...................................................
AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
...................................................
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Newsletter
Iowa State University
Oct. 20, 2014 No. 821
...................................................
COLLEGE NEWS
...................................................
CALS CAREER DAY DRAWS 2,600 STUDENTS
Mike Gaul, director of CALS career services, reports that 269 companies (a 20 percent increase from 2013) were represented at this year’s career fair, held last Tuesday, Oct. 14. There were 2,651 student visitors representing 79 ISU majors and 16 other schools. There were 76 interview schedules and 799 individual interviews on Wednesday and a total of 1,043 individual interviews by the end of the week. In addition, approximately 40 recruiters joined faculty and staff for a reception in the Harl Commons after Career Day on Tuesday.
RESULTS OF BORLAUG STUDENT POSTER COMPETITION
ISU graduate and undergraduate students participated in the 13th annual Norman Borlaug Poster Competition on Oct. 13. Congratulations to graduate student winners Sharon Tusiime (horticulture), Zi Xu (food science and human nutrition) and Gar Yee Koh (food science and human nutrition), as well as the undergraduate student winners Celize Christy (animal science), Malcolm Smith (global resource systems) and Cameron Hall (global resource systems). More: https://www.facebook.com/IowaStateUFoodSciandHumNutr
TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR ISU BACON EXPO
The second annual ISU Bacon Expo is scheduled for Nov. 8, 1 to 5 p.m., at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center. The event celebrates bacon and hopes to educate the public on the importance of agricultural education. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/bacon-expo-tickets-sale-oct-10
CHANGE AGENT: XIN USES SCIENCE TO CHANGE THE WORLD
For the director of the Egg Industry Center at ISU, science and agriculture have no borders. A childhood of hard work and scarcity on a rural Chinese farm inspired Hongwei Xin to devote his career to making life better for farmers the world over. Xin, agricultural and biosystems engineering, is a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences and holds the Iowa Egg Council Endowed Professorship. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/10/15/caxin
TURF MANAGEMENT STUDENTS TO PREPARE WEMBLEY FIELD IN LONDON
Turf management graduates students Kevin Hansen and Joshua Lenz will spend 12 days in London preparing the field of Wembley Stadium for games in the NFL International Series. They were contacted by turf managers they had worked with during internships at the Super Bowl. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/10/13/turf-london
GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER BILLBOARD NOW ON HIGHWAY 30
To commemorate the 150th birth year of George Washington Carver, a billboard has been installed on the south side of Highway 30 just east of the University Avenue exit. The billboard was installed Friday and will remain up until early January. The billboard is one of several activities held during 2014 to honor Carver for his scientific discoveries and achievements. Carver was the first African American to enroll at Iowa State in 1891, he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1894, his master’s in 1896 and then became the first African American faculty member at Iowa State. Carver went on to become a brilliant scientist and educator at the Tuskegee Institute. His life and teachings continue to inspire millions. You can also listen to students and faculty about how he influenced their lives at https://www.cals.iastate.edu/features/2014/reflecting-george-washington-...
OCT. 23 SEMINAR ADDRESSES FISH FARMING IN POOR COUNTRIES
The fall 2014 seminar series, “Feeding the World: Are We Making Progress,” continues Thursday, Oct. 23, at 3:40 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee Hall. Shivaun Leonard, U.S. Agency for International Development, will present “Fish Farming in Poor Countries: Problems Small-Scale and Subsistence Farmers Face to Grow a Fish.” 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. More: http://www.global.ag.iastate.edu/Fall2014Seminars.html
PHENOMICS WORKSHOP SERIES CONTINUES OCT. 24
The Plant Sciences Institute weekly interdisciplinary phenomics workshop series continues Friday, Oct. 24, 12 to 2 p.m. in 3140 Agronomy. The goal is to promote interaction among faculty in diverse disciplines and help forge new collaborations that will lead to the submission of successful grant proposals, ground-breaking research and the formation of new companies. More: http://plantsciences.iastate.edu/news__events/iences.iastate.edu/news__e...
FARMERS SHARE ENTREPRENEURIAL LESSONS AT ISU EVENT
The ISU Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative hosted its third annual Farmer Entrepreneur Panel on Sept. 17. Students asked farmers about the opportunities and challenges of entering the farming industry. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/farmers-share-entrepreneurial...
