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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
September 9, 2013 No. 766
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COLLEGE NEWS
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CALS CONVOCATION TOMORROW, SEPT. 10
The CALS Fall Convocation is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 4:10 p.m. in the Harl Commons in Curtiss Hall. The program will include comments from Dean Wintersteen, recognition of the College’s new faculty and staff since last fall and presentation of the following awards—Dean Lee R. Kolmer Award for Excellence in Applied Research, Rossmann Manatt Faculty Development Award and the Dean’s Citation. A reception will follow.
OUT-OF-STATE CALS STUDENTS INVITED TO BARBECUE, SEPT. 10
Out-of-state CALS students are invited to a barbecue on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. on central campus. The event is hosted by the college Student Services office.
NREM HOLDS NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION CAMP
The Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management developed a New Student Orientation Camp in response to student and faculty requests for a camp experience similar to the Forestry Camps that have been offered to students since the 1930s. NREM’s camp for freshmen and transfer students was held Aug. 22-23 at the 4-H Center located on the Des Moines River south of Boone. Students were offered workshops by NREM faculty including: use of global positioning systems, forests as wildlife habitat, aquatic fauna and flora, reading the landscape, reptiles and amphibians, fish sampling, mist netting for birds and an evening bat walk were bats were identified by their characteristic echolocation signature. Students were treated to plentiful food and S’mores eaten to the accompaniment of a barred owl hooting on the other side of camp. More: Sue Blodgett, 4-1739, sblodg@iastate.edu
CALS WELCOMES GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POST DOCS, SEPT. 18
CALS welcomes new graduate students and new post-doc students at an event Sept. 18 in 224 Curtiss Hall. There will be a brief college presentation from 3:30 to 3:45 p.m. followed by a student panel discussion. Dinner will be provided in Harl Commons, in the lower level of Curtiss Hall, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Students can meet other students, faculty and directors of graduate education. Please RSVP to Ruth MacDonald (ruthmacd@iastate.edu) by Sept. 16.
ISU BACON EXPO TICKETS SOLD OUT
Tickets for the student-powered Bacon Expo went on sale Friday and were sold out by Monday. The family-themed event will be held Oct. 19 at the Iowa State Center Scheman Courtyard from 1 to 5 p.m. A total of 1,200 admission tickets were sold for the first ever Iowa State University Bacon Expo. The goal is to showcase student organizations and educational opportunities in the college. The expo will feature student club exhibits, t-shirt sales, vendor samples and a bacon-eating contest. Entertainment will include local celebrities, culinary arts demonstrations and music. Sponsors for this year’s Bacon Expo include ISU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Elanco and Iowa Select Farms. More: http://www.baconexpo.ag.iastate.edu.
BEATTIE ON USING MICROBIOLOGY TO IMPROVE AGRICULTURE
Gwyn Beattie, plant pathology and microbiology and the Robert Earle Buchanan Distinguished Professor of Bacteriology, was part of a 21-member team organized by the American Academy of Microbiology to come up with a set of recommendations on how advances in microbiology can be harnessed to improve agriculture. The recommendations, published last week, set a goal of increasing yields by 20 percent over the next 20 years by enhancing the use of microbes while reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers by 20 percent. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2013/09/06/plantmicrobes
FEEDING THE WORLD SEMINAR SERIES CONTINUES SEPT. 12
The fall 2013 seminar series, “Feeding the World: Are We Making Progress,” continues Sept. 12 at 3:40 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee Hall. Jay Sehgal, executive vice president of the Sehgal Family Foundation in Des Moines, will present on rural development in India. The annual seminar series is sponsored by the M.E. Ensminger International Chair in Animal Agriculture and the Raymond and Mary Baker Chair in Global Agriculture.
CALS ONLINE COURSE, CERTIFICATE AND PROGRAM INITIATIVE
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, in collaboration with the Brenton Center, invites CALS faculty to submit proposals that further enrich the use of innovative learning technology for online courses, certificates and programs. Particularly preferred are courses designed for large numbers of undergraduate students or the reconstruction of on-campus courses into online courses that helps alleviate space issues or opens the course to off-campus students. Other types of courses will be considered, including upper division undergraduate and graduate courses that may lead to new online certificates or programs. Departments will be required to match $1 for every $2 awarded. Proposals should be submitted to David Acker (dacker@iastate.edu) by Oct. 15.
