Issue: 728

................................................... AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE ................................................... The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter Iowa State University Dec. 3, 2012 No. 728 ................................................... COLLEGE NEWS ................................................... STORIES: IT'S ALL ABOUT LIFE! NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE The latest issue of the College's alumni magazine, STORIES in Agriculture and Life Sciences, is available online. This issue focuses on life science research in the college and includes articles about developing chemicals with biomass, DNA engineering and cleaning up Iowa's lakes. SUMMARY OF COLLEGE'S STEM PROGRAMS ON THE WEB CALS provides several science, technology, engineering and math programs and activities at Iowa State. A summary of the college's STEM programs has been posted on the web and includes precollegiate and collegiate initiatives, and the implementing partners. The focus is on programs run or assisted by CALS faculty and staff. ISU TEAM TO HELP CUCURBIT CROP GROWERS, WITH USDA-NIFA GRANT A team of ISU faculty is leading a $1.58 million, two-year grant from USDA-NIFA's Specialty Crop Research Initiative that was awarded in September. The grant, focused on shielding cucurbit crops for resilient ecosystems, also includes research and extension colleagues from Penn State, Michigan State, University of Kentucky and Ohio State. Project director Mark Gleason, plant pathology and microbiology, said that the grant aims to put together a systems approach to help farmers in the eastern half of the U.S., including Iowa, produce cucurbit crops (melons, squash, pumpkins and cucumbers) with less environmental risk while increasing profits. The project takes aim at bacterial wilt, a nemesis of cucurbit growers, by probing how the bacterium causes disease. It will also integrate strip tillage, cover crops and row covers to control pests and diseases while building soil health and safeguarding the bees that pollinate cucurbit crops. ISU agricultural engineers will develop new tools and techniques to help growers scale up the use of row covers to large fields. The project also will evaluate economic tradeoffs and social factors that impact the acceptability of these new farming systems and share the findings with cucurbit growers. NEW CALS WEB BANNER: GRADUATE STUDENT PROMOTES TOURS OF RESEARCH FARMS Student, peer mentor and club member are just a few of the roles that describe Molly Heintz, a CALS graduate student studying agricultural education. Heintz is the newest student feature on the CALS web site. If you know faculty, staff or students that would make great features on the web page contact the communications service office at 4-5616 or jstewart@iastate.edu. ABE RESEARCHER WORKS TO IMPROVE ECONOMICS OF FEED COSTS Helping livestock producers cope with higher feed costs is a top priority for Kurt Rosentrater, agricultural and biosystems engineering. Rosentrater joined ISU a little more than a year ago after eight years at USDA, where he led the agency's only research program devoted to value-added uses for distiller's grains, the primary coproduct from corn-based ethanol production. GDCB's PETERSON NAMED AAAS FELLOW Thomas Peterson, Pioneer Chair in Maize Molecular Genetics in the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, has been named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Peterson's citation is for advances in understanding of transposable elements and their roles in altering genome evolution, and application of that knowledge to genome engineering. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/11/29/aaasfellows12 FEEDING THE WORLD SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTATION DEC. 5 The final presentation for this semester's international seminar series, "Feeding the World: Are We Making Progress?" will be Wednesday, Dec. 5, noon to 1 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee Hall. ISU students will present "Educating Youth to Feed the Future:? A Sustainable Approach through Agriculture in Rural Uganda."