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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
April 11, 2011 No. 646
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COLLEGE NEWS
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VEISHEA: CALS HELPS SPONSOR FRIDAY, APRIL 15, ON CENTRAL CAMPUS
Friday, April 15, is CALS and College of Engineering Day, featuring Minute to Win It games and club booths. On Saturday, April 16, there will be a bingo game where participants visit club booths on campus to get their bingo card stamped, and once they get a bingo they can return to central campus to win a prize.
VEISHEA: VISIT CALS DEPARTMENTS, CLUBS AT VEISHEA VILLAGE
Here are selected activities and location of CALS student and department exhibits:
* Agricultural Systems Technology Club "“ View a display of modern agricultural equipment, front lawn, Davidson Hall.
* Alpha Zeta Fraternity "“ Meet this honor fraternity and group of student leaders in CALS.
* Animal Science Department "“ Power Up with Protein! Learn about the benefits of animal protein in the human diet and chat with faculty and students.
* Block and Bridle "“ A live animal display with activities for kids and students, in the Iowa Farm Bureau Pavilion, Kildee Hall.
* CALS Student Council "“ Meet representatives from the majority of the college's clubs.
* Culinary Science Club "“ Purchase popcorn in flavors like cinnamon, caramel and Cyclone (raspberry and lemon), and uniquely flavored soda made with the help of Old Main Brewery, 200 MacKay.
* Dairy Products Evaluation Club "“ Selling locally produced cheese and chocolate milk to promote dairy foods and the club, 209 MacKay.
* Dairy Science Club "“ Choose from six flavors of homemade ice cream and an opportunity to milk a cow.
* Department of Agronomy "“ Get your Sweet Soil Treat, play with plants, discover where your food comes from, pick up some popcorn, dig in the dirt, find out how Kool Aid is linked to clean drinking water, and watch water underground.
* Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management "“ Watch live timber sports, paint a birdhouse, perfect your fishing skills, celebrate the "Year of the Turtle," learn about conservation of our natural resources, and take a walk on the wild side to learn how to identify trees on campus.
* Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Graduate Student Organization "“ Offering a diversity of started native prairie plants for sale. Field guides for Iowa native plants will also be available, 208 Bessey.
* Food Science Club "“ Fudge flavors include chocolate, cyclone, peanut butter, chocolate mint or white chocolate raspberry. T-shirts also available for purchase, 208 MacKay.
* Forestry Club "“ Celebrating 100th year by presenting a Timbersports demonstration, an international display and an activity for kids.
* Pre-Veterinary Club "“ Educational and fun family experience at petting zoo, Iowa Farm Bureau Pavilion, Kildee Hall.
* Seed Science Center "“ Little "farmers" learn about planting, testing and harvesting seeds as well as the important role that seeds play in today's agriculture. Free popcorn, Seed Science Building Lobby.
* Society of American Foresters "“ Meet Smokey the Bear, learn about watersheds and learn to identify the trees of Iowa.
CALS STUDENT NAMED UDALL SCHOLAR AND GOLDWATER SCHOLAR
Nathaniel Looker, a third-year student majoring in global resource systems and agronomy from Des Moines, has been named a 2011 Udall Scholar and a 2011 Goldwater Scholar, two of the nation's most distinguished scholarships. "To have won both in the same year is a remarkable achievement and a real testament to Nate's accomplishments and potential," said Dana Schumacher, assistant director of the Honors Program. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/apr/UdallGoldwater
STUDENT TEAM WINS GOLD AWARD AT DAIRY CHALLENGE
A team of four ISU dairy science students coached by Lee Kilmer, received a gold award at the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, a dairy educational program that celebrated its 10th anniversary March 31 to April 2. An aggregate team including Kelsey Cole of ISU won a silver award. The contest attracted 127 college students from 30 schools across the U.S. and Canada. More: http://dairychallenge.org/
CELEBRATE A CENTURY OF ISU AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
An open house and reception will be held on April 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. in 127 Curtiss Hall to celebrate 100 years of agricultural education at Iowa State University. "A Century of Agricultural Education" program begins at 3 p.m. and will include Neil Harl, agricultural education and studies alum, and Harold Crawford, professor emeritus of agricultural education and studies.
STARCH-CONTROLLING GENE FUELS MORE PROTEIN IN SOYBEAN PLANTS
A newly discovered gene introduced into soybean plants has increased the amount of protein in the plant's seed and could hold promise for helping meet nutritional needs of a hungry world. Eve Wurtele and Ling Li, genetics, development and cell biology, have increased the amount of protein in the soybean seeds by 30 to 60 percent. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/apr/wurtele
COMPANY LICENSES NOVEL BIOTECH METHOD CO-DEVELOPED AT ISU
An improved molecular tool for precisely modifying DNA in living cells could allow researchers to better introduce genes for disease resistance in crops or develop safer gene therapies to treat human diseases. Technology co-developed by Adam Bogdanove, plant pathology, now makes these kinds of advances possible.
