Issue: 628

................................................... AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE ................................................... The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter Iowa State University Nov. 15, 2010 No. 628 ................................................... COLLEGE NEWS ................................................... SERVICES FOR DETROY GREEN TODAY Services for Detroy Green were held today, Nov. 15, at Collegiate United Methodist Church in Ames. After 31 years of service to the college, Green retired in 1995 as associate dean for academic programs and professor of agronomy. One of his most important contributions was the introduction in 1967 of an audio-tutorial approach that changed the way of teaching crop sciences. FAREWELL RECEPTION FOR BUNDY, NOV. 17 A farewell celebration for Rich Bundy, vice president of development at the ISU Foundation and former College development team leader, will be Wednesday, Nov. 17, 3 to 5 p.m. in the Memorial Union Campanile Room. There will be a brief program at 4 p.m. Bundy has accepted a leadership position at the University of Vermont as vice president of development and alumni relations and CEO of the University of Vermont Foundation. His last day with the ISU Foundation will be Nov. 24. LAMKEY TO SPEAK AT CORN SYMPOSIUM, NOV. 16 Kendall Lamkey, agronomy, will be a speaker at an interdisciplinary symposium on "Corn Belts: Iowa and International Agriculture" at Grinnell College on Nov. 16-18. Lamkey will speak on "The Origin, Production and Utilization of Corn" on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. HONAVAR TO SPEAK ON ALGORITHMIC THINKING IN BIOLOGY Vasant Honavar, computer science and director of ISU's Center for Computational Intelligence, Learning and Discovery, will present "Algorithmic Thinking in Biology" on Thursday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Cardinal Room. Much of Honavar's work is aimed at helping scientific researchers access, use and share massive amounts of data. BORLAUG SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM APPLICATIONS DUE DEC. 1 Applications for the Borlaug Summer Internship Program are due Dec. 1. The internship program is intended to provide undergraduate students exciting research, community or field experiences in an international setting, experiencing first-hand some of the many factors and issues involved in international development and food production. HORTICULTURE CLUB'S ANNUAL POINSETTIA SALE DEC. 1-4 The ISU Horticulture Club's annual poinsettia sale will be held Dec. 1-4. There will be 10 different varieties, ranging from classic red, pink and white to burgundy, peach, marbled and speckled selections. This year's plants are being specially grown for the club by Central Iowa Floral in Sheldahl, due to greenhouse reconstruction. The money raised is used to facilitate educational trips and speakers, attend conferences and competitions, and participate in practical hands-on learning through crop production. Sale times and locations are: * Dec. 1 "“ Curtiss Hall, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. * Dec. 2 "“ Beardshear Hall, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. * Dec. 3 "“ University Book Store, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. * Dec. 4 "“ Reiman Gardens, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. IPIC SETS PQA PLUS ADVISOR RECERTIFICATION SESSION, DEC. 9 People who become certified as Pork Quality Assurance Plus Advisors under the National Pork Board's PQA Plus program are required to recertify every three years. That means those certified during the initial training period in 2007 need to complete a recertification training and testing session in 2010. The Iowa Pork Industry Center has scheduled a recertification session for Dec. 9 in Ames. CONGRATULATIONS TO DAIRY PRODUCTS EVALUATION TEAM The ISU Dairy Products Evaluation Team earned team and individual honors at the 89th National Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest at Decatur, Ill., on Nov. 12. The team consisted of undergraduate students Lumeng Jin, Gerui Li and Siyu Qian, and graduate students Pradeep Suriya Narayanan and Martin Mutambuka. The team placed first in yogurt, second in cheddar cheese and third in cottage cheese, and second in team all-product. Li placed first in yogurt, third in cheddar cheese and second in individual all-product. Jin placed second in cheddar cheese and seventh in individual all-product. Joshua Carter, a member of the 2009 Dairy Product Evaluation Team, won the 2010 Joe Larson Merit Award. FOOD PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TEAM PLACES 4TH WITH CHEWING GUM The ISU Food Product Development Team placed fourth in the American Association of Cereal Chemists product development contest with a naturally flavored, environmentally friendly, zein-based