College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Dec. 5, 2016 – No. 929
Top Stories
Agriculture Putting the Steam in STEM Degrees
David Acker, associate dean of academic and global programs, and Kevin Kimle, director of the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative, contributed to an article on STEM degrees published in AgFunder News on Dec. 1. “Agriculture definitely is in the STEM paradigm,” Acker and Kimle said. “The imaginations of graduates of agriculture and life sciences programs will result in the innovations, inventions and improvements that will mark an agriculture and food system that does more with less and feeds people better.” More
Teaching and Students
CALS Student Council Officers Elected for 2017
CALS Student Council officers for 2017 were elected Nov. 30. President is Edan Lambert, junior in animal science; vice president is Marcus Jansen, junior in horticulture; secretary is Zach Jamison, junior in agricultural and life sciences education; and treasurer is Izak Christensen, junior in agricultural business.
Career Services Releases Summer Internship Survey
CALS Career Services has released results of its 2016 summer internship survey, with more than 1,000 student responses. Ninety-six percent of those with internships were paid experiences and approximately 18 percent of seniors received full-time offers as a result of the internship.
Forestry Club Selling Christmas Trees
The Forestry Club’s annual Christmas tree fundraiser continues at the Reiman Gardens parking lot. Trees will be for sale this weekend, Dec. 9-11. Hours are Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m. The club will have Fraser fir, balsam fir and white and Scotch pine, as well as balsam fir wreaths. Proceeds go towards club activities and student development.
Block and Bridle Club Selling Summer Sausage and Cheese
An online form is available for the Block and Bridle Club’s annual holiday summer sausage and cheese sale. The summer sausage is made on campus in the Meats Laboratory and the cheese (cheddar, Colby and pepper jack) is from a creamery in Minnesota. Place orders by Tuesday, Dec. 6, to reserve products for Christmas. Money raised will be used for club trips, and shows and scholarships hosted by the club. Contact isussandc@gmail.com with questions.
Extension and Outreach
New Swine Program Specialist Joins IPIC
Erik Potter, swine program specialist, has joined the Iowa Pork Industry Center. Potter will be the point of contact for producers and others in several southwest Iowa counties. Also, he will work to strengthen relationships with departments across campus and look for research opportunities between faculty and pork producers in the state. More
Around the College
Hartzler Featured in Palmer Amaranth Story on IPTV’s Market to Market
The Dec. 2 edition of Iowa Public Television’s Market to Market features a story on CRP seed mixes and the Palmer amaranth weed in Midwestern fields. Film footage of Bob Hartzler, agronomy and extension weed scientist, presenting on Palmer amaranth is included. More
Calendar
Dec. 7: Science With Practice Poster Presentation
This semester’s Science With Practice poster presentation open house will be held Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Kildee Hall Atrium. Eighteen students are participating in the program this fall. Science With Practice is a CALS experiential learning and work program for undergraduate students in agriculture.
Dec. 13: Biorenewables Research Poster Symposium
The Biorenewables Research Poster Symposium will be held Dec. 13, 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. in the Sukup Atrium of the Biorenewables Complex. The symposium will feature graduate and undergraduate student posters on research related to biorenewables. Refreshments will be available.
Funding Opportunities
Limited Submission: AAU STEM Network Mini-Grant Proposal Summary Due Dec. 7
To improve undergraduate teaching and learning in STEM disciplines beyond the initial eight project sites, the Association of American Universities will award two rounds of 12 mini-grants designed to further existing efforts to improve undergraduate education. Mini-grant awards are $10,000 per year for two years. Applications are limited to one per institution. Interested faculty should email a brief (one page or less) summary of their proposed application to David Holger (holger@iastate.edu) by close of business on Wednesday, Dec. 7. The individual chosen to submit will be notified on Dec. 8 to enable them to meet the Dec. 16 AAU application deadline. The AAU application is available here.
More
Limited Submission: Moore Foundation Inventor Fellows, Due Jan. 11
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has launched the Moore Inventor Fellowships competition to identify outstanding inventors who harness science and technology to enhance the conduct of scientific research and strengthen environmental conservation. The fellowships will focus on investment at a critical stage of research to capture opportunities that otherwise might be missed. Eligible applicants must be within 10 years of receiving their terminal degree and must devote 25 percent of their time for three years to this project. The foundation anticipates investing $33.75 million to support 50 fellows. Submissions are limited to two submissions per institution. Pre-proposals are due by Jan. 11.
