CALS Online and Dean’s Message
Nov. 1, 2021
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS – Welcome to Monday and truly autumn weather as “we round third and prepare to slide into home plate” on the semester. Last week was busy with several activities… We are putting extra effort into understanding and watching out for the mental health of our students and ourselves. I ask that each of us please watch out in this regard for all of our CALS community… More
Top Stories
CALS Award Nomination Deadline Nov. 16
Nominations for annual awards presented to faculty and staff by CALS are due Nov. 16. The list of college awards and nominating guidelines are available online. Nominations will be reviewed by the college faculty and staff award committees in December and presented during the annual CALS Awards Program, scheduled for March 10, 2022. Nominations for most awards presented by ISU need to be submitted to the college first. The college deadline for university award nominations is Nov. 16. The college award committees 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.
Deadline for Senior Award Nominations Extended
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. The deadline for nominations has been extended to Friday, Nov. 5.
ISU Alumni Association Offers Award Opportunities
The deadline for several ISU Alumni Association awards is Dec. 1.
- The Faculty-Staff Inspiration Award is a way for former ISU students to recognize current or former ISU faculty staff members who had a significant influence in their lives as students at ISU.
- The Iowa STATEment Makers Award recognizes the early personal and professional accomplishments and contributions to society of Iowa State’s young alumni (graduates 34 year of age and under).
- The Wallace E. Barron All-University Senior Award recognizes seniors who display high character, outstanding achievement in academics and university/community activities, and promise for continuing these exemplary qualities as alumni.
Teaching and Students
Meetings Addressed Student Mental Health Challenges
The CALS leadership team facilitated four short informational/Q&A sessions last week to review best practices for supporting students in crisis and providing an inclusive environment for the success of all students. Twelve people attended the in-person sessions and 44 attended the online sessions. More sessions can be scheduled if there is interest. Contact Howard Tyler, assistant dean for undergraduate and graduate student services and success, for more information (htyler@iastate.edu, 4-6434).
CALS Council Hosting Trivia Night
The CALS Council and Iowa FFA alumni and supporters are hosting an Iowa State CALS Trivia Night on Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. in the Iowa Farm Bureau Pavilion in Kildee Hall. Teams of two-to-four members are invited to join a night of trivia, food and prizes. More
Rodeo Club to Host Ranch Rodeo Championship
The Rodeo Club at Iowa State is hosting its first Iowa Ranch Rodeo Championship on Nov. 13 at the Hansen Agricultural Student Learning Center. A Buck-A-Roo RoundUp will run from 9 a.m. to noon where children can learn cowboy skills. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. featuring Collegiate Cattlemen at ISU at the grill and the Dairy Science Club providing ice cream. The Ranch Rodeo Championship begins at 5:30 p.m. (doors open at 4:30 p.m.). More
College Sees Solid International Enrollment for Fall 2021
During the fall 2021 semester, there were 56 undergraduate and 139 graduate students from 49 countries enrolled in CALS. According to the Office of the Registrar, 2,532 international students enrolled at Iowa State in fall 2021, comprising 8.2% of the total enrollment. More
Students Prosper through CALS Internship Opportunity
Etori Soares Veronezi and Luiz Felipe Cruz Silva Fortes, Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil, and Hernan Torres Pacin, Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina, are at Iowa State this fall serving as interns with Sotirios Archontoulis, agronomy. They have had the opportunity to work side-by-side with other students in Archontoulis’s lab as they harvest crops on university field plots and collect and analyze the soil and crop data. More
CALS Offers Two Fall Career Days
More than 1,500 student visitors representing 54 Iowa State majors and nine other schools attended the in-person CALS Career Day on Oct. 12. There were 210 companies/organizations present. The following day, 31 companies hosted 287 interviews. More than 130 students participated in the virtual career day on Oct. 19, where 49 companies/organizations were represented. Attendance was down from the college’s record event in 2019. Mike Gaul, director of CALS Career Services, said all fairs on campus experienced similar attendance trends this fall. The college will not be hosting a spring career day in 2022, but will be reaching out in early January to help promote open positions and spring semester on-campus interview activity.
