Principles of Molecular Cell Biology; Amber Anderson, agronomy, Agron 1820: Introduction to Soil Science
Calendar
April 14: CALS Town Hall
Join Dean Robison for a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, April 14, from 12:45-1:45 p.m. in Dolezal Auditorium, 127 Curtiss Hall.
April 14: Hertz Lecture
Three Corteva Agriscience senior leaders will reflect on the historic role Pioneer has played in shaping the seed industry during the 2026 Carl and Marjory Hertz Lecture on Emerging Issues in Agriculture taking place Tuesday, April 14, at 4:30 p.m. in 127 Curtiss Hall. The event is free and open to the public. CALS students attending the lecture will be eligible to receive one of five $500 Hertz Lecture scholarship awards by swiping their student ID at the lecture’s conclusion.
April 17: Pierre Lecture in Soil Science
The William H. Pierre Memorial Lecture in Soil Science is Friday, April 17, at 2 p.m. in 1001 Troxel Hall. Peter Byck, Arizona State University, will present “Soil Health, Farmer Wealth.”
April 23: Life Sciences Day Luncheon
The CALS Student Council invites college faculty, staff and students to its Life Sciences Day Luncheon on Thursday, April 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in ATRB (Advanced Teaching and Research Building). They will offer a complimentary lunch and Hyper drinks. Industry professionals will be available for networking.
April 27: Rossmann-Manatt Lecture
As recipient of the 2025 Rossmann Manatt Faculty Development Award, Arti Singh, agronomy, will deliver her lecture on April 27 from 10-11 a.m. in the Memorial Union Campanile Room. Her presentation, "Building the Next Generation of AI-Literate Agriculturists and Innovators," will showcase how research at the interface of agriculture and AI has produced novel findings that motivated Singh and her team to design hands-on learning activities for K–16 students, with the goal of building an AI literate, highly skilled next generation of agricultural professionals.
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
Future-Proofing Livestock Vaccines by Anticipating Viruses’ Next Moves
The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus causes a swine disease that annually costs the global pork industry more than $1 billion. The ability of the PRRS virus to change quickly gives it an evasive capacity that impedes effective vaccination. An Iowa State research group led by Ratul Chowdhury, chemical and biological engineering and a member of Iowa State’s Nanovaccine Institute, uses simulations powered by artificial intelligence to learn from and then predict viral mutations to develop vaccines that protect animals from a range of potential variations.
University Museums to Hold Molecular Biology Building Art Walk
University Museums is holding an art walk at the Molecular Biology Building on Wednesday, April 15, from 3:10-4 p.m. Featured will be the 12-foot G-Nomes standing guard atop the building. Artist Andrew Leicester researched genetic engineering debates, talked to scientists, and filled the entire structure with visual puns and scientific references.
Marginalia
APHIS Ensures Safe Return for Burrowing Owls
Last summer, Spanish authorities made an unusual discovery: two burrowing owls tucked inside a cargo container that had sailed from the Port of Miami, Florida, to Cartagena, Spain. These small but mighty birds – protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species – had likely slipped into the container while it was open in Florida. From that moment, the race was on to bring them home. APHIS employees sprang into action, working hand-in-hand with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Spanish officials and other partners to navigate complex international regulations and plan a safe return. But first, the owls needed care.
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.