CALS Online and Dean’s Message
June 1, 2026
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS – The month of May is always full of changes. With classes concluded, finals completed and grades submitted, faculty and staff can finally take a well-earned breath… This year, that sense of change was especially profound as we marked a significant leadership transition in our college. After 7.5 years of dedicated service, Dean Dan Robison announced his return to the NREM faculty… In my convocation remarks, I encouraged our graduates to embrace opportunities. That message resonates just as strongly for all of us now…
Top Stories
Cameras and Sensors Bringing Digital-Farm Transformation to Hog Barns
Animal science professors Juan Steibel, David Rosero and Edison Magalhaes are studying how digitally enabled barns powered by sensors, cameras and data science can transform livestock monitoring, unlocking new opportunities for precision management, welfare assessment and genetic improvement – especially in swine. Also, Steibel and Rosero (above) taught Digital Technologies in Animal Production Systems this spring, a new animal science class that will give students experience with these technologies. (Photo by Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University)
Research
Andersen Working to Help Producers Gain Value from Manure
Dan Andersen, agricultural and biosystems engineering, is working on fine-tuning the timing of manure applications when used with cover crops to optimize nitrogen use efficiency, protect crop yields and minimize environmental impacts. The project was funded initially by the Iowa Pork Producers Association and now by the Iowa Nutrient Research Center.
Planting Knowledge, Harvesting Impact at Horticulture Research Station
The Horticulture Research Station provides students with hands-on experience producing fruits, vegetables and honey on 235 acres of land north of Ames. Students work year-round planting, harvesting, maintaining equipment and supporting marketing efforts, with nearly all tasks completed by hand. Researchers from disciplines including horticulture, plant pathology, entomology and natural resources work side-by-side, using the land to test new ideas and improve agricultural practices.
Teaching and Students
CALS Graduate Receives NSF Fellowship
Emma Alstott, a CALS 2026 graduate in horticulture and global resource systems, was one of two Iowa State students awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program this spring. The award will support her further studies and research.
Graduate Fellowships Awarded to Seed Science Center Ph.D. Candidates
Amina Moro and Rickiel Franklin, Ph.D. candidates with the Seed Science Center, were selected to receive the Iowa Crop Improvement Association Graduate Fellowships for the fall 2026 semester in recognition of their research, academic achievements and contributions to the future of sustainable agriculture and seed systems.
Extension and Outreach
Field Days Underway at Research and Demonstration Farms
Field Days are underway at the college’s research and demonstration farms around the state. Field days give farmers and the public a chance to see research projects in progress and talk with the researchers involved in the experiments. They also provide the opportunity to view the latest in modern agriculture. A list of upcoming field days is available online. Anyone is welcome to attend.
Webinar to Discuss Pricing, Consumer Value
The Food Innovation and Business Hub with ISU Extension and Outreach is offering a webinar on “Make It Worth It: Pricing through Value” on June 11 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Instead of focusing only on lowering prices, the session will shift the conversation to improving value and how a product looks, feels and is experienced by the customer.
Iowa Cropland Cash Rents Show Little Change for 2026
In a year with low crop prices and high production costs, Iowa cropland cash rental rate trends stayed relatively flat across the state. The statewide survey has been conducted by ISU Extension and Outreach annually since 1994, gathering typical rents for acres devoted to corn and soybeans, as well as for oats, hay, pasture, cornstalk grazing and hunting rights.
Extension Launches New Program to Train Future Food System Leaders
The ISU Extension and Outreach Food Systems Team, in partnership with Next Step Adventure, is launching a new initiative to help high school educators inspire the next generation of food system leaders. The Youth Local Food Leader Educator Cohort will provide hands-on training, curriculum resources and a statewide support network for teachers.
Around the College
Mickelson Named Interim Department Chair of FSHN
Steve Mickelson will return from retirement to become the next interim chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition beginning June 1. Mickelson succeeds Ruth MacDonald, who has been serving in the interim role for the past year. MacDonald will transition to the role of acting dean of CALS on June 1, then become the interim dean Aug. 1.