ONLINE LEARNING TOOL HELPS STUDENTS TACKLE REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS
A new computer interface developed at ISU called ThinkSpace is helping students use what they've learned in the horticulture classroom and apply it to problems they'll face when they are on the job site. The project is led by a group of ISU faculty including Ann Marie VanDerZanden, horticulture and associate director of ISU's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/apr/Vanderzanden
APRIL 14 DEADLINE TO TAKE CALS STRATEGIC PLANNING SURVEY
Take the strategic planning committee's survey and provide your input regarding the objectives in the College's strategic plan for the next five years. You can review the draft plan online.
IMPACT OF WORK EXPERIENCE TOPIC OF SEMINAR SERIES, APRIL 14
The Impact of Work Experience on Part-time Students' Academic Success is the topic of a seminar on Thursday, April 14, 1 to 2 p.m. in 2256 Memorial Union. Presenter Norhayati Ibrahim is a doctoral candidate in agricultural and biosystems engineering, on leave from the Department of Polytechnic Education in Malaysia. The seminar is hosted by the Epsilon Pi Tau Alpha Xi chapter.
CALS STUDENTS TO PRESENT RESEARCH AT UNDERGRAD SYMPOSIUM APRIL 19
Twenty CALS students will present their work at ISU's fifth annual Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression, Tuesday, April 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Room, Memorial Union. The symposium, coordinated by the ISU Honors Program, provides undergraduates from all academic disciplines with an opportunity to share their research with the university community through conference-style oral presentations. Seven CALS faculty will serve as session moderators.
ORIGINS OF OBESITY SYMPOSIUM, MAY 9-11
The Nutrition and Wellness Research Center's 2011 symposium, "Origins of Obesity: Maternal, Epigenetic & Lifestyle Factors," will be held May 9-11, at the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center. It will bring together leading researchers to focus on factors that may play a role in the genesis of obesity, as well as comprehensive and effective internention and prevention strategies. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/apr/NWRCsymposium
SOIL MANAGEMENT AND LAND VALUATION CONFERENCE IS MAY 11
The Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference will hold its 84th annual meeting on May 11 at the Scheman Building. This one-day event is the longest running conference on the ISU campus. Sponsored by CALS and ISU Extension, the conference will provide updated information for farm managers, rural appraisers, real estate brokers, lenders and others who have an interest in Iowa farmland.
COLLEGIATE BEEF TEAM TAKES BEEF INDUSTRY TRIP
Iowa State's Collegiate Beef Team took 16 members along with advisor Zeb Gray on a beef industry trip last week. Stops included a bull test station in Diagonal, Iowa, and the American Angus Association and Vitaferm in St. Joseph, Mo. The group continued into Oklahoma to visit the Limestone LLC and the Oklahoma Stockyards, along with Express Ranches and Starlake Herefords. The team works on promoting beef and working with the Iowa Cattlemen's Association.
RESEARCH FARM REPORTS NO WEEKEND DAMAGE FROM TORNADO
ISU's Western Research and Demonstration Farm near Castana reported no damage from the tornado that caused heavy damage to Mapleton about eight miles away. ISU's Allee Research and Demonstration Farm near Newell reported wind damage to the residence's roof and hoop tarps from storms.
CHRISTY, ISU EXTENSION AND ALUM, DIED
Jim Christy, retired Story County Extension director, died April 5. He was 81. He earned two degrees from ISU"”a bachelor's degree in agronomy and a master's degree in vocational agriculture. Christy joined ISU Extension in 1951. He was instrumental in forming the Agriculture Alumni Society in 1988 and was the society's first president.
SPRING ISSUE OF LEOPOLD LETTER ONLINE
The spring 2011 issue of The Leopold Letter is now available online.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
April 14: Staniforth Memorial Lecture, 4:10 to 5 p.m., 125 Kildee Hall, http://www.event.iastate.edu/event/24593/?channel_id=97&s=w&sy=2011&sm=0...
April 19-20: BIGMAP Symposium, http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/bigmap/home.html
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EXTERNAL FUNDING
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NCR-SARE CALL FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROGRAM PREPROPOSALS
The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) Program is soliciting preproposals for research and education projects that explore and promote environmentally sound, profitable, and socially responsible food and/or fiber systems. Projects will be funded for $10,000 to $200,000 for up to three years. Preproposals are due June 9, 2011.
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFERS UNDERGRAD/GRAD STUDENT INTERNSHIPS
The U.S. Department of State offers several internship programs for undergraduate and graduate students in Washington, D.C. and abroad. Internships are scheduled in three rotations throughout the year, with the largest rotation in summer. The deadline for summer 2012 applications is November 1, 2011.
