College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Jan. 26, 2015 – No. 833
Top Stories
Research Progress Reported by Iowa Nutrient Research Center
Two sets of progress reports are now available online for research projects funded through the Iowa Nutrient Research Center at ISU. Each project addresses critical needs or gaps in nitrogen and phosphorus research identified in the science assessment that was part of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. More
New CSRL Book Details Using Philanthropy for Development
A new book about the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods offers advice for managing multifaceted, public-private partnerships for development. "Tapping Philanthropy for Development" is co-edited by Lorna Michael Butler, professor emeritus of sociology and anthropology and agricultural and life sciences global fellow at ISU. Chapter authors include: Robert Mazur, CSRL, sociology; Dorothy Masinde, CSRL, global resource systems; Mark Westgate, former CSRL director, agronomy; Max Rothschild, CSRL associate director, Distinguished Professor in agriculture; Gail Nonnecke, University Professor, Morrill Professor, global resource systems; and David Acker, associate dean, academic and global programs. More
Research
Collaborative Research Seeks to Increase Corn Production in Africa
ISU agronomists have begun research to improve the drought tolerance and disease resistance of corn grown by farmers in Tanzania and sub-Saharan Africa. Thomas Lubberstedt and Walter Suza, agronomy, are co-principal investigators on the project supported by USAID's Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative. More
Soil Science Society Features STRIPS Research
The Soil Science Society of America featured an article on STRIPS (science-based trials of rowcrops integrated with prairie strips) research on its website this month. The new study compared the relative contributions of denitrification, organic matter and plants towards removing nitrates from agricultural runoff. Michael Castellano, agronomy, is co-author on the study, recently published online in the Journal of Environmental Quality. More
Teaching and Students
ISU Students Part of Global Challenge to Reduce Food Insecurity
Trey Forsyth, a sophomore in agricultural business and agriculture and society, and Olivia Reicks, a junior in supply change management and business economics, are two of 10 students selected from five universities to be part of the Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge Emerging Leaders for Food Security fellowship. Forsyth’s mentor for this project is Carly Cummings, Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative. Reicks mentor is Kurt Rosentrater, agricultural and biosystems engineering. More
Dairy Judging Team Competes at Southwest Intercollegiate Contest
The Dairy Judging Team placed fourth at the Southwest Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest held Jan. 18 in Fort Worth, Texas. In the Holstein division, Joseph Adams, senior in dairy science, placed fourth and as a team they placed second; in the Jersey division, Adams placed second and as a team they finished third; in the reasons division, the team finished fourth; and Adams finished third overall.
ScoutPro "Classic Example" of Good Idea Becoming a Company
An article in the Jan. 24 issue of The Des Moines Register, describes ScoutPro as a classic example of a good idea finding enough support -- grants, loans, mentoring, even a borrowed truck and trailer and a shared trade-show booth -- to become a company. ScoutPro, founded in 2011 by Michael Koenig, Holden Nyhus and Stuart McCulloh, students in a CALS agricultural entrepreneurship course, sells a tablet app that provides a comprehensive approach to corn and soybean scouting, management and recordkeeping. More
Extension and Outreach
Hart: Iowa's Economy Diversified to Withstand Layoffs
John Deere announced a third round of layoffs on Friday. Although the Deere layoffs are a hit to Iowa's agricultural sector, Chad Hart, economics, said the state's economy is not a "one-trick pony," meaning it's diversified enough to withstand farm industry swings. Some of Iowa's other major industries include non-machinery manufacturing and finance. In an article for the Jan. 23 issue of The Des Moines Register, Hart said "We've got several ways for our economy to grow. When one of those cylinders isn't firing, the others are." More
ISU Extension and Outreach Releases 2014 Annual Report
ISU Extension and Outreach has released its 2014 annual report video, program impacts and financial information for fiscal year 2014. Extension helped farmers and agribusiness professionals make informed decisions in their farming operations and businesses through more than 210,000 learning opportunities. The Beginning Farmer Center, which works with farmers who want to transition their farm business to the next generation and to new people who want to find their place in agriculture, is featured.
Calendar
Jan. 27: Webinar Features Secretary Northey
Iowa Learning Farms begins its fifth year of monthly webinars with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. The webinar will be live on Jan. 27 at 4 p.m.
Jan. 28-29: Iowa Pork Congress
The Iowa Pork Congress will be held Jan. 28-29 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Iowa Pork Industry Center and ISU faculty and staff will be available in booth 1127. Steve Hoff and Dan Anderson, agricultural and biosystems engineering, also will be presenting seminars. More
Jan. 29: Seminar on Increasing Global Food Security
Dirk Maier, director of the USAID Innovation Center for Post Harvest Loss, will speak on “Increasing Global Food Security Through Post-Harvest Loss Reduction” on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 10 a.m. in 106 Seed Science Building. The seminar is sponsored by the Seed Science Center, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineer and the Global Food Security Consortium.
