College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
April 15, 2019
Top Stories
Freeman Finishes Long-term Commitment with ISU Faculty Senate
After 18 years of service on the ISU Faculty Senate, Steve Freeman, University Professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering, is stepping down from his senate duties this spring. “Steve has shown great commitment to service through his long-time work on the faculty senate,” said President Wendy Wintersteen. “He has done an excellent job supporting faculty interests and promoting thoughtful change to advance the university and its teaching, research and extension missions.” More
Egg Industry Center Releases Egg Cost Study
The Egg Industry Center has released a study that seeks to fill an 18-year-old gap in information important to the U.S. egg industry. The study helps egg farmers analyze their costs of washing, weighing, packaging and transporting their eggs. “The data we collected from late 2018 shows that this cost has increased 80% during the last 18 years,” said Maro Ibarburu, associate scientist and business analyst for the Egg Industry Center. “While that may seem like a lot, given the changes in regulations and regular inflation, a cumulative 3.3% per year is not unreasonable.” More
Research
BASF Partners with Iowa Soybean Research Center
BASF is joining the Iowa Soybean Research Center as an industry partner to support emerging technology and innovations to help soybean growers produce high yielding, high quality soybeans. The Iowa Soybean Research Center is a partnership between the Iowa Soybean Association and ISU. Greg Tylka, plant pathology and microbiology, is director of the center. More
Ramirez on Minimizing Ammonia in Aviary Housing
High ammonia levels in aviary housing may have a negative effect on bird health, and managing the issue is key in successful poultry production. Brett Ramirez, agricultural and biosystems engineering, provides five ways to minimize ammonia in aviary housing in the April issue of Egg Industry (pg. 10). More
Teaching and Students
CALS Students Present Research at National Conference
Seventeen CALS undergraduate students from eight different majors were selected to share their research and scholarship at the 33rd annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research, April 11-13 at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Students are: Zahra Barkley, senior in biology; Hannah Baysinger, senior in global resource systems; Theresa Brehm, senior in global resource systems; Summer Castillo, senior in animal science; Miranda Clausen, senior in animal science; Anne Dinges, senior in agronomy; Tyler Donovan, junior in agronomy; Jacqueline Ehrlich, senior in agricultural biochemistry; Hannah Hegwer, junior in microbiology; Erika Johnson, junior in animal science; Kylee Joiner, senior in global resource systems; Avery Korns, senior in animal science; Nadiia Stepanchenko, senior in animal science; Amber Vegter, senior in biology; Sydney Weldon, senior in biology; Kayla Wernsing, junior in environmental science; and Elke Windschitl, junior in animal ecology. More
Animal Science Student Receives Peer Mentor Scholarship
Anna Fleming, senior in animal science, is one of four recipients of the Doug Gruenewald Peer Mentor Scholarship for the spring 2019 semester. The scholarship is for undergraduate students who have been hired to work as Learning Community Peer Mentors during the term of the award. More
Students Lead Book Drive to Help Young Readers in Uganda
CALS students in the 2019 Uganda Service Learning Program are collecting books for activities to enhance the reading achievement of pupils in primary schools in the Kamuli District of Uganda. The students will take donated books with them to Uganda this summer. Consider donating children’s books (beginning readers through 7th grade) before May 1. Collection boxes are located in 119 Kildee, the Horticulture Hall Atrium and 1320 Elings Hall (ABE Student Services). For more information contact Ashley Harvey (harvey1@iastate.edu), senior in global resource systems. More
Science With Practice Poster Presentation Scheduled for April 30
This semester’s Science With Practice poster presentation open house will be held April 30, 2 to 3:15 p.m. in the second floor of Curtiss Hall. Science With Practice is a CALS experiential learning and work program for undergraduate students in agriculture. It is funded by the ISU Agricultural Endowment Board, CALS and the Van Wert Family Endowment.
CALS Alumni on Returning to the Farm
John Bender graduated from ISU in 2017 and went straight to work for his grandfather on the family farm. This once-common arrangement is fading as aging farmers have difficulty interesting their children in the hard work and high risks of farming, forcing many retiring farmers to sell. In the March 30 issue of the News Tribune in LaSalle, Ill., Bender and Luke Holly, another ISU alum and rural Granville farmer, talk about this trend. More
Extension and Outreach
Value Added Ag and Local Foods Extension Teams Restructured
The ISU Extension and Outreach Value Added Ag team and Local Foods team have restructured under one team name with three subgroups. The new Farm, Food and Enterprise Development team is led by Craig Chase. The subgroups include: agri-tourism and small farms (led by Christa Hartsook), community food systems (led by Courtney Long) and business development services (led by Brian Tapp).
