College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Nov. 11, 2019
Top Stories
Colletti Honored for Research Leadership
Joe Colletti, senior associate dean of CALS and associate director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, was presented the Excellence in Leadership national award by the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy at the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities annual meeting, Nov. 10-12 in San Diego. Colletti was honored for his leadership in promoting national research initiatives. More
Harl Elected to Estate Planning Hall of Fame
Neil Harl, retired Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences at ISU, was elected to the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils Estate Planning Hall of Fame® and recognized as a Distinguished Accredited Estate Planner®. The award is given in recognition of distinguished service to the field of estate planning and was presented Nov. 7 at a ceremony during the organization’s annual NAEPC Advanced Estate Planning Strategies Conference. More
CALS Faculty Honored at APLU Annual Meeting
CALS faculty were honored at the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities annual meeting, Nov. 10-12 in San Diego. Kevin Schalinske, food science and human nutrition, was presented a regional teaching award in food and agricultural sciences. Carolyn Lawrence-Dill, genetics, development and cell biology, successfully completed the Food Systems Leadership Institute as a fellow in cohort 13. Catherine Woteki, food science and human nutrition, received the APLU Food Systems Leadership Award.
Research
Study Looks at Cover Crops’ Impact on Carbon Storage in Soil
The ability of cover crops to stimulate microbes deep in the soil of farm fields leads to significant gains in water quality, but does not necessarily increase the capacity of soil to store carbon, according to a recently published study in Global Change Biology Bionenergy. Steven Hall, ecology, evolution and organismal biology and corresponding author of the study, said the research delves deep below the surface to explore how cover crops and perennial plants affect soil microbial activity. More
STRIPS Project Gains National Attention
In the Nov. 5 issue of E-News for Researchers, published by the Office of the Vice President for Research, it was noted that the college’s STRIPS project continues to gain national attention. Since its origination in 2003, CALS' Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) project has brought together scientists, educators and extension specialists to encourage the use of prairie strips as a farmland conservation practice. The mission of the team is to better understand the assembly, management, function and value of prairie strips, to communicate research results to diverse audiences, and to assist others with the implementation of prairie strips on farm fields. Last month, the project and its members were featured in multiple news outlets including nonprofit conservation organization Audubon, PBS News Hour, and nonprofit daily news source for the evolving U.S. food landscape Civil Eats.
Teaching and Students
Career Services Releases 2019 Summer Internship Survey
CALS Career Services released results of its 2019 summer internship survey, with 790 student responses. Average hourly wage rose to $14.05/hour – up 3.6 percent from last year. “Internship earnings play a key role in helping fund students’ academic endeavors,” said Mike Gaul, director of CALS Career Services. “The wage increase is certainly a welcomed addition, but not surprising given the tight labor market. We saw nearly an identical increase in full-time wages via our composite report released back in August.” More
FundISU: Support Sought for Agricultural Communication Student Enrichment
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to provide the growing agricultural communication student population with world-class learning experiences and opportunities. Enrollment in the agricultural communication program has increased 45 percent over the past six years, which mean more students are participating in organizations and attending industry-wide gatherings. Contributions on FundISU, the crowdfunding site on the ISU Foundation website, will be used to help fund these activities. The goal is $5,000 and the campaign will run through Jan. 3. More
Undergraduate Students Participate in Leadership Conference
Last week, CALS had 61 undergraduates selected to participate in the Agriculture Future of America Leadership conference in Kansas City. This was the largest group ever to attend from Iowa State, and for the first time, Iowa State had the largest group of students in attendance. More than 850 students from more than 70 universities and colleges attend the annual event.
Students Planning for Spring Planted 2,100 Flowering Bulbs Around Curtiss
Last Friday, Forestry Club students helped plant 2,100 tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, Dutch Iris and a few crocus around Curtiss Hall. For the past five years, Joe Colletti and students have planted more than 7,000 donated bulbs.
CALS Council Seeking Nominations for Senior Awards, Due Nov. 14
The CALS Student Council is seeking nominations for fall 2019 senior awards. Every fall and spring semester, CALS Council recognizes graduating seniors through six different awards: outstanding senior, leadership excellence, academic achievement, distinguished service, outstanding ambassador of agriculture and life sciences, and commitment to diversity. Nominations are due Nov. 14.
