College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
April 11, 2016 – No. 895
Top Stories
Tyler Named Assistant Dean for CALS Student Services
Howard Tyler has been named assistant dean for CALS Student Services, effective June 1. For 25 years, Tyler has served as an ISU professor with research, teaching and advising roles in the animal science department. He also served as the co-coordinator for the Animal Science/Dairy Science/Pre-Vet Learning Community. Tyler succeeds Tom Polito, who is retiring after 38 years at ISU. More
Research
Animal Scientists Receive USDA Animal Nutrition, Growth Grants
USDA awarded $6.6 million last week for research focused on improving animal nutrition and growth. ISU received two of the grants. Nicholas Gabler, animal science, will be studying how health impacts nutrient use and requirements for growing swine. Stephanie Hansen, animal science, will be studying how increasing zinc beyond documented requirements in rapidly growing cattle can further improve growth. More
Research Shows More Cattle May Limit Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Integrating more cattle production into Iowa’s agricultural portfolio may cut the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and lead to other environmental benefits, according to a new study co-authored by Mark Rasmussen, director of the Leopold Center. The research was recently published in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. More
Group Tours New Facility for SCID Pigs
Guru Rau, associate vice president for research; Joe Colletti, senior associate dean; and Don Beermann, chair of the animal science department, recently toured a new facility to care for pigs used to study human medical therapies. Five years ago, in work that originated at Iowa State, scientists identified the first pigs with naturally occurring Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, known as SCID. Until this discovery, the inherited disorder was only known to affect humans, mice, horses and dogs. A National Institutes of Health grant is funding Iowa State research to study this line of pigs without an immune system and develop facilities uniquely suited to testing medical therapies for people. Chris Tuggle, who leads the project, led the tour of the facility located at the College of Veterinary Medicine campus. To prevent the spread of germs, rooms where they are penned have filtered air that is always flowing out, and the pigs are provided sterilized feed and water. More
Distillers Grains Symposium Set for May 18-19
The Distillers Grains Technology Council, based at ISU and directed by Kurt Rosentrater, agricultural and biosystems engineering, will hold its 20th annual Distillers Grains Symposium on May 18-19 in St. Louis. More
ISU Farm Progress Reports Available Online
The ISU Research and Demonstration Farms 2015 progress reports now are available online. The reports feature crop, soil, horticulture, livestock and natural resources research conducted at each of the college’s 15 research farms. More
Teaching and Students
CALS Environmental Science Student Named Goldwater Scholar
Aubrey Foulk, a senior in environmental science and biology, was named a 2016 Goldwater Scholar. The scholarships are awarded by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation and recognize students of outstanding potential who intend to pursue careers in research. More
Global Resource Systems Poster Session Tuesday, April 12
The Global Resource Systems poster session is tomorrow, April 12, in the Sukup Atrium of the Biorenewables Complex. The senior project poster session is 5 to 6:15 p.m. Remarks and presentation is 6:15 to 6:45 p.m., by Christie Vilsack, senior advisor for International Education, USAID, and David Acker, associate dean of academic and global program, CALS.
Extension and Outreach
Women, Land and Legacy Project Topic of April Webinar
The Women, Land and Legacy Project will be the topic of this month’s Iowa Learning Farms webinar on Wednesday, April 20, at 1 p.m. Women, Land and Legacy is a USDA outreach project that gives agricultural women in Iowa the opportunity to network with other local women landowners, to inform agencies of their needs and to become a well-informed decision maker for their land and farming operation. More
Baker Talks about Farm Transition in Extension Video
Dave Baker, farm transition specialist with the Beginning Farmer Center in CALS, talks about helping families make difficult decisions and carry on after the death of a loved one as they transfer the family farm to the next generation, in an ISU Extension and Outreach video about building a strong Iowa. More
Around the College
Underwood Presents Hertz Lecture
Roger Underwood (’80 agricultural business), entrepreneur and co-founder of crop-technology company Becker Underwood, presented the 2016 Hertz Lecture on Emerging Issues in Agriculture to nearly 300 attendees on April 7 in the Memorial Union Sun Room. His presentation, “Your future is short. Don’t waste it working for someone else.” is available online.
Calendar
April 13-14: Global Food Security Consortium’s Spring Symposium
The Global Food Security Consortium’s spring symposium will be held April 13-14 at the Scheman Building. A research poster presentation and competition will be held for undergraduate and graduate students. More
April 26: Save the Date for Science With Practice Poster Session
This semester’s Science with Practice participants will host a poster presentation open house on April 26, 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Kildee Hall Atrium.
April 27: Retirement Reception for Dean White
A retirement reception for Pam White, dean of the College of Human Sciences and a University Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, will be held April 27, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the first floor atrium of Beardshear Hall. White is retiring this summer after more than 40 years at ISU.