Around the College
Koziel Selected for Fulbright Program in Uzbekistan
Jacek Koziel, agricultural and biosystems engineering, has been selected to participate in a Fulbright Specialist Program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. He will be leaving later this month for Urgench State University in Uzbekistan to work on the “Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Aral Sea Basin” project. The Aral Sea Basin is recognized for man-made ecological crisis resulting in the collapse of eco-systems, deterioration of health and livelihood of the population, and threat to further sustainable development of the region.
CALS P&T Workshops Scheduled for Associate and Assistant Professors
A promotion and tenure workshop for associate professors will be held April 30 at 12:10 to 1:30 p.m. in 142 Curtiss Hall. RSVP to Carla Persaud (cpersaud@iastate.edu) by April 22 to register. The workshop will include expectations, comments from department chairs, and time for questions and open discussion. A P&T workshop for assistant professors will be held May 2 at 12:10 to 1:30 p.m. in 142 Curtiss Hall. RSVP to Carla Persaud (cpersaud@iastate.edu) by April 26 to register. The workshop will include expectations, definition of scholarship, portfolio preparation and development, and time for questions and open discussion.
EIC Recognizes President Wintersteen
On March 5, the Egg Industry Center Advisory Board gave special recognition to one of its founding board members, ISU President Wendy Wintersteen. As dean of CALS, Wintersteen was key to the development of the Egg Industry Center, launched in 2008, and its continued growth over the past 10 years. More
Calendar
April 17: Iowa International Outreach Symposium
The 2019 Iowa International Outreach Symposium and Networking Forum will be held Wednesday, April 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Ames. The morning speakers will share their experiences and perspectives with international outreach programs in Sub-Saharan Africa and provide information for Iowa institutions, organizations and individuals to continue or expand their involvement in this region of the world. The afternoon will include display and poster discussions, followed by facilitated round table networking. This year’s symposium is organized by Dirk Maier, agricultural and biosystems engineering. More
April 18: Former President of Mexico to Speak on North American Trade Policy
Former president of Mexico Vicente Fox will speak at ISU on Thursday, April 18, at 8 p.m. in Stephens Auditorium. Fox is a leading voice on North American trade policy and the challenges of immigration. He will present "Building Bridges or Walls: Where Do the U.S. and Mexico Go from Here?" CALS is a co-sponsor of the event. More
May 3: Scholarship Administrators Appreciation Open House
CALS faculty and staff who help administer scholarships and acknowledge donors are invited to join college leadership and the development team for an open house on Friday, May 3, 8:30 to 10 a.m. in the Curtiss Hall ground floor rotunda. Refreshments will be provided.
Communications Kiosk
Five Captivating Ways to Tell Scientific Stories
A well-told story can be extremely powerful – it captures attention, inspires others and can even lead to action. 3M has released a Scientists as Storytellers Guide, that includes how five celebrated communicators tell scientific stories. Put a human face on what you do is the first tip by Katie Couric, journalist and author. “Data and metrics can help illustrate a point, or prove why a story is important to a reader or viewer,” she said. But numbers alone are not enough. “A technical story needs to have an emotional center that taps into the head and even more so, the heart,” said Couric. (Part 1 – 3M Scientists as Storytellers Guide, 2019, pg. 6)
Infograzing
ISU to Celebrate Sustainability Efforts on April 25
ISU will celebrate Earth Month on April 25, as well as wrap-up its year of celebrating 10 Years of the Live Green! Initiative. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the south Parks Library lawn and feature campus and community organizations that support sustainability through events and initiatives, free fruit-infused water and snacks from ISU Dining, and sustainability-minded giveaways – earned through visiting the displays of participating organizations. More
Marginalia
Compost Facility Helps Heal the Effects of Hard Winter
Black compost from the ISU Compost Facility has been put along many campus sidewalks to reseed lawn and heal the effects of the hard winter. The compost is the result of dairy manure, bedding, ISU Dining food waste and campus yard waste. The ISU Compost Facility opened in 2008 and is operated by CALS. A previous Inside Iowa State article shows how the compost facility is the answer to varied campus needs.
1920 Photo Recalls ISU Ag Day Parade
The “Throwback Thursday” photo from the April 11 issue of Cardinal Tales, was taken at the Ag Day Parade in 1920 and shows a banner that reads “Iowa’s Crops to the Rescue.” The parade was in conjunction with the Agricultural Carnival which was held at Iowa State from 1912-1915, then again in 1919-1921. In 1922, The Carnival was absorbed, along with other events, into the VEISHEA celebration. The sentiment behind “Iowa’s Crops to the Rescue” may have had to do with helping to feed the people of Europe after the detrimental effects of WWI. Cardinal Tales is published by Special Collections and University Archives at ISU. 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.