...................................................
AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
...................................................
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
May 14, 2012 No. 700
...................................................
COLLEGE NEWS
...................................................
GDCB, SALK RESEARCHERS MAKE PLANT PROTEIN DISCOVERY
Research groups from ISU and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found three proteins involved in the accumulation of fatty acids in plants. The discovery could help plant scientists boost seed oil production in crops, and boost the production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/may/plantproteins
IPPA INCREASES SUPPORT FOR AG STUDENT LEARNING CENTER
The Iowa Pork Producers Association has increased its support for a new student learning facility at ISU. The association's $400,000 gift commitment "“ half announced last fall and the other half approved by the IPPA board in February "“ will help establish the Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center on land south of campus.
NEW STUDY COMPARES RETAIL SALES BEFORE AND AFTER WALMART
Ken Stone, emeritus economics professor, and Georgeanne Artz, a visiting assistant professor of economics in CALS, have authored a new study comparing retail sales in Iowa communities 15 years before and after Wal-Mart entry into a community. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/may/WalMart
MAY 16 WEBINAR ON WATER QUALITY IN PERENNIAL STRIPS TRIALS
In an Iowa Learning Farms webinar on Wednesday, May 16, at 11:30 a.m., Matt Helmers, ISU Extension and Outreach water quality engineer and associate professor in the agricultural and biosystems engineering department, will speak on the Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairies project at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. The webinar will focus on the water quality aspect of this project.
HENKES TO RECEIVE OUTSTANDING DAIRY STUDENT AWARD
Leah Henkes, senior in dairy science, will receive the Genevieve Christen Outstanding Dairy Student Award at the American Dairy Science Association meeting this summer. Henkes is the fifth ISU student to receive the award since it was established in 1999: Susie Vaughan, 2004; Lorilee Schultz, 2007; Jessica Tekippe, 2008; and Kaleena Westaby, 2010. The award grants $1,000 and a plaque to recognize distinguished undergraduates who have demonstrated leadership ability, academic achievement, involvement in the industry and participation in ADSA-Student Affiliate Division and local club activities.
NEW LOOMIS PROFESSORSHIP IN GDCB TO BENEFIT RESEARCHER, STUDENTS
The growth of an existing endowment fund at ISU will create a new professorship in plant biology in the department of genetics, development and cell biology. The Walter E. and Helen Parke Loomis Professorship of Plant Physiology will provide a GDCB faculty member supplemental annual funds to strengthen the faculty member's research and teaching programs. The first holder of the Loomis Professorship will be announced in the fall.
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR LAUREN CHRISTIAN PORK CHOP OPEN
Sponsorships and golf registrations are now being accepted for the 2012 Lauren Christian Pork Chop Open. The annual event, set for July 24 at Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames, benefits the Lauren L. Christian Endowment, which provides financial support for students and continued swine and pork educational opportunities through ISU.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
June 28: Iowa Swine Day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
...................................................
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
...................................................
CAYUSE 424 SUPPORT HOURS
Beginning May 14, Evisions (formerly Cayuse) will extend support coverage by one hour. The new support hours will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. central time.
WEBINAR ON LEARNING DESIGN: THE SCIENCE BEHIND A GREAT COURSE
In a free webinar on May 23 at 1 p.m., a panel of experts representing different points of view on learning design "“ researcher, practitioner and informed consumer "“ will share their experiences with learning design and its applicability in building strong education courses and programs. More: http://goo.gl/ro09y
FUNDING INFORMATION, OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINE REMINDERS
Dates listed are application deadlines. Contact: Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu
Additional information is posted at CALS Funding Resources, http://www.ag.iastate.edu/research/fundingResources/
Proposals due within six weeks after disaster event: NIH Rapid Assessment Post-Impact of Disaster (R03). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-180.html
May 23: USDA Emerging Markets Program; up to $500,000 for one year.
May 31: USAID Nutrition Rapid Response Capacity in Ethiopia; one award, $4 million.
June 11: Climate Change Vulnerability Study; two awards, $100,000 to $350,000.
June 15: James S. McDonnell Foundation, Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards in Studying Complex Systems, $200,000 over two years.
June 16: NIH Exploratory/Developmental Clinical Research Grants in Obesity (R21). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-12-179.html
June 19: Integrated Research, Education and Extension Competitive Grants Program - Methyl Bromide Transitions Program.
June 28: NIFA National Integrated Water Quality Program.
July 18: Morris Animal Foundation, Established Investigator Large Companion Animal (Horses and Llamas/Alpacas); health and welfare, average award $50,000 per year. More: http://goo.gl/zULSe
July 31: IFPRI Ph.D. Dissertation Research Fellowships on Gender in Agriculture.
