College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Feb. 17, 2020
Top Stories
Youngs Named Ensminger Chair
Curt Youngs, animal science, has been named the newest Ensminger Endowed Chair of International Animal Agriculture, effective Feb. 1. He is the third faculty member in animal science to hold the endowed chair title, made possible through the Marion Eugene and Audrey H. Ensminger Endowment for Animal Science. More
Research
Winham Publishes Study on Bean Nutrition Awareness
Donna Winham, food science and human nutrition, is co-author of “Food Behaviors, Health and Bean Nutrition Awareness among Low-Income Men: A Pilot Study,” published in the Feb. 6 issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. With higher chronic disease risk, low-income men could theoretically benefit from increased bean intakes. The study objective was to explore low-income men’s food behaviors, bean health benefit awareness and bean consumption practices and preferences. More
R.F. Baker Plant Breeding Symposium, March 6
Registration is open for the R.F. Baker Plant Breeding Symposium which will be held March 6 at the ISU Alumni Center. This year's theme is "2020 Breeding Vision: Bringing the Whole Picture into Focus." Deadline to register is Feb. 27. The symposium is hosted by the agronomy department.
Teaching and Students
Funding Available for New Study Abroad Opportunities
The CALS Study Abroad office is accepting applications for grants to develop and sustain study abroad opportunities in the college. Direct questions to Jodi Cornell, jcornell@iastate.edu, 4-1851.
CALS Student Shares Agricultural Vision in Washington, D.C.
Adam Bittner, junior in global resource systems, was selected to attend the Farm Foundation Round Table Cultivator Program in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 8-10. He shared his experiences in agriculture and perceptions of the future with industry leaders during the three-day program. More
Students: Enroll in Multifactor Authentication by March 25
Students are encouraged to activate the cybersecurity feature known as multifactor authentication for their ISU login. MFA will be required for all students beginning March 25. Multifactor authentication is a two-step login system that requires an additional action after inputting your password. With MFA enabled, hackers cannot easily compromise your primary email account and other accounts routed through it (i.e. Amazon, Venmo). More
Extension and Outreach
Webinar Probes Weather, Climate Issues Facing Growers
ISU Extension and Outreach is co-hosting a free webinar on “Dealing with the Changing Climate in Agriculture: Issues in 2020 and Beyond,” on Feb. 20 from noon to 1 p.m. The webinar will discuss issues leading into the 2020 growing season and put that information into a larger context of what is happening with Midwest weather and climate long-term. Dennis Todey, director of USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub, will lead the discussion. More
Growing Season Outlook Meeting Planned for March 4
An update on research at the Northern Research Farm at Kanawha will take place at the North Central Iowa Research Association’s meeting on March 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Clarion. Participants will learn about corn planting dates and other ongoing research. More
Workshops Planned for Morel and Oyster Mushroom Certification
ISU Extension and Outreach will offer two, two-hour workshops on March 21 and April 4 for those interested in being certified to sell morel and oyster mushrooms in Iowa. In 2020, oyster mushrooms were added to the training certification. More
Around the College
NEW Cooperative Contributes to New Feed Mill
NEW Cooperative has committed a $350,000 gift to ISU’s feed mill and grain science complex. NEW Cooperative, Inc. is a farmer-owned, value-added grain, agronomy, energy and feed cooperative headquartered in Fort Dodge. Ground was broken last September for the $21.2 million facility, which will be located on approximately 10 acres of university-owned land southwest of the Highway 30 and State Avenue intersection in Ames. Construction on the facility will begin later this year, with an anticipated completion date of summer 2021. More
Handsaker Honored as Emerging Iowa Leader
Alum Jacob Handsaker, a farmer in Hardin and Story counties and co-owner of Hands-On Excavating, has been named the 2020 Emerging Iowa Leader by CALS. He is a member of Curtiss League, the college’s young alumni program, hosts university visitors on his farm operation and participates in water quality research projects with CALS faculty. The award was presented at center court of Hilt6on Coliseum during the college-sponsored Cyclone women’s basketball game on Feb. 8. More