May 3: Retirement Reception for Polito
A retirement reception for Tom Polito, assistant dean and director of CALS Student Services, will be held May 3, 3 to 5 p.m. in the Memorial Union Campanile Room, with a short program at 4 p.m. Polito is retiring in May after 38 years at ISU.
May 16-17: Midwest Big Data Hub Meeting
Registration is open for the Digital Agriculture Spoke All-Hands Meeting of the Midwest Big Data Hub meeting on May 16-17 at the Scheman Building. ISU is a co-PI on the Midwest Big Data Hub, a collaborative project supported by the National Science Foundation. Registration deadline is May 9. There is no cost to attend this event. More
Funding Opportunities
National Pork Board Requests for Proposals, Due May 17
The National Pork Board has released two Requests for Proposals. The Spring Call 2016 RFP is soliciting research proposals in five areas: Pork Safety-Post-Harvest, Pork Quality, Sustainability-Manure, Sustainability-Water and Swine Health-PRRS. The NPB’s Swine Health Committee and Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Disease RFP is soliciting proposals for Swine Health-Foreign Animal Disease. Proposals to both programs are due May 17. More
ISU Foundation Launches Funding Opportunities Webpage
The ISU Foundation has launched a new webpage that lists current and upcoming foundation funding opportunities. The webpage is available to ISU employees and requires log-in, a net-ID and password. The opportunities can be found via the For Faculty & Staff drop-down menu or using the following URL. The new webpage replaces the email lists previously distributed by the ISU Foundation. Contact: Donna Van Pelt, dvanpelt@foundation.iastate.edu. More
Become a Proposal Reviewer for NSF Grant Applications
Peer reviewers provide a service to NSF and the science and engineering community while gaining first-hand knowledge of the peer review process, learning about common problems with proposals and discovering strategies for writing strong proposals. Reviewers also meet colleagues and the NSF program officers managing programs related to their research interests. To become an NSF reviewer, send an e-mail to the NSF program officer of the program that fits your expertise. Introduce yourself, identify your areas of expertise, let the program officer know that you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer, and attach a two-page CV with current contact information. More
NIH Proposals Get Second Chance with OnPAR
A new private-public partnership pilot called Online Partnership to Accelerate Research (OnPAR) could offer a second chance to receive funding for meritorious applications that miss NIH’s payline. OnPAR presents a qualifying application's abstract to interested private biomedical foundations, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and other life sciences companies. 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.
Continuous through Mar. 31, 2017: US Army BAA for Basic and Applied Scientific Research for FY 2012 through 2017. More
May 2 (pre-application): DOE Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis; $600,000 over three years. More
May 5 (letter of intent): NIH Diet and Physical Activity Assessment Methodology (R01). More
May 6, July 8 (six review dates per year): Fulbright Specialist Program; two to six weeks at host institution overseas. More
May 11: USAID Feed the Future Bangladesh Aquaculture and Nutrition Activity; $24.5 million, 5 percent cost share. More
May 17: USDA NIFA Special Research Grants Program: Aquaculture Research. More
May 31: USDA Methyl Bromide Transition; $500,000. More
May 31: Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. More
June 3: USDA NIFA Renewable Resource Extension Act – National Focus Fund Projects; pilot projects, $60,000 to $80,000. More
June 5: NIH Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Biology and Medicine (R01). More
June 17: International Life Sciences Institute North America Future Leader Award; $30,000, Ph.D. within five years of first tenure-track position or stable employment at research institute. More
Nov. 16: NSF Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases; $500,000 to $2.5 million. More
Dec. 1 (Step-1 proposal): NASA NSPIRES ROSES 2015 Land Cover/Land-Use Change; $750,000, elements include Southeast Asia and the Caucasus. More
Communications Kiosk
How to Write Journal Paper Titles that Tempt
“Some say the abstract is the most important section of a paper because it’s the part that most people read and is widely available. But an even greater number of people will lay eyes on the title,” said Mark Johnston, editor-in-chief of GENETICS and professor and chair of the department of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. In Genes to Genomes, a blog from the Genetics Society of America, Johnston offers the following suggestions for composing titles. More
- Don’t bury the lede. Start with the topic of the paper, not with the name of the gene or organism you studied.
- Entice the reader. Make what you learned seem exciting.
- Avoid jargon. Jargon is hard to avoid in technical publications, but you should do your best to purge it from the title.
- Be concise. Readers have a limited attention span.
- Don’t give away the ending. The purpose of the title is to entice readers with the question under investigation so they’ll want to read more.
Marginalia
Downtown Des Moines Earth Day Tour, April 23
Three downtown Des Moines locations will be celebrating Earth Day on April 23 with free admission and activities: the Science Center of Iowa, the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden and the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. An Earth Day Scavenger Hunt will be available for guests that use the trails and The Principal Riverwalk between the locations. 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.
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