College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Oct. 31, 2016 – No. 924
Top Stories
CALS Alumni Honored at ISU Alumni Association Ceremony
CALS and the ISU Alumni Association presented awards at the annual Honors and Awards Ceremony on Oct. 28. More
- Cindie Luhman (’83 animal science, ’90 Ph.D. nutritional physiology) received the Floyd Andre Award.
- Walter Hill of Tuskegee University received the George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award.
- Robert Walton (’61 Ph.D. animal science) received the Henry A. Wallace Award.
- Nancy Bohl Bormann (’04 environmental science, agricultural and life sciences education) received the Outstanding Young Professional Award.
- Richard (’72 and ’77 MS agricultural and life sciences education) and Nancy (’72 food science) Degner received the ISU Alumni Association’s Alumni Medal Award.
- Rachel Allbaugh (’00 animal science) received the ISU Alumni Association’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
- The Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center represented by Marshall Ruble, animal science, received the ISU Alumni Association’s Impact Award.
Research
Nonprofits Award ISU $150,000 for Muscular Dystrophy Research
Ryan’s Quest and Michael’s Cause, two nonprofit organizations, have provided a $150,000 grant to ISU to study a combination of compounds that could be an effective therapy for children suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The funding will support the research of Joshua Selsby, animal science. More
NREM’s Thompson a Partner on Big Data Research Project in Des Moines
ISU and the city of Des Moines have teamed up on a big data research project that could transform the way cities handle sustainability and mitigate climate change. Team member Janette Thompson, Morrill Professor and professor of natural resource ecology and management, is coordinating a tree inventory in the Capitol East neighborhood. Students from two ISU forestry classes, workers from the forestry division of the Des Moines Public Works department and neighborhood association volunteers have completed the initial fieldwork. More
Sociologist’s Iowa Small Town Poll Distributed Biennially
The Iowa Small Town Poll, first conducted in 1994, assesses life, attitudes and social interactions in 125 small towns in Iowa. The survey has been conducted every 10 years, in 2004 and 2014. Rather than wait until 2024 to conduct the next survey, ISU faculty decided to release the poll again this year. David Peters, sociology and project coordinator, said gathering data biennially will provide more relevant results. More
Cianzio to Present OIPTT Seminar, Nov. 11
Sylvia Cianzio, agronomy, will discuss balancing a diverse research portfolio at the next Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer seminar for faculty and graduate students, scheduled for Nov. 11, 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union. Register at Learn@ISU.
Teaching and Students
Video: CALS Student Talks about Fourth Annual Bacon Expo
Tayler Etzel, senior in agricultural business and ISU Bacon Expo co-chair, shares her perspective on the only student-organized bacon event in the nation. The fourth annual Bacon Expo was held Oct. 8 at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center. It is a family friendly event where participants can sample creative bacon treats and enjoy live entertainment and education displays about the pork industry. More
Extension and Outreach
CALS Economists to Present Seminars on Downturn in Iowa Agriculture
ISU Extension and Outreach will host 11 Ag Outlook and Management seminars across the state during November and December. The program will provide participants with a concise evaluation of current market conditions, expected trends in crop and livestock income potential and management implications. Speakers will vary by location, but will include CALS economists Chad Hart, Alejandro Plastina, Lee Schulz and Wendong Zhang. There is a registration fee at most sites. More A video about current farm financial conditions is also available, with Hart providing tips for managing margins.
Wait for Soil Temps to Remain Below 50 Degrees to Apply Anhydrous Ammonia
Farmers are reminded to wait until soil temperatures remain below 50 degrees Fahrenheit before applying anhydrous ammonia (NH3) fertilizer this fall. Soil temperatures have been slow to cool due to the unusually warm late October temperatures, and officials with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and ISU Extension and Outreach said that waiting can help reduce nitrogen loss and better protects the environment. Extension maintains a statewide real-time soil temperature data map on its website that agriculture retailers and farmers can use to determine when fall N applications are appropriate. More
Extension Program for Sheep Producers to be Held Nov. 19
An extension educational program for sheep producers will be held Nov. 19 at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center. Dan Morrical and Curtis Youngs, animal science, are featured speakers. The event will feature both classroom and hands-on learning opportunities for youth and adults. More
Around the College
Clark Named Virginia M. Gladney Professor in FSHN
Stephanie Clark, food science and human nutrition, has been named the Virginia M. Gladney Professor in Food Science and Human Nutrition. Clark is internationally recognized as a dairy food expert and serves as associate director of the Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center. More
White Receives Charlotte E. Roderuck Fellowship
Wendy White, food science and human nutrition, is the newest holder of the Charlotte E. Roderuck faculty fellowship at ISU. White researches methods to improve the nutritional value of vegetables such as carrots, corn and tomatoes. She is also working on efforts to create biofortified foods to combat vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. More
Petrzelka Elected President for CARET North Central Region
Iowan Bob Petrzelka recently was elected north central region president of the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching. He has been a delegate to this national grassroots organization since 2013, presenting CALS and ISU Extension and Outreach. More
Plant Breeding Capacity Building in Africa Published in Journal
Walter Suza, agronomy and project director of Plant Breeding E-learning in Africa, is co-author of a paper published in the November issue of Nature Climate Change. “Plant Breeding Capacity Building in Africa” details the advantages of in-region training like that provided by the ISU program. More
NIFA and Midwest Data Hub All-Hands Meeting Held in Chicago
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture convened a summit to identify the frontiers and future of data in agriculture on Oct. 10 in Chicago. NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy opened the summit and announced a new initiative, Food and Agriculture Cyberinformatics and Tools, designed to develop data-driven solutions for addressing complex problems facing agriculture today. The NIFA meeting was held in conjunction with the Midwest Big Data Hub All-Hands Meeting on Oct. 11 and 12. The Hub’s Digital Agriculture Spoke is led by Joe Colletti, CALS senior associate dean.
Calendar
Nov. 4: Retirement Reception for Jim Russell
A retirement reception will be held for Jim Russell, animal science, on Friday, Nov. 4, 3 to 5 p.m. in the Kildee Hall Atrium. Russell joined ISU in 1979. The overall objective of his research program has been to improve the economic efficiency and environmental soundness of beef production systems by improving the use of forages.
Nov. 11: Cultural Competency Series Workshop
The next CALS Cultural Competency Series workshop will be Nov. 11, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Iowa Crop Improvement Association Dean’s Conference Room, 142 Curtiss Hall. This workshop is a reading circle for Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do. Participants need to read the book beforehand. CALS has 25 copies available in 138 Curtiss Hall. RSVP by noon on Nov. 8. More
March 9: Save the Date
The CALS Spring Awards Ceremony is scheduled for March 9, 2017, at 4:10 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. The annual program honors faculty and staff achievements.
Funding Opportunities
NPB Seeks Proposals that Address Antibiotic Use and Resistance, Due Nov. 15
The National Pork Board’s 2017 General Call includes a request for proposals in the area of antibiotic use and resistance. Topics include alternatives to antibiotics, environmental fate of antibiotics, antibiotic administration and mitigations. Preference will be given to projects that involve multidisciplinary approaches that may include academic and commercial collaborations. The Board is seeking proposals in several other categories as well. Proposals are due Nov. 15. More
Organic Farming Research Foundation Grants, Due Dec. 10
The Organic Farming Research Foundation is seeking proposals to fund research on organic farming and food systems and the dissemination of research results to organic farmers and the greater agricultural and research communities. Proposals can address any agricultural production, social, economic or policy-related topic of concern to organic farmers and/or ranchers. Proposal budgets can be a maximum of $15,000 for one year and are due Dec. 10. Contact the ISU Foundation cfr@foundation.iastate.edu to express interest. More
Graduate Grant Writing Course Offered for Spring 2017
Two sections of GR ST 569, “Grant Writing,” will be offered next spring. This one-credit, half-semester course will meet twice a week starting Jan. 9. Section 1 will meet on Monday and Wednesday from 10 to 10:50 a.m. and will focus on writing proposals for the National Science Foundation. Section 2 will meet on Monday and Wednesday from 11 to 11:50 a.m. and will focus on proposals for Fulbright programs and arts and humanities funding. The course will be co-taught by Ann Russell and Sandra Norvell. Contact: Ann Russell (arussell@iastate.edu, 294-5612).
