AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
Aug. 22, 2011 No. 665
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COLLEGE NEWS
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ISU TO COORDINATE STUDY TO IMPROVE FEED EFFICIENCY IN SWINE
An international team of scientists will tackle the challenge of improving feed efficiency in swine through a $5 million grant coordinated by ISU. John Patience, animal science, will direct the project funded by a grant from USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/news/releases/957/
RESEARCHERS TO COMPARE BIOENERGY CROPPING SYSTEMS
ISU researchers are comparing the economic potential and environmental impacts of bioenergy cropping systems to help policymakers and producers make informed land management decisions. The project recently received a three-year, $725,000 grant from USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to compare four feedstock production systems. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/news/releases/960/
STUDENT SELECTED FOR NATIONAL COLLEGIATE AG AMBASSADOR TEAM
Brittany Jurgemeyer, a junior in public service and administration in agriculture, was selected as a member of the National Collegiate Ag Ambassador team that is comprised of 20 college students from across the U.S. The ambassadors will work to help their communities better understand the value and importance of agriculture and how it is a part of their daily lives. More: http://www.naae.org/mmm/2009mmm/currentweb.html
AG BUSINESS CLUB WINS NATIONAL AWARD SIXTH YEAR IN A ROW
The Agricultural and Applied Economics Association have named the Agricultural Business Club the National Outstanding Chapter for the sixth consecutive year. Tory Mogler, a sophomore in agricultural business, was elected vice president of the AAEA student undergraduate section. Economics professors Ronald Deiter and William Edwards advise the club. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/news/releases/956/
CALS SEEKS FACULTY REPRESENTATIVES FOR COMMITTEES
CALS is seeking faculty representatives for several committees. Faculty who have not had an opportunity to serve on committees at the college or university level may wish to consider one of the following:Â
* CALS Professional Development Committee "“ This committee is responsible for facilitating the professional growth of faculty, professional and scientific employees, staff and administrators. This committee also reviews and ranks foreign travel grant applications. There is one opening on this committee. http://www.ag.iastate.edu/committees/professional_development.php
* CALS Honors Program Committee "“ This committee administers admission of students to the program, evaluates the programs of study, reviews research proposals and monitors the progress of students enrolled in the honors program. There are two openings on this committee. http://www.ag.iastate.edu/committees/honors_program.php
* ISU Student Affairs Budget Advisory Committee "“ This university-level committee advises the Vice President for Student Affairs on funding for student services. We can nominate two or three faculty members, from which the VP for Student Affairs will select one to serve on the committee. http://www.public.iastate.edu/~budget/rmm/advcom/saac.pdf, http://www.public.iastate.edu/~budget/rmm/advcom/diagram.pdf
Please contact David Acker if you are interested in serving on a college or university level committee, dacker@iastate.edu.
FACULTY ENCOURAGED TO REVIEW ETHICAL HIRING PRACTICES
With the start of a new recruitment season and the legal implications associated with student referrals, Mike Gaul, CALS Career Services, reminds faculty and staff of legal and ethical standards associated with the hiring process. The National Association of Colleges and Employers has established a set of ethical standards for guiding the job-search process, http://www.naceweb.org/legal/faculty_guide/. Additionally, a relevant case study can be found at http://www.naceweb.org/Legal/Case_Study__I_m_Looking_for_a_Few_Good_Peop.... This information is relevant, given the increased number of Department of Labor audits occurring on college campuses.
