AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
Oct. 17, 2011 No. 673
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COLLEGE NEWS
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AGRICULTURE CAREER FAIR, OCT. 18, EXPECTS 170 EMPLOYERS
Mike Gaul, director of CALS career services, expects nearly 170 employers to be represented at this year's career fair to be held Tuesday, Oct. 18, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lied Recreation Center. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/news/releases/976/. The career fair continues to be the largest of its kind in the nation. Gaul talks about why it attracts so much interest, http://www.ag.iastate.edu/video/v/Fall_2011_Career_Day
ERRINGTON LECTURE TO ADDRESS WORLD FOOD ISSUES, OCT. 20
Jonathan Foley will present the Errington Memorial Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Foley, director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, will speak on "Feeding the World, Sustaining the Planet." Sponsors include CALS, the Department of Agronomy, the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, and the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management. More: http://www.lectures.iastate.edu/lecture/24938
COLLEGE WELL REPRESENTED AT GLOBAL YOUTH INSTITUTE
The World Food Prize Global Youth Institute was held Oct. 15 in Johnston as part of the week of activities surrounding the World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony. This year more than 130 high school students from 23 states, the Virgin Islands and four countries participated, which is a record number. David Acker, Sorrel Brown, Fred Kirschenmann, Gail Nonnecke, Awoke Dollisso and John Pesek served as discussion leaders, presentation judges and award presenters at the event. Students who attend the event are eligible to apply for the Borlaug-Ruan Internship next summer. Since the program began in 1998, 45 of the 161 students interns have attended Iowa State. Callie Schultes was an intern in 2010 and is featured on the homepage atÂ
http://www.agstudent.iastate.edu/profiles/CallieSchultes
COLLEGE ALUMS TO BE HONOROED FRIDAY
The 80th annual ISU Honors and Awards Ceremony will be held Friday, Oct. 21, at 1:30 p.m. at Benton Auditorium in Scheman Building. The ceremony and dessert reception are open to the public. Jim Frevert will receive the Floyd Andre Award, Harold Crawford will receive the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award, Lowell Catlett will receive the Henry A. Wallace Award and Charles Stewart will receive the Superior Achievement Award for Early or Mid-career alumni from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
BOGDANOVE UPDATES SCIENCE COMMUNITY ON RESEARCH
In the two years since the journal "Science" published an article by Adam Bogdanove, plant pathology and microbiology, about his groundbreaking gene research, scientists around the world have built on those findings to explore further breakthroughs. Now Bogdanove updates the scientific community on where the research has been since 2009 and where it is heading. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/oct/bogdanovesci2
DIETETIC INTERNSHIP FIRST IN NATION TO GO INTERNATIONAL
ISU's Dietetics Internship program, already the largest in the country, will be the first in the nation to offer an international component with interns allowed the option to perform a portion of their work at the University of Ghana, beginning in January. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2011/oct/Dietetics
ELECTRONIC TRUCK SCALE AVAILABLE FOR FARM USERS
In a cooperative project of the BioCentury Research Farm and the Agricultural Engineering/Agronomy Research Farms, a new electronic truck scale, 12 ft x 70 ft, has been installed at the BCRF. It is fully functional and ready for use by BCRF and AEA farm users. There is no charge. Users may enter from either end. There are digital displays on each end. If you have questions, contact Andy Suby, BCRF, (515) 509-6326 or Will Emley, AEA, (515) 290-6283.
MWPS RELEASES COW-CALF PRODUCTION PUBLICATION
The MidWest Plan Service has released a publication on Cow-Calf Production in the U.S. Corn Belt (MWPS-66). The MidWest Plan Service is housed in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. More: http://www.mwps.org/?fuseaction=c_Products.viewProduct&catID=736&product...
