Issue: 882

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Jan. 11, 2015 – No. 882

Research

Maier: Sharing Tools and Knowledge to Improve Worldwide Food Production
Dirk Maier, agricultural and biosystems engineering and associate director of the Global Food Security Consortium, is using computer simulations and inexpensive drying and storage technologies to help farmers in developing countries save more of their harvests. Maier’s research focuses on post-harvest loss prevention and global food security. More

Hendrich: Specializing in Food Toxicology
Suzanne Hendrich, a University Professor in food science and human nutrition, specializes in food toxicology, teaching students about substances that can harm us in foods. A College of Human Sciences Faculty Focus video on Hendrichs is available online.

Heaton: Searching for Next Generation of Energy
Emily Heaton, agronomy, says clean energy from the 12-foot tall miscanthus she grows at an ISU farm can help cut the carbon that’s warming the planet. An article in the Jan. 9 issue of the Des Moines Register reported that growing concern about climate change has ignited a massive effort to develop new energy technologies that are dramatically cleaner than fossil fuels. Heaton’s research was highlighted. More

Teaching and Students

Agricultural Business Student Participates in National Forum
Trey Forsyth, a junior in agricultural business, was one of six students from throughout the U.S. invited to attend the 2016 Farm Foundation Cultivator forum in Tucson, AZ, from Jan. 6-8. Forsyth presented a poster about the essential role cooperatives play in international trade and agriculture. More

Graduate Pork Fellowship Applications due April 1
With support from the Iowa Pork Foundation, CALS is offering the Nelda Christian Graduate Pork Fellowship for $2,500 to provide support to a student at the master’s or Ph.D. level at ISU who is conducting thesis or dissertation research that will positively impact Iowa’s pork industry. Email applications to David Acker by April 1. More

CrowdFunding Video Helps Raise $52,275 for Uganda Training Center
CALS students involved in the Uganda service learning project worked with the ISU Foundation on a crowdfunding video, which raised $17,425 to help build a training center in Uganda’s Kamuli District. Every dollar contributed to the fund was matched by two donors, which brought the total raised to $52,275. The CALS Communications Service worked with Gail Nonnecke and the students to produce the video and updates throughout the seven-week campaign, which ended Dec. 31. This was the first CALS student group to do a crowdfunding video and website with the ISU Foundation.

Extension and Outreach

Growing Your Farm Business Goal of New Educational Series
Farming is big business and training farmers to manage and build their business is the goal of a new program offered to aspiring, new and established farmers. ISU Extension and Outreach, through a grant from USDA, will offer an eight-week program geared toward helping participants plan, market and manage their farm.

Gleason Provides Certification to Inspect and Sell Morels
Mark Gleason, plant pathology and microbiology, provided legal certification for inspecting and selling morels at the Great Plains Growers Conference at Missouri Western State University on Jan. 7. Gleason said the certification is noteworthy since it standardizes the marketing of real morels at farmers markets, restaurants and other retail outlets. More

Around the College

Iowa Farmer Today Talks with Dean Wintersteen
After several years of record-breaking enrollment, CALS is now the third largest college of agriculture in the nation. In an article for Iowa Farmer Today, Dean Wendy Wintersteen talks about expanding student opportunities.

Sebranek to Receive National Educator Award
Joseph Sebranek, distinguished professor of animal science, will receive the Harry L. Rudnick Educator’s Award in recognition of his role as an educator of future industry leaders and his extensive research, which has advanced the meat and poultry industry’s food safety and quality management systems. The North American Meat Institute will hold its inaugural awards ceremony on Jan. 26 in Atlanta, Ga.

