AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
April 23, 2012 No. 697
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COLLEGE NEWS
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OPEN FORUM APRIL 30 FOR PRESIDENT'S AND PROVOST'S VISIT TO CALS
President Steven Leath and Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Hoffman will visit the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on April 30. Faculty and staff are invited to an open forum at 3 p.m. in CCUR Auditorium.
WORLD FOOD PRIZE IOWA YOUTH INSTITUTE, APRIL 30
More than 130 Iowa high school students will visit Iowa State April 30 to learn more about world hunger as part of the first World Food Prize Iowa Youth Institute. Youth selected to participate prepared a paper on an important issue related to feeding the world's population. While at ISU they will present their papers to a panel of experts and receive feedback on their work, and the top students will be invited to participate in the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in October. President Leath, Amb. Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize; and Paul Schickler, president of Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. will make opening remarks at 9:30 a.m. in the Great Hall.
CALS FACULTY INVOLVED IN WORLD FOOD PRIZE IOWA YOUTH INSTITUTE
The daylong event of the World Food Prize Iowa Youth Institute on April 30 will include campus tours and student presentations. These College faculty will serve as expert discussion leaders in meetings with the students: David Acker, associate dean for academic and global programs; Gail Nonnecke and Ajay Nair, horticulture; Tom Brumm, agricultural and biosystems engineering; Andrew Manu and Mark Westgate, agronomy; Ebby Luvaga and Kevin Kimle, economics; Dorothy Masinde, agricultural education and studies; John MacDonald, global resource systems; Joan Cunnick, microbiology; and Carmen Bain, sociology. More: http://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/youth_programs/global_youth_institute/i...
NAMA PLACES FIRST IN AGRI-MARKETING COMPETITION
ISU's National Agri-Marketing Association placed first in the NAMA Agri-Marketing Competition at the association's annual conference and trade show April 18-20 in Kansas City. The ISU chapter also was presented the John Deer Signature Award, the Chapter Programs Award and the Chapter Communications Award. Four students were awarded with scholarships totaling $3,000.
CROPS TEAM FINISHES FIRST AND SECOND AT NACTA CONTEST
ISU's Crops Team finished first in the Knowledge Bowl and second in the Crops competition at the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Judging Conference and Contest in Kansas, April 13. Knowledge Bowl team members were Sam Vigue, junior in agronomy; Michael Paulsmeyer, sophomore in agronomy; Allison Henry, junior in agricultural studies; Sam Groenenboom, junior in agronomy; and Linda Brown, senior in agronomy. The Crops team included Vigue, Chris Meyer, senior in agronomy; Meaghan Bryan, senior in agronomy; and Katie Demers, senior in agronomy. Erik Christian and Josh Enderson, agronomy, are coach and assistant coach of the crops team.
SOIL JUDGING TEAM TAKES THIRD AT NATIONAL CONTEST
The ISU Soils Judging Team finished third overall in the National Collegiate Soils Judging Contest in West Virginia, March 29-30. The competition included 21 other schools. Tom Lawler, a junior in agronomy, placed second out of 84 participants in the individual competition. Graduate student Matt Streeter and professor Lee Burras, agronomy, coach the soils team.
STRIPs FEATURED IN SPRING ISSUE OF THE FURROW
A central Iowa research project called STRIPs, Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairies, is featured in the spring issue of The Furrow, published by Deer & Company. A team of more than 30 researchers and scientists, including Matt Liebman, agronomy, and Matt Helmers, agricultural and biosystems engineering, are looking at ways that strips of perennials can fit into modern farms to help reduce nutrient and sediment losses. More: http://www.deere.com/en_US/docs/zmags/agriculture/online_brochures/furro...
ROBES HONORED AS DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE
The ISU Dairy Science Club honored Dana Robes, a 1967 graduate of the dairy science program, as the 2012 Distinguished Graduate. Robes initiated the challenge to create the N.L. Jacobson Professorship in Dairy Nutrition and subsequently created the C.F. Foreman leadership scholars program that now supports 45 CALS students annually with $1,000 to $5,000 scholarships.
STUDY FINDS ADDITIONAL CHEWING REDUCES FOOD INTAKE
A new ISU study found that chewing food thoroughly also reduces food intake in healthy young adults. James Hollis, food science and human nutrition, and Yong Zhu, an FSHN doctoral research assistant, presented their research on April 21 at the Experimental Biology Conference in San Diego. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/apr/chewing
SCIENCE WITH PRACTICE POSTER PRESENTATION, APRIL 25
Spring-semester Science with Practice students will present their research and development projects at a poster presentation on April 25, 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Kildee Hall Atrium. Science with Practice is a learning and work experience program in research and related laboratories, coordinated by the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies.
RETIREMENT CELEBRATION FOR HELEN OLSON, APRIL 25
A retirement celebration will be held for Helen Olson, academic advisor for the agricultural education and studies program, on April 25, 2 to 4 p.m. in 224 Curtiss Hall. A short program is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. Olson joined the agricultural education and studies program in 1992.
PROMOTION AND TENURE WORKSHOP, APRIL 25
The annual CALS Workshop on Promotion and Tenure for all CALS assistant professors will be held April 25, 3:10 to 4:30 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, Kildee Hall. The dean and associate deans will describe the P&T process, share best practices and answer questions.
