College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Feb. 8, 2016 – No. 887
Top Stories
Lauver Receives Emerging Iowa Leader Award
Dean Wendy Wintersteen presented the 2016 CALS Emerging Iowa Leader Award to Andrew Lauver ('12 ag studies) at center court of Hilton Coliseum during the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences sponsored Cyclone Women’s Basketball game February 6. Lauver is a seed sales and service professional with DuPont Pioneer from Lake City. Lauver was honored for his efforts to support the college through its young alumni program – The Curtiss League. More
Research
Rothschild Speaks on UN Goal of Zero Hunger
Max Rothschild, distinguished professor of animal science, associate director of the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and co-director of the Global Food Security Consortium, recently contributed to an event at the University of Alberta for their International Week. Livestock Gentec, an Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions center based at the University of Alberta, pulled in mini-statements from their network by video and asked them to speak to the role of livestock and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #2, Zero Hunger. Rothschild’s feature in the video takes place from 4:51 to 5:40. The University of Alberta, through its Livestock Gentec Center, are a member of the Global Food Security Consortium initiative at ISU.
Teaching and Students
Horticulture Club Selling Roses for Valentine’s Day
The Horticulture Club will be selling individual roses, arrangements and Valentine’s Day cards in the Memorial Union south atrium, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12-13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., while supplies last. Prices range from $5 for a single rose to $55 for a one-dozen rose arrangement.
Food Science Club Taking Pre-Orders for Fudge
The Food Science Club is selling a limited amount of fudge (100 pounds) for Valentine’s Day. Flavors include chocolate, cookies ‘n cream and Cyclone. Fudge will be sold by pre-orders only until Feb. 10. Orders will be ready for pickup on Feb. 12 in 206 MacKay Hall. More
Student Run Food Pantry Celebrates Five Year Anniversary
The SHOP, a student-run food pantry on campus, will be celebrating its five year anniversary Feb. 15-18. Festivities begin with a campus-wide food drive. Boxes will be located in 220 MacKay, 2312 Food Science and outside the CALS and CHS dean’s offices. On Feb. 15, volunteers will on campus near Curtiss Hall handing out free treats and SHOP buttons and talking about the services provided by The Shop. On Feb. 16-18, volunteers will be at the Memorial Union introducing new signature SHOP reusable bags. On Feb. 18, from 3 to 6 p.m. at 2616 Food Science Building, there will be an open house. Guests who bring 2 non-perishable food or personal care items will receive a free SHOP t-shirt, while supplies last. More
Graduate Student Working to Increase Food Security in Ghana
Bernard Darfour is at ISU for a doctorate in industrial and agricultural technology. He is working with Kurt Rosentrater, agricultural and biosystems engineering, to design a simple devise that can be used by smallholder farmers in Ghana to improve food storage. His work is part of USAID’s Feed the Future Ghana Agriculture Technology Transfer Project. More
Heitshusen Talks with Des Moines Register from Super Bowl Stadium
Georgeanna Heitshusen spoke with the Des Moines Register from Santa Clara, Calif., last week while assisting the Super Bowl grounds crew prepare for Sunday’s game. Heitshusen, a junior in horticulture with an emphasis on turfgrass management, is this year’s winner of the annual Toro Super Bowl Sports Turfgrass Training Program. She is the first woman and the third student from ISU to be selected for the intensive internship, awarded annually to one undergrad from any of the nation’s turfgrass programs. More More information on Heitshusen’s internship at Super Bowl 50 is available in a Feb. 5 article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Extension and Outreach
Cost of Crop Production Expected to Fall
The total cost of corn and soybean production in Iowa is expected to fall this year, according to a report published by Alejandro Plastina, an assistant professor in economics and ISU Extension and Outreach economist. More
Around the College
CALS Undergraduate Placement Rate: 96.7 Percent
CALS Career Services has released an undergraduate placement rate of 96.7 percent for 2014-2015. Placement includes students that are employed, furthering their education or fulfilling military obligations. Mike Gaul, director of career services, says this was the largest graduating class in college history, with 1,006 undergraduates. He added that 70 percent of graduates remained in Iowa for their first employment experience. Individual departmental numbers can be viewed in this summary.
Top Employers of CALS Undergraduates, 2014-2015
According to Mike Gaul, director of CALS Career Services, top employers of CALS students who received their bachelor’s degree from 2014-2015 are: 1) ISU with 21 employed; 2) DuPont Pioneer with 14; 3) Cargill and USDA, tied with 13 each; 5) Crop Production Services and Growmark, tied with 9 each; 7) Ag Leader Technology and Beck’s Hybrids, tied with 8 each; and 9) AgReliant Genetics, Hormel Food Corporation, Iowa Select Farms, John Deere, Key Cooperative, Monsanto Company and Stine Seed Company, tied with 6 each.
Gaul Reports on Rescheduled CALS Spring Career Day
Mike Gaul, CALS Career Services director, was pleased with the employer turnout at last week’s job fair considering the weather issues. The winter storm postponed the event causing some organizations to pull out, leaving 103 recruiting. The capacity was 110 in its location in the Memorial Union. Student numbers fell from last year’s approximately 575 to about 500. There were 71 interviews on Friday, the day after the career fair, a decrease of about 10 from the previous year. “The numbers continue to reinforce the high demand for students, both full time and interns, during fall semester versus spring,” Gaul said.