Members of this Year’s ELA Class Share Capstone Projects
The 31-member cohort of Iowa State’s 2025-2026 Emerging Leaders Academy completed their program in May. Teams worked on four capstone projects. Cohort members from CALS departments are:
- Tara Fisher, CALS student services
- Ulrike Genschel, statistics
- Claire Kruesel, biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology
- Buddhi Lamsal, food science and human nutrition
- Bradley Miller, agronomy
- Jarad Niemi, statistics
- Catherine Swoboda, horticulture
Faculty, Staff Recognized for Service to Learning Communities
The following CALS faculty and staff were recognized during Iowa State’s Learning Communities Institute on May 18:
- John Burnett, natural resource ecology and management – Advocate Award
- Amani Elobeid, economics – Faculty Engagement Award
- Ben Chamberlain, agricultural education and studies – Champion Award
- Katy Heineman, CALS Student Services – Partner Award
- Nate Dobbels, agricultural education and studies – 10 Years of Recognition Certificate
Clark Coffman, GDCB, Retires
Clark Coffman, associate professor in genetics, development and cell biology, retired on May 15. There was no public event. Coffman joined the faculty at Iowa State in 1998. His research focused on the regulatory networks governing cell migration and programmed cell death with the goals of better understanding how these processes contribute to metastatic cancer states and how they help shape the embryo during development.
CALS Online Changes Schedule for Summer
CALS Online will be sent every other Monday during the summer, June 1 through Aug. 24.
Calendar
June 1: Retirement Reception for Kathleen Delate
A retirement reception for Kathleen Delate, professor of horticulture and agronomy, is today, June 1, from 10 a.m. to noon (program at 10:30 a.m.) in 106 Horticulture Hall. Max Goldberg, founder of Organic Insider, refers to Delate as a pioneering organic agriculture researcher that helped shape the modern organic movement in the United States. “As the first organic professor at a U.S. land-grant university, Kathleen spent nearly three decades proving something many institutions once doubted: that organic farming could be both environmentally sound and economically viable,” Goldberg said.
June 4: Data for Grant Writing Workshop
ISU Extension and Outreach is hosting a “Data for Grant Writing Workshop: Finding the Data You Need for a Successful Grant” on Thursday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Alliant Energy Ag Innovation Lab, Room 1060. Course fee is $100. Registration deadline is Wednesday, June 3.
June 10: Art Walk in Bessey Hall
University Museums is hosting an art walk in Bessey Hall on June 10 from 3:10-4 p.m. Commissioned by University Museums and CALS, “96 Variations on a Phylogenetic Tree” in Bessey Hall’s atrium consists of stainless steel ball chain and paint.
June 19: Dairy Farm Open House
The annual Dairy Farm Open House is June 19 from 7:30-11:30 a.m. The day offers a behind-the-scenes look at modern dairy farming, animal care and agricultural innovation at Iowa State. The family-friendly event is offered at no cost. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the facility, speak with sponsors and dairy farmers, and learn how milk is produced.
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
What is the Difference Between Gray and Grey
Gray and grey are both common spellings for the various neutral shades of color between black and white. Gray is more frequent in American English, and grey more common in Canada, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Despite the American preference for gray, the spelling grey retains a presence in many cultural references known to Americans, appearing in brand names like Grey Poupon (mustard) and Grey Goose (vodka), both of which originated in France. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Infograzing
Attend NAS President’s State of the Science Address Online
National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt will discuss the status of the United States’ research enterprise, global leadership in science and implications for economic competitiveness in the third State of the Science address on Tuesday, June 2, from 1-3 p.m. in Washington, D.C. Participants who register to attend online will receive a link to view the address virtually.
Registration Open for 20th Annual Iowa Hunger Summit
Registration is open for the World Food Prize Foundation’s Iowa Hunger Summit on July 22 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hall of Laureates in Des Moines. Attendance is free, but registration is required.
Marginalia
Horse Barns Get New Roof
Workers have installed new roofing on the Horse Barns. It's one of numerous projects across campus that takes place during the summer.
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.