College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Aug. 3, 2015 – No. 861
Top Stories
Robertson Studies Emergent Corn Disease
Alison Robertson, plant pathology and microbiology, is studying an emergent corn disease capable of reducing the yields of affected crops to near zero. Virtually unseen in the U.S. for decades, Physoderma has emerged in Iowa cornfields with increasing regularity in recent years. More
Research
Soybean Cyst Nematodes Overcoming Common Management Tool
A common tool used to manage a destructive soybean pest is losing its effectiveness, according to Greg Tylka, plant pathology and microbiology. Tylka was one of a group of nematologists from eight Midwestern states and Ontario that discussed the development at a July 7-8 meeting in Minn. More
Teaching and Students
Ag Business Club is Nation’s Outstanding Chapter
The ISU Agricultural Business Club received the Outstanding Chapter Award and the Creative Club Award at the Agricultural and Applied Economics annual meeting in San Francisco, July 26-28. Ron Deiter and Georgeanne Artz, economics, serve as faculty advisers. The club has earned the Outstanding Chapter Award 11 times since 2000, and the Creative Club Award also 11 times since 2000.
Tuskegee Students Explore Iowa Cooperatives
Three George Washington Carver Intern students from Tuskegee University are in Iowa this summer gathering information on management practices used in Iowa’s cooperatives. Bridget Perry is a graduate student in agricultural economics, Bryant Moore is a senior in agricultural business and marketing, and Jason White is a senior in agricultural business. More
Youth Ambassador to be ISU Guest at State Fair
Allie Lansman, a senior in dietetics and youth ambassador for the National 4-H Healthy Living Management Team, will be a special guest at the ISU exhibit in the Varied Industries Building at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 15 and 17. Lansman was featured last fall on the Biggest Loser as a 4-H change agent.
Extension and Outreach
Lundy Joins IBC as Extension Program Specialist
Erika Lundy has joined the Iowa Beef Center as the new extension program specialist. She has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in animal science from ISU, and spent the last two-and-a-half years working with IBC as a graduate student focusing on feedlot nutrition.
New Tools Available to Calculate Projected Farm Bill Payments
Three new resources have been developed by ISU Extension and Outreach to help Iowa corn and soybean producers calculate Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage payments for the 2014 and 2015 crop years. According to Alejandro Plastina, economics, these tools will help farmers who enroll in these programs from the 2014 Farm Bill calculate the amount of the government payment if prices and/or county revenues are down.
Around the College
Martin Named Outstanding Agricultural Educator
Robert Martin, agricultural education and studies, was selected Outstanding Agricultural Educator at the American Association for Agricultural Education national conference in San Antonio, May 19-22. In addition, the department earned recognition for Journal of Agricultural Education, first runner-up article of the year for Volume 55, Michael Retallick and Thomas Paulsen; outstanding research paper presentation, OP McCubbins, Thomas Paulsen and Ryan Anderson; and distinguished research poster presentation, Sarah Striegel, Elizabeth Foreman and Michael Retallick.
Iles Talks Trees on Iowa Public Radio
As the work begins to replant Iowa's ash trees due to destruction by the Emerald Ash Borer, Jeff Iles, horticulture, told Iowa Public Radio that we need to think about maintaining trees over the long term and budget for ongoing maintenance. Iles said diversity is also a concern in case a pest or disease emerges that impacts a species. More
Brockman Consults on Project to Mass Produce Monarch Butterflies
Nathan Brockman, entomology, is consulting with two local researchers in Cedar Rapids trying to mass produce monarch butterflies. Clark McLeod and Cam Watts have been engaged full time for the past two months in developing a blueprint for efficient monarch production. More
Funding Opportunities
USDA and Microsoft Launch Innovation Challenge for Food Resilience
The USDA and Microsoft have launched an Innovation Challenge to create interactive applications that integrate USDA datasets on food supply, economic demand and remote sensing. The Innovation Challenge carries a top prize of $25,000 and is open to eligible organizations, teams and individuals. A non-cash Large Organization Recognition Award is available to entrants from organizations with more than 50 employees. Submissions are due Oct. 27. More
NCR-SARE Issues Call for Proposals for Four Grant Programs
North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education is soliciting proposals for four grant programs. The individual calls are included in the funding opportunities below. Proposals are due in Oct., Nov. and Dec. More
DARPA Request for Information on Self-Evolving and Adapting Therapeutics
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has released a Request for Information on revolutionary ideas for treating and controlling a variety of diseases and biological threats. Topics include rapidly mutating viruses, drug-resistant bacteria and evolving chronic pathologies and conditions. Responses are due Aug. 25.