APPLICATIONS STILL BEING ACCEPTED FOR SCIENCE WITH PRACTICE
The Science With Practice team is looking for students for the fall and spring semesters. Science With Practice is a CALS experiential learning and work program for undergraduate students in agriculture and life sciences. Students work closely with faculty and staff on specific projects and/or work assignments, earn money and earn academic credit while fulfilling work responsibilities. Applications are available at http://www.ageds.iastate.edu/SWP/ or 206 Curtiss Hall. More: swpteam@iastate.edu
U.N. ENVOY TO HAITI TO SPEAK AT STEPHENS AUDITORIUM AUG. 25
Global humanitarian and medical anthropologist Paul Farmer will kick off ISU's fall lectures with a talk on "Haiti After the Earthquake" on Thursday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m., Stephens Auditorium. CALS is a sponsor. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/aug/LecturesFarmer
eCARLY: GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER INTERN SHARES RESEARCH
William Arce talks to Carly Martin, the summer intern in the CALS Communications Service, about his summer in Iowa as part of the George Washington Carver Internship program. Arce is a senior in high school from Puerto Rico. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/features/2011/William/
NEW ON THE HOMEPAGE: INTERN'S WORK EXPANDS TO IOWA STATE FAIR
Carly Martin, an intern with the communications service and a junior in agricultural and life sciences education, has written about research and student experiences in the college on her e-Carly website at www.ag.iastate.edu/eCarly/. The experience paid off when she was hired to cover the Iowa State Fair with a daily newsletter for the Stockman's Inn. Go to http://www.ag.iastate.edu to view the students' profiles. If you know of a faculty, student or staff member to highlight on the web page, contact Barb McBreen at barbmc@iastate.edu, 4-0707.
MARTIN CO-AUTHORS BOOK ON EDUCATIONAL COMPETENCIES
Robert Martin, agricultural education and studies, is co-author of "A Model for Applying Educational Process Competencies." The book presents a study conducted in the U.S. to identify the importance of 42 professional competencies categorized under four educational process areas. More: http://www.amazon.com/Model-Applying-Educational-Process-Competencies/dp...
STUDENTS USING TWITTER SUBJECT OF LUNCH AND LEARN, SEPT. 14
"Twitter as a Medium of Student Engagement and Collaboration" will be the topic of the Brenton Center's Lunch and Learn on Sept. 14, 12 p.m. in 8 Curtiss Hall. Tom Paulsen, agricultural education and studies, will present. During the spring 2011 semester, 21 students in AGEDS 417, Supervised Teaching in Agriculture and Life Sciences, used Twitter. Agricultural education and studies faculty facilitated the discussion and shared resources with the student teachers throughout their 14-week experience. Pizza and refreshments will be provided.
COLLEGE AWARDS 10 SCHOLARSHIPS TO 4-H EXHIBITORS AT IOWA STATE FAIR
The College awarded $500 scholarships to 10 4-H exhibitors at the Iowa State Fair. Exhibits were judged on scientific thought, thoroughness, creativity and general appearance and design. The recipients are high school students who may use the scholarship certificate within the next four years.
EXCESS FARM EQUIPMENT TO BE AUCTIONED OFF THIS FALL
ISU Research and Demonstration Farms will hold an auction this fall to liquidate excess farm, livestock, research and other equipment. The auction will be held in the Ames area around Thanksgiving. The auction contact is Tim Goode, trgoode@iastate.edu, (641) 751-0280.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
Aug. 24: Retirement reception for Beth Weiser, 2 to 4 p.m., 142 Curtiss.
Sept. 15: Deadline for spring 2012 distance education course development awards, http://www.brenton.iastate.edu/grantrfp.html
Sept. 21: CALS Fall Convocation, 4 p.m., Memorial Union Sun Room.
Sept. 23: BioCentury Research Farm open house, 1 to 4 p.m., http://www.ccur.iastate.edu/emails/bcrf_evite.html
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EXTERNAL FUNDING
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CALS TRAVEL SUPPORT FOR NSF REGIONAL GRANTS CONFERENCE
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will provide up to $750 each for up to four CALS faculty members to attend the NSF Regional Grants Conference at the University of Texas at Austin on Oct. 17-18. The conference is considered a must for researchers who want to gain insight into competitive grant funding at NSF. Support will be provided on a first-come-first-served basis, with preference given to individuals who have not recently received CALS travel assistance for a grantsmanship workshop. Interested faculty should contact Joe Colletti via email (colletti@iastate.edu) by Sept. 2. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/research/fundingResources/node/75
REMINDER: 2011 FALL GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP SERIES, SEPT. 19-23
The VPR/ED's office will hold a series of grant writing workshops, to be led by Joe and Lynn Jelinski of Sunshine Consultants, Int'l. A general session, "Fundamentals of Grant Writing Seminar: How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal," will be held Sept. 19 and is open to all. Workshops on preparing proposals for NSF (Sept. 20) and NIH (Sept. 21) and one-on-one sessions with the Jelinskis (Sept. 22-23) require sign-up. Contact: Roxy Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/research/fundingResources/node/81
NSF BIO PROPOSAL PROCESSING CHANGES
Effective immediately, the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) of the National Science Foundation has initiated new procedures for the submission and review of regular research proposals to the core programs within the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Division of Environmental Biology, and Division of Integrative Organismal Systems. DEB and IOS will both implement an annual cycle of preliminary and full proposals beginning in January 2012. Preliminary proposals will be accepted in January. Each investigator is limited to submitting two preliminary proposals per year. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11078/nsf11078.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT....