NEW WEBSITE GIVES UNFUNDED NIH APPLICATIONS ANOTHER CHANCE
The National Health Council has launched a "matchmaker" website to connect unfunded applications to the National Institutes of Health with alternative funding sources. Any researcher whose project was scored but not funded can post their abstract and contact information for free, and registered organizations can search for projects of interest. The site houses profiles of more than 40 patient advocacy groups and will eventually include companies and private investors. More: http://healthresearchfunding.org/
FUNDING INFORMATION, OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINE REMINDERS
Dates listed are application deadlines. Contact: Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu
April 15: Rapid Response Research (RAPID) Dear Colleague Letter for New Zealand and Japan. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11045/nsf11045.jsp?org=NSF
May 2: Community Partners Small Grant Program, Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health; three to four projects, $20,000.
May 4: Center of Excellence in Laser-Based Remote Sensing and Communications; one award, $5 million.
May 6: Catalytic Upgrading of Thermochemical Intermediates to Hydrocarbons; three to five awards, $2.5 to $4 million, 20 percent match required.
May 9 (concept paper): USAID Economic Research Partnership; two to 12 months, $25,000 to $100,000 per award.
May 10 (preliminary proposal): Assembling, Visualizing and Analyzing the Tree of Life; two to six awards, $12 million total anticipated funding. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503629&WT.mc_id=USNSF_39...
May 13: U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education Special Focus Competition; 14 awards, $250,000 over four years.
May 17 (letter of intent): Anchoring Metabolomic Changes to Phenotype (P20). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HL-12-009.html
May 24: NSF Research Coordination Networks Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability track; $750,000 over five years.
June 12: NIH Independent Scientist Award (Parent K02). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-191.html
June 12: NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-197.html
June 15: NSF Research Coordination Networks, UBE and UBE Incubator Track (RCN-UBE); $500,000 over five years.
Oct. 25: CISE Computing Research Infrastructure; $50,000 to $3 million per award. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11536/nsf11536.htm
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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REPETITIVE VS. REPETITIOUS
Both mean "occurring over and over" But whereas "repetitive" is fairly neutral in connotation, "repetitious" has taken on an air of tediousness.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003.
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INFOGRAZING
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REGENTS SEEK FEEDBACK FOR ISU PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH
What qualities should the Iowa Board of Regents look for in their search for a new ISU president? The Regents are seeking feedback. Comments can be posted online. In addition, the board will host an open forum on the ISU campus from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on April 27 in the Scheman Building, room 275. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/apr/prezsearch
ISU PART OF PEOPLE'S GARDEN SCHOOL PILOT PROGRAM
ISU Extension is one of four state cooperative extension services that together will develop and run the People's Garden School Pilot Program. It will serve an estimated 2,800 students attending 70 elementary schools in Washington, New York, Iowa and Arkansas. The Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth pilot explores the impact of school gardens on learning and on changing student consumption patterns so they make healthier food choices.
GUIDELINES FOR CHILDREN'S AGRICULTURAL TASKS PUBLISHED
Guidelines designed to assist parents and others in assigning appropriate farm tasks to children are featured in a new resource published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The Impact Sheet, titled the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks, briefly describes an occupational safety or health hazard, the specific NIOSH or NIOSH-funded research activity that was conducted to address the hazard, the resulting impact or recommendations, and certain salient statistics. More: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2011-129/
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INTERNAL VOICES
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RUST ON TOWNSEND'S FRANK-A-MATIC INVENTION
"If we went back to the pre-Frank-a-Matic days, that hot dog in your bun would probably cost you twice as much as it does today." Bob Rust, animal science, quoted in a Wall Street Journal story on Ray Townsend, whose invention revolutionized the hot dog industry. Townsend died April 2 at age 97. More: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870484340457625113271130170...
LORENZ ON 20 YEARS OF INTERVIEWS WITH RURAL FAMILIES
"We're hoping to trace the effect of that farm crisis 20 years later on their ability to retire comfortably." Fred Lorenz, statistics, quoted in a USA Today story on the Iowa Projects, launched in 1989 to study how families react to financial stress. Lorenz is a researcher on the Iowa Project, which began with 550 rural families, many that either lost their farms or faced financial ruin due to major drops in land values.
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MARGINALIA
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AGRICULTURAL COURSE ADDED TO ANTHROPOLOGY CURRICULUM
Last year, Kathleen Morrison, anthropology professor at the University of Chicago, noticed that many of her students were increasingly excited about topics related to contemporary agriculture"”sustainability, invasive species, genetically modified organisms. Some of them worked at urban gardens in Chicago. But according to Morrison, "while they were all very sweet, energetic, activist students, they had an underdeveloped sense of how agriculture actually works." She created an elective course called Non-Industrial Agriculture, with history and related scholarship to illuminate current agricultural issues. More: http://thecore.uchicago.edu/Winter2011/Features/Charting-a-New-Course.shtml
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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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EDITOR
Julie Stewart, jstewart@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
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