News

Science with Practice: ‘A doorway into the world of scientific curiosity’

Twenty years ago, at a time when student debt was at an all-time high and the university faced stiff state and federal funding cuts, the Science with Practice program launched to provide experiential learning opportunities for students and pay them for their work. Since then, nearly 800 CALS students have enrolled in the program and course (AGEDS 3120).

Serving up culinary history in new cookbook

Ellie Recker, Hadley Shatek and Ben Starling have tested and modified more than 100 recipes this semester that will go into a cookbook being developed by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Farm Food and Enterprise Development (FFED) unit. The students are learning valuable skills along the way and earning independent study credits.

Destructive maize weevil inspires student’s research journey

Under the supervision of Carl Bern, emeritus university professