College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Aug. 17, 2015 – No. 863
Top Stories
CALS Introduces New Advisor Training Modules
CALS has introduced a new series of advisor training modules designed to help acclimate new advisors and update current advisors. CALS established a committee of academic advisors from across the college to develop training materials to address conceptual, informational and relational aspects of advising. In eight online modules, topics addressed include the definition of academic advising, the rights and responsibilities of advisors and advisees, basic information that advisors need to know, institutional rules and regulations, and available tools. Each module has a brief quiz to enhance learning. To enroll in CALS Advisor Training on Blackboard, contact Howard Tyler at htyler@iastate.edu with the names of people to be enrolled and their Net-IDs. Tyler, animal science, and doctoral student Amanda Robinson, have led this initiative, which was supported by the college’s Louis M. Thompson Advising Academy.
Research
ISU Researchers Aim to Boost Science Education with Summertime Pest
ISU researchers, including Lyric Bartholomay, a University of Wisconsin-Madison entomologist with a joint appointment at ISU, believe generating student interest in mosquitos will improve science learning and public health. The team received a $1.25 million National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award that it will use to get ISU 4U Promise students and teachers involved with mosquito research and surveillance. More
Teaching and Students
Career Services Video Prepares Students for Oct. 20 CALS Career Day
Mike Gaul, director of career services, hosts a video to help students understand some of the dos and don’ts to get ready for CALS Career Day. The video was produced by the Brenton Center and funded in part by Dow AgroSciences. The goal is to help students prepare to meet recruiters and get interviews. The video has tips on how to dress as well as how to interact with recruiters.
George Washington Carver Intern Studies Wine Aroma
Nanticha Lutt, from West Des Moines, spent her summer studying wine aromas from cold-hardy grapes as a George Washington Carver intern. She worked with Jacek Koziel, agricultural and biosystems engineering, and Somchai Rice, a doctorate candidate in toxicology, on the Northern Grapes Project funded by the USDA-Specialty Crop Research Initiative. The internship program, sponsored by CALS, introduces college and high school students to various areas of research at ISU. More
Volunteers Needed for Commodity Carnival at Iowa State Fair
Volunteers are needed to help with the Commodity Carnival at the Iowa State Fair, located near the old entrance of the 4-H Exhibits Building. The interactive, hands-on game shows youth the behind-the-scenes components and challenges of animal production. Allison Lansman, senior in dietetics, is a Commodity Carnival intern with ISU Extension and Outreach’s 4-H Youth Development program. Contact Lansman at alansman@iastate.edu for more information. More
ISU Students Study Nutrition in Peru
ISU students spent nearly four weeks learning about international nutrition in a study abroad experience in Peru. As they worked with Peruvian researchers and students, the ISU students completed modules on communication and nutrition education, community-based research, clinical nutrition and water and food safety. This is one of the many programs through the Agriculture Study Abroad Office. More
Extension and Outreach
New Beginning Farmers Guide has In-Depth Training Resources
“A Resource Guide for Beginning Farmers” compiles existing training resources on topics ranging from soil and composting to small farm equipment and whole farm planning, including information on food safety and seed saving. The guide was prepared by Alice Topaloff, a Leopold Center program assistant with support from the ISU Extension and Outreach Local Foods Team. More
Ag Drainage Water Management Webinar Series Continues
The second webinar in the Midwest Ag Drainage Water Management series is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 9 a.m. Gary Sands, professor, extension engineer and director of graduate studies in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota will talk about controlled drainage. More
Late Summer Field Days Focus on Crop Conditions
ISU Research and Demonstration Farms’ late summer field days will cover crop issues heading into harvest. Field days take place rain or shine. More
Heaton Featured at Biomass Fuel Project Field Day, Aug. 25
A Biomass Fuel Project field day will be held Aug. 25, 9 a.m. to noon, in Iowa City. The field day will showcase the University of Iowa’s Biomass Fuel Project, which recently won a Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award. Emily Heaton, agronomy, is a partner on the project and will give tours of miscanthus fields. More
Field Day to Review Ways to Reduce Nitrates Entering Iowa’s Waterways
Iowa Learning Farms, along with the Iowa Soybean Association and Story County Natural Resources Conservation Service, will host a field day on Aug. 26, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Key Co-op in Roland. The field day will review several ways that farmers and landowners can reduce nitrates entering Iowa’s rivers and streams including bioreactors, cover crops and wetlands. More
Around the College
Juaron Talks about Prairie Maintenance on Iowa Public Radio
Richard Jauron, horticulture, answered listener questions on prairie maintenance for the Aug. 14 edition of Talk of Iowa on Iowa Public Radio. Planting native plants in yards, gardens, field and roadsides is more popular than ever before, but maintaining a prairie plot is different from tending a more traditional lawn or landscape. More
Volunteers Needed for CALS Alumni BBQ
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is hosting the annual CALS BBQ on Sept. 5, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. prior to the ISU vs. UNI football game at 7 p.m. Volunteer opportunities are available for faculty and staff to welcome CALS alumni and friends at the BBQ:
- Set-Up (1-3 p.m.)
- Registration (4-6:30 p.m.)
- Greeting (4-6:15 p.m.)
- Beverage Service (4-6:15 p.m.)
- Tear Down (6-7:30 p.m.)