Extension and Outreach
STEM Educators Encouraged to Register for NASA Plant the Moon Challenge
The Plant the Moon Challenge is a global science experiment, learning activity and project-based learning challenge to see who can grow the best crops using lunar or Martian regolith simulants. ISU Extension and Outreach, 4-H Youth Development, ISU Integrated Pest Management and the NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium are promoting this unique STEM learning opportunity. More
New Sociology Professor Holds Extension and Outreach Duties
Sam Mindes, rural sociologist, joined the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department in August. Along with his teaching duties, he will conduct research related to self-employment and entrepreneurship for ISU Extension and Outreach. More
Waters Named Natural Resources Field Specialist
Kaycie Waters joined ISU Extension and Outreach in September as a natural resources field specialist. She will help lead the Master Conservationist Program in Iowa and develop new programming related to wildlife, water and forestry. More
Around the College
WorkFlex Q&A Session Scheduled for Friday
CALS is holding a WorkFlex question and answer webinar on Friday, Nov. 5, from noon to 1 p.m. P&S and merit staff, and supervisors of staff, are invited to attend. Ruth MacDonald, associate dean for personnel and finance, and Rob Stevenson, human resources partner, will provide an overview of the process with time to answer questions.
2021 Iowa Climate Statement Urges Electric Grid Improvements
Iowa needs to strengthen its electric grid to increase resiliency in the face of more frequent and longer power outages because of climate change, according to the 2021 Iowa Climate Statement released Oct. 26 and signed by more than 200 Iowa scientists including Gene Takle, emeritus professor of agronomy. More
Cheese with School Spirit
The Iowa State Creamery has announced its second foray into cheese production: a limited-edition, cyclone-shaped and cardinal-waxed, aged cheddar cheese. Its next release is scheduled for the week of Nov. 15 and will be sold at the Creamery’s retail location in 2955 Food Sciences Building. The Creamery also is offering its ISU cheddar cheeses through the Block and Bridle Club’s annual summer sausage and cheese fundraiser. More
Calendar
Nov. 1: Staniforth Memorial Lecture
The David W. Staniforth Memorial Lecture will be held today, Nov. 1, from 4 to 5 p.m. in 1352 Gilman Hall. Stephen Duke, principal scientist at the National Center for Natural Products Research, an institute of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Mississippi, will present “New Herbicide Modes of Action for New Commercial Herbicides – Searching for the Holy Grail.” More
Nov. 2: Conversations about Carbon
Tom Richard, professor of agricultural and biological engineering and director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment at Pennsylvania State University, is the featured guest for Conversations about Carbon, scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 2, from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Registration is encouraged, but not required. The series is hosted by the ISU Bioeconomy Institute in association with CALS. More
Nov. 4: CELT Seminar with Yandeau-Nelson
Marna Yandeau-Nelson, genetics, development and cell biology, will present “Transitions: Preparing your Students (and Yourself) to Adapt” on Thursday, Nov. 4 from 12:10 to 1 p.m. at 2030 Morrill Hall or via Zoom. More
Nov. 4: Salsa with the Culinary Science Club
The Culinary Science Club is holding a fresh tomato and fruit salsa making workshop on Thursday, Nov. 4, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Culinary Discovery Lab, 2379 Food Sciences Building. 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. 8: Gold Star Hall Ceremony
Three former Iowa State students, two of whom were enrolled in CALS, will be recognized for their military service, and their ultimate sacrifice, at the annual Gold Star Hall ceremony on Nov. 8 at 3:15 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Donald Griswold Jr., from Clarinda, graduated from Iowa State with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy in 1941. In June 1942, Griswold was killed on a mission during the Battle of Midway. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross. William Ostlund, from Webster City, studied agricultural business at Iowa State in 1936. He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1942 and was one of 81 men on board the USS Gudgeon submarine that mysteriously disappeared in 1944. More
Communications Kiosk
Daylight Saving Time
It is not savings and there is no hyphen in daylight saving time. When linking the term with the name of a time zone, use only the word daylight: Eastern Daylight Time, Pacific Daylight Time, etc. Lowercase daylight saving time in all uses and daylight time whenever it stands along. A federal law specifies that daylight time applies from 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March until 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November in areas that do not specifically exempt themselves. (Associated Press Stylebook, 2020-2022 edition, pg. 79)
Infograzing
Professional Graphic Design Services Return to Grants Hub
Deb Berger joined the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Grants Hub team as the new in-house graphic designer this summer. With Berger’s arrival, Grants Hub is again offering free graphic design services to support university faculty and scholars of any discipline in their pursuit of major interdisciplinary sponsored research initiatives. 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.