WEBINAR FEATURES FARM ENERGY REDUCTION, OCT. 19
The Iowa Learning Farms' October webinar, to be held this Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 12 p.m., will feature Mark Hanna, agricultural and biosystems engineering. He will present "ISU Farm Energy: Energy Conservation and Efficiency." More: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/article/farm-energy-reduction-webinar
SEMINAR SERIES TO ADVANCE PLANT PHENOMICS CONTINUES OCT. 20
A lunchtime seminar series has been organized to foster interaction between engineers, plant scientists and physical scientists to encourage convergence of disciplines to advance plant phenomics. A plant phenotype is one or more observable characteristics of a plant such as biochemical or structural properties, and the study of these properties is called phenomics. The weekly brown bag seminars will be held on Thursdays from 12 to 1 p.m. in 3140 Hach Hall. The second seminar will be this Thursday, Oct. 20. Jode Edwards, USDA/agronomy, will speak on field-scale phenomics.
CALS UNITED WAY ONLINE AUCTION ENDS OCT. 20
The CALS United Way online auction ends Thursday, Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. Go to http://www.ag.iastate.edu/auctions/unitedWay/ to bid on more than 40 auction items. Contact Carla Persaud with questions (cpersaud@iastate.edu, 4-1823).
REVKIN TO PRESENT PESEK COLLOQUIUM, OCT. 24
Andrew Revkin will present the 2011 John Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Revkin, senior fellow and lecturer at Pace University's Academy for Applied Environmental Sciences, the former science columnist at the New York Times, and current author of their Dot Earth blog, will speak on "9 Billion People + 1 Planet = ?." More: http://www.wallacechair.iastate.edu/pesek.html
IRWIN TO PRESENT DEAL LECTURE, OCT. 25
Economist Scott Irwin will present the 2011 William K. Deal Endowed Leadership Lecture Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. He will speak on "How Agricultural Economics Saved Futures Markets: An Untold Story of Leadership." More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/news/releases/977/
FILM SCREENING OFFERS GLIMPSE INTO FAMILY FARM, OCT. 27
Filmaker John Helde will offer a preview screening of his new documentary film on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. "Field Work: A Family Farm" is a work-in-progress that follows Judy and Charlie Swanson and their children as they pursue their dream, and face the challenges, of modern family farming. The Leopold Center is co-sponsoring the screening. More: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/10-13-2011/film-screening-offers-gli...
MIRANOWSKI EXAMINES RENEWABLE FUEL STANDARD
According to an assessment by John Miranowski and the Committee on Economic and Environmental Impacts of Increasing Biofuels Production, the U.S. is unlikely to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard by 2022 and environmentally, the standard may not be effective in addressing global greenhouse-gas emissions. This conclusion is stated in a report titled "Renewable Fuel Standard: Potential Economic and Environmental Effects of US Biofuel Policy." More: http://www.econ.iastate.edu/about-department/announce/news/41-2011-renew...
FOOD SAFETY CONSORTIUM ANNUAL REPORT AVAILABLE ONLINE
The 2010-2011 annual report of the Food Safety Consortium is now available online. See page 10 for research highlights from ISU, provided by James Dickson, animal science. The FSC consists of researchers from the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, ISU and Kansas State University. After continuous funding dating back to 1991 through a congressional-approved special grant from USDA, funding for the FSC ceased on June 30, 2011. More: http://fsconsortium.net/pdf_files/anrprt.pdf
FALL ISSUE OF LEOPOLD LETTER ONLINE
The fall issue of the Leopold Letter, published quarterly by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, is available online at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsletters
ISU/UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN UPDATE Â
As of Oct. 13, the college has raised $32,243, which is 52 percent of our goal of $62,000. Overall, ISU pledges and gifts total $175,000, which is 55 percent of the goal. Go to http://www.uw.iastate.edu/ for details. Â
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
Nov. 15: Deadline for 2012 university awards. http://www.ag.iastate.edu/agcoll/univawards.php
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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NEW FACULTY WORKSHOP: INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH SERVICES
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development will host the New Faculty Workshop: Introduction to Research Services, on Oct. 31 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Memorial Union Gold Room. The workshop will present new faculty with a broad overview of research service units, including what services each unit provides and who to contact. No registration is needed to attend. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/research/fundingResources/isucals_events
STRATEGY FOR NIH FUNDING APPLICATIONS
The National Institutes of Health has published new funding strategy guidelines that lead applicants through the steps of grant applications, from qualifying for NIH support to staying funded. More: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/grant/strategy/pages/default.aspx
FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR CAMPUS BIOTECH EVENTS?