Â Student presenters are Louis Hilgemann, Malcolm Hines, Brittany Jurgemeyer, Kerri Kistler, Michelle Richardson, Austin Schott and Mitch Steimel. ISU professors Gail Nonnecke, horticulture, Richard Schultz, natural resource ecology and management, Thomas Brumm, agricultural and biosystems engineering, and Dorothy Masinde, global resource systems, will facilitate the presentation. SCIENCE WITH PRACTICE POSTER PRESENTATION, DEC. 5 A poster presentation and reception for this semester's Science With Practice participants will be held Wednesday, Dec. 5, 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Kildee Atrium. Science With Practice is an experiential learning and work program for undergraduate students in agriculture sponsored by CALS and the ISU Agricultural Endowment. SUMMER SAUSAGE AND CHEESE ORDERS DUE DEC. 7 The Block and Bridle Club is holding its annual holiday summer sausage and cheese fundraiser. Orders are due Friday, Dec. 7. More: https://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/blockandbridleclub or email isussandc@gmail.com ORDERS FOR HOLIDAY HAMS DUE DEC. 7 The Meat Science Club is selling semi-boneless hams for Christmas. Club members trim and prepare each semi-boneless ham. Watch the process on a YouTube video released by ISU News Service at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXKfqGxOZoI&feature=youtu.be. Whole hams (12-15 pounds) are $3.50 a pound and half hams (7-9 pounds) are $4 a pound. Place an order by calling 4-8294, emailing ISU.Meat.Science.Club@gmail.com or by filling out an order form at the Meat Lab Sales Counter or in 2371 Kildee Hall. The deadline is Dec. 7 or until sold out. Hams will be available to pick up at the Meat Lab Sales counter, located at the north corner of the Kildee Hall atrium. Pick up times are Dec. 11 and 13 from 4 to 6 p.m. DUFFY TO HOLD LAND VALUE SURVEY NEWS CONFERENCE DEC. 11 Michael Duffy, economics, will announce the results of the 2012 Iowa Land Value Survey conducted by ISU at a news conference on Dec. 11 at 10 a.m. at the Extension 4-H Youth Building. Duffy will provide background material, along with a printed news release containing data from all 99 counties and state maps. More: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/article/duffy-hold-land-value-survey-n… CALS STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN BIORENEWABLES POSTER SYMPOSIUM, DEC. 13 Thirty-five CALS students will participate in the Biorenewables Poster Symposium on Dec. 13, 2:15 to 4 p.m. in the Howe Hall Atrium. The event, led by instructors Thomas Brumm and Jacque Baughman, agricultural and biosystems engineering, is designed to be an interactive collaboration between stakeholders and students of TSM 325 and BRT 506A and to showcase diverse student work in the area of biorenewables. Refreshments will be served. COMPUTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE CALL FOR PROPOSALS The Computation Advisory Committee is searching for projects that will have a broad impact on student computing and represent innovative uses of information technology for instruction at ISU. Student involvement in the development of proposals is encouraged. Proposals are due in CALS on Feb. 14. Submit to David Acker, dacker@iastate.edu. More:  http://www.cio.iastate.edu/committees/cac/ RESEARCH LOOKS AT EFFECTS OF BIOCHAR ON PRAIRIES Researchers are studying how biochar applied to farmland affects natural ecosystems. The project is led by Stan Harpole and Lori Biederman, ecology, evolution and organismal biology. DEBINSKI SERVING AS VISITING RESEARCHER AT UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA Diane Debinski, ecology, evolution and organismal biology, is serving as a distinguished visiting researcher at the University of Ottawa in Canada. She is collaborating with Ottawa scientists to develop a research partnership using butterflies as bioindicators of climate change in North America. CROP INSURANCE WORKSHOP DRAWS RECORD REGISTRATIONS There were 401 registrations, which is a record number, for the 12th annual crop insurance workshop on Nov. 5 offered by ISU Extension and Outreach. William Edwards, economics and coordinator for the workshop, said "The workshop drew increased interest this year due to the large number of claims being processed following the widespread drought." More: https://www.econ.iastate.edu/about-department/announce/news/48-2012-cro… TAYLOR PART OF NOTABLE IOWA VETERANS PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBIT Elwynn Taylor, agronomy, was honored as one of 40 Iowans in the Notable Iowa Veterans Photographic Exhibit that debuted Veteran's Day at the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum, located on Camp Dodge. The exhibit honors the military and civilian accomplishments of the Iowa veterans. Taylor served in the Army as a meteorologist for atmospheric physics and retired in 1980 as a captain in the Army Reserves. ................................................... FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ................................................... EPA GRANT AWARD PROCESS WEBINAR DEC. 4 The Environmental Protection Agency will host a Grants Award Process webinar on Tuesday, Dec. 4, from 1 to 2 p.m. The webinar will cover grants management topics, including how to find and apply for grant opportunities, new reporting requirements, and preparing a proper budget detail. There will be a Q&A session during the second half of the webinar. To register, email GAD_OGDWEB@epa.gov and put Webinar in the subject line. More: Contact Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu 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/ Jan. 5: NIH Technology Development for High-Throughput Structural Biology Research (R01); maximum project period is five years. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-13-032.html Jan. 5: NIH Technology Development for Protein Modeling (RO1). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-13-033.html Jan. 14 (letter of intent): NIH Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (P30); one proposal per institution. Jan. 24 and Sept. 19: NSF Research in Engineering Education. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503584 Jan. 31 (concept paper): USAID Sustainable Landscapes, Clean Energy and Adaptation; PI must be a business. March 1: EPA Increasing Community Awareness and Use of Environmental Information through Education and Outreach; $1 million over five years. April 25 (letter of intent): NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Predoctoral Training Program in Systems Developmental Biology (T32). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-13-019.html ................................................... INFOGRAZING ................................................... ISU EXTENSION AND OUTREACH EDUCATORS FEATURED IN CHRONICLE Two ISU Extension and Outreach educators were featured in the Nov. 26 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Himar Hernandez works in eastern Iowa establishing leadership, diversity and small-business programs. The article focuses on community development efforts in Ottumwa. More: http://chronicle.com/article/In-Iowa-an-Extension-Agent/135904/?cid=at&…. Denis Schwab, a beef specialist working in 16 counties in northeast Iowa, transmits research findings from land-grant campuses to more traditional users in Iowa's fields, forests and towns. More: http://chronicle.com/article/Fielding-Farmers-Questions/135902/?cid=at&… FACULTY: RESERVE COURSE MATERIALS NOW FOR SPRING SEMESTER Instructors who wish to replace required materials on reserve for spring semester at Parks Library should submit request now. Forms are available online. COLUMBUS FOUNDATION ACCEPTING AWARD NOMINATIONS The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, a Federal government agency, is now accepting nominations for four agriscience awards and four life sciences awards to be presented in July 2013 in Washington, D.C. Nominations are accepted online only. Deadline for the agriscience awards is Jan. 29. Deadline for the life sciences awards is Feb. 12. ................................................... INTERNAL VOICES ................................................... RASMUSSEN: SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IS FORWARD-THINKING In an article for Iowa Farmer Today, Mark Rasmussen, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, notes agriculture that is built for the long haul will need all types of producers raising diverse crops, feeding a growing population and doing so while preserving the soil and other natural resources. "We still don't have a perfect answer," he said. "But, sustainable agriculture does not mean going back. It's actually very forward-thinking." ................................................... EXTERNAL VOICES ................................................... LT. GOVERNOR: IOWA STATE PROVIDED VALUABLE ASSISTANCE In a groundbreaking ceremony for a $200 million cellulosic ethanol facility west of Nevada, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds highlighted ISU's contribution. "Iowa State provided valuable assistance from the beginning. They will continue to partner with DuPont in this project's success." ................................................... MARGINALIA ................................................... FOR THE RECORD: 2012 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service plans to begin mailing materials for the 2012 Census of Agriculture in late December. Conducted every five years, the Census of Agriculture is a complete count of all U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. The Census looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income, expenditures and other topics. Results of the Census are used to serve farmers and their communities today, and help benefit the future generations of farmers tomorrow. Legislators at various levels of government use the data when shaping farm policy, and agribusinesses factor it into their planning efforts. More: http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/ ........................................................ 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, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Interim Assistant Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.