probiotic chewing gum. Team captain Pradeep Suriya Narayanan and team members Babu Chinnasamy, Krista McCarty and Josh Carter attended the finals in Savannah, Ga., on Oct. 25. They gave an oral presentation, poster session and tasting session. Other team members were Darrin Rahn, Gowrishankar Srinivasan and Ben Aldritt. REPORTS ADDED TO LEOPOLD CENTER'S RESEARCH RESULTS WEBSITE Summaries of six recently completed research projects from the Leopold Center are now available online under "Research Results." Reports outline impacts of the Iowa MicroLoan program, as well as projects for Latino farmers, young farmers, recreational landowners, grass-based dairies and on-line learning. More: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2010/111010_microloan… CALS FACULTY RECEIVE CELT TEACH GRANTS The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching has awarded $2,000 TEACH grants for the 2010-2011 year. Recipients from CALS are: * Stan Harpole, EEOB "“ Improving the Undergraduate Laboratory Experience at ISU * Anna Johnson, animal science "“ Peer Review of Teaching * Clark Coffman and JoAnne Powell-Coffman, GDCB "“ Cutting-Edge Science: Invited Lectureships and Partnerships to Enhance Innovation in Biology Education NOVEMBER ISSUE OF LEOPOLD CENTER NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE ONLINE The November issue of Notes, a monthly e-newsletter about activities, events and news from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, is now available. AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE: NEXT ISSUE SET FOR NOV. 29 Ag and Life Sciences Online will break next week for Thanksgiving. It will resume Monday, Nov. 29. Happy Thanksgiving! DEADLINES AND REMINDERS Nov. 16: CALS and university award nominations due Nov. 16: Alicia Carriquiry on "Chewing Over the Numbers: How Food Consumption Data are Driving Nutrition Policy," 7:30 p.m., Memorial Union Sun Room Dec. 3: Orders due for Block and Bridle Club's holiday summer sausage and cheese sale Dec. 8: "Women Impacting ISU" calendar unveiling and recognition reception, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Memorial Union Sun Room. Dec. 12: Student applications due for Borlaug-Thomson Summer Internship in Cresco, David Acker, dacker@iastate.edu, 4-6614. ................................................... EXTERNAL FUNDING ................................................... OSPA OFFICE HOURS DURING THANKSGIVING BREAK OSPA staff will observe the following hours during the 2010 Thanksgiving break. Nov. 22-23: Open 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 24: Open 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 25-26: Closed for University holidays More: http://www.ospa.iastate.edu/ NCRCRD ANNOUNCES SEED GRANT COMPETITION The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development requests applications for seed grants aimed at enhancing the ability of land-grant institutions to positively influence the quality of life in rural areas. Priority areas for the Center's work include technology assessment and adoption, sustainable communities, leadership development and entrepreneurial communities. Proposals that bridge social and biophysical sciences and that engage both Extension and Agricultural Experiment Station personnel are encouraged. Awards will range from $1,000 to $20,000. Proposals are due Feb. 10, 2011. FUNDING INFORMATION, OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINE REMINDERS Dates listed are application deadlines. Contact: Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu Dec. 8: USAID Renewable Energy Microfinance and Microenterprise Program Grant; one award, $1.4 million per year over four years. Dec. 17 (preapplications required): Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy: A Joint Research Funding Opportunity Announcement USDA, DOE Grant; $200,000 to $500,000 per award, $6 million total anticipated funding. Dec. 17 (informal letter of intent to apply): EPA Integrated Assessment of Greenhouse Gases and Climate Impacts Grant; one to three awards for up to five years, $2 million total anticipated funding. Jan. 4 (letter of intent): Methods and Approaches for Detection of Gene-Environment Interactions in Human Disease (R21); awards up to $300,000 over three years. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-032.html Jan. 15 (Nov. 1 deadline extended): USAID Development Innovation Ventures; program areas include economic growth and agriculture, $350,000 total anticipated funding. Jan. 19: Interregional Research Project #4 Minor Crop Pest Management Program (IR-4); $1 million to $4.8 million per award, $11 million total anticipated funding. Jan. 20: Innovations in Engineering Education, Curriculum and Infrastructure: Area 1 "“ Innovations in Teaching and Learning; 10 awards, $150,000 to $400,000 per award. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10502/nsf10502.