The Office of Biotechnology is providing funds for biotechnology-related conferences, symposia and workshops that are held on campus and organized by faculty members or jointly by a faculty sponsor and graduate students. Applications are due Nov. 1 for proposed events for the remainder of 2011 and the 2012 calendar year. More:Â http://www.biotech.iastate.edu/news/101111.html
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/
Oct. 31 (deadline extended): USAID Innovations in Gender Equality to Promote Household Food Security; $50,000 to $1.5 million. More:
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=127833
Nov. 6 (letter of intent): Expanding the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) in the Human and Model Organisms (U54). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HG-11-024.html
Nov. 6 (letter of intent): Computational Analysis of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Data (U01). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HG-11-025.html ?
Nov. 17: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges in Global Health, Round 8. More: http://www.grandchallenges.org/Explorations/Pages/TopicsOverview.aspx
Nov. 22 (letter of intent): Professional Society Programs to Promote Diversity (R25); $140,000. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-11-014.html
Dec. 13 (letter of intent): Dynamics of Host-Associated Microbial Communities (R01). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-GM-13-001.html ?
Dec. 22: 9th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet Grant. More: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2012/2012_p3.html
Jan. 8 (letter of intent): Economic Studies Ancillary to Completed or Ongoing Health Care Delivery and Financing Pilots, Demonstrations and Other Experiments (R01). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-11-023.html
Jan. 10 (preliminary proposal) Long Term Research in Environmental Biology. More: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf12501
Jan. 25 (letter of intent required 30 days prior): Short Courses on Mathematical, Statistical and Computational Tools for Studying Biological Systems (R25). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-351.html
Feb. 5: Collaborations with National Centers for Biomedical Computing (R01). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-001.html ?
April 24 (letter of intent): Climate Change and Health: Assessing and Modeling Population Vulnerability to Climate Change (R21). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-235.html
Sept. 30: Dept. of Energy Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program. More: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=126993
Sept. 30 (white papers accepted continuously): FY12 Navy and Marine Corps Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for K-12 & Institutions of Higher Education. More: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=124933
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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EACH OTHER vs. ONE ANOTHER
Use "each other" when two things or people are involved; "one another" when more than two are involved.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003.
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INFOGRAZING
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CAST REPORT LOOKS AT RESEARCH BEHIND CLIMATE CHANGE
Authors of a new climate change publication give detailed scientific explanations, and they examine the causes of greenhouse gas emissions, how they might be managed, and what the environmental, economic and policymaking consequences might be. The report, titled "Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities," was released by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology at a World Food Prize event last week. More: http://www.cast-science.org/news/index.cfm/climate_change_update?show=ne...
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INTERNAL VOICES
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DARR ON ISU'S PRECISION AGRICULTURE PROGRAM
"We have seen another record year of enrollment in precision agriculture courses in general"¦The trend is not surprising when you look at what kind of careers and jobs there are in the industry." Matt Darr, agricultural and biosystems engineering, on ISU's precision agriculture program. In four years, the number of students enrolled in precision agriculture courses has jumped from 22 to 101. More: http://www.precisionag.com/news/?storyid=2473
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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VILSACK ON THE U.S. EXTENSION SYSTEM
"I can't tell you how many times I've traveled outside this country and spoken to individuals in Africa and Asia and around the world and the one thing they are most envious of in this country is our extension system. [They envy] our ability to get information from our universities, from our labs, from our research areas into the field in practical ways." Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and former Iowa Governor, speaking on worldwide food insecurity in the Memorial Union on Oct. 11. More: http://www.amestrib.com/articles/2011/10/12/ames_tribune/news/doc4e95a4c...
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MARGINALIA
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WHAT'S THAT PLANT ON CAMPUS?
The Planning Services division of Facilities Planning and Management maintains campus landscape maps and a campus plant inventory. The campus landscape map divides the campus into 66 smaller map sections. Each map section records the species, location and approximate canopy size of the trees and shrubs in that portion of campus. The inventory catalogues the quantity of each plant species growing on campus. More: http://www.fpm.iastate.edu/landscapemaps/
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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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