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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
July 21, 2014 No. 808
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COLLEGE NEWS
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IOWA STATE-GROWN PRODUCE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
ISU faculty, staff and students for the first time can order fruits and vegetables grown on the Horticulture Research Station near Gilbert. A website (www.foodlo.cals.iastate.edu), created by the Horticulture 465 class Horticulture Enterprise Management is available to order the produce. Campus delivery on Fridays starts this week. Cabbage, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi and beets are for sale now, with other produce expected in the coming weeks.
DISCUSSION SESSIONS FOR OBESITY RESEARCH BEGIN THIS WEEK
Discussion sessions have been scheduled for anyone interested in obesity research to facilitate interactions and assist faculty in connecting with potential research collaborations and grant development teams. Attendees will have the opportunity to provide an informal five-minute synopsis of their research area and/or interest with time for interaction and discussion. Sessions are Wednesday, July 23, and Aug. 6, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in 142 Curtiss Hall, and Aug. 20, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (lunch provided) in 142 Curtiss Hall. For more information contact Ruth MacDonald, ruthmacd@iastate.edu, 4-5991.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS FLOATING WORLD ART PIECE IN BIORENEWABLES COMPLEX
Inspired by Grant Wood and Japanese woodblock prints, Ralph Helmick, an artist from the Boston area designed and installed a piece titled “Floating World” in the Biorenewables Complex. The piece is located in the new Sukup Hall and atrium area on the west side of campus. The piece consists of 14 steel scrim panels that weigh around 3,000 pounds. The installation is part of the Iowa Art in State Buildings Program. To view the video go to: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/features/2014/floating-world-installation-b...
REGISTER TO ATTEND OR VOLUNTEER AT THE ANNUAL CALS BBQ AUG. 30
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will host its annual CALS (Breakfast) BBQ Aug. 30, from 8-10:30 a.m. prior to the ISU vs. North Dakota State University football game (at 11 a.m.). Volunteer opportunities also are available to help welcome CALS alumni and friends, including: set-up (7-8 a.m.); registration (7:30-10 a.m.); greeting (7:30-10 a.m.); and beverage service (8-10:30 a.m.). Anyone interested in volunteering may contact Haley Cook, at hcook@iastate.edu, indicating the volunteer opportunity you would like to assist with. Please e-mail her by Aug. 18th. CALS faculty/staff and guests are welcome to attend the event by registering at https://isucals.typeform.com/to/EaQMP5.
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE FIELD DAY, AUG. 11
The 2014 Fruit and Vegetable Field Day Aug. 11 will cover topics for fruit and vegetable farmers at the Horticulture Research Station. "The field day is geared toward commercial production, but the event also would be helpful to small-scale growers, master gardeners and homeowners who are interested in enhancing their production skills and diversifying their gardens and acreages,” said Ajay Nair, ISU Extension and Outreach vegetable specialist. Online registration closes Aug. 4 at: http://www.aep.iastate.edu/hort/.
JUNE BROUGHT ABUNDANCE OF RAIN TO RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATION FARMS
The rain gauges overflowed on Research and Demonstration Farms in June. The Horticulture Research Station, near Gilbert, tallied the greatest rainfall of all the farms last month with 12.73 inches, five inches coming on June 30. After two years of drought, the lake at the Hort Station is full. The central Iowa farms, south of Ames, picked up 11.45 inches. Typically central Iowa gets 4.8 inches of rain in an average June. The McNay farm, near Chariton, was on the low end of the rain with 6.43 inches. The Demonstration Home Garden field day at Rock Rapids had to be cancelled due to flooding.
ODOR AND AIR QUALITY RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROJECTS REVIEWED
A summary of recent Iowa State research and extension on odor and air quality issues in animal agriculture is the new issue on the CALS home page. The projects include several faculty and staff from agricultural biosystems and engineering and agronomy. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/content/selected-current-isu-livestock-odor...
GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY TOPIC OF SEMINAR, JULY 23
Ruben Echeverria, director general of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), will present a seminar "ISU and CIAT, a potential great partnership for global food security" from 12 to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23, in Room 191 Seed Science Center. Echeverria will discuss strategies to promote agricultural research for development collaboration between ISU and the CGIAR Consortium, particularly CIAT.
CHINESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO VISIT MUSCATINE ISLAND RESEARCH FARM
The Muscatine Island Research Farm in Fruitland will host 12 Chinese high school students on Wednesday, July 23, as part of the Rivers As Bridges cultural exchange program, which seeks to connect people of the Mississippi and the Yangtze River regions. Rivers as Bridges supports peace and collaboration between China and the United States by celebrating culture, conservation and commerce in sustainable river systems and communities. More: http://riversasbridges.org
ISU ENTOMOLOGISTS WARN TRAVELERS ABOUT MOSQUITO VIRUS
The two mosquito species known to transit Chikungunya virus are exceedingly rare in Iowa, but travelers should still pay attention to new reports of disease outbreaks, according to ISU entomologists Lyric Bartholomay and Brendan Dunphy. The first locally acquired cases of the virus in the U.S. were confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/07/18/chikungunya
DONALD VOELKER, EMERITUS PROFESSOR IN ANIMAL SCIENCE, DIES
Professor Emeritus Donald Voelker, animal science, died July 18, at the Israel Family Hospice House. He was 93. Funeral services will be 11 a.m., Tuesday, July 22, at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Ames. Burial will follow at the Iowa State University Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. today, July 21, at Adams Funeral Home in Ames. Voelker earned a master’s in dairy science in 1950 and a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education in 1943 from Iowa State. He worked as a extension dairy specialist starting in 1951 until he retired in 1984. More: http://amestrib.com/obituaries/donald-edward-voelker-march-1-1921-july-1...
IOWA'S SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE MEETS WITH CARVER INTERNS
On July 11, Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey visited Curtiss Hall to talk with the George Washington Carver interns on campus for the summer. He discussed the importance of the agricultural industry and the opportunities available to those entering the agricultural world. He also highlighted the role that George Washington Carver played as a mentor and role model to students during his time at Iowa State. Northey talked with the interns afterwards to answer questions they had about Iowa agriculture or the industry in general.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
July 23, 6 p.m., Demonstration Home Garden Field Day, Horticulture Research Station, near Ames, http://www.ag.iastate.edu/farms/fielddays.php
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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USDA LISTENING SESSION: NIFA IMPLEMENTATION OF CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE
Based on language in the 2014 Farm Bill, USDA is seeking input from the public and applicants to any of NIFA’s competitive grant programs on how NIFA will provide priority to Centers of Excellence in the receipt of funding from its competitive research or extension grant programs. NIFA will hold the second of two web-based listening sessions to gather stakeholder input that will be used in developing a process for consistently providing priority consideration to these Centers of Excellence. The listening session will be held on July 31 from noon to 2:00 p.m. and stakeholders can join at http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/frnce/. The Centers of Excellence language in the 2014 Farm Bill is posted at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/about/offices/legis/farm_bill_2014_ex_prov.html
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/
Aug. 15: USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (SNAP & EFNEP): Regional Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention. More: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/regionalcentersofexcellence.cfm
Sept. 2: EPA Training and Technical Assistance to Improve Water Quality and Enable Small Public Water Systems to Provide Safe Drinking Water; $1.2 million to $8 million. More: http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/sdwa/smallsystemsrfa.cfm
Sept. 4 (Step 1 Proposal): NASA Human Exploration Research Opportunities (HERO)-2014. More: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init...{3ECC0A86-6C9E-AC76-804C-025A7396B161}&path=open
Sept. 5 (letter of intent): NIH High Throughput Screening (HTS) to Discover Chemical Probes (R01). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-284.html
Sept. 11: EPA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I; must be submitted by small business concern. More: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=b04477b3c2e0fb03bfa...
