Issue: 739

................................................... AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE ................................................... The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter Iowa State University March 4, 2013 No. 739 ................................................... COLLEGE NEWS ................................................... CALS UNDERGRADUATE PLACEMENT RATE: 97.8 PERCENT For 15 consecutive years, the overall placement rate for CALS undergraduates has been 97 percent or higher. The placement rate from fall 2011 through summer 2012 is 97.8 percent, according to figures from CALS Career Services. Placement includes students that are employed, furthering their education or fulfilling military obligations. Mike Gaul, director of career services, says this was the largest graduating class in 15 years, with 756 graduates. He adds that 73 percent of graduates stayed in Iowa for their first employment experience. Individual departmental numbers can be viewed in an online summary. TOP 10 EMPLOYERS OF CALS UNDERGRADUATES Mike Gaul, director of CALS Career Services, says the top 10 employers of CALS bachelor's degree recipients from 2011-2012 are: 1) DuPont Pioneer with 21 employed; 2) ISU, 19; 3) USDA (includes ARS, NADC, NRCS and NVSL), 17; 4) Monsanto Company and Syngenta, tied with 12; 6) Cargill, 11; 7) Iowa DNR, 9; 8) Eurofins Scientific, 7; and 9) AgReliant Genetics and John Deere, tied with 6. ENTOMOLOGISTS RECEIVE CORN ROOTWORM RESEARCH GRANTS Monsanto Company has announced that six recipients will be awarded research grants as part of the Corn Rootworm Knowledge Research Program, including Bryony Bonning and Aaron Gassmann, entomology. The program was established to provide merit-based awards for outstanding research projects that address specific aspects of corn rootworm biology, genomics and management issues. USDA SCIENTIST TO GIVE STANIFORTH MEMORIAL LECTURE, MARCH 5 The 2013 David W. Staniforth Memorial Lecture will be Tuesday, March 5, at 4:10 p.m. in Room 2050 Agronomy Hall. Frank Forcella, a research agronomist with the USDA-ARS, North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory in Morris, Minn., will present "Weeds, Crops and Health." A reception will immediately follow the lecture in the Agronomy Commons. More: http://www.event.iastate.edu/event/30091/?s=d&featured=1&sy=2013&sm=03&… EPA REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR TO SPEAK AT ISU, MARCH 5 Karl Brooks, regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 7, will speak about nonpoint source pollution on Tuesday, March 5, at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Brooks will discuss collaborative efforts of the EPA, Iowa farmers, state agencies and ISU to address water quality concerns related to agriculture. The lecture is co-sponsored by CALS. Two student meetings have been scheduled as well. Brooks will meet with undergraduate students on March 5 at 10 to 10:50 a.m. in 3022 Agronomy Hall, for an informal conversation about careers in the environment and the role of professional development in achieving career goals. He will meet with graduate students from 11 to 11:50 a.m. in 3022 Agronomy Hall to discuss topics such as Iowa's Nutrient Reduction Strategy, environmental issues and their research projects. Seating is limited. Contact Carla Persaud (cpersaud@iastate.edu) by the end of the day today, March 4, for availability. PENN STATE CLIMATOLOGIST TO SPEAK ON "CLIMATE WARS," MARCH 7 A climate scientist at the center of global warming research and subsequent political backlash will speak at ISU on Thursday, March 7, at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Michael Mann, director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center, will speak on "The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars." The Agronomy Department is a co-sponsor of the lecture. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2013/03/01/lecturesmann "COMING INTO YOUR OWN": CALS ALUMNI OF EXCELLENCE, MARCH 8 Nancy Irlbeck, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University, will offer a CALS Alumni of Excellence Series presentation on Friday, March 8, at 9 a.m. in 1204 Kildee Hall (Ensminger Room). Her lecture, "Coming into Your Own," will focus on students and inspiring them to grow into leaders in agriculture. Students are welcome to attend. Irlbeck is an animal nutritionist by training. She received a bachelor's degree in animal science and a master's degree in animal nutrition from ISU, and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. More: http://www.event.iastate.edu/event/30157/?sy=2013&sm=03&sd=08&featured=… PROFESSORS CAN STREAM NOBEL PEACE PRIZE PANEL INTO CLASSROOMS The 25th Annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum will take place in Minneapolis on March 8-10. If professors or clubs would like to have the "Food Security = World Security" panel on March 8, 1:30 to 3 p.m., streamed into classrooms, contact Mike Gaul (mikegaul@iastate.edu) or Ron Deiter (rdeiter@iastate.edu). The panel is scheduled to be video streamed into 13 Curtiss Hall and is open to students and faculty to attend. This international event will bring together business, civic and thought leaders to address the global issues of food security and its direct relationship to world security. More: http://nobelpeaceprizeforum.org/ CIAG SPRING SYMPOSIUM TO BE HELD MARCH 27 The Center for Integrated Animal Genomics Spring Symposium will be held March 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in 1204 Kildee Hall (Ensminger Room). Trudy Mackay, North Carolina State University, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and keynote speaker for the symposium, will discuss "Charting the Genotype-Phenotype Map: Lessons from Drosophila." Registration is free but required. Registration deadline is March 15. DELEGATION ATTENDS CARET MEETING IN WASHINGTON, D.C. Members of Iowa State's delegation at the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching meetings met last week in Washington, D.C. with Iowa's elected officials and with congressional agricultural staff. Iowa's CARET representatives, Sally Stutsman, Don Latham and Bob Petrzelka, participated with Dean Wendy Wintersteen, Cathann Kress, vice president of Extension and Outreach, and Mark Settle, Iowa Association of County Extension Councils. CARET is a national grassroots organization created in 1982 by the Division of Agriculture, which is part of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. CARET's mission is to enhance national support and understanding of the land-grant university system's food and agricultural research, extension and teaching programs to achieve a better standard of living for all people. They handed out a report prepared by the College and Extension, which is available online. CONFERENCE ON COOPERATIVES ENHANCES STUDENT LEARNING Four ISU students enrolled in Economics 322/Cooperatives attended a recent conference on cooperatives in Minneapolis sponsored by the National Farmers Union. They joined more than 100 students from 16 states and Canada at a conference designed to bring cooperative education to life for the participants. More: http://www.econ.iastate.edu/about-department/announce/news/09-2013-conf… USDA EMPLOYEES HEAR THE STORY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER On March 1, in celebration of National African-American History Month, the Ames Area Civil Rights Advisory Committee sponsored two performances of "Listening to the Still Small Voice: The Story of George Washington Carver," by Paxton Williams. Two performances were given, allowing nearly 250 USDA-ARS employees to attend. The morning performance was held at the National Swine Research and Information Center and the afternoon performance at the National Center for Animal Health. Williams in an ISU alumnus and former director of the George Washington Carver Birthplace Association. DEADLINES AND REMINDERS April 4-5: Heat Stress Symposium April 24: Seed Science Center Symposium, Gateway Conference Center, http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/bigmap/home.html April 25: U.S.-China Trade Commission Hearing ................................................... FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ................................................... IMPACT OF FY 2013 SEQUESTRATION ORDER ON NSF AWARDS ? As a result of the sequestration order issued by President Obama on March 1, the FY 2013 appropriations of the National Science Foundation (NSF) will be reduced by 5 percent. NSF will use three core principles to guide sequestration planning activities: protect commitments to NSF's core mission and maintain existing awards, protect the NSF workforce, and protect STEM human capital development programs. The major impact of sequestration will be a reduction in the number of new research grants and cooperative agreements awarded in FY 2013, estimated at approximately 1,000 fewer new awards. All continuing grant increments in FY 2013 will be awarded, as scheduled, and there will be no impact on existing NSF standard grants. The same intent applies to annual increments for cooperative agreements, though overall funding constraints may require reductions to certain major investments. These will be handled on a case-by-case basis. More PUBLICATION SUBVENTION GRANT PROPOSALS DUE APRIL 8 Grants are available to support low-volume publication of the scholarly writings and other worthy productions of faculty and staff, as well as selected manuscripts by others whose manuscripts deal with topics related to the State of Iowa and the surrounding region. Any full-time faculty member or P&S staff member at the rank of P37 or above may apply for the program through his/her academic unit. Individual grants cannot exceed $20,000. Applications are due in PDF format to Gaye Simonson (gmsimon@iastate.edu) by April 8. NSF FASTLANE TO BEGIN AUTOMATED COMPLIANCE CHECKING Beginning March 18, the National Science Foundation will enhance the FastLane System for submitting proposals to begin automated compliance checking for all required sections of full proposals. The system enhancement will bring NSF systems in line with proposal preparation requirements outlined in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. FastLane will check to ensure whether a required section is included and will prevent submission of a proposal with any missing sections to NSF. The system will not check formatting, page length or content requirements. The one exception is the Project Summary, for which page length will be checked. More: http://goo.gl/odz3S 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/ March 19 (notice of intent): USDA NIFA Extension Integrated Pest Management Coordination and Support Program; some limited submission requirements. May 22: NSF Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education in Engineering; limited submission requirements, 10 awards, $200,000 for two years. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13656 April 1: USDA NIFA Special Research Grants Program "“ Pest Management Alternatives; six to eight awards, $200,000 each. April 2: USDA NIFA Minor Crop Pest Management Program Interregional Research Project #4; one IR-4 headquarters grant and four regional IR-4 center grants. April 8 (notice of intent): NASA Opportunities in Education and Public Outreach for Earth and Space Science; $100,000 per year over three years. More: http://goo.gl/9WzaM May 3: USDA NRCS FY 2013 Iowa Conservation Innovation Grant Program; 10 awards, 50 percent cost-share. June 2 (letter of intent): NIH Partnerships for Biodefense (R01); 10 to 15 awards, $750,000 direct costs per year for five years, plus $300,000 for major equipment for first year. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-13-013.html June 25: EPA Science for Sustainable and Healthy Tribes; five regular awards $920,000 each, two early career awards $700,000 each. July 17: NIH Genomes to Natural Products (U01); three awards, $2,250,000 per year for five years. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-GM-14-002.html Aug. 28: NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates; 1,800 awards, REU Site awards typically $75,000 over three years. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517 ................................................... COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK ................................................... INDIRECT QUESTIONS AND REQUESTS DO NOT REQUIRE A QUESTION MARK An indirect question never takes a question mark. (He wondered whether it was worth the risk.) When a question within a sentence consists of a single word, such as who, when, how or why, a question mark may be omitted. (She asked herself why.) A request disguised as a question does not require a question mark. Such formulations can usually be reduced to the imperative. (Would you kindly respond by March 1. Please respond by March 1.) The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed., 2010 ................................................... INFOGRAZING ................................................... BAYER BEE CARE TOUR BUZZES INTO IOWA, MARCH 28 In an effort to foster education and collaboration, the Bayer Bee Care Program will travel to ISU on March 28 as it continues its Bee Care Tour throughout the Midwest. Held at Reiman Gardens, the event will bring together leading researchers and beekeepers to promote science-based solutions aimed at improving honeybee health. The event will arm attendees with top stewardship practices and will host a panel presentation of Iowa State and area expert speakers. More: https://connect.bayercropscience.us/2013/02/27/bayer-bee-care-tour-laun… LEATH TO SPEAK AT PARTNERING FOR GROWTH FORUM, MARCH 27-28 The Iowa Biotech Association and the Iowa Innovation Corporation will hold the second Partnering for Growth Forum March 27-28 at the FFA Enrichment Center on the DMACC Campus in Ankeny. This year's forum will address multiple biotech industries, including food and agriculture, industrial and environmental, and healthcare and pharmaceutical. ISU President Steven Leath will be speaking. REGISTRATION OPEN FOR P&S CONFERENCE ON APRIL 2 The P&S Professional Development Conference will be held April 2 at the Scheman Building. The theme of this year's conference is "Navigating the High C's" (conference, coursework, community, coaching and continuing education). More: http://www.pscouncil.iastate.edu/ WEBINAR TO DISCUSS BIOCONTROL TO IMPROVE SOYBEAN YIELDS The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development is hosting a webinar on "Farm-Based Biocontrol Seed Treatments for Improving Soybean Yields" on March 28 at 12 p.m. Brian McSpadden Gardener, Ohio State University, will describe an inexpensive and organically acceptable formulation of a widely-distributed biocontrol bacteria for use as a yield-enhancing seed treatment on soybeans. APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR IOWA ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS Organizations that have made a commitment to protect Iowa's natural resources are encouraged to apply for the Governor's Iowa Environmental Excellence Awards. These awards recognize leadership and innovation in the protection of Iowa's water, land and air. In addition to the Overall Environmental Excellence Award, other awards are made in the categories of air quality; energy efficiency/renewable energy; habitat restoration; waste management; water quality, and environmental education. Applications must be submitted by April 12. ................................................... INTERNAL VOICES ................................................... SCHULTE MOORE: PLANT AN OAK TREE In an article written for the Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, Lisa Schulte Moore, natural resource ecology and management, discussed the foundational role of oak trees in landscapes. "Plant an oak tree and watch it grow. Take time to stop and listen to the wind in its leaves, birds building nests in its branches and squirrels scurrying to collect its acorns. Embrace the annual cycles of the sap run, flowering, leaf out, growth, seed set and leaf off. A simple, but boundless beauty. A service to society. A service to you." ................................................... MARGINALIA ................................................... "LOCALLY GROWN" GETS TRICKY IN THE COLD What does "locally grown" mean in the dead of winter in northern climates? In some restaurant kitchens, it means a larder full of root vegetables, grains, dried beans and cellared fruits, as well as a lot of curing, pickling and preserving. Other restaurants turn to greenhouses or new vegetable hybrids. More: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/dining/winter-poses-challenges-for-ch… ........................................................ 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.