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25 Jan. 31: Specialty Crop Research Initiative; awards up to $10 million, 100% cost share, $47.3 million total anticipated funding. Feb. 5: Technology and Methods Development for Genomics, Population Genomics and ELSI (R01). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-458.html March 31: 2011 Tech Awards; innovative technology solutions to address urgent issues in the areas of education, equality, environment, health and economic development, $50,000. More: http://www.techawards.org/index.php ................................................... COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK ................................................... KNOW YOUR FOWL AND SCORE THIS THANKSGIVING A "fowl" is a bird, especially the larger domestic birds used as food: chickens, ducks, turkeys. "Foul" means offensive, out of line. (The Associated Press Stylebook, 45th ed., 2010) ................................................... INFOGRAZING ................................................... FELLOWSHIPS/INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION The Office of Fellowships and Internships at the Smithsonian Institution facilitates the Smithsonian's scholarly interactions with students and scholars at universities, museums, and other research institutions around the world. TREES WITH A STORY TO TELL Sycamore Row is a stretch of 42 100-year-old sycamore trees that runs parallel to what used to be the old Dinkey rail line. The first batch of trees starts near the Landscape Architecture Building and continues east along a path that runs past the Lied Center, CyRide and the ISU soccer complex. Thanks to the efforts of Deb Cooper, a graduate student in landscape architecture, Sycamore Row is getting local and national attention. Cooper's nomination of Sycamore Row was selected for The Cultural Landscape Foundation's annual "Landslide" photography exhibition, which showcases at-risk landscapes. ................................................... INTERNAL VOICES ................................................... DETROY GREEN ON THE SATISFACTIONS OF TEACHING Detroy Green was remembered today, Nov. 15, at a celebration of life service in Ames. Green died Nov. 8 at the age of 80. He served ISU and the College from 1964 to 1995 as an agronomy faculty member and associate dean of academic programs. The following quotes from Green appeared in the College of Agriculture annual report in 1994, as he prepared for retirement. "The most satisfying thing is running into former students, but that's just ego. The most satisfying thing about teaching is seeing students who aren't motivated and somehow finding ways to get them interested . . . Teachers sometimes get in the way of learning. They try to teach students, rather than guide them through learning activities." ENTOMOLOGIST OFFERS PRECAUTIONS AGAINST BED BUGS "Think of a bed bug as lazy. They spend 99 percent of their time hiding. They come out very briefly at night, run right up to the bed, find the first piece of exposed skin, and feed." Ken Holscher, entomology, says the number of cases of bed bugs in Iowa is increasing, but taking a few precautions can help avoid them. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2010/nov/holscher ................................................... MARGINALIA ................................................... WILSON APPEARS ON FOOD NETWORK'S OUTRAGEOUS FOOD Lester Wilson, food science and human nutrition, answered questions about hot peppers for an "Outrageous Food" episode that aired Nov. 7 on the Food Network. Wilson appeared at Cactus Bob's BBQ Corral in Johnston, where host Tom Pizzica dared customers to try the Showdown Sauce, made with 17 ingredients including an Asian chili pepper. PUMPKINS AND CATAPULTS For 25 years, the World Championship Punkin Chunkin competition has been launching pumpkins high into the skies above Delaware. Punkin Chunkin covers growing aerodynamic pumpkins, determining the perfect pumpkin's mass to the mechanics of the air cannon and the physics of catapults. The 2010 World Punkin Chunkin Championship takes place Thanksgiving night and can be seen on the Science Channel. More: http://science.discovery.com/tv/punkin-chunkin/ ........................................................ AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE ........................................................ EDITOR Julie Stewart, jstewart@iastate.edu Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/ SUBSCRIBE Ag and Life Sciences Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is e-mailed every Monday. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag and Life Sciences Online subscribe" to jstewart@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe, send "Ag and Life Sciences Online unsubscribe." Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.