Andreotti and Oldham Featured on Women Impacting ISU Calendar
Amy Andreotti, Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology and director of the Roy J. Carver Initiative in Biomolecular Structure and Function, and Anne Oldham, academic advisor in food science and human nutrition and director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics, are two of 12 women featured on the 2016 Women Impacting ISU calendar. They will be recognized during a reception on Wednesday, Jan. 13, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. More

CALS Celebrates Growing Leaders at Cyclone Women’s Basketball Game
Join the college in celebrating its role in growing leaders at the Cyclone women’s basketball game on Feb. 6. A reception will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Scheman Building. The college will be featured throughout the game, including an on-court award presentation for the 2016 CALS Emerging Iowa Leader, Andrew Lauver (’12 ag studies). Tickets to the game may be purchased through ISU Athletics. Please register to attend the reception by Jan. 25.

Global Programs Welcomes New Study Abroad Staff
Visha Arumugam has joined the CALS Global Programs study abroad staff in 18 Curtiss Hall. Arumugam will work in the development and management of international opportunities for CALS students through support to faculty-led travel courses, evaluation and assessment of study abroad programs, scholarship administration, and support to international students coming to CALS.

Calendar

Jan. 14: Hansen Center Open House
The Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center will be hosting an open house on Thursday, Jan. 14, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. The facility can accommodate a wide variety of events year-round. ISU approved caterers will serve complimentary hot chocolate and catering samples and display their various event capabilities. Building staff will be available to answer any questions and give tours.

Jan. 21: Iowa Learning Farms Webinar
The Iowa Learning Farms monthly webinar will be held Jan. 21 at 2:10 p.m. John Lawrence, associate dean in CALS and director for Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension and Outreach, and Jacqueline Comito, ILF program manager, will discuss the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

Jan. 28-29: Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference
The 31st annual Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association conference will be held Jan. 28-29 in Ankeny. The conference will include a trade show, presentations by industry leaders and roundtable discussions designed to educate growers on a wide variety of topics. Presenters from ISU include: Angela Shaw, food science and human nutrition; Donald Lewis, entomology, Joe Hannan, Ajay Nair, Diana Cochran, Brandon Carpenter and Patrick O’Malley, horticulture; Mark Gleason, plant pathology; Lina Rodriguez Salamanca and Laura Jesse, Iowa State Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic; and Allen Patillo, aquaculture/fisheries.

Feb. 2-3: Soil Health Conference
ISU Extension and Outreach, CALS and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service are hosting a Soil Health Conference on Feb. 2-3, 2016, at the Scheman Building. The goal of the conference is to increase awareness and understanding of soil health as pivotal to sustainable agriculture and environmental quality in Iowa and the Midwest. Early registration is open through Jan. 20. More

Funding Opportunities

USDA AFRI Releases RFA for Education and Literacy Initiative
The USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative is accepting proposals for the Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences Education and Literacy Initiative. The four funding areas for the ELI initiative are pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships due Feb. 11, Professional Development Opportunities for Secondary School Teachers due March 18, and Research and Extension Experiential Learning for Undergraduate Fellowships due March 24. Submissions for the PD-STEP and REEU programs are limited to three proposals per institution; awards are limited to one per institution. The Office of the VPR will distribute information about the internal process for these limited submissions in the weekly list released on Wednesday. More

Proposals for USDA Organic Transitions Program Due April 15
USDA NIFA is accepting proposals for the Integrated Research, Education and Extension Competitive Grants Program – Organic Transitions. The goal of ORG is to support the development and implementation of research, extension and higher education programs to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers. Budgets are limited to $200,000 per year and a maximum of $500,000. Applications are due Apr. 15. More

NSF Introduces Pilot Activity to Leverage GLOBE Resources
The National Science Foundation has issued a Dear Colleague Letter encouraging proposals for a pilot activity, Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners that have been Underrepresented for Diversity in Engineering and Science. The INCLUDES activity leverages the extensive resources of the existing Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment program to increase student engagement and diversity in the sciences. INCLUDES - GLOBE proposals can be submitted through the Discovery Research PreK-12 program by Dec. 5, or to the Advancing Informal STEM Learning Program by Nov. 8. More

USDA ARS Accepting Applications for Research Participation Program at ORISE
The USDA Agricultural Research Service Research Participation Program is an educational and training program designed to provide college students, recent graduates, university faculty and established scientists opportunities to participate in project-specific agricultural related research. Participants are administratively associated with Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Appointments for faculty and students are normally 10 to 12 weeks. One-year appointments for post-docs can be extended up to four additional years. Participants receive a stipend to support living and other expenses. Applications are accepted for each position until it is filled.