Sept. 16 (letter of intent): NIH High Throughput Screening (HTS) to Discover Chemical Probes (R21). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-283.html
Oct. 20 (letter of intent): NIH Immunobiology of Xenotransplantation. More: (U01) http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-14-048.html; (U19) http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-14-047.html
Oct. 21: NIH NINDS CREATE Bio Discovery Track: Optimization in Preparation for Development of Biotechnology Products and Biologics (U44); must be submitted by U.S. small business concern. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-287.html
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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SPOTS STILL OPEN FOR VOLUNTEERING AT THE IOWA STATE FAIR
There are still open shifts for volunteering at the university’s Iowa State Fair exhibit. The exhibit theme is "Adventurous Iowa Staters Making Iowa Greater," and visitors will see testimonials from alumni about how they are making Iowa greater. All 97,002 living graduates in Iowa will have their names posted on a dramatic wall and the alumni association is inviting graduates to come to the fair and pick out their name. The fair is Aug. 7-17 and second shifts are still available, 2:45 p.m. through 9 p.m. You'll get free admission, free parking, a bottle of water and a commemorative t-shirt to wear during your shift. You can sign up online at: http://marketing.iastate.edu/2014-state-fair-exhibit-volunteer-sign-up/
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INFOGRAZING
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FORMER PROFESSOR JOINS NIFA’S INSTITUTE OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND SUSTAINABILITY
Parag Chitnis, former professor in the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, was selected as the deputy director of NIFA’s Institute of Food Production and Sustainability (IFPS). Chitnis joins NIFA from the National Science Foundation (NSF) – Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, where he served as division director, deputy division director and program director. More: http://nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/newsletters/update14/7_17_14.html#nifa
VIDEOS ENCOURAGE SECURE EMAILING
A series of training videos with Information Technology Services’ information on how to detect fraudulent email and website scams can be viewed at http://www.inside.iastate.edu/article/2014/07/17/spam. It may save you from having to do onsite training with an expert after your email has been suspended because of a fraudulent email and website scam.
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INTERNAL VOICES
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SCHNABLE: GENOME SEQUENCE NEEDED TO IMPROVE CROPS
Scientists announced Thursday that they are more than halfway to mapping the genome sequence to wheat. In an article in the July 17 issue of The Washington Post, Patrick Schnable, agronomy and director of the Plant Sciences Institute, said “Human civilization rests on a small handful of crops, all of which were developed with much more stable weather conditions than we see now. In a world with climate change, we need to help those crops adapt quickly.” And to do that, he said, one needs the genome sequence. Schnable worked on the genome sequencing of corn. More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/scientists-unlock-...
LAWRENCE: IOWA RETAINS LEAD AS TOP HOG STATE
Iowa’s dominance when it comes to raising hogs remains unchallenged, said John Lawrence, CALS associate dean and Extension and Outreach director of agriculture and natural resources, in an article for the July 11 issue of Iowa Farmer Today. “There are 38,000 jobs directly tied to pork production and 21,000 indirect and induced jobs. That is a $10.7 billion total economic activity,” Lawrence said. More: http://www.iowafarmertoday.com/news/livestock/iowa-retains-lead-as-top-h...
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MARGINALIA
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NEW PLAY DRAMATIZES ON FARMLAND SUCCESSION ISSUES
Families dealing with farmland tenure issues is the subject of a new play, written by Mary Swander, Iowa State English distinguished professor. Her one-woman play “Map of My Kingdom” debuted July 12 in North Liberty. According to an article in the Des Moines Register, “Practical Farmers of Iowa commissioned Iowa’s poet laureate to write the play as a way to get people talking about one of the state’s most pressing and often divisive issues.” A performance is scheduled in Ames for Jan. 23. More: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entertainment/arts/arts-in-iowa/2...
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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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