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FUNDING INFORMATION, OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINE REMINDERS
Dates listed are application deadlines. Contact: Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu
Additional information is posted at CALS Funding Resources, http://www.ag.iastate.edu/research/fundingResources/
Aug. 26: Peoples Garden Grant Program. More: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/rfas/pdfs/11_peoples_garden.pdf
Sept. 9: USDA Expert Integrated Pest Management Decision Support System; one award, $145,000. More: http://nifa.usda.gov/fo/expertipmdecisionsupportsystem.cfm
Sept. 13 (preapplication): Military Infectious Diseases Basic Research Award; $1 million over two years. More: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=115354
Sept. 22 (letter of intent): NIH Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (K12). More: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=107040
Sept. 30: International Graduate Student Fellowship Program - West Africa for Adapting Livestock Systems to Climate Change. More: http://lcccrsp.org/funding-opportunities/igsfp-wa/
Oct. 14: 2012 NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program (DP2); early stage investigators, 33 awards, $300,000 direct costs per year over five years. More: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=113153
Oct. 16: Systems Science and Health in the Behavioral and Social Sciences. More: (R21) http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-315.html and (R01) http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-314.html
Nov. 10: Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants in the Directorate for Biological Sciences Grant. More: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=113273
Dec. 1 (letter of intent): Sustainability Research Networks Competition; $12 million over four to five years. More: http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503645
Jan. 9 (preproposal): Division of Environmental Biology core programs. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11573/nsf11573.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT....
Jan. 12 (preproposal): NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems core programs. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11572/nsf11572.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT....
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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JUST MY TYPE: A BOOK ABOUT FONTS
"Just My Type: A Book About Fonts," by Simon Garfield, is described as an accessible book that makes typography noticeable and fun for people who had no idea they were interested in the subject. A sizable swath of the population knows all about font design for reasons having to do with livelihood. Personal computers are the main reason that font fandom and do-it-yourself design have snowballed in the last two decades. More: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/books/just-my-type-a-book-about-fonts-...
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INFOGRAZING
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CELT FALL 2011 PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE AVAILABLE ONLINE
The fall 2011 programming schedule for the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching is now available online. More: http://www.celt.iastate.edu/events/homepage.html
TOO MANY TOMATOES? SEE USDA HOME CANNING GUIDE
As summer gardening season winds down, you may be enjoying a surplus harvest. USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning is a resource for new or experienced canners. The information is based on research conducted by the National Center for Home Food Preservation in cooperation with USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The two-part guide contains many new research-based recommendations for canning safer and better quality food at home. More: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2011news/home_canning_guide.html
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INTERNAL VOICES
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AGRONOMY STUDENT ON TRANSITION FROM SOLDIERING TO FARMING
"Farming is very therapeutic for me. It's also another way of service to your country." Sandra Kendrick, a senior in agronomy and veteran of the Afghanistan war, grows vegetables in a one-acre garden for the food pantry at The Alliance Church in Cedar Rapids. More: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011308160007
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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QUANTIFYING THE VALUE OF NATURAL CAPITAL
"We are working to very specifically quantify in biophysical and dollar terms the value of conserving the forest and its wildlife." Gretchen Daily, a Stanford University biology professor, on experiments she is conducting in Costa Rica that demonstrate the connection between wildlife and native vegetation. Preliminary data suggest that consumption of insects by forest-dwelling birds and bats contribute significantly to coffee yields. More: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/science/09profile.html?_r=1&nl=todaysh...
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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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