Office of the VPR Workshop: Managing Your Award, Feb. 1
The Office of the Vice President for Research is offering the workshop, “Managing Your Award.” The workshop will include basic principles of award management and insight to help researchers build a successful team. Online registration opens Jan. 15 and is limited to 60 participants.

Office of the VPR Training: Responsible Conduct of Research, Spring 2016 Sessions
All personnel working on projects supported by NSF, USDA-NIFA and/or NIH are required to have training in Responsible Conduct of Research. To meet this requirement, the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Graduate College are offering graduate course GRST 565, Responsible Conduct of Research in Science and Engineering. This one-credit course is accessible through the Schedule of Classes http://classes.iastate.edu/. Contact: Amy Tehan (ajotehan@iastate.edu, 294-7540).

Funding Information, Opportunities and Deadline Reminders
Dates listed are application deadlines. Contact: Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu. Additional information is posted at CALS Pre-Award Resources.

Jan. 22 (letter of intent): Egg Nutrition Center Research Program; $50,000 to $200,000.

Jan. 22 (Step-1): NASA Roses Sustainable Land Imagining-Technology; $300,000 to $1.6 million per year. More

Feb. 2 (abbreviated proposal): NIST Precision Measurement Grant Program; two awards, $150,000 over three years. More

Mar. 1 (letter of intent): NSF Science of Learning: Collaborative Networks; $750,000.

Mar. 7: Department of Education College Assistance Migrant Program; $180,000 to $425,000 per year for up to five years based on performance. More

Mar. 7: Department of Education High School Equivalency Program; $180,000 to $475,000 per year for up to five years based on performance. More

Mar. 15: NSF MacroSystems Biology and Early NEON Science – Research on Biological Systems at Regional to Continental Scales.

Mar. 15: NIH BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Large-Scale Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21); $300,000 direct costs. More

Mar. 17: NSF International Research Network Connections; up to $900,000 per year up to four years.

Mar. 17: NIH U.S.-China Program for Biomedical Collaborative Research (R01); $1 million over five years. More

Mar. 22: NSF USDA Innovation at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water; awards up to $3 million.

Mar. 31: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association – Poultry Protein & Fat Council. More

Infograzing

Office of University Relations Moves to Campustown
The Office of University Relations moved to the new Kingland office building at the corner of Lincoln Way and Welch Avenue in campustown on Jan. 8. University Relations directs ISU’s public relations programs and communications activities. The office is led by executive director John McCarroll. University Relations subdivisions include:

News Service – Coordinates media relations, disseminates news.
Internal Communications – Publishes Inside Iowa State and email update for faculty and staff. Manages top levels of university website.
University Photographer – Completes on-location and studio shots for members of the university community.
University Videographer – Produces original video productions about university activities and events.

Watch for IRS Fraud Calls
It is the time of year when scammers work to uncover personal information for tax returns, credit cards, etc. Information Technology has been notified that students have received fraudulent calls from individuals claiming to be the FBI calling on behalf of the IRS. If you receive such a call, please notify Jim Kurtenbach (jmk@iastate.edu) in Information Technology.

Marginalia

The Future of Field Trials in Europe
European agricultural scientists proposed a research collaboration in last week’s Trends in Plant Science similar to the CERN, or Large Hadron Collider. The authors want to open a network of research stations across Europe instead of a single location. They say that such a system would provide investigators with easy access to a range of different soil properties, temperatures and atmospheric conditions to study plant/crop growth. It also would allow more expensive equipment to be shared. More

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online

Julie Stewart, Editor
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/agonline

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 Friday.

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