CALS VOLUNTEERS HELP WITH UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN DAY OF CARING
The 2013 LIVE UNITED annual United Way campaign kickoff began with a breakfast and Day of Caring activities on Sept. 6. This year more than 750 volunteers participated in service projects throughout Story County, which included more than 400 ISU volunteers. CALS volunteers included Peggy Best, Janet Brodie, Roxanne Clemens, Joe Colletti, Theressa Cooper, Cathy Good, Carla Persaud, Michele Rogers and Kathey Schuckert. Barb McBreen, Communications Service, took photos and put together a video slideshow of activities. To view go to: https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWayofStoryCounty
CALS SETS GOAL FOR 2013 UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN
ISU’s 2013 campaign to support the United Way of Story County runs from Sept. 9 to Oct. 31. ISU’s goal is $335,000 and CALS’ goal is $62,500. Watch for information on book sales, the online auction and other special fund raising events sponsored by the college. For more information contact Carla Persaud, 4-1823, cpersaud@iastate.edu.
“WATER ROCKS!” AN AWARD-WINNING CAMPAIGN
Matt Helmers and Ann Staudt, agricultural and biosystems engineering, and Jacqueline Comito, sociology, received a Blue Ribbon award in electronic and web-based delivery of education material from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, for “Rock Your Watershed! A Game of Choice and Chance.” Through classroom visits, interactive website, an award-winning computer game, songs, music videos, dogs, enhanced learning activities, public service ads, teacher/peer mentor workshops and geocaching, Water Rocks! offers an original, light-hearted approach to this vast topic.
ANGUS BULL AT ISU McNAY FARM RANKED #1 FOR MARBLING
ISU’s McNay Memorial Research and Demonstration Farm at Chariton has the number-one Angus bull on the “YoungSires” list, ranked by the American Angus Association by their marbling. McNay’s herd has bulls ranked at one, 22 and 24, with a total of five sires in the top 150. The bulls are the result of ISU’s beef cattle breeding project led by Jim Reecy and Dorian Garrick, animal science. The project pioneered the use of ultrasound to measure marbling in live cattle. The project is now actively evaluating beef cattle to produce healthier beef and is a leader in using sequencing of beef cattle genes as a selection tool. The McNay farm has 400 purebred Angus cows.
LESSONS FROM THE EUROPEAN PORK PRODUCTION COMMUNITY
Campus and field-based faculty and staff from ISU and the Iowa Pork Industry Center will be visiting the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland Sept. 14-25 to learn from producers and veterinarians about the issues they faced in transitioning from stall to group housing. James McKean, IPIC associate director and extension swine veterinarian, said the information will be used to develop tools and programs to help Iowa producers and others as they decide whether or how to make transitions from gestation crates to group housing.
CALS UNDERGRADUATES TO PRESENT IN EDINBURGH
Dylan Clark and Deepak Premkumar will be the only undergraduates presenting at the European Space Agency's Living Planet Symposium in Edinburgh, Sept. 9-13. An estimated 1,700 participants will hear the latest research on Earth’s environment and climate derived from satellite data. Both are seniors in global resource systems from Ames and are featured on the CALS website at www.cals.iastate.edu and on the ISU website at http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2013/09/05/undergradresearchers. The students conducted the research for their presentation, "Geospatial Analysis of Natural Resource Access Influences on Agricultural Practices and Livelihood Wellbeing," in Tanzania the summer following their sophomore year at Iowa State.
PRODUCERS INVITED TO BEEF NUTRITION RESEARCH SHOWCASE, OCT. 3
The Iowa Beef Center and beef nutrition faculty and staff invite producers to a Beef Nutrition Research Showcase on Oct. 3 at the Beef Nutrition farm at the southwest corner of Ames. The showcase will provide research updates and tours, ending at 3 p.m. prior to the ISU football game.
STUDENT ORGANIZATION OPERATES COMMUNITY GARDEN
The Sustainable Agriculture Student Association at ISU operates a community garden to grow produce for Food at First, a local organization that consists of a free meal program and a perishable food pantry (http://foodatfirst.wordpress.com/). On Aug. 18, the SASA hosted the community meal and served 70 diners. The SASA is a student-led organization that works towards promoting sustainable agriculture, consumer education and outreach, and improvement of the current agricultural paradigm. Mary Wiedenhoeft, agronomy, is the faculty advisor.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE ISU RESEARCH FARMS?
Here’s a recent update on activities near Ames and around the state on the ISU Research and Demonstration Farms:
• An agriculture leadership camp will be hosted at the Horticulture Station on Sept. 10 for about 200 high school vocational agriculture students. Presenters will include a number of ISU faculty and staff, and Roger Underwood, a CALS alum.
• Sept. 12 will be the last field day for this fall at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Crawfordsville.
• Surplus machinery and equipment auction for all ISU farms will be held in late November. Contact Tim Goode (trgoode@iastate.edu) with consignments.
SENIOR REVIEWS EXPERIENCE AS BORLAUG-THOMSON INTERN
This summer, Daniel Doeing, a senior in agricultural and life sciences education, helped Iowans remember Norman Borlaug as the 2013 Borlaug-Thomson intern. He lived and worked on the Borlaug farm near Cresco. Doeing’s experience is featured as a banner on the College website’s homepage, written by Christina Riessen, a student worker for CALS communications service. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/features/2013/student-shares-norman-borlaug...
GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER INTERN PROFILES ON WEBSITE
Several George Washington Carver interns were profiled this summer by Danniel Arriaga, a Des Moines high school student who also was an intern. Arriaga worked in the CALS Communications Service, writing news stories and taking pictures of the interns involved in scientific research. The stories are in the features section of the College website at: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/features.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
Sept. 23: Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture, 8 p.m., Memorial Union Great Hall
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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GATES FOUNDATION GRAND CHALLENGES EXPLORATIONS ROUND 12
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is accepting proposals for Round 12 of the Grand Challenges Explorations program, which fosters innovation in global health research. A proposed topic must fit within the goals and disease priorities of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and contain a roadblock where radical, new thinking is needed for the discovery of an effective health solution. Initial grants of $100,000 are awarded two times a year. Successful projects have the opportunity to receive a follow-on grant of up to $1 million. Proposals are due Nov. 12.
INTERNAL COMPETITION: NSF STEP PROGRAM
The NSF Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) seeks to increase the number of students receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Type 1 proposals are solicited that provide for full implementation efforts at academic institutions. An institution that awards baccalaureate degrees is allowed to submit only one Type 1 proposal, or to be part of only one consortium submitting a Type 1 proposal. Type 2 proposals are solicited that support educational research projects on associate or baccalaureate degree attainment in STEM. There are no restrictions on the number of Type 2 proposals that may be submitted. Pre-proposals for Type 1 projects should be sent to Chitra Rajan (rajanc@iastate.edu) by Sept. 23 at 5 p.m.
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/
Oct. 4 (letter of intent): NSF Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers (ADVANCE); some programs limited to one proposal per institution. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5383&WT.mc_ev=click
Oct. 7: ISU Publication Subvention Grants; $20,000 per award.
Nov. 4: NIH Innovative Molecular Analysis Technology Development for Cancer Research and Clinical Care (R43/R44). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-13-327.html
Nov. 14: NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program. More: http://www.northcentralsare.org/Grants/Our-Grant-Programs
Dec. 2: NSF Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I Solicitation FY-2014 (Release 2); PI must be 51 percent employed by the small business. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504961
Dec. 4: NSF Small Business Technology Transfer Program Phase I Solicitation FY-2014 (STTR); at least 40 percent of the research performed by small business concern and 30 percent performed by collaborating research institution. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13598/nsf13598.htm?WT.mc_ev=click
Dec. 6: Discovery Research K-12; $100,000 to $3 million. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=500047
Jan. 17 (pre-proposal): NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Core Programs. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13600/nsf13600.htm?WT.mc_ev=click
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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24 LAZY, MEANINGLESS VERBS TO BAN
“The verb is the powerhouse of your sentence. Choose clear, active verbs instead of throwaway ones,” said Laura Hale Brockway, an Austin-based writer and editor. In a blog on corporate writing, she calls for a ban on 24 verbs and offers alternatives. More: http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/24_lazy_meaningless_verbs_to_ban_4722...
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INFOGRAZING
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ARTWALK FOLLOWS FOOTSTEPS OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER
University Museums is hosting an ArtWalk on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 12 p.m. Take a historic stroll and examine the campus through the lens of one of our most prominent alumni, George Washington Carver. Meet your guide in front of the Sloss Women’s Center, east of the Campanile. More: http://www.event.iastate.edu/event/31005/?sy=2013&sm=09&sd=11&featured=1
RECEPTION FOR SECOND OSPA DIRECTOR CANDIDATE, SEPT. 9
Two candidates have been selected for campus interviews for the position of director of the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration. Informal receptions are planned so that faculty and staff can get to know the candidates. A reception for Valrey Kettner will be held Tuesday, Sept. 3, 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in the Memorial Union Gold Room. A reception for Madison Gray will be held Sept. 9, 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in 3150 Beardshear.
ISU INSTITUTIONAL MEMBER OF FACULTY DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost has announced that ISU has become an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity network. The NCFDD is an online professional development, training and mentoring resource for faculty.
NOMINATION PROCESS OPEN FOR WOMEN IMPACTING ISU CALENDAR
The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics is accepting nominations for the 2014 Women Impacting ISU calendar through Sept. 30. The annual calendar highlights the accomplishments and achievements of 12 women currently on the ISU campus as students, faculty and staff. More
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MARGINALIA
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NREM IMPROVES STUDENT READING ROOM
The Natural Resource Ecology and Management Department has updated a reading room set aside for students to meet, work on projects and study in a quiet, congenial atmosphere. This summer, with help from ISU Librarian Heather Lewin, outdated materials were eliminated, holdings updated and donations made to the ISU library. This resulted in a larger space for student activities. With help from the ISU Library, NREM was able to make an existing resource even better.
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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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EDITOR
Julie Stewart
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/agonline
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