College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
November 2, 2020
Top Stories
Educational Opportunities Increase with Iowa Egg Council Support
The Iowa Egg Council has pledged an additional $150,000 to the Robert T. Hamilton Poultry Teaching and Research Farm at Iowa State. The financial support has helped add educational opportunities for students and other visitors to learn about poultry production. One feature of the new facility is a poultry viewing window to showcase the different housing systems for the birds. There also is a dedicated poultry rearing area where the students can interact with and raise chicks and pullets. In addition, educational infographics were added on the walls in the atrium to serve as a teaching aid explaining the various housing types, nutritional qualities of eggs and more. More
Research
Iowa Soybean Research Center Funds $1 Million in Research
The Iowa Soybean Research Center, in its first five years of supporting soybean research, has hit the $1 million mark. Ten Iowa State faculty received funding for projects from the ISRC since 2015 due to financial support from the Iowa Soybean Association and the center’s industry partners. More
Teaching and Students
Teaching Feedback Sessions Scheduled for early November
CALS faculty and staff with teaching responsibilities are invited to join a virtual conversation with Carmen Bain, CALS associate dean of academic innovation, and Sue Lamont, CALS equity advisor. Discussion will include teaching challenges and how the college can support teaching. RSVP by Nov. 3 to Carla Persaud (cpersaud@iastate.edu) and participants will be sent the WebEx link. One session will focus on term faculty and staff – Nov. 10, noon to 1 p.m. Two sessions will focus on tenured/tenure-eligible faculty – Nov. 5, 11 a.m. to noon, and Nov. 9, 3 to 4 p.m.
Teacher in Residence Program Brings Alumni Back to the Classroom
A gift from Jane and Richard Carter has allowed the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies to bring Iowa agricultural educators into Iowa State classrooms through the new Teacher in Residence Program. Jacob Hunter ('11 ag and life sciences education), agricultural educator and FFA advisor at North Scott Community Schools in Eldridge, Iowa, visited campus in October as the first teacher in residence. More
Meat Science Club Holds Holiday Ham Fundraiser
The Meat Science Club is holding their annual holiday ham fundraiser. Whole hams (12-15 lbs.) are $3.50/lb. and half hams (7-9 lbs.) are $4/lb. Orders are being collected with a Google Form. Curbside pick-up at the Kildee Dock will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7, 14 and 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. More
Block and Bridle Club Holds Summer Sausage and Cheese Sale
The Block and Bridle Club’s annual holiday summer sausage and cheese sale is open through Nov. 9. Orders will be available for pick-up on Nov. 17-18 and will be shipped on Nov. 19. The summer sausage is made by students and staff on campus in the Meats Laboratory and the cheese (cheddar, colby jack and mild pepper jack) is from Bongards Premium Cheese in Minnesota. The fundraiser helps support scholarships, events and activities for the club.
Snow Blower Service Days Scheduled for Nov. 13-14
The Agriculture Systems Technology Club will hold its annual snow blower service days Friday Nov. 13 (1 to 6 p.m.), and Saturday Nov. 14 (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.), at Sukup Hall on the west side of campus. The $25 cost includes oil, spark plug, grease and enough gas to start the snow blower safely. Pickup and delivery (Ames only) is available for $15; call (515) 708-8672 or send an email request to astservicedays@gmail.com by 2 p.m. on Thursday Nov. 12 to request this service. More
Learning Community Volunteers Prepare for Spirits in the Gardens Event
The FOCUS Learning Community visited Reiman Gardens to help prepare for its “Spirits in the Gardens” event. The Fostering Opportunity and Collaboration through Unity and Scholarship Learning Community started in August 2019 and is a multicultural peer mentorship program designed to support incoming students. Audrey Kennis, CALS retention coordinator, said the group took time to visit and volunteer at Reiman Gardens as part of its monthly social event. More
Extension and Outreach
New Video Series Helps Kids Learn about Watersheds
Water Rocks! has released the first four episodes of a puppet show video series designed for elementary students. Each episode of Harmony Brook Watershed is just under five minutes long and features Owl, Fox, Frog and Leo the butterfly. More
Around the College
Interviews Begin this Week for Feed Mill Manager
Interviews begin this week for a feed mill manager at Iowa State’s Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex – Anthony Ewing on Nov. 3, Chance Fiehler on Nov. 6 and John Smillie on Nov. 11. There will be a presentation by each candidate at 8:30 a.m. that is open to all. Contact Sally Medford for the WebEx link (smedford@iastate.edu). Their application packets are available online, along with a candidate survey.