STANIFORTH MEMORIAL LECTURE, APRIL 26
The 23rd annual Staniforth Memorial Lecture will take place Thursday, April 26, at 4:10 p.m. in 1131 NSRIC. Jon Marshall, director of Marshall Agroecology Limited, will speak on "Field Margins and Biodiversity "“ Ecological and Geographical Perspectives." David Staniforth was a professor in the agronomy department from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was an advocate of integrated pest management and developed practices to control weeds in no-till fields in the 1970s.
HORTON TO RETIRE FROM RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATION FARMS, MAY 2
A retirement reception will be held for Patricia Horton, account clerk with ISU Research and Demonstration Farms, on May 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. (program at 2:45) in 142 Curtiss Hall. Â
THE CONCEPT OF CONCEPT MAPPING, MAY 3
Elaine Fontenot Molaison, associate professor and director of the Dietetic Internship at the University of Southern Mississippi, will speak on concept mapping, critical thinking and outcomes assessment in higher education on May 3, 9 to 11:30 a.m. in 2030 Morrill Hall. More: Jean Anderson, janderso@iastate.edu. Molaison will also present concept mapping at the Brenton Center Lunch and Learn at noon on May 3 in 2030 Morrill Hall. RSVP to Amy Pilcher, apilcher@iastate.edu
OTT AWARDED NSF GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
Alina Ott, a graduate student in interdepartmental genetics, was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Ott will be using genetic materials from a long-term selection experiment to test the hypothesis that structural variation contributes to phenotypic variation in maize. Her major professor is Pat Schnable.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
June 28: Iowa Swine Day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., http://www.extension.iastate.edu/article/iowa-swine-day-returns-iowa-sta...
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-13 ALLOWABLE TUITION RATES FOR PROPOSALS
OSPA has posted academic year 2012-13 tuition rates http://www.ospa.iastate.edu/news/tuition/ and updated budget templates http://www.ospa.iastate.edu/forms/#budget. Faculty and staff are asked to begin using the updated budget templates immediately. However, budgets already in progress using the old rates do not need to be revised. CALS faculty and staff are asked to direct questions to Asrun Kristmundsdottir, pre-award administrator for CALS, 4-6806 or ayk@iastate.edu.
NATIONAL PORK BOARD SPRING 2012 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The National Pork Board is soliciting research proposals dealing with environment, swine health, animal welfare, pre-harvest pork safety, human nutrition and feed cost mitigation. Preference will be given to projects that involve academic and commercial collaboration, except where discovery is needed to establish principles necessary for trial. Proposals are due May 22. More: http://www.pork.org/Research/499/ResearchRFP.aspx#.T5BZIl0qLig
PRE-PROPOSALS REQUESTED FOR APLU'S NEW MMSI GRANTS ?
The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities is seeking pre-proposals from member institutions interested in funding for the Minority Male STEM Initiative. Institutions are eligible only if they have partnered with one or more two-year colleges, for three or more years, to enhance access and success for underrepresented minority males in in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. MMSI will award up to eight program grants totaling $100,000 for two years. Pre-proposals are due May 2. More: http://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=3816
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/
April 30 (notice of intent): NASA Precipitation Measurement Missions Science Team. More: http://goo.gl/Uept0
May 4 (letter of intent): National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA 2012 National Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program. More: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=166233
May 18 (letter of intent): Farm to School Grant Program; $20,000 to $100,000, 25% cost share required. More: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/F2S/f2_grant_program.htm
May 25 (pre-proposal): National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Native Plant Conservation Initiative 2012. More: http://goo.gl/ksdyu
May 29: USDA Extension Integrated Pest Management Coordination and Support Program. More: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/extensionipmcoordinationandsupportprogram.cfm
May 31: National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center SESYNC Pursuits; topics are Globalization and Environmental Change, and Informing Sustainability and Adaptation Decisions through Assessment and Modeling of Ecosystem Services. More: http://www.sesync.org/node/181
May 31: Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) Cleaner Production and Environmental Technologies: Promoting Green Growth through Private Sector Partnerships (Morocco); one award, $396,000. More: http://goo.gl/X2ec4
Jan. 15-Feb. 19: NSF Environmental Sustainability; average annual award $100,000, up to three years. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501027
Jan. 15-Feb. 19: NSF Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501030
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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THE BEST TIME TO SEND EMAIL
Laura Vanderkam, writer for CBS MoneyWatch, recently shared some advice on when to send work emails. She notes that emails sent between 6 and 7 a.m. are nearly three times more likely to be opened than emails sent at 4 p.m., because they are toward the top of the pile when we start our work day. She also notes that emails sent on Sunday afternoon traditionally have high open rates. More: http://cbsn.ws/HSjb1T
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INTERNAL VOICES
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MANU SPEAKS AT GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER PLAZA DEDICATION
"Dr. Carver exemplifies the humble teacher who did not attempt to demonstrate his superior knowledge about the subject he taught and the concepts he expounded to farmers and students. He merely tried to transmit what he knew, simply and directly." Andrew Manu, George Washington Carver Chair and agronomy professor, on April 6 at the dedication of the George Washington Carver plaza between Carver Hall and Beardshear Hall. This was to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Carver enrolling at ISU and coincided with the week-long George Washington Carver Scholars celebration.
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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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