Limited Submission: NSF INCLUDES, Due Dec. 16
The Office of the Vice President for Research office is accepting expressions of interest for the National Science Foundation Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science Design and Development Launch Pilots program. The program will support projects that deliver models or prototypes, including measurement/data infrastructures, enabling collective efforts aimed at increasing the active participation of those who have been traditionally underserved and underrepresented in STEM fields. Awards will support projects with budgets up to $300,000 for up to two years. Expressions of interest should be submitted to fundingopps@iastate.edu by Dec. 16. More
Pre-proposals for FFAR $1 Million Seed Grants Due Jan. 16
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research is accepting pre-proposals for a new grant program, Seeding Solutions - Addressing Challenges in Food and Agriculture. FFAR will provide up to $1 million for up to five years for potentially transformative research projects, and anticipates funding at least one proposal in each of its seven challenge areas. Prospective grantees must secure 1:1 matching funding (up to 50 percent in-kind) from non-federal sources. Proposals may be new projects or expansions of ongoing projects. Submissions will be jointly coordinated by the ISU Foundation and the college. CALS faculty planning to submit a pre-proposal are asked to contact Joe Colletti (colletti@iastate.edu) as soon as possible. Pre-proposals are due Jan. 16. More
CGRER Seed Grant Program Proposals Due Jan. 17
The Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research at the University of Iowa is accepting proposals for their 2017 Seed Grant Program. A maximum of $35,000 per award will be provided for a one-year period for studies on global change, climate effects and regional environmental research related to global environmental problems. New CGRER members and young investigators are encouraged to apply. PIs funded in the last three cycles are not eligible to apply. Proposals are due Jan. 17. More
DOE Notice of Intent to Issue Algae-Related Funding Opportunity
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has published a notice of Intent to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement titled, “Productivity Enhanced Algae and Tool?Kits.” The FOA will support an applied research focus on biological variables which contribute to the modeled minimum fuel selling price of algal biofuels. Release of the FOA is expected in December. Multiple cooperative agreements are anticipated, and the estimated period of performance for each award will be approximately 36 months. More
Global Affairs Canada to Fund Grants for Agri-Food Sector and Climate Change in Haiti
Global Affairs Canada is accepting proposals for projects to strengthen agri-food value chains and adaptation to climate change. The objective of this program is to enhance the economic well-being and reduce the vulnerability for rural Haitians in Artibonite, Sud and/or Grand-Anse. Proposals with budgets between $3 million and $15 million will be accepted. Applicants must demonstrate at least three years of experience managing and delivering projects related to the agri-food sector in Haiti, with at least one project worth a minimum of $3 million. Applications are due April 6.
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. 5 (notice of intent): NASA Carbon Monitoring System: Continuing Prototype Product Development Research and Scoping; $1.5 million over three years, proposals must request Carbon Monitoring System Science Team membership for one or more key investigators. More
Jan. 10 (nominations): Volvo Environment Prize; $215,000, all disciplines with relevance to the environment. More
Jan. 17: Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Enrichment Program; $60,000 over three years, contact ISU foundation (cfr@foundation.iastate.edu) to express interest. More
Jan. 18: American Educational Research Association Research Grants; education policy and practice, $20,000 one-year projects, $35,000 two-year projects. More
March 6: Vodafone Americas Foundation - Ninth Annual Wireless Innovation Prize; $300,000, connected solutions and wireless technologies that impact the global community, contact ISU foundation (cfr@foundation.iastate.edu) to express interest. More
March 7, April 11: Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation (SSE, SSI, S2I2). More
April 1: Buckminster Fuller Institute Fuller Challenge; $100,000 prize, innovative solutions to humanity’s most pressing problems, contact ISU foundation (cfr@foundation.iastate.edu) to express interest. More
Infograzing
Veterinary Medicine Research Symposium Scheduled for Jan. 4
The ISU College of Veterinary Medicine is holding the fifth annual Faculty Research Symposium Poster Session and Reception on Jan. 4, 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the first floor lobby of the Scheman Building. Registration is available online.
APLU Accepting Applications for Innovative Teaching Awards
The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ Board on Agriculture Assembly’s Academic Programs Section is seeking applications for teaching awards for faculty who wish to expand their scholarship of teaching and learning by providing innovative teaching and learning experiences for students. Ten awards of $3,000 each will be provided. Applications are due March 1.
Report Explores the Public Divide over Food Science in the U.S.
A report released by the Pew Research Center states that food has become a flashpoint in American culture and politics. “The New Food Fights: U.S. Public Divides Over Food Science” explores how people assess the health effects of organic and genetically modified foods. This is the second in a series of reports that details public views on science and scientists in areas that connect with Americans’ daily lives. More
Marginalia
Can You Hear the Corn Grow?
A group of engineers and plant scientists led by Douglas Cook, New York University, have discovered that yes, you can hear corn grow. The sound corn emits while growing is surprisingly similar to the sound of breaking corn, and one possible reason behind it may radically change the way we think about plant growth. Cook described his work using acoustic emissions techniques to explore corn stalk growth and breakage at the Acoustical Society of America meeting, Nov. 28 to Dec. 2, in Honolulu. 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.