CALS Online and Dean’s Message
Oct. 25, 2021
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS Colleagues – What a weekend! Perfect fall weather on Saturday, and pretty much the opposite (notwithstanding our need for more long-term soil moisture) on Sunday. Last week was filled with many things, including a number of key donor visits and several events to honor CALS alumni and friends selected to receive ISU Alumni Association awards… More
Top Stories
STORIES Demonstrating the Spirit of Service
The latest issue of STORIES, the college’s alumni magazine, features faculty, staff and students that have demonstrated the spirit of service – collective efforts to make a positive difference in the world. Stories in the magazine feature students who volunteer their time to serve others on campus and beyond, ISU Extension and Outreach staff who help entrepreneurs find success, and alumni who devote their time to improving the lives of minority populations. More Request a print copy from stories@iastate.edu.
CALS Alumni Honored for Distinguished Service
CALS and the ISU Alumni Association presented awards to the 2021 class of distinguished honorees during a ceremony on Oct. 22. CALS awardees are below. More
- Floyd Andre Award – Neal Conover (’69 animal science) and Dwight Conover (’74 agricultural business), co-founders of Northwest Financial Corporation in Arnolds Park, Iowa.
- George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award – Rachel Chikwamba (’02 Ph.D. genetics), group executive and vice president for chemicals, agriculture, food and health at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria, South Africa.
- Henry A. Wallace Award – Deland Myers Sr. (’81 MS food technology, ’84 Ph.D.), emeritus professor in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences at Prairie View A&M University in Texas.
- Outstanding Young Professional Award – Kevin Ross (’03 agricultural studies, ’21 MBA), sixth-generation farmer and owner of Ross Land and Cattle near Underwood, Iowa.
- ISUAA Alumni Service Award – Donald Beitz, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor, animal science.
- ISUAA Outstanding Young Alumni Award – Dustin Loy (’05 animal science, ’09 DVM veterinary medicine, ’11 Ph.D. veterinary microbiology), associate professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Research
New Study Calls for Mitigation, Monitoring of Common
Grease-proofing Food Packaging Chemicals
Keith Vorst, food science and human nutrition and director of the Polymer and Food Protection Consortium, is calling for a better understanding of the health ramifications of ubiquitous “grease proofing” chemicals that have been used for decades. A new study based on a symposium involving scientists at public and private institutions strikes an urgent tone on the need for new and better ways to detect and mitigate this class of chemical compounds. More
Teaching and Students
Meetings Scheduled to Address Student Mental Health Challenges
While some undergraduate and graduate students are flourishing now that they are back in an in-person environment, many are overwhelmed by the challenges and difficulties that the events of the last few years have brought to their lives. To address these challenges, the CALS leadership team will facilitate a short informational/Q&A session to review best practices for supporting students in crisis and providing an inclusive environment for the success of all students. All student-facing faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. In-person and virtual options are being provided to accommodate as many schedules as possible. Additional details will be provided by email.
- Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 11 a.m. in the CCUR Auditorium, 1951 Food Sciences Building
- Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. via WebEx
- Thursday, Oct. 28 at 11 a.m. in the CCUR Auditorium, 1951 Food Sciences Building
- Thursday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. via WebEx
Nominations for Senior Awards Due Sunday
The CALS Student Council is seeking nominations for fall 2021 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 Sunday, Oct. 31.