Funding Information, Opportunities and Deadline Reminders
Dates listed are application deadlines. Contact: Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu. Additional information is posted at CALS Pre-Award Resources.
Aug. 17: USDA NIFA Cost Benefit/Effectiveness Analysis of Army Community Service; $498,597.
Aug. 31: USDA NIFA Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program; $200,000. More
Sept. 14: ISU Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites Research Proposals; $40,000 to $60,000.
Oct. 5: NIH Translational Research to Improve Diabetes and Obesity Outcomes (R01). More
Oct. 20: NSF Environmental Engineering. More
Oct. 20: NSF Nano-Biosensing. More
Oct. 20: NSF Nano-Bio Phenomena and Processes in the Environment. More
Oct. 22 (pre-proposal): NCR-SARE Research and Education Grant Program; $10,000 to 200,000. More
Oct. 29: NCR-SARE Partnership Grant Program; $30,000. More
Nov. 4: NSF Advancing Informal STEM Learning; $150,000 to $5 million. More
Nov. 5: USFWS North American Wetlands Conservation Act Small Grants; $75,000, 1:1 match required.
Nov. 12: NCR-SARE Youth Educator Grants; $2,000. More
Nov. 18: NSF Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases; $3.3 million from USDA for new awards, also funding from NIH and for U.S.-UK Collaborative Projects, and US-Israel Collaborative Projects. More
Dec. 3: NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program. More
Communications Kiosk
Use Figures When Writing about Percent
Use figures when writing about percent and percentages and use decimals, not fractions. For example: 1 percent, 2.5 percent, 4 percentage points, 12 to 15 percent. For amounts less than 1 percent, precede the decimal with a zero. For example: The cost of living rose 0.6 percent. (Associated Press Stylebook, 2014 edition, pg. 199)
Infograzing
Iowa Pork Producers Announce New Chief Executive Officer
The Iowa Pork Producers Association Board of Directors announced that Pat McGonegle has accepted the position of chief executive officer, effective Oct. 1. He replaces Rich Degner, who is retiring on Sept. 30 after 35 years with IPPA, the last 17 as CEO. McGonegle comes from the National Pork Producers Council in Urbandale. More
Nominations Sought for Carty Award
Nominations are being accepted through Oct. 1 for the John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science, presented in 2016 in agricultural sciences. The Carty Award is awarded every two years to recognize noteworthy and distinguished accomplishments in any field of science within the National Academy of Science’s charter. This is the first time since 1984 that the award has been presented in the field of agricultural sciences. More
Marginalia
Few Science Museums Use the Word “Agriculture” to Teach
In a study of 29 science museums across the U.S., Katie Stofer, an assistant professor in agricultural education and communication at the University of Florida, found that none of the facilities included the word “agriculture” in an exhibit title or description. But Stofer categorized 45 percent of the 316 exhibits as at least “probably” agriculture-related, based on exhibit titles and descriptions. She said she’ll use this information to plant a seed with educators and museum officials to integrate agriculture into how they teach STEM. Stofer wants to help teach the public that agriculture is a science. Researchers in agriculture and environmental fields use science to solve global issues, including hunger, disease and water conservation.
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.