...................................................
AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
...................................................
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter Iowa State University Sept. 4, 2012 No. 716
...................................................
COLLEGE NEWS
...................................................
CALS CONVOCATION TODAY, SEPT. 4, AT 4:10 P.M.
The CALS Fall Convocation is today, Sept. 4, at 4:10 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. The program will include a medallion ceremony for Bruce Babcock, the Cargill Chair for Energy Economics; presentation of the Kolmer Awards for Excellence in Applied Research; brief comments from Dean Wintersteen; and the introduction of the College's new faculty and staff. A reception will follow.
FARM CREDIT SERVICES OF AMERICA GIVES $200,000 FOR LEARNING CENTER
Farm Credit Services of America has provided a $200,000 gift to help establish the Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center at ISU. "The educational focus of the "¦Center perfectly aligns with Farm Credit Services of America's interest in promoting agricultural education and supporting young and beginning farmers," said Jim Knuth, senior vice president of Farm Credit Services of America.
GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY HELD FOR AG LEARNING CENTER
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Sept. 1 for the Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center at ISU. Construction could begin later this fall on the $7 million center, which has been funded through private gifts from more than 150 donors. The facility will be built on land south of campus currently used by the Department of Animal Science's equine program.
MONSANTO STUDENT SERVICES WING DEDICATED
A dedication ceremony for the Monsanto Student Services Wing in Curtiss Hall was held Aug. 29. Located on the ground floor, it is home to key offices serving students, including student services, career services, study-abroad, global agriculture and marketing and recruitment. The Monsanto Student Services Wing also includes a welcome center for prospective students and families to learn more about the college, its 24 majors and career opportunities.
JIM FARRELL TO PRESENT DEAL LECTURE, SEPT. 20
Jim Farrell, president and CEO of Farmers National Company, will present the 2012 William K. Deal Endowed Leadership Lecture on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. He will present "The Changing Role of Leaders in a Bullish Farmland Market." William K. Deal, an ISU alum with a degree in agricultural education, established the lecture series to help prepare future leaders and innovators in agriculture. The department of agricultural education and studies organizes the lecture.
WELCOME RECEPTION FOR MARK RASMUSSEN, SEPT. 6
The Leopold Center will hold a welcome reception for its new director, Mark Rasmussen, on Thursday, Sept. 6, 3:30 to 5 p.m. (with a program at 4) in the Memorial Union Campanile Room.
ALUMNI OF EXCELLENCE SEMINAR SERIES BEGINS SEPT. 7
Jeramie Strickland will present the first of four seminars in the college's "Alumni of Excellence" seminar series on Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. in room 2256 of the Multicultural Center at the Memorial Union. Strickland will speak on "Life As a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". Strickland received his master's degree in ecology and evolutionary biology at ISU in 2008. The seminar series is supported by an ISU Women's and Diversity Committee grant to Sue Lamont, CALS Equity Advisor, and Aurelio Curbelo, CALS Multicultural Liaison Officer.
FEEDING THE WORLD SEMINAR SERIES BEGINS SEPT. 19
The fall 2012 seminar series, "Feeding the World: Are we Making Progress," begins Sept. 19, 12 to 1 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee Hall. Topics this semester will address livestock and animal health, guiding principles in international agricultural development and the student service-learning project in Uganda. The seminar series is sponsored by the M.E. Ensminger International Chair in Animal Agriculture, Raymond and Mary Baker Chair in Global Agriculture, and the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods.
ANIMAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR WORKS TO RECRUIT, RETAIN WOMEN AT ISU
Elisabeth Huff-Lonergan, animal science, has been appointed ISU's ADVANCE Faculty Fellow for 2012-2014. ADVANCE, a program of the National Science Foundation, is designed to increase the participation and advancement of women in academic science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers. Following its final year of NSF grant support, ISU ADVANCE is being folded into the Provost's Office where many of its initiatives in faculty recruitment, retention and advancement will be administered.
ISU EXPERTS PREDICT RISE IN 2013 GROCERY PRICES
Americans can expect to pay more for groceries due to high commodity prices driven by this year's drought, but food prices likely won't hit their peak for a few months, said ISU grain market and agricultural experts this week. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/08/29/grocerypricestorise
FRENCH NEWSPAPER CITES IOWA FARM AND RURAL LIFE POLL
The French daily newspaper LeMonde cited the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll in a recent issue to illustrate a story on the drought. It quoted J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr., sociology, and results of the poll's survey questions of farmers' opinions about climate change. The 2011 Farm Poll asked about beliefs whether climate change is occurring, and if so, what is causing it; beliefs and concerns about the potential impacts of climate change and opinions regarding what key public and private sector actors should do in response; and asked farmers to rate their level of trust or distrust toward specific agencies, organizations or groups as sources of information on climate change. More: http://www.soc.iastate.edu/
HARRIS RECEIVES PATENT
Hank Harris, animal science, was issued a patent on Aug. 14 for "Identification of Protective Antigenic Determinants of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus and Uses Thereof."
ISU RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATION FARMS HOST 320 VISITORS
The BioCentury Research Farm and the Agricultural Engineering/Agronomy Research Farm hosted 320 visitors during the Farm Progress Show, Aug. 28-30. Guests were mostly farmers and agribusinesses, some coming from as far away as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico, Portugal and South Africa. All tours were arranged by the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau.
ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT RECEIVES AAEA AWARDS
The Agricultural and Applied Economics Association honored faculty, staff and student clubs from the department of economics with several awards at its annual meeting Aug. 12-14 in Seattle, Wash. "It was a very nice tribute to both the quality and the diversity of the work that we do in agricultural and applied economics," said John Schroeter, interim department chair and professor, economics.
GABLER PRESENTS AT EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
At the European Federation of Animal Science meeting on Aug. 27, Nick Gabler, animal science and an American Society of Animal Science-EAAP exchange speaker, presented "Maternal and Postnatal Dietary n-3 Fatty Acids Improve Piglet Performance." This is work that Gabler began as a postdoctoral fellow and has continued throughout his career.
CALS COLLECTING BOOKS FOR ISU/UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISER
CALS is collecting books for an ISU/United Way Campaign fundraising event this fall. Donations of paperback and hardcover books (not textbooks), comic books and DVDs are being collected in 111 Curtiss Hall (Carla Persaud) and 2102 Molecular Biology Building (Linda Wild). Last year's college book sale raised more than $900. Sale dates are to be determined.
...................................................
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
...................................................
FALL GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS START THIS WEEK
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development is offering professional development workshops to help faculty build strong research programs and write successful grant proposals. Workshops are scheduled for Sept. 6-7, Sept. 25 and Nov. 8. Topics include introductory strategies for writing successful proposals; writing proposals for NSF, NIH and DOE grants; and career development grants for doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. Registration is required.
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/
Sept. 12: BLM Desert Bighorn Sheep Habitat and Wildlife Studies in Colorado; one award, $200,000.
Oct. 5: NIH Innovations in Biomedical Computational Science and Technology (R01).
Nov. 9: USFWS Migratory Bird Joint Ventures Midwest Region FY2013; one-to-one match required.
Nov. 26: NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellows; 15 to 20 awards, $7 million total anticipated funding. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504673
Nov. 29: North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education 2013 Farmer Rancher Grant Program; applicants must be farmers/ranchers, 45 projects, $7,500 individual to $22,500 for group projects. More: http://www.northcentralsare.org/
Dec. 3: NSF FY 2013 Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I; applicant must be with small business. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504762
Dec. 17: NSF Innovation Corps Teams Program; 250 awards, $12.5 million total anticipated funding. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504672
Jan. 7: NSF Innovation Corps Sites Program; up to 15 I-Corps sites. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504802
Sept. 1, 2014: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Microsystems Technology Office-Wide Grant.
...................................................
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
...................................................
PREDOMINANT vs. PREDOMINATE
Like dominant, "predominant" is an adjective (a predominant point of view). Like dominate, "predominate" is a verb (a point of view that predominates throughout the state). Using predominate as an adjective is common but loose usage "“ and the adverb predominately (for the correct predominantly) is likely to make the literary person's teeth hurt. The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed., 2010
...................................................
INFOGRAZING
...................................................
EQUINE SEMINAR SCHEDULED FOR SEPT. 6
The Kramer-Marks Equine Seminar will be held Thursday, Sept. 6, 12 to 1 p.m. in 2226 Veterinary Medicine. Anthony Webber will speak on "Lameness Diagnosis in Horses: A Forty-Year Perspectve," describing his system of evaluating lame horses with some reflections on his career in equine practice.
STORIES AND STORYTELLING IN EXTENSION WORK
Nancy Franz, associate dean for ISU Extension and Outreach for Families and 4-H Youth and director of ISU Extension to Families, has co-authored an article in the August issue of the Journal of Extension on storytelling. Franz refers to a one-paragraph story written by Jane Simpson McKimmon, North Carolina's first home demonstration agent, in her 1945 memoir that reveals truths about the personal and public value, meaning and significance of Extension work. "We simply can't know what our Extension work and experiences mean and how and why they're valuable without stories," Franz writes.
...................................................
INTERNAL VOICES
...................................................
NORTHWEST IOWA FARMERS PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH
On July 30, workers demolished the buildings on a 5-acre tract of land belonging to the Northwest Iowa Research and Demonstration Farm near Doon. The demolition is another step in a transition period that began in 2006. Under the new system, area farmers participate more actively in the research themselves. In 2006, 17 trials were begun with 11 farmers involved. This year it's 91 trials involving 25 farmers. "It's a big step forward for us. It's been a good way for farmers to iron out the differences between what ISU says and their own gut feelings," said Josh Sievers, superintendent of the Northwest Iowa Research and Demonstration Farm, in the Aug. 24 issue of the Tri-State Neighbor.
BOONE FARMER HAS LESSONS ON LAND STEWARDSHIP
Dick Thompson, an 80-year-old farmer in Boone, has inspired researchers like Matt Liebman, agronomy, to study how farmers today can succeed using time-tested approaches. "Looking toward diversity, crop-livestock integration, the careful stewardship of the soil, making the best use of every drop of rain that falls, those are lessons that we should know"¦" said Liebman on Voice of America, Aug. 29. More: http://www.voanews.com/content/old-ways-help-farmer-beat-drought/149801…
...................................................
MARGINALIA
...................................................
PLANT PATHOLOGY VIDEO: TAKING YOU FURTHER THAN YOU EVER IMAGINED
The American Phytopathological Society has released an outreach video to increase the recognition and understanding of plant pathology. The video is aimed at undergraduates in biology and related majors who have a limited agricultural background. It is available for use in classroom settings, on organization websites, on display at career fairs and for sharing with colleagues.
........................................................
AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
........................................................
EDITOR
Julie Stewart
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
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."
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IowaStateU.AgLifeSciences
Twitter: http://twitter.com/iastate_cals
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.