CALS Online and Dean’s Message
March 21, 2022
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS – Welcome back from spring break. Even as the world continued to churn this past week, I hope you found time for some rest and relaxation and to enjoy some of the great weather. I encourage you all to attend this Thursday’s presentation by Dr. Hale Tufan, “Shifting Gender Equality from Afterthought to Guiding Goal of Agricultural Innovation.” More
Top Stories
Phosphorus Loss from Farmland Often Underestimated
Research led by Antonio Mallarino, agronomy and extension soil fertility and nutrient management specialist, provides new insight into the complex picture of phosphorus loss from farmland, showing that phosphorus runoff is often underestimated. Mallarino and his team have a final report with more details posted on the Iowa Nutrient Research Center website. He will also be presenting at INRC’s spring water quality research seminar on Wednesday, March 23 (see calendar listing below). More
Research
NIH Grant Supports Research on Blood Stem Cells
An interdisciplinary research team led by Raquel Espin Palazon, genetics, development and cell biology, has received a five-year, roughly $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to build on their work examining a genetic pathway triggered when cells undergo inflammation due to injury or infection. The research could lead to the ability to treat blood diseases by regenerating a patient’s blood cells. More
Simulator Supports De-Escalation Training for Students, Law Enforcement
Kyle Burgason and David Peters, sociology and criminal justice, say a new training simulator on campus will provide the ISU Police Department, criminal justice students and rural law enforcement more opportunities to practice techniques to diffuse volatile situations and better respond to behavioral health issues. More
Iowa State Research Day to be Held March 30
This year’s Research Day will be held March 30 at the Memorial Union. Lisa Schulte Moore, natural resource ecology and management, will provide the keynote address, and several CALS faculty will be involved in breakout sessions and lightning talks. Registration is available online.
Peterson Genetics Join ISRC Advisory Council
Peterson Genetics, Inc. has joined the Iowa Soybean Research Center as an industry partner. In this role, Peterson Genetics provides financial support to the center and will have a representative serving on the ISRC’s industry advisory council, which provides guidance on research funding priorities for the center. More
Mentors Needed for George Washington Carver Summer Internship Program
The George Washington Carver Summer Internship Program will take place on campus this summer from June 4 to July 30. Faculty mentors are needed to provide research lab or field experience for students. More
Teaching and Students
Nominations for Senior Awards Due March 27
The CALS Student Council is seeking nominations for spring 2022 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 March 27.
Maple Syrup Day Scheduled for April 2
The Iowa State chapter of Xi Sigma Pi, the National Forestry Honor Society, is hosting Maple Syrup Day on April 2 from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Iowa Arboretum in Madrid. All you can eat pancakes with pure and regular maple syrup will be available for $8. There will also be a maple tapping demonstration, timbersports demonstration, children’s activities and crafts, and a live wood-turning display.
Antique Tractor Club Donates Tractor to Community in Mexico
The Antique Tractor Club, housed in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, has spent around seven semesters repairing and restoring a 1952 Ford 8N tractor to donate to a community in Mexico. The tractor was donated by ABE emeritus professor Carl Bern and needed a complete rebuild. The tractor will begin the journey to Mexico this summer. More
Maktoum Al Seiari Opened His Home to Study Abroad Students
An endowed Maktoum Al Seiari Scholarship for Excellence in Cultural Understanding and Global Citizenship was recently established that will enable students, who otherwise would not have the financial means, to travel to the United Arab Emirates through the CALS Study Abroad program. Learn more about the late Maktoum Al Seiari, and how he opened his home to study abroad students led by Ebby Luvaga and Amani Elobeid, economics, in a March 11 Ames Tribune article. More
Extension and Outreach
Farm Poll Shows Farmers Support Natural Resource Investments
The 2021 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll survey by ISU Extension and Outreach shows that most Iowa farmers still support the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. J. Arbuckle, sociology and criminal justice and director of the Farm Poll, said overall, the results indicate that Iowa’s farmers support the idea of the trust fund and expenditures to improve Iowa’s natural resources. Farmers also believe such investments are good for the economy and provide economic benefits to rural areas. More
Request Appearance from Conservation Station Trailers
Iowa Learning Farms and Water Rocks! are accepting applications from event organizers and organizations to request a visit from one of their four Conservation Station trailers during spring and summer 2022. The trailers are equipped to deliver accessible and relevant science-based information about Iowa’s environment and ecosystems, natural resources, water quality, biodiversity, wetlands and conservation practices. More