Jan. 30: ANR at Noon Webinar
“How to Help When You Don’t Know What to Say” is the theme of the ANR at Noon webinar on Friday, Jan. 30. Building on the last two webinars which focused on recognizing and managing stress, this webinar will be a refresher for county and field extension staff on how to listen, initially respond, and then refer the client on to additional resources or resource persons. More
Feb. 4: Spring Agriculture Career Day
The spring version of the Agriculture Career Day will bring 110 employers to campus Feb. 4 to recruit for full-time positions and summer internships. The event is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Memorial Union. More
Feb. 5: CALS Spring Awards Program
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Spring Awards Program, honoring faculty and staff achievements, is scheduled for Feb. 5, 4:10 p.m. in the Memorial Union Campanile Room. A reception will follow.
Funding Opportunities
Baily Research Career Development Award Applications Due March 2
Established as an estate gift from Carl A. and Grace A. Bailey, the Bailey Research Career Development Award is intended to foster research that is innovative, increases knowledge and has practical applications. Any full-time tenured associate professor or professor may apply. One award of $50,000 per year for two or three years will be made. Interested individuals should email their application to Joe Colletti (colletti@iatate.edu) by March 2.
CERES Trust 2015 Graduate Student Research Grant Program
The Ceres Trust, a privately-administered Midwest-based charitable trust, focuses on the support and promotion of organic and sustainable agriculture. Up to 10 one-year grants of up to $10,000 each will be awarded to support organic research by full-time graduate students enrolled at accredited colleges and universities in the North Central region. Applications are due March 31.
Webinar: NIH Structure for SBIR Funding
The National Institutes of Health will present the webinar, Understanding the Health and Human Services-NIH Structure When It Comes to SBIR Funding, on Jan. 28, 2 to 3:30 p.m. The webinar is part of a series that explores topics relevant to the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Technology Transfer Research programs.
Workshop: Documenting (and Boosting) Your Research Impact Workshop
Documenting (and Boosting) Your Research Impact is a workshop relevant to faculty in all disciplines and ranks and will provide examples of ways to document and improve scholarly impact. Participants should bring a laptop to set up a Google Citations Profile, to create an ORCiD profile and for other hands-on experience. The workshop will be held Feb. 16, 3:10 to 4 p.m. in 2019 Morrill Hall. Space is limited. Registration can be completed through Access Plus.
NSF Notice: New Steps to Enhance Transparency and Accountability
The National Science Foundation has issued a notice on the role of Primary Investigators in helping to prepare public award abstracts to enhance transparency and accountability on the justification for use of federal funds on projects. Abstracts for projects funded by NSF must explain the project’s significance, and serve as public justification by articulation how the project serves the national interest by promoting progress of science, advancing nation health, prosperity and welfare, or to secure national defense.
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.
Feb. 12: USDA Rural Energy for America Program Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Assistance Grant Program; $100,000, matching funds required.
March 2: USFWS Midwest Region Division of Migratory Bird Management; $100,000. More
April 5: NIH Development of Novel and Emerging Technologies to Support Zebrafish Models for Biomedical Research (R41/R42); application must be submitted by a small business, PI may be employed by partnering research institution. More
April 27: NIH Food Specific Molecular Profiles and Biomarkers of Food and Nutrient Intake and Dietary Exposure (R01). More
June 12: NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00). More
July 21, 22, 23: NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program. More
Oct. 20: NSF Environmental Sustainability. More
Communications Kiosk
What Makes a Good Science Story – Overturning Conventional Wisdom
A good way to get someone’s interest is to present them with the unexpected. Results that overturn common knowledge or common sense are particularly appealing. Unfortunately, scientific whiplash can lead to public confusion and frustration (e.g., is coffee good or bad for me?). When you are dealing with this sort of issue, don’t ignore it or pretend it doesn’t exist. Be prepared to acknowledge recent or repeated reversals in your field, whether they are real or perceived. Practice explaining. You might want to focus on why you personally were surprised by your findings, rather than attacking other people’s assumptions. And it’s good to remind people that this is how science progresses. (Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter, 2010, pg. 46 – part 5 of 8.)
Infograzing
New Equipment Available at ISU Protein Facility
The Protein Facility has acquired a high resolution tandem mass spectrometer. Funding was provided by the BioSciences Initiative, the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, and the Protein Facility of the Office of Biotechnology. More
Submissions for Student Prize Competition due Jan. 30
Submissions for the Lemelson-MIT National Collegiate Student Prize Competition are due Jan. 30. The competition is open to teams of undergraduate students and individual graduate students who have inventions in categories that represent significant sectors of the economy.
NAL Unveils New Search Engine for Published USDA Research
The National Agricultural Library has unveiled PubAg, a search engine that gives the public enhanced access to research published by USDA scientists. PubAg delivers more than 40,000 scientific journal articles by USDA researchers, mostly from 1997 to 2014. More
Marginalia
CALS Alum Featured in Cosmopolitan on Dating a Farmer
Andy Edson ('13 ag business), Iowa grain and cattle farmer, was recently featured in Cosmopolitan magazine. Cosmopolitan.com spoke to three Iowa farmers about what it's like to date a farmer. More
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Julie Stewart, Editor
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/agonline
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is published by email every Monday. The deadline for submitting content is 12 p.m. on Friday.