AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
Dec. 17, 2012 No. 730
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COLLEGE NEWS
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MENTORS SOUGHT FOR 2013 CARVER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
CALS is accepting proposals for faculty to serve as mentors for the George Washington Carver Internship Program for summer 2013. The eight-week summer research program for undergraduates exposes students to research by matching them with a faculty mentor in their area of interest. Faculty mentor proposals are due Dec. 20. More: Aurelio Curbelo, acurbelo@iastate.edu, http://www.ag.iastate.edu/diversity/gwc
HONOR SOCIETY SELECTED AS GOLD CHAPTER
The ISU chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture, has been selected as a 2012 Gold Chapter. The award is in recognition of the activities and accomplishments of the chapter during the 2011-2012 academic year. Ann Marie VanDerZanden, horticulture, is the 2012-2013 president.
STUDENTS SHOWCASE RESEARCH
Science With Practice students share research results at end of semester poster presentation. More: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/features/2012/science_with_practice/
CALS STUDENT SELECTED AS AMBASSADOR FOR DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
A CALS sophomore has been named a U.S. Department of Interior student ambassador for the 2012-13 school year. Biology major Nicole Bradley, Harvey, Ill., is one of 22 students nationwide selected by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service and the Interior Department to promote the department's internships and job opportunities on ISU's campus. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/12/13/doi-ambassador
CALS STUDENT AWARDED LARRY LURSEN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
A student from Allison, Iowa, is the first recipient of the Larry D. Lursen Memorial Scholarship. Kayla Kampman, a junior in agricultural and life sciences education, was awarded the $1,000 scholarship for the current academic year. The scholarship is named in honor of Larry Lursen, a Clarksville farmer who died in 2011. Lursen was an alumnus of Iowa State, earning a bachelor's degree in animal science in 1970. At the time of his death, he was serving on the board of trustees of the Iowa State University Agricultural Endowment, which provides scholarships to ISU students, supports student activities, provides grants for research and demonstration projects and supports ISU programs that advance agriculture in Iowa. The endowed scholarship fund was established by the ISU Agricultural Endowment and made possible by memorial gifts received from more than 75 donors.
RETIREMENT RECEPTION FOR DENNIS SHANNON, DEC. 18
A retirement reception will be held for Dennis Shannon, ISU Research and Demonstration Farms, on Dec. 18, 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Campanile Room. Shannon has worked for ISU and Iowa agriculture for 26 years. There will be a program at 3:45 p.m.
AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE: NEXT ISSUE JAN. 7
Ag and Life Sciences Online will take the next two weeks off for the holidays. It will resume Monday, Jan. 7. Happy holidays!
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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CALL FOR PROPSALS FOR ISU 2013 INTERNATIONAL GRANTS PROGRAM
The ISU Council on International Programs is accepting proposals for grants of up to $5,000 for projects led by faculty and staff to enhance the infusion of international perspectives into learning, discovery or engagement activities. CIP expects to fund 12 to 15 grants to support high-quality projects that either strengthen an existing program or support the development of new initiatives. Funds will be available immediately and must be spent by June 30. Proposals are due Feb. 1. Contact: Penni Bryant (pabryant@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. 13 (concept paper): DOE Carbon, Hydrogen and Separation Efficiencies in Bio-Oil Conversion Pathways. More: http://goo.gl/bJNw7
Jan. 30 and Nov. 15: NSF Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences:Â Investigator-Initiated Research Projects. More: http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503626
Jan. 31 (concept papers): USAID Public-Private Alliance Proposals Related to USAID/Senegal's Feed the Future Strategy. More: http://goo.gl/195Wu
Feb. 15: DOI Migratory Bird Conservation in the Upper Midwest. More: http://goo.gl/E6b0C
Feb. 20, March 29 (letter of intent): NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE); due dates are for track 2 and track 1, respectively. More: http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504852
March 13: NSF Plant Genome Research Program; up to 15 new awards, $15 million total anticipated funding. More: http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5338
March 15 (letter of intent): NIH Immune Mechanisms of Virus Control (U19); up to $1.5 million direct costs per year per award. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-12-048.html
April 1 (letter of intent): NSF Next-Generation National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network; one award, $16 million per year for five years, an institution may be included on only one proposal. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13521/nsf13521.htm
April 1: NSF Macrosystems Biology: Research on Biological Systems at Regional to Continental Scales. More: http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503425
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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ANYONE vs. ANY ONE
The one-word "anyone" is a singular indefinite pronoun (anyone would know that). The two-word phrase "any one" is a more emphatic form of any, referring to a single person or thing in a group (Do you recognize any one of those boys?).
The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed., 2010
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INFOGRAZING
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STATE NUTRIENT STRATEGY MEETING IN AMES, DEC. 19
An informational meeting regarding the recently released Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy will be held Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 10 a.m. in the Memorial Union South Ballroom. It is an opportunity for the public and key stakeholders to ask questions and learn more about the plan. More: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/article/public-can-learn-more-about-sta...
DNA FACILITY TO EXPAND NEXT-GEN SEQUENCING CAPABILITIES?
ISU's DNA facility soon will install new instrumentation that will reduce the cost of some next-generation sequencing applications and the turnaround time for order processing. A new Illumina MiSeq system funded by the Office of Biotechnology will allow small genomes to be processed faster and more economically. An Illumina HiSeq2500 sequencer upgrade funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center will allow one-day processing of smaller orders containing only one or two samples. ?More: http://www.biotech.iastate.edu/news/121214.html?
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INTERNAL VOICES
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McNEIL: ENCOURAGES GRADUATES TO TELL STORY OF AGRICULTURE
"As we go out into the workforce, I challenge you to help tell the story of agriculture and the sciences that support it, to share some of the knowledge you garnered from your time here at Iowa State with a personal touch." Brady McNeil, animal science, in his speech for CALS graduating senior convocation on Dec. 15.
XIN: CONVERTING POULTRY-GENERATED AMMONIA INTO ALGAE
Algae could become an important partner in the future of poultry operations through a project conducted by ISU researchers. "We want to improve the environmental stewardship of the poultry operation. It would be a perfect match if we could remove ammonia from the exhaust air in poultry houses and use it to grow algae," said Hongwei Xin, agricultural and biosystems engineering, in an article for the Iowa State Daily. More: http://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/article_f006f502-3cf0-11e2-993c-0019b...
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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AG SECRETARY REFERENCES RECENT STUDY RELEASED BY ISU
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $10 million in research grants to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help create jobs. Vilsack pointed to a recent study released by ISU, and funded by USDA, which finds that while the use of biobased products in automobile manufacturing is increasing, there are still many parts in the top-selling automobiles manufactured in the U.S. that may be replaced with biobased materials. More: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2012news/12141_afri_bioenergy.html
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MARGINALIA
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PEPPERMINT PIGS A SMASHING TRADITION
A holiday tradition in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., has a peppermint twist: pig-shaped hard candies are sold with little metal hammers to smash them at Christmas. It could be related to the marzipan pigs northern European confectioners make at holiday time as good luck symbols. In the old days, the pig was placed on the Christmas dinner table and cracked open so the family could share the sweet-tasting bits. Mike Fitzgerald, owner of Saratoga Sweets, made a first run of 60 peppermint pigs in 1988 at the request of the local historical society. This year Saratoga Sweets will make about 130,000 pigs. More: http://news.yahoo.com/peppermint-pigs-smashing-tradition-ny-073143226.html
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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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EDITOR
Julie Stewart
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
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