The Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Iowa State University Alumni Association will present awards to several CALS alumni and friends at the 92nd annual Honors & Awards Ceremony on Nov. 1.
A research team at Iowa State University working in the lab of Melha Mellata, associate professor of molecular microbiology, has found that zinc supplements may be an inexpensive, effective antidote to the growing health threat of antimicrobial resistance, potentially extending the effectiveness of today’s antibiotic arsenal against disease. Their findings, published this month in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, are spurring widespread interest.
The Uganda Alliance student organization at Iowa State University has reached the five-year mark of improving revenue and awareness opportunities for Ugandan people, one basket or craft item at a time. Stop by this semester's final craft sale on Nov. 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside Parks Library on campus.
In less than two hours, Ben Moss and one of his friends planted 220 new grasses and perennial sedum on the roof of Horticulture Hall last month, transforming the space students pass by daily. “I wanted a hands-on, real-life project where I could put into practice what I was learning in my classes,” Moss, a senior in horticulture, said. “Being able to design and implement this was a lot of fun.”
Maura McGrail, a professor of genetics, development and cell biology, is leading a new NIH project, working with her long-time partner in the lab and in life, Jeffrey Essner, a professor in the same department. The scientific duo have developed a state-of-the-art zebrafish discovery platform to research the genetics of health and disease. With the new funding, they plan to build on their past work to better understand enzymes inside cells that help regulate the function of the genome and explore the biology of metabolic diseases. Partners on the new project include Iddo Friedberg, associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine at Iowa State.
Walter Suza and Lisa Schulte Moore have been named Top Agri-Food Pioneers by the World Food Prize Foundation. The two Iowa State University faculty are among 38 global innovators selected for their transformative food systems work in recognition of the World Food Prize Foundation’s 38th anniversary. These TAP trailblazers driving change in agriculture and global food security form the first TAP cohort, according to the World Food Prize Foundation. They will be recognized at the 2024 Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines, Oct. 29-31.
The Iowa Soybean Research Center’s Industry Advisory Council met in September for its annual meeting to consider proposed soybean research ideas and to offer guidance on how to best invest available new funding.
Based on the council’s recommendations, the ISRC funded three new soybean research projects at Iowa State University, each for two years.
- Using Soybean Microbes as Protectants from Stress, led by Gwyn Beattie, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology.
- Cyst Nematode Single-Cell Omics, led by Thomas Baum, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology.
- Investigating the Specific Role of Sterols in Soybean Growth and Development, led by Walter Suza, George Washington Carver Endowed Chair and adjunct associate professor of agronomy
Larry A. Nielsen, professor emeritus of natural resources at North Carolina State University, will present the 2024 William K. Deal Leadership Lecture Oct. 8, at Iowa State University. His presentation, “Fowl, Fish and Forest – Leadership Lessons from Great Conservationists,” will begin at 7 p.m. in 127 Curtiss Hall.
Aude Watrelot, assistant professor of food science and human nutrition and extension enology specialist at Iowa State University, is leading a project to better understand the challenges faced by wine industry professionals across the U.S. The results of the project aim to improve future regional wine production.
Iowa State University’s culinary food science program has been cooking up an exciting announcement. Since November 2022, the Culinary Food Science Advisory Committee has been working with the Research Chefs Association to receive formal recognition as an approved RCA Culinology® program.
It's that time of year, when students re-read their resumes and practice their interview skills with their roommates. On Oct. 8, over 253 companies will be lined up and waiting to interact with students attending the Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Day.
Arilyn Oatman ('24 global resource systems) leaves on Sept. 23 to embark on a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program experience in Thies, Senegal. She will spend nine months teaching adults and college students the English language along the west African coast.
In September 2024, Andy Suby, assistant director of research administration at the BioCentury Research Farm, will transition to a new, part-time role as a process engineer with the university. Rob Hartmann will step into the assistant director position at the facility.
Poster abstracts are now being accepted for the 21st Annual Norman Borlaug Lecture Poster Competition for Graduate and Undergraduate Students. The competition and display of posters will take place Monday, Oct. 28, in the Memorial Union at Iowa State University, prior to the Norman Borlaug Lecture featuring 2024 World Food Prize Laureates Geoffrey Hawtin and Cary Fowler.
In the form of a juicy red strawberry, a U.S. Department of Energy representative tasted the fruits of researchers’ labor Sept. 4 at the Alliant Energy Solar Farm at Iowa State University. The visit allowed Katie Hendrickson, chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, to see the progress being made at the solar farm, which received a $1.8 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy last year.
“This effort is a culmination of many years of dreaming about such an opportunity and finally getting access to the data and funding to make it happen,” said James E. Koltes, associate professor of animal science at Iowa State University.
Koltes is referring to a new USDA-supported project he is leading with colleagues at Iowa State and several partner institutions to create a systematic catalog, or encyclopedia, of the DNA netherworld scientists call “genetic regulatory regions” for livestock species. The research sets the stage for important discoveries by identifying regulatory DNA variation that could be useful in breeding for improved animal efficiency and health.
At its best, art can inspire, entertain and inform. The new mural and suspended bee mobile on the fourth floor of the Student Innovation Center at Iowa State University succeeds at all the above.
Sara Kvidera (’17 PhD nutritional sciences), a dairy technical consultant with Elanco Animal Health, is the recipient of the 2024 Emerging Iowa Leader Award. The honor is presented annually to College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alums in leadership positions, working to strengthen agriculture and life sciences and providing outstanding service as CALS graduates.
Despite a slow start following several dry years, mosquito populations in Iowa have ramped up this season due to regular rains and flooding in some areas of the state, according to Ryan Smith, associate professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology at Iowa State University.
Smith leads the Iowa Mosquito Surveillance Program, which has been running since the 1960s. It is one of the country’s most active, long-running programs, and one of the few led by an academic institution.
AMES, Iowa — The Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University welcomes BioConnect Iowa as its newest partner. BioConnect Iowa will serve as a representative on the center’s industry advisory council, which provides guidance on research needs and funding priorities for the center.