DOE’s Tech-to-Market Team Requesting Information, Due Nov. 14
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Tech-to-Market team has released a request for information seeking input from the broad energy innovation community in order to understand how it can best facilitate the transition of new clean energy technologies into the marketplace. In particular, Tech-to-Market is interested in understanding what specific mechanisms, such as new investment structures and public-private partnership models, could enable capital to flow at early development stages and smooth the path to commercialization. Responses are due Nov. 14. 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.
Jan. 4: EPA Science to Achieve Results Program - Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms; $760,000 regular awards, $320,000 early career awards. More
Jan. 5: Annie’s Sustainable Agriculture Scholarships, undergraduate and graduate students. More
Jan. 17, Aug. 15: NSF Sociology Investigator-initiated Research Projects. More
Jan. 18, Aug. 18: NSF Decision, Risk and Management Sciences. More
Jan. 19 (pre-proposal): NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Core Programs. More
Jan. 25: Olam Prize for Innovation in Food Security; $50,000, research with potential impact on the availability, affordability, accessibility or adequacy of food. More
Jan 25: 2017 Agropolis Fondation Louis Malassis International Scientific Prize for Agriculture and Food; €20,000 each for distinguished scientist, young promising scientist and outstanding career in agricultural development; contact ISU Foundation cfr@foundation.iastate.edu to express interest. More
Feb. 2, Aug. 3: NSF Science, Technology and Society. More
Apr. 21: NSF USDA NIFA Plant-Biotic Interactions; $300,000 per year for up to four years. More
Mar. 14. NSF STEM + Computing Partnership. More
Communications Kiosk
Using the Pronouns “Who” and “Whom”
“Who” is the pronoun used for references to human beings and to animals with a name. It is the subject of a sentence, clause or phrase, never the object. The woman who rented the room left the window open. “Whom” is used when someone is the object of a verb or preposition. The woman to whom the room was rented left the window open. (Associated Press Stylebook, 2015 edition, pg. 291)
Infograzing
A Conversation on Safety, Justice and Students of Color Scheduled for Nov. 7
A Conversation on Safety, Justice and Students of Color will be held Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. The discussion is designed to raise awareness and understanding about the issues people of color face, especially in their interactions with law enforcement. Students and others on campus are invited to share personal experiences. More
Submit Student Learning Ideas through Techstarter
The Computation Advisory Committee, the student and faculty group that oversees funding expenditures collected through the student technology fee, is using ISU’s crowdsourcing process called Techstarter to identify ideas for funding technology-based projects that benefit student learning. All students, faculty and staff have the opportunity to submit an idea, like an idea, support and comment on an idea, and follow an idea. More
Advancing One Community Award Nominations due Nov. 11
Each January, the ISU community observes the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. with a campus-wide celebration and the recognition of individuals and groups who have followed King’s principles. The Advancing One Community Awards, coordinated by the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, recognize recipients’ efforts to create an inclusive university community that embraces justice and equity. Nominations are due Nov. 11. More
Marginalia
Former CALS MLO Shares ISU Experiences at Puerto Rican Cultural Night
Aurelio Curbelo, former multicultural liaison officer for CALS and administrator of the George Washington Carver summer research program, spoke on “Planning for Success” on Oct. 22 as part of the Puerto Rican Student Association’s Cultural Night. Curbelo (’02 BS, ’06 MS agricultural and life sciences education; ’13 Ph.D. higher education administration) shared about his journey from Puerto Rico to ISU and earning his degrees. Aleni Mercade, senior in animal science, said her takeaway from the lecture was “never give up.” For Priscilla Ruiz, freshman in biology, it was that anyone can succeed at Iowa State. Curbelo is currently the director of the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence at the University of Minnesota. 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.