College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Jan. 28, 2019
Top Stories
CALS Spring Awards Program and Wine and Cheese Reception on Wednesday
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Spring Awards Program, honoring faculty and staff achievements, will be held Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 4:10 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. The program will include brief comments from Senior Associate Dean Joe Colletti and recognition of the 2019 CALS faculty and staff award recipients. Senior Vice President and Provost Jonathan Wickert will thank Colletti for his service as Interim Endowed Dean and Ruth MacDonald as interim Senior Associate Dean. A wine and cheese reception will follow the program. Winners of this year’s awards, by category, are listed below.
CALS 2019 Teaching and Advising Award Recipients:
- Scott Smalley, agricultural education and studies – Early Achievement in Teaching Award
- Thomas Brumm, agricultural and biosystems engineering – Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award
- Karri Haen Whitmer, genetics, development and cell biology – Excellence in Teaching by Lecturers and Adjunct Faculty Award
- Nancy Grudens-Schuck, agricultural education and studies – Distance Education Teaching Award
- Jennifer Bundy, animal science – Early Adviser Award
- Jodi Sterle, animal science – Outstanding Adviser Award
CALS 2019 Research Award Recipients:
- Adina Howe, agricultural and biosystems engineering – Early Achievement in Research Award
- Nicholas Gabler, animal science – Mid-Career Achievement in Research Award
- Thomas Lubberstedt, agronomy – Outstanding Achievement in Research Award
CALS 2019 Staff and Extension Award Recipients:
- Susan DeBlieck, horticulture – Professional and Scientific Outstanding New Professional Award
- Lois Benning, Career Services – Professional and Scientific Excellence Award
- Jeffery Erb, research farms – Merit Award for Achievement and Service
- Mark Licht, agronomy – Early Achievement in Extension and Outreach Award
- Anna Butters-Johnson, animal science – Outstanding Achievement in Extension and Outreach Award
CALS 2019 Team and Other Award Recipients:
- Stephanie Zumbach, agronomy – Outstanding Service in Student Recruitment and Retention Award
- Margaret Sprecher, global resource systems – Learning Community Coordinator Award
- Awoke Dollisso, agricultural education and studies – Faculty Award for Diversity Enhancement
- Susan Lamont, animal science – Outstanding Achievement in International Agriculture Award
- Maria Salas, agronomy – Raymond and Mary Baker Agronomic Excellence Award
- Plant Breeding Education in Africa – Professional Learning Community – Team Award
- Walter Suza, agronomy
- Mike Retallick, agricultural education and studies
- Gretchen Anderson, agronomy
- Jessica Barb, agronomy
- Shuizhang Fei, horticulture
- Judy Levings, agricultural education and studies
- Thomas Lubberstedt, agronomy
- Assibi Mahama, agronomy
- Greg Miller, agricultural education and studies
- Former team members from agronomy: Siddique Aboobucker, William Beavis, Patrick Golus, Todd Hartnell, Kendall Lamkey, Laura Merrick, Andy Rohrback, Arti Singh, Asheesh Singh and Lizhi Wang.
Research
New Research Studies Use of Corn Cobs in Bioreactors
With funding from the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, Michelle Soupir, agricultural and biosystems engineering, is exploring the next generation of bioreactors – assessing the potential of corn cobs as a carbon source to fuel helpful bacteria to denitrify water. Soupir’s pilot-sized bioreactors were installed in 2014 and she has completed a set of research trials using woodchips. Soupir and colleagues monitor nitrate-nitrogen and phosphorus levels in water as it enters and exits the bioreactor. More
Hormones in What You Eat Could Impact Your Brain and Memory
Auriel Willette, food science and human nutrition, and his team of researchers have discovered a satiety hormone that, at higher levels, could decrease a person’s likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A paper outlining the results of their study recently was accepted for publication in Neurobiology of Aging. More
Teaching and Students
Student Farm to Hold Information Meeting Jan. 31
The ISU Good Earth Student Farm will hold an informational meeting on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 5:15 p.m. in 2226 Bessey Hall. Learn about the student-run community supported agriculture farm and growing local produce for the ISU community.