Aug. 20: Dreyfus Foundation, Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry; chemical sciences or engineering related to the environment, $120,000 over two years. More: http://www.dreyfus.org/awards/postdoctoral_program.shtml
Aug. 31: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates Vaccine Innovation Award; $250,000. More: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/vaccines/Pages/vaccine-innovation-award…
...................................................
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
...................................................
NONE MAY TAKE SINGULAR OR PLURAL VERB
"None" may take either a singular or a plural verb. A guideline: if it is followed by a singular noun, treat it as a singular (none of the building was painted); if by a plural noun, treat it as a plural (none of the guests were here when I arrived).
The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed., 2010
...................................................
INFOGRAZING
...................................................
APPROVED MAY 15, 1862: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND AGRICULTURE
In a three-month span in 1862, President Lincoln signed into law three important pieces of legislation that would have a profound and lasting impact on U.S. agriculture and society:
* May 15, 1862 "“ An Act to Establish a Department of Agriculture "to acquire and diffuse among the people of the United States useful information on the subjects connected with agriculture in the most general and comprehensive sense of the word."
* May 20, 1862 "“ The Homestead Act stimulated Western migration by offering qualified individuals 160 acres of public land for settlement and cultivation.
* July 2, 1862 "“ The Morrill Land Grant College Act provided public lands to U.S. states and territories for the establishment of colleges specializing in agricultural research and instruction.
UNITED WAY FOOD DRIVE BEGINS TODAY, MAY 14
The fourth annual United Way LIVE UNITED Food Drive starts today, May 14. Non-perishable items and plastic grocery sacks will be collected through May 24. Collection boxes can be found at 30 Curtiss Hall, 2312 Food Sciences Building, 220 MacKay Hall, 1200 Howe Hall and 104 Marston. More: Carla Persaud, cpersaud@iastate.edu, 4-1823.
ACCESSING ISU TECHNOLOGIES WEBINAR, MAY 16
The Iowa Innovation Corporation, ISU and the U.S. Department of Commerce will present the first in an ongoing series of webinars to expedite access to university grown technologies on Wednesday, May 16, 1 to 3 p.m. During this webinar, 16 ISU green technologies will be presented.
...................................................
INTERNAL VOICES
...................................................
HARRIS TO RECEIVE AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
"Dr. Harris has spent the past five years translating his research on emerging livestock diseases into products that are meeting the needs of Iowa's $10 billion animal agriculture industry. His Iowa-based company, Harrisvaccines, focuses on improving animal health in the cattle, swine and famed shrimp industries using advanced molecular science techniques." Elizabeth Hoffman, executive vice president and provost, announcing that animal science professor and Harrisvaccines founder and president, D.L. "Hank" Harris, has been selected to receive ISU's University Award for Achievement in Economic Development in Iowa, which recognizes faculty and staff members for outstanding ISU-based achievements in advancing the economic development of the state. The award will be presented at a ceremony on Sept. 21.
...................................................
EXTERNAL VOICES
...................................................
THE LOUDEST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD
Gina Barreca, professor of English and feminist theory at the University of Connecticut, received a letter from one of her students that included the following lines: "You are the loudest teacher I have ever had. It's not only your voice that's loud, but everything about you is loud. The way you dress, the way you express your ideas about the books we're reading, and the way you call on us to make sure we make our own ideas heard is inescapable. We learned in the first two weeks that we couldn't hide from you. You learned our names and you asked us to step up"¦I'm not sure what I'm doing when I graduate but I am sure that I learned to be less afraid, less shy, less lazy and less irresponsible because you expected a lot from me"¦Please keep making a racket in the future." More: https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/loud-girl-talking
...................................................
MARGINALIA
...................................................
THE "ELVIS OF E. COLI" EARNS CAST COMMUNICATION AWARD
Carl Winter, director of the FoodSafe Program and Extension food toxicologist in the department of food science and technology at the University of California-Davis, is the recipient of the 2012 Borlaug CAST Communication Award. Winter, the "Elvis of E. coli," has given nearly 200 live performances of his food safety music parodies at a wide variety of conferences, trade shows and public gatherings in 30 states and Canada over the past several years. More: http://www.cast-science.org/news/?dr_carl_winter_wins_the_2012_borlaug_…
........................................................
AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
........................................................
EDITOR
Julie Stewart, jstewart@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
SUBSCRIBE
Ag and Life Sciences Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is e-mailed every Monday. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag and Life Sciences Online subscribe" to jstewart@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe, send "Ag and Life Sciences Online unsubscribe."
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IowaStateU.AgLifeSciences
Twitter: http://twitter.com/iastate_cals
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.