Extension and Outreach
Webinar to Cover Systems Approach to Soil and Water Conservation
Iowa Learning Farms will host a special webinar on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. featuring Benjamin Turner, a specialist on systems analysis of agroecosystems from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The lecture will highlight research, grounded in systems thinking, aimed at better understanding the dynamics underpinning contemporary soil and water conservation challenges. More
Connecting Researchers to Farmers
Two or three times each year the Iowa Soybean Research Center hosts field tours for students and researchers at Iowa State. The tours let researchers see agriculture-related operations firsthand, ask questions and make connections with those involved in farming and the agriculture industry. Recently, ISRC along and ISU’s Seed Science Center co-sponsored a tour to the Syngenta Seedcare Institute in Stanton, Minn., with 22 researchers, students and staff. Details are available in the Nov. 6 issue of Wallaces Farmer. More
Around the College
Last Finalist for Chair of Animal Science on Campus this Week
The last finalist for chair of the department of animal science will be on campus this week. Daniel Thomson, Jones Professor of Production Medicine and Epidemiology in Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, will speak at a one-hour public seminar on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee Hall.
CALS Award Nomination Deadline Nov. 19
Nominations for awards presented by CALS are due Nov. 19. The list of college awards and nominating guidelines are available online. They will be reviewed by the CALS Awards Committee during December and presented during the annual CALS Awards Ceremony, scheduled for March 24. Nominations for most awards presented by ISU need to be submitted to the college first. The college deadline for university award nominations is Nov. 19. The CALS Awards Committee will review and forward the best two to three nominations for each award. The list of university awards and nominating guidelines are available online. University awards are presented at the ISU Fall Convocation in September. The award page on the CALS website provides a complete list of awards available, frequently asked questions and a list of past recipients. Contact your departmental awards committee for additional information.
Seed Science Center Hosts Food Drive
The Seed Science Center is hosting a food drive and offering a free “Hunger Fighting” t-shirt when two nonperishable food items are donated before Nov. 15. All donations will be delivered to the SHOP Food Pantry on campus for students in need. More
Communications Kiosk
Entitled vs. Titled
Use entitled to mean a right to do or have something. Do not use it to mean titled. She was entitled to the promotion. The book was titled “Gone With the Wind.” (Associated Press Stylebook, 2018 edition, pg. 100)
Infograzing
Undergraduate Research Ambassadors to Host Mixer
The ISU Undergraduate Research Ambassadors are hosting a mixer for Emerging Leaders in Research on Dec. 5 at 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the Jischke Honors Building. The drop in event is for those wanting to get involved in research or be an Undergraduate Research Ambassador. All majors and years are welcome and snacks will be provided. RSVP or register to present online.
Iowa State Faculty Featured in The Conversation
Results from The Conversation’s 2018 author survey are available in the Nov. 5 issue of E-News for Researchers, published by the Office of the Vice President for Research. ISU faculty have written and published more than 40 stories in The Conversation – part of a global network of newsrooms dedicated to recognizing the vital role that academic experts can play in the public arena – since Iowa State became a partner institution in 2017.
- 43 percent of authors indicated they were approached for other academic collaborations.
- 31 percent of authors noted increased citations of scholarly articles.
- 23 percent of authors used articles or metrics as part of a grant or other funding.
- 14 percent of authors influenced policy by a decision maker.
Ames Based Smart Ag Acquired by Raven Industries
Ag Startup Engine, in the ISU Research Park, announced that their first Iowa-based investment, Smart Ag, has been acquired by Raven Industries. Smart Ag’s driverless tractor technology empowers farmers to upgrade existing equipment and complete operations faster and with less labor than ever before. CALS alum Colin Hurd is founder and CEO of Smart Ag. More
World Food Prize Announces Launch of Foundation President’s Archive
The World Food Prize has launched the Archive of the Foundation President, Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn. The archive represents his 52-year career – from the beginning of his journey taking the Foreign Service entrance exam in 1967, to multiple assignments for the State Department, including six years in Vietnam during the war, to being assigned to the National Security Council at the White House, to his service as U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, to his 20 years of leading the World Food Prize. 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.