Leopold Center Records Available in Special Collections
The Special Collections and University Archives Department announced that records for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture have been processed and are open to researchers. The collection contains the administrative records from the Leopold Center including grant applications and reports from the center’s 30-year history. Types of materials include photographs, correspondence, grant reports and applications, annual reports, meeting minutes and agendas, notes, newsletters and electronic media. More
Why Some Iowa Bird Species Are Thriving
Some endangered bird species have made a comeback in the past 20 years. On the Jan. 22 issue of Talk of Iowa, Jim Pease, natural resource ecology and management, talked about Iowa’s birds, the pressure they face and why some species are thriving this time of year. More
In Memoriam: P. Jeffrey Berger, Animal Science
P. Jeffrey Berger, emeritus professor of animal science, died Feb. 11. He was 76. Berger taught graduate students and conducted research in dairy cattle breeding at ISU for 38 years. He was a fellow of the American Dairy Science Association and was awarded the J.L. Lush Award for Animal Breeding and Genetics by the ADSA in 2008. Visitation will be at 9 a.m. prior to a funeral at 11 a.m. on March 16 at Collegiate United Methodist Church in Ames. More
Calendar
Feb. 18: CALS College-by-College Pitch Off
The CALS portion of the College-by-College Pitch Off will take place Tuesday, Feb. 18, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in room 4202 of the Student Innovation Center. The event offers students in all seven colleges the change to deliver a 90-second pitch about an idea or business they are working on to a panel of judges for cash prizes. More
March 10: CALS Town Hall Meeting
CALS will hold a town hall meeting for all college faculty and staff on March 10 from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. in the Dolezal Auditorium in Curtiss Hall, Room 127. Refreshments will be served. Endowed Dean Dan Robison will provide a welcome and remarks, including updates on enrollment and budget. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments.
March 25-27: Inaugural C-CHANGE Conference
ISU’s Consortium for Cultivating Human and Naturally reGenerative Enterprises (C-CHANGE) is hosting its inaugural Conference on Agriculture, Technology and Innovation on March 25-27 in Des Moines. The conference will bring together experts from agriculture, energy, government, science and society to share new thinking and new ideas to expand the value chain for renewable natural gas, a component of biogas. Lisa Schulte Moore, natural resource ecology and management, is the C-CHANGE director.
Communications Kiosk
Use a Hyphen in Modifiers of Three Words
Generally, use a hyphen in modifiers of three or more words: a know-it-all attitude, black-and-white photography, a sink-or-swim moment, a win-at-all-costs approach. Consider carefully, though, before deciding to use more than three modifiers. (Associated Press Stylebook, 2019 edition, pg. 327)
Infograzing
ISU Sustainability Symposium Scheduled for Feb. 24-25
The 11th annual ISU Symposium on Sustainability will be held Feb. 24-25 at the Memorial Union. This year’s program features the diversity of sustainability efforts and initiatives taking place within the campus community, a keynote address by Erin Brockovich and presentation of the 2019 Live Green! Awards for Excellence in sustainability. More
Heat Trapped in Urban Areas Tricks Trees
Satellite data of 85 U.S. cities shows plants begin turning green earlier in the spring in urban areas than in surrounding rural areas. It’s a symptom of the way cities trap heat, a phenomenon known as “heat-island effect,” according to a recently published study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Co-authors of the paper include Yuyu Zhou and Ph.D. student Lin Meng, geological and atmospheric sciences. More
Paul Plummer Featured as Change Agent
Paul Plummer, associate professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, is the director of the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education. NIAMRRE coordinates scientific expertise across industry and academia concerning antibiotic resistance. Plummer is the latest change agent featured in a series of articles about ISU faculty and scientists whose work is changing the world for the better. 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.