Ag and Life Sciences Online
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
July 16, 2012 No. 709
College News
Scientific Breakthrough on How Nematodes Attack Plants
ISU plant pathologists have made a breakthrough in deciphering how plant-parasitic microscopic roundworms called cyst nematodes infect plants, like soybeans. Thomas Baum and Tarek Hewezi, plant pathology and microbiology, are working together on the research.
Salas-Fernandez Receives NSF Early Career Grant
The National Science Foundation has awarded Maria Salas-Fernandez, agronomy, a Faculty Early Career Development grant for her project "Photoprotection for Tolerance to Abiotic Stress: Discovery through Natural Genetic Variation." The prestigious award, aimed at young, promising researchers, will allow her to fully explore her ideas on how to improve biofuel crops. Salas-Fernandez talked about her research with CALS Communications Service summer intern Scott MacDonald.
Janzen Expands 25-Year Turtle Study
For 25 years, Fred Janzen, ecology, evolution and organismal biology, has led a six-week expedition for his students to the riverbanks to locate, count, tag, measure and observe turtles. The camp continues, plus the team is working to develop four new ponds at the Horticulture Research Station north of Ames. Janzen talks about his research with CALS Communications Service summer intern Scott MacDonald.
Downing Honored by Chinese University
John Downing, ecology, evolution and organismal biology and agricultural and biosystems engineering, was presented an honorary chair and professorship by China's Nanchang University. Downing is helping the university and the Jiangxi Province in analyzing and remediating water quality problems in China's largest lake.
Young Farmer Experience Featured in July Webinar
ISU's Iowa Learning Farms' July 18 webinar will feature young farmer Nathan Anderson in a discussion on agriculture's future and direction.
Deadlines and Reminders
July 23: Fruit and Vegetable Field Day, ISU Horticulture Research Station, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Aug. 13-15: Plastics Workshops, Memorial Union and Food Sciences Building
Funding Opportunities
Preproposal for NSF Partnerships for Innovation Due Sept. 4
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development is accepting preproposals for the NSF Partnerships for Innovation program. PFI is an umbrella for two subprograms: Building Innovation Capacity and Accelerating Innovation Research. Awards will provide support to an academic institution to partner with at least two small technology-based businesses that are not in direct competition with each other to carry out early translational research activities. Lead academic institutions can participation in only one BIC proposal. There is no organizational limit for AIR proposals. Preproposals for BIC projects must be submitted to Dorothy Pimlott (dpimlott@iastate.edu) by Sept. 4.
Cayuse 424 Version 5.0 Release Set for July 20
Cayuse 424 Version 5.0 will be released on July 20 at 12 a.m. The Cayuse 424 system will be offline for approximately two hours. Version 5.0 delivers a proposal audit trail, proposal search enhancements, new forms and additional fixes and updates. Three preview sessions for Version 5.0 are open for free registration.
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
July 27: USDA/FAS Agricultural Policy Center -- Turkey; USDA/FAS seeking to contract with one land-grant university.
Aug. 3 (pre-proposal): DOD Army Broad Agency Announcement for Extramural Biomedical Research and Development; $4.5 million total funding.
Aug. 9: USDA NIFA Food Security Learning Center; only NGOs can lead, universities may subcontract, $200,000 total funding.
Sept. 6 (letter of intent): NSF/Air Force Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation 2012; up to $2 million per award, spread over four years. More
Sept. 14: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Pew Charitable Trusts Health Impact Project: Advancing Smarter Policies for Healthier Communities.
Sept. 28: DOD Air Force Defense University Research Instrumentation Program; up to $1.5 million per award.
Oct. 5 (letter of intent): NSF ADVANCE: Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers; some submission limitations. More
Communications Kiosk
Help Me Understand My Copy Editor
The Chronicle of Higher Education bloggers Lucy Ferriss and Carol Saller share a dialogue on the productive but sometimes perplexing relationship between writers and their copy editors. Topics include hyphens and two-word nouns, nonstandard syntax and comma splices.
Infograzing
ISU's External Funding Reaches $360.2 Million in FY12
External funding that supports ISU students, researchers, equipment purchases, education programs, buildings and extension activities rose to $360.2 million in fiscal year 2012. That's up from $342.3 million the previous fiscal year. Iowa State's record is $388.2 million in 2010. More
APLU Presidents Honor Lincoln for Signing Morrill Act
Nearly 70 APLU presidents and chancellors joined leaders from the Library of Congress, National Academy of Sciences and Carnegie Corporation of New York to lay a wreath at the Lincoln Memorial to honor President Abraham Lincoln and the 37th Congress for the bipartisan establishment of land-grant colleges in 1862 that led to our country's state college system.
Internal Voices
Kenealy: I Was Meant to Advise and Teach Students
"I've enjoyed all the things I've done with the dairy industry, but advising and teaching students was really what I was meant to do. To all my students in the audience and those in other places, you're what made me who I am," said Douglas Kenealy, on receiving the 2012 Ralph Keeling Leadership Award from the Iowa State Dairy Association at the Dairy Iowa meeting in Independence. Kenealy recently retired from the animal science department at ISU.
External Voices
The Morrill Act: The Country as a Union of People
"The idea behind the Morrill Act was a commitment by the entire nation to extend higher education to as many of its citizens as possible. This was an idea embedded in the country's political DNA from its founding... This belief was central to the emerging idea of an American political commonwealth, the idea that the country is a union of the people, and not simply an alliance of states." Charles Pierce, journalist, in Esquire, The Politics Blog. More
Marginalia
The History of Fairs
Elkanah Watson, a New England patriot and farmer, earned the title "Father of U.S. agricultural fairs" by organizing the Berkshire Agricultural Society and creating an event (known then as a Cattle Show) in Pittsfield, Mass. in September 1811. Today, more than 3,200 fairs are held in North America each year. More
Ag and Life Sciences Online
Editor
Julie Stewart, jstewart@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616
Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
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