Around the College
Soupir Appointed to Graduate College Leadership Team
Michelle Soupir, agricultural and biosystems engineering, has been appointed to a two-year appointment as an interim associate dean in the Graduate College. The half-time appointment will begin April 4. In the new role, she will focus her efforts on a broad-based initiative to enhance and modernize Graduate College operations to better support students, postdoctoral scholars and graduate faculty. More
ISU Creamery to Release Vegan Frozen Dessert
The ISU Creamery is releasing a vegan frozen dessert today, March 21. Slizewski Swirl is the Creamery’s first venture into the world of non-dairy-based foods and is the product of Lucy Slizewski, senior in culinary food science. More
Nominations for Gamma Sigma Delta due March 25
The Iowa chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture, is accepting nominations for membership and awards. Nomination forms for faculty, staff and alumni membership and awards are available online and are due Friday, March 25. More
Calendar
March 23: Conversations about Carbon
Lisa Schulte Moore, natural resource ecology and management and associate director of the Bioeconomy Institute, will present “Carbon Science for Carbon Markets: Emerging Opportunities in Iowa” at the Conversations about Carbon series on Wednesday, March 23, at noon. The series is hosted by the ISU Bioeconomy Institute in association with CALS. More
March 23: INRC Water Quality Research Seminar
Antonio Mallarino, agronomy and extension nutrient management specialist, will present “Performance of In-field Practices at Reducing Dissolved and Particulate Phosphorus Loss” at this month’s Iowa Nutrient Research Center’s water quality research seminar, scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, from 3:10 to 4 p.m. at 3306 Elings Hall and online. More
March 23: Liberatory History of Black Agriculture
Monica White, Distinguished Chair of Integrated Environmental Studies and associate professor of Environmental Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will present “George Washington Carver and the Liberatory History of Black Agriculture” on Wednesday, March 23, at 6 p.m. via WebEx. Sponsors include the CALS Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture. More
March 24: Gender and the Agricultural Innovation Process
Hale Ann Tufan will present “Shifting Gender Equality from Afterthought to Guiding Goal of Agricultural Innovation” on Thursday, March 24, at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. Tufan is a research professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Global Development and Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell University. CALS is a co-sponsor of the lecture. More
April 4: Shivvers Memorial Lecture
The 2022 Shivvers Memorial Lecture will be held April 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. Timothy Wise, senior advisor at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, will present “Eating Tomorrow: Climate Change and the Battle for the Future of Food.” Sponsors include the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture. More
Communications Kiosk
“I Speak” Resource Helps Identify Primary Language
The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers an “I Speak” resource document to help identify the primary language of non-English speakers. It uses a short phrase in 48 languages that an applicant to USDA programs can check to indicate the language they speak. The “I Speak” resource can help local agencies select the appropriate translation as well as ensure consistent and effective interaction with applicants who have limited English proficiency.
Infograzing
Reminder to Complete Free Speech Training
The Board of Regents and Iowa’s public universities created a 15-20 minute training module to assist members of the campus community in better understanding rights to free expression. All faculty, staff and students are expected to complete this training prior to the end of the spring 2022 semester. Faculty and staff can access the training via Learn@ISU. Completing the training on a laptop or desktop computer is recommended. More
Women’s Roles in Agriculture Focus of WFPF Dialogue
The World Food Prize Foundation’s first 2022 Digital Dialogue will address the importance of women’s roles in agriculture, the unique gender-based constraints they face to ensure our food systems are sustainable, and the critical functions women have in addressing climate change and agriculture. “She Who Provides” will be held Thursday, March 24, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. More
Marginalia
ABE Staff Collaborate on Memorial Union Renovations
Staff in the agricultural and biosystems engineering department's waterjet cutting lab in the Student Innovation Center are collaborating with the Memorial Union facilities team to prepare custom corner grills that will cover exposed steam pipes in 42 locations on floors 4, 5 and 6. This is part of the 15-month, $10 million renovation of the top three floors of the Memorial Union. More
Alumnus Helps Make Minnesota’s First Ag License Plate a Reality
Minnesota now has an agricultural license plate that will benefit the state’s 4-H and FFA programs, thanks in part to a CALS alumnus. Patrice Bailey (’01 MS agricultural education and studies), assistant agricultural commissioner for the State of Minnesota, was responsible for seeing the plate’s design through completion. 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.