Anyone interested in volunteering may register online or contact Haley Cook at hcook@iastate.edu Please register by Aug. 28. All CALS faculty and staff and guests are welcome to also enjoy the BBQ as attendees. Please register by Aug. 28.
Calendar
Sept 2: Reception for Paul Lasley, Sociology
Paul Lasley has returned to the faculty after 13 years as chair of the Department of Sociology. To honor his years of service, a reception is being held Sept. 2, 4:30 p.m. in the Harl Commons, Curtiss Hall. Refreshments will be provided.
Sept. 3: Feeding the World Seminar Series
The Feeding the World seminar series will begin its ninth year on Sept. 3, 3:40 p.m. in 1204 Kildee Hall. Authors David Acker, Dorothy Masinde, Rob Mazur, Gail Nonnecke, Max Rothschild and Mark Westgate will discuss their book, “Tapping Philanthropy for Development.” More
Funding Opportunities
Nominations for 2016 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement due Sept. 11
The John and Alice Tyler Prize is awarded for environmental science, health and energy conferring great benefit upon humanity. Prizes are awarded for any one of the following: protection, maintenance, improvement or understanding of an ecological or an environmental condition anywhere in the world; discovery, further development, improvement or understanding of known or new sources of energy; and medical discoveries or achievements with such worldwide implications that they significantly benefit environmental aspects of human health. Living individuals or public or private institutions of any nation are eligible for nomination. The annual award is $200,000. More
Water Resources, Climate Change Adaptation Workgroup Listening Session Webinar Sept. 9
The Water Resources and Climate Change Adaptation Workgroup is comprised of more than a dozen federal agencies interested in the management of the nation’s water resources. The group will hold a webinar to provide early input on updating priorities for collaborative efforts to manage freshwater resources in a changing climate. The webinar will be held Sept. 9, 1 to 3 p.m. More
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.
Sept. 9 (internal pre-proposal): NSF Research Experiences for Teachers in Engineering and Computer Science Supplements and Sites; $600,000, three proposals per organization, contact Sue Shipitalo (sueship@iastate.edu) for pre-proposal instructions. More
Sept. 10 (pre-application): DOE Early Career Research Program; PI must be untenured Assistant or Associate Professor on a tenure track, minimum $750,000 over five years. More
Sept. 15 (letter of intent): National Pork Board Human Nutrition. More
Sept. 30 (letter of intent): Simons Foundation Targeted Grants in the Mathematical Modeling of Living Systems; $200,000 per year up to three years. More
Nov. 3: Bright Focus Foundation National Glaucoma Research Grants; $150,000 over two years. More
Nov. 4: NSF Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation. More
Nov. 11 (letter of intent): NIH Centers of Research Translation (P50); $1 million per year direct costs up to five years. More
Jan. 17, 2016 (letter of intent): NIH Mechanisms Underlying the Contribution of Type 1 Diabetes Risk-Associated Variants (DP3); up to $600,000 direct cost per year over five years. More
Mar. 2, 2016: NIH International Research Scientist Development Award (K01); post-docs and junior faculty, $105,000 per year salary and research development costs for three to five years. More
Sept. 3, 2016: Human Exploration Research Opportunities (HERO-2015); $100,000 to $450,000. More
Communications Kiosk
What Not to Do When You Have just Moments to Prepare for a Media Interview
Below is a short list of “don’ts” to reference when you have too few moments to gather yourself before a media interview. A list of “do’s” was published last week.
- Don’t say “no comment.” Although you frequently see this in the movies, in real life it’s rude and can create the impression that you have something to hide. If you can’t offer insight on a topic, explain why honesty—“this is outside my area of expertise,” or “we can’t say anything until the embargo lifts.” Tell the journalist what you can, and if you know another person who can help, say so. You want to be helpful, not obstructive.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. Try not to obsess about what your peers will think of the story or your quotes. They aren’t your primary audience. Look at the story as a whole and don’t become upset if there is one little imperfection.
(Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter, 2010, pgs. 140-141.)
Infograzing
Applications for Jefferson Science Fellowship Program due Nov. 2
Applications are being accepted for the 2016-2017 Jefferson Science Fellowship program. It is open to U.S. citizens who hold tenure, or a similarly ranked academic appointment in science, engineering, medicine or technology. The program brings scientific and technical knowledge to bear on decision-making at the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Applications are due Nov. 2. More
ITS Introduces “New to ISU” Website
Information Technology Services has introduced a “New To ISU” website, created to help newcomers get up to speed quickly on the most frequently used technology on campus. The site has two sections, one for students and another for faculty and staff. More
Carver Featured in Museum Exhibit in Cedar Rapids
As George Washington Carver once said, “Since new developments are the products of a creative mind, we must therefore stimulate and encourage that type of mind in every way possible.” Carver will be one of several innovators featured in a new exhibit at the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids. “Products of a Creative Mind” will run from Aug. 29 to July 30, 2016. More
Marginalia
Taylor Appears in 2015 Iowa State Football Commercial
Shelley Taylor, director of CALS study abroad program, and her family appear in a recent Iowa State Athletics video posted on Facebook to advertise the upcoming Cyclone football season. Featured in the video are ISU alumni, including Taylor’s father-in-law, Bob (‘54 animal husbandry), her husband, Jeff (‘89 farm operations) and Shelley (‘97 anthropology). 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.