CALS Spring Career Day Scheduled for Feb. 6
The CALS Spring Career Day is scheduled for Feb. 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. There will be 101 organizations recruiting at the event, with job interviews taking place the following day. “The spring career day continues to prove beneficial to recruiters and students,” said Mike Gaul, director of the college’s career services office. “The event includes sectors that may not have been in recruitment mode during the fall, new organizations looking to tap into our students’ talent, or companies that have realized new hiring needs.” More
Horticulture Club Taking Pre-Orders for Annual Rose Sale
Pre-orders are being accepted through Feb. 4 for the Horticulture Club’s annual Valentine’s Day Rose Sale. Pick-up of pre-order sales will be Feb. 12-14 in Horticulture Hall. More
Extension and Outreach
Wildlife Ecologist Looks at Chronic Wasting Disease in Iowa Deer
Julie Blanchong, natural resource ecology and management, looks at the future of chronic wasting disease in Iowa deer after the recent confirmation of a case in Dubuque County. Chronic wasting disease, a neurological disorder that arises from misfolded proteins that affect the brains of deer, has been confirmed in four Iowa counties. There’s no evidence humans can contract the disease, but hunters are urged to have harvested deer tested if they suspect the disease is present, and no one should eat venison from infected deer. More
Around the College
Sebranek Featured in Meatingplace.com Magazine
Joe Sebranek, animal science, is featured as a Silver Star in a series published by Meatingplace.com celebrating the magazine’s 25th anniversary. For the past 42 years, Sebranek has helped to deliver processors an impressive reference library of meat science research – a repository of practical knowledge that has benefitted industry best practices in all areas of meat and poultry production. More
Calendar
Feb. 6: Ag Business Club Co-Sponsors Lecture
Paul Maass (’88 ag business), CEO of Scoular, will present “Finding the Right Cultural Fit for Your Career” on Feb. 6 at 5:10 p.m. in 0105 Curtiss Hall. The lecture is part of the spring 2019 Ivy College of Business Speaker Series and is co-sponsored by the Agricultural Business Club.
Infograzing
Resources Available to Handle Stress During Big Campus Transitions
ISU’s Employee Assistance Program provides counseling, consultations, resources and coaching benefits to ISU employees, including those dealing with stresses related to the major upcoming transitions in Workcyte and Improved Service Delivery. EAP benefits are free, confidential and available 24/7/365; call 800-327-4692. Also, the ISU WellBeing website offers additional resources, including the employee well-being program Adventure2. Need someone to listen? Visit with UHR employee and labor relations staff, an HR liaison or the university ombuds.
Jan. 31 Deadline to Apply for NSF Innovation Corps Program
Faculty, graduate and postdoc students are invited to apply for the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program. The four-week program, which starts on Feb. 27, focuses on building entrepreneurship skills and bringing innovative ideas to the public. The Office of the Vice President for Research is sponsoring the program.
Deadlines Approaching for FFAR Graduate Student Fellowship Program
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research is accepting applications for its 2019 Fellowship Program. Cohort members will be together for three years as they continue through their graduate program. Students can compete in either of two categories: Stipend plus Professional Development awards (deadline is Feb. 15) or Professional Development only awards (deadline is April 15). More
Finding Local and Creative Angles to Cover Climate Change
The University of Illinois Library recently added to the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center collection an article in Nieman Reports about journalists covering climate change. Author Michael Blanding described it as a complex and abstract topic that often lacks a news hook and defies most journalistic conventions. The article explains how some news outlets are bringing innovation, urgency and new audiences to stories about climate change. “While climate change is perhaps the global issue, it is an intensely local one, with effects from climate change felt on agriculture and business from coastal cities to rural farms.” He advised readers to look for stories close to home.
Marginalia
A Necktie for Every Commodity
The January 2019 issue of Successful Farming is a special issue featuring USDA Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. The article states that he has an extensive necktie collection, and that Perdue bartered with personal assistant Taylor Crowe for a watermelon tie to complete his collection representing all U.S. agriculture commodities. More
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Julie Stewart, Editor
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
http://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.