Map of My Kingdom Attracts more than 180
The Map of My Kingdom performance on Jan. 29, at the Gateway Hotel attracted more than 180 people. The play was presented as part of the Returning to the Farm seminar and was sponsored by the Beginning Farmer Center and Iowa Public Radio. A discussion after the performance focused on the protection of family-owned land and land transitions within families. Seven families and 17 clients who were attending the Returning to the Farm seminar also attended the play.
Calendar
Feb. 8: Rossmann Manatt Seminar
Bryony Bonning, professor of entomology and director of the Center for Arthropod Management Technologies, will present the Rossmann Manatt Seminar today, Feb. 8, at 4:10 p.m. in E164 Lagomarcino Hall. She will present “From Plant Virus-Aphid Vector Molecular Interactions to Transgenic Resistance to Aphids.” Bonning received the 2015 Rossmann Manatt Award, which recognizes a tenured faculty member who has demonstrated an exceptional level of creativity and productivity in scholarship, teaching and research
Feb. 8: Reception for Guru Rao
A reception for Guru Rao in recognition of his service to the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology will be held today, Feb. 8, 4:30 to 6 p.m. (program at 5) in the Molecular Biology Building atrium. Rao joined the ISU faculty in 2006 and has served as BBMB department chair since 2007. Rao has accepted a position as Associate Vice President in the office of the Vice President for Research with ISU which will begin Feb. 15.
Feb. 16: Engaging Producers in Conservation Conversations
Learn what social scientists are discovering about how farmers are thinking about conservation practices and practical strategies for engaging them in a webinar scheduled for Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. Emphasis of the webinar will include findings on farmer uncertainty about conservation practices, using social norms to leverage practices that address off field/off farm nutrient losses at the watershed level, and how the language of conservation can influence social learning and behavior change. The presenter is Lois Wright Morton, sociology. The Adobe Connect webinar is hosted by USDA NRCS Science and Technology.
Funding Opportunities
Webinar: National Academies Discussion of FY 2017 R&D Budget Request, Feb. 29
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine will hold a webinar to discuss President Obama’s FY 2017 R&D budget request and relevant science and technology legislative priorities. Panelists for the webinar are Matt Hourihan, director of the AAAS R&D Budget and Policy Program, and Jim Jensen, executive director of the Office of Congressional and Government Affairs at the Academies. This Government-University-Industry-Research Roundtable webinar is scheduled for Feb. 29 at noon central time. Registration is required. More
Workshop: NSF Broader Impacts, Apr. 12
The Office of the VPR is offering a Broader Impacts workshop that will provide an overview of how to successfully incorporate broader impacts into research proposals, resources that can be found on campus and an NSF perspective on the importance of Broader Impacts. The workshop is scheduled for Apr. 12, 1 to 4 p.m. in the Scheman Building. 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.
Various (online inquiry): The John Templeton Foundation; core funding areas include science and the big questions, and genetics. Contact the ISU Foundation (cfr@foundation.iastate.edu) to express interest. More
Mar. 1: The Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund – Klingenstein-Simmons Fellowship Awards in the Neurosciences; $225,000 over three years, must be within four years of receiving first tenure track appointment. More
Mar. 17: EPA National Priorities: Impacts of Water Conservation on Water Quality in Premise Plumbing and Water Distribution Systems; $1.989 million over three years, 25 percent match. More
Mar. 18 (letter of intent): International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation Tree Nuts and Overweight/Obesity Research; $500,000. More
Mar. 18: James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award in Studying Complex Systems; $450,000, PI must be between five and 15 years post Ph.D. More
Mar. 21: USAID Growth through Nutrition Activity – Ethiopia; $73 million over five years, 5 percent cost share. More
Apr. 4 (letter of intent): DOE Joint Genome Institute - Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory - Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science; biofuels/bioproducts, plant-microbe interactions that impact climate. More
Apr. 11: USDA NIFA Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Competitive Grants Program; $500,000. More
Apr. 20 (letter of intent): NIH Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (RM1); up to $2 million direct costs per year up to five years. More
May 29: USDA NIFA Alfalfa and Forage Research Program; $250,000. More
Jan. 4, 2017: NSF Research Coordination Networks, UBE & UBE Incubator Track; up to $500,000. More
Communications Kiosk
Using Semicolons in a Series
Use semicolons to separate elements of a series when the items in the series are long or when individual segments contain material that also must be set off by commas: “He is survived by a son, John Smith, of Chicago; three daughters, Jane Smith, of Wichita Kansas, Mary Smith, of Denver, and Susan, of Boston; and a sister, Martha, of Omaha, Nebraska.” Note that the semicolon is used before the final “and” in such a series. (Associated Press Stylebook, 2014 edition, pg. 296)
Marginalia
Dairy Science Club Prepares Ice Cream for D.C. Congressional Reception
The ISU Dairy Science Club sent three gallons of homemade vanilla ice cream to Washington D.C. as part of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Congressional creamery social to be held Feb. 9 at 5:30 p.m. Iowa State was one of 14 universities to prepare a dairy product for the social. The reception celebrates the education, research and entrepreneurship of agricultural colleges nationwide.
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.