ENTOMOLOGIST SHARES FRUIT FLY ADVICE IN TIME MAGAZINE
In an article for the Oct. 15 issue of Time, Gregory Courtney, entomology, explained that if your fruit isn’t overripe or rotting, fruit fly larvae and their proud parents haven’t yet burrowed their way deep inside your apples or pears. They’re just hanging out around the surface of your produce, waiting for the juices inside to start fermenting. Washing produce rinses away the eggs before they’ve hatched, as long as the fruit is ripe and fresh. More: http://time.com/3506808/how-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies/
ISU’s CORN STOVER TRAINING PAYING OFF
In the cornfields of central Iowa, employees of newly-created, small, local businesses are preparing and collecting corn stover – the stalks, leaves and cobs left after grain harvest – as feedstock for the DuPont Biofuels Solutions cellulosic ethanol facility in Nevada, Iowa, which is expected to launch production this fall. The corn stover harvesters were trained by and have access to support from ISU researchers, who continue to work to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Matthew Darr, agricultural and biosystems engineering, leads the ISU corn stover supply chain research team. More: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/isu-corn-stover-training-payi...
FALL ISSUE OF IOWA SEED & BIOSAFETY AVAILABLE ONLINE
The fall 2014 issue of “Iowa Seed & Biosafety,” the newsletter of the Seed Science Center and Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products, is now available online. More: http://www.seeds.iastate.edu/images/fall2014.pdf
LEOPOLD CENTER RELEASES 11 RESEARCH REPORTS
The Leopold Center has released research reports for 11 projects that recently completed their work. Each project has a one-page brief and multi-page summary featuring key questions, what has been learned, funds leveraged and impacts. More: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/10-13-2014/eleven-new-leopold-center...
SCOUTPRO NAMED SEMI-FINALIST IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHALLENGE
ScoutPro, founded in 2011 by students in a CALS agricultural entrepreneurship course, was named one of 10 national semi-finalists in the first Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge. ScoutPro sells a tablet app that provides a comprehensive approach to corn and soybean scouting, management and recordkeeping. Michael Koenig (’12 Agriculture and Life Sciences Education) is CEO of ScoutPro, based in Lone Tree, Iowa. The Rural Entrepreneurship Initiative is a joint program of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business Global Social Enterprise Initiative and the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative’s StartupHoyas. More: http://www.fb.org/index.php?action=newsroom.news_article&id=176
PESEK RECEIVES AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRONOMY PRESIDENTIAL AWARD
John Pesek, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Emeritus Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences, was presented with the American Society of Agronomy Presidential Award on campus on Oct. 15. The ceremony also included the unveiling of a portrait in his honor that will hang in the second floor of Agronomy Hall. More: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.892089774165121.1073741890.162...
HORTICULTURE CLUB WINS SECOND OVERALL AT REGIONAL COMPETITION
The ISU Horticulture Club placed second overall at the annual Mid American Collegiate Horticultural Society meeting Oct. 3 in Fargo, N.D. Lucas Roberts, sophomore in agronomy, placed first in herbaceous plant identification; Marcus Jansen, freshman in horticulture, placed first in plant judging; and Brandon Miller, senior in horticulture and agronomy, placed first in woody plant identification and overall individual score.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
Nov. 19: General Sekouba Konate, former transition president of Guinea, to speak at ISU, 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. More: http://www.lectures.iastate.edu/lecture/34170
...................................................
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
...................................................
INTERNAL COMPETITION: NSF MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAM
The NSF Major Research Instrumentation program provides opportunities to acquire major instrumentation to support research and research training goals and may be used by other researchers regionally or nationally. The VPR’s office has issued an internal competition for this limited submission opportunity. Submissions are limited to three per institution. Pre-proposals should be sent to Joe Colletti (colletti@iastate.edu) by Nov. 3. Contact: Sue Shipitalo (sueship@iastate.edu). More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15504/nsf15504.htm
BIG 12 FACULTY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
ISU collaborates in the Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Program to stimulate scholarly initiatives among the Big 12 universities. The program awards funds of up to $2,500 each for faculty members to travel to member institutions to exchange ideas and research. Eligible faculty are those who are tenured, tenure-track, adjunct faculty who have been in their positions for at least six years, senior clinicians or senior lecturers. The remaining deadlines for FY2014-15 are Jan. 16 and April 3. More: http://www.provost.iastate.edu/help/professional-development/big-12-facu...
INTERNAL COMPETITION: POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS PROGRAM
The Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellows Award is intended to support postdoctoral scholars in chemistry and the life sciences, and to assist in their transition to an independent, tenure-track position. Pre-proposals should be sent to Sue Shipitalo (sueship@iastate.edu) by Oct 30. More: http://beckman-foundation.com/aob-postdoc-program-overview
NIH WEBINARS PROVIDE INSIGHTS ON SUBMISSION AND PEER REVIEW
The NIH Center for Scientific Review will host four Meet the Experts in NIH Peer Review Webinars in November. A webinar focusing on Research Project Grants (R01) will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Nov. 10. The other three webinars will cover R15, SBIR/STTR and Fellowship Awards. Register by Oct. 28. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-15-002.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/
Dec. 1 (concept papers): Gerber Foundation – Pediatric Nutrition Grants; $300,000. More: http://www.gerberfoundation.org/pd-research/research-awards/concept-pape...