Creamery Begins Serving College Ice Cream Flavors Today
Earlier this year, the ISU Creamery hosted a contest asking students, faculty, staff and alumni to create a flavor unique to Iowa State’s seven colleges and graduate college. The new ice cream flavors resulting from the contest are available for purchase at the creamery beginning today, Nov. 2. The winning flavor for CALS is Pasture Bedtime, a mocha custard with chocolate chips and caramel swirls, created by 2018 food science graduates Evan McCoy, Timothy Lott and Mikaela Galdonik. More
Schwab Retires after 30 Years at Iowa State
Charles Schwab retired Oct. 16 as a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State after serving 30 years. Schwab also served as the ISU Extension and Outreach safety specialist. Since his arrival on campus in 1990, Schwab has been invested in serving on committees, boards and teams that promote injury prevention and foster emergency preparedness. His classroom teachings and research echo a need to make agriculture safer for all farmers. More
CALS Faculty and Staff Encouraged to Connect
In his Oct. 30 message to CALS faculty and staff, Dean Robison said the college is considering ways to gather safely and build collegiality in these physically distant times. “These opportunities could be just for employees or for families, too,” he said. ”They would all be unofficial and follow ISU COVID mitigation protocols.” Examples include: book or movie clubs, discussion groups (travel adventures, poetry readings, etc.), dog walks or perhaps the development of an indoor dog park, farm tours or cross country skiing. Those interested in helping to identify and organize such gatherings as part of a new ad hoc CALS Connects committee should email Dean Robison (robisond@iastate.edu).
Calendar
Nov. 18: CALS Faculty and Staff Awards Program
The CALS faculty and staff awards program will be held virtually on Nov. 18 at noon via WebEx (meeting number: 120 510 8284, password: aNTKmF2UQ89). The program will include brief comments from Dean Robison, presentation of the Dean Lee R. Kolmer Award for Excellence in Applied Research and recognition of faculty and staff honorees from the 2020 awards program.
Nov. 28: CALS Convocation
Faculty and staff are invited to recognize graduating seniors at the CALS virtual convocation on Nov. 28, at 10 a.m. Links to the ceremony will be available on the college’s convocation website and via the CALS Facebook page. More
Infograzing
President Announces COVID-19 Exceptional Effort Awards Program
President Wendy Wintersteen has announced creation of a series of university-level awards to recognize the exceptional and innovative efforts of faculty and staff to overcome the challenges the Iowa State community has faced since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. This collective effort has enabled the university to continue to carry out its land-grant mission of teaching, research and extension through this extraordinary time. The COVID-19 Exceptional Effort Awards program will provide public recognition of the accomplishments of individuals, teams and units. The nomination deadline is Nov. 20.
Draft Policy on Renaming Ready for Public Comment
A draft policy on considering the removal of names from university property has been developed and is available for public comment through Nov. 23. The purpose of the proposed policy is to establish principles for reviewing named university property in the event a request is made to remove a name that is considered objectionable. More
Marginalia
Iowa Derecho Most Costly Thunderstorm Event in Modern History
The derecho that swept through the Midwest in August, focusing its destruction on central Iowa, is officially the most costly thunderstorm event in recorded U.S. history, states an Oct. 18 article on National Public Radio. According to figures released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the sustained line of thunderstorms that traveled 770 miles from South Dakota through Ohio in 14 hours, has cost $7.5 billion and counting. 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.