Meat Science Club Taking Orders for Holiday Hams
The Meat Science Club is taking orders for its annual holiday ham fundraiser. Club members trim, inject, cook, smoke and package the holiday hams and ham hocks, providing them with hands-on meat processing experience. The money raised helps members travel and attend academic conferences, funds industry trip tours and supports meat science club activities and events. Pick-up dates are Nov. 11, Nov. 18 or Dec. 9, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Meat Lab sales counter in Kildee Hall. More
Extension and Outreach
New Online Training Available for Food Processors
Registration is now open for Food Safety, Sanitation and Preparation, a new online training program from ISU Extension and Outreach. “The two-part training provides education on food safety concepts and best practices, and reviews quality assurance standards and control measures essential to proper food processing. The training is free, online and module-based,” said Shannon Coleman, food science and human nutrition. More
High Tunnel Short Course Set for Nov. 8
ISU Extension and Outreach will host the 2021 Iowa High Tunnel Short Course on Nov. 8 in Ames. Production and management of high tunnel crops will be highlighted, along with an update on research across the Midwest. More
Learn from Women Working in the Agricultural Industry
“Lead Like Someone Left the Gate Open” is the theme of the fifth annual ISU Extension and Outreach Women in Ag Leadership Conference. The event will be held Nov. 29-30 at the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in Ames. A full conference agenda, including campus tours, is available online. More
Around the College
U.S. and Mexico Agriculture Secretaries Met on Campus
The U.S. and Mexico agriculture secretaries traveled to Iowa State for a few hours Oct. 20 for a bilateral meeting and a tour that included the Seed Science Center and the Plant Sciences Institute. Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Víctor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack were scheduled to participate Thursday on World Food Prize panels. More
Construction of New Feed Mill Tower Complete
Construction crews worked 24 hours a day for four-and-a-half days to pour cement for the feed mill tower at the Kent Corporation Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex, located on university-owned land at the intersection of Highway 30 and State Avenue in Ames. The facility combines teaching, research, extension and international outreach conducted by the animal science and agricultural and biosystems engineering departments. The complex is expected to be complete by fall 2022. More
Calendar
Oct. 27: Iowa Learning Farms Webinar
Expanding Engagement in Watershed Conservation and Planning will be the focus of the Iowa Learning Farms webinar on Oct. 27 at noon with presenter Beth Baker, Mississippi State University. More
Oct. 29: NREM Seminar with Rich Pirog
The Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management is hosting a seminar on Friday, Oct. 29, from 3:10 to 4 p.m. via WebEx (password nrem2021). Rich Pirog, director of the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, will present “Understanding and Operationalizing Racial Equity in Food Systems.” Prior to joining MSU in 2911, Pirog served as associate director and marketing and food systems lead for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State.
Nov. 4: Salsa with the Culinary Science Club
The Culinary Science Club is holding a fresh tomato and fruit salsa making workshop on Nov. 4 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Culinary Discovery Lab, 2379 Food Sciences Building. Participants will receive step-by-step instructions and information on knife skills and food safety as they prepare and take home both salsas. The cost is $25. The theme for the fundraiser is give a workshop, get a workshop. Proceeds will be used to fund a club workshop in advanced culinary skills and to assist with costs for a spring industry trip tour. Registration is available online.
Nov. 11: Save the Date
Dean Robison will be hosting a CALS Chat on Nov. 11 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in 1330 ATRB. The informal, drop-in event will be an opportunity for casual conversation.
Infograzing
Guidelines Developed for COVID-19 Pass-Through Mask and Vaccine Requirements
Jonathan Wickert, senior vice president and provost, addressed COVID-19 pass-through mask and vaccine requirements in a memo sent today, Oct. 25. Iowa State University collaborates with many external organizations to provide experiential educational opportunities for students. These organizations may have “pass-through” mask, testing and/or vaccine requirements in place for individuals to access their facilities. The University Response Team has developed guidelines related to pass-through mask and vaccine requirements in effect through spring semester 2022. In some cases, it may be necessary to consider alternative arrangements to help students complete course or degree requirements.
Save the Date: ISCORE 2022
The 2022 Thomas L. Hill Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity will be held March 2-4. The forum on issues of race and ethnicity is free and open to the ISU community. Proposals to present are due by Nov. 12. The 2022 edition of the conference will include both virtual and in-person components to reach a broad audience: virtual preconference on March 2, virtual conference on March 3 and in-person conference on March 4. More
Marginalia
For Equine Enthusiasts – Horse Bingo
For equine enthusiasts, there are horse terms that are important and necessary for any horse and their handler to communicate with others in the equine industry. Peggy Auwerda, animal science and Iowa equine extension and outreach specialist, has developed Horse Bingo to learn horse jargon by defining commonly used terms for describing, grooming and showing horses in 4-H. Horse Bingo is available in the ISU Extension Store. 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 Thursday.