Dec. 31: East-West Center, Honolulu – POSCO Visiting Fellowship Program; policy topics relating to South Korea. More: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/research/visiting-fellow-programs/posco-vi...
Jan. 14: NSF USDA, NASA, NIH, DOD/DARPA National Robotics Initiative - The Realization of Co-robots Acting In Direct Support of Individuals and Groups. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503641
Jan. 23 (pre-proposal): NSF Long Term Research in Environmental Biology; $450,000 over five years. More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15503/nsf15503.htm?WT.mc_ev=click
Jan. 12: International Institute for Applied Systems NAS Young Scientists Program. More: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/web/home/education/yssp/Apply/ConditionsEligibili...
Jan. 23 (pre-proposal): NSF Division of Environmental Biology (Core Programs). More: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15500/nsf15500.pdf
Jan. 25: NIH Animal and Biological Material Resource Centers (P40). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-001.html
Feb. 12: NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-14-042.html
Feb. 17 (letter of intent): NIH Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics Approaches for Nutrition Research (R01). More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-13-375.html
Apr. 1: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. More: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/web/home/education/postdocs.html
May 22: NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates. More: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517
...................................................
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
...................................................
TIPS FOR A VIDEO INTERVIEW
At a CASE Multimedia Workshop in Washington, D.C., Megan Donald, multimedia web producer at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, shared the following video interview tips:
- Be sure to have the interviewee say and spell his or her name and title once you start recording.
- Ask the interviewee to use the question in his or her answer and to be as concise as possible.
- Keep eye contact with and give encouraging non-verbal affirmation to the interviewee.
- Ask questions that require explanation. Listen carefully and follow up with unscripted questions.
- Wrap up an interview with the question, “What have I not asked you that you’d like to tell me?”
...................................................
INTERNAL VOICES
...................................................
MASINDE: ISU PLAYING INSPIRING ROLE IN UGANDA
Dorothy Masinde explained the inspiring role that ISU is playing in impoverished areas of Uganda in an opinion piece for the Oct. 13 issue of The Des Moines Register. For the past decade, the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods at ISU has worked with numerous local partners in Uganda to train an army of change agents in Kamuli. “We have been equipping the young and old with the skills to improve their lives through agriculture, nutrition, education and sanitation,” said Masinde. She is associate director of nutrition education programs for the CSRL. More: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2014...
COOPER: KEEPING THE SPIRIT OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER ALIVE
Theressa Cooper, CALS assistant dean for diversity, talks about the college’s George Washington Carver Summer Research Internship Program in the Summer/Fall 2014 issue of “The Legislator,” a publication of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. “The Carver program exposes young people to incredibly diverse research experiences in multiple disciplines and interdisciplinary fields,” Cooper said. “The Carver interns conduct lab and field research under a faculty director and take part in professional development activities. At the end of the summer, the interns give a formal research presentation and participate in an all-university student research poster session.” More: http://thelegislator.org/index.php/perspectives/item/43-continuing-the-l...
...................................................
EXTERNAL VOICES
...................................................
CARGILL SALES LEADER: ISU STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE LEADERSHIP
Kent Krager, national sales leader for Cargill, spoke with WHO TV at the CALS Career Fair on Oct. 14, and said they are looking for ag experience, class work, industry experience, and most importantly, “We look for leadership experience…how are they getting involved on campus, what type of situation do they put themselves into, to demonstrate leadership skills, critical thinking skills, conflict resolution. We’ve been here for a number of years,” Krager said. “We just find that the students are well-equipped for the different professions we have at Cargill.” More: http://whotv.com/2014/10/15/ag-career-fair-attracts-hundreds-of-companies/
...................................................
MARGINALIA
...................................................
“LUCKY PIG” AWARDED BEST TENDERLOIN
The Iowa Pork Producers Association honored an Iowa pig farmer and restaurant owner with Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin award for 2014. The Lucky Pig Pub & Grill in Ogden is owned by Craig and Carol Christensen, who also farm and raise hogs near Ogden. More: http://www.iowapork.org/News/4826/TheLuckyPighasIowasBestBreadedPorkTend...
........................................................
AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
........................................................
EDITOR
Julie Stewart
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/agonline
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, title, organization, email address and the message "Ag and Life Sciences Online subscribe" to jstewart@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe, send your name and email address to "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 Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, 3350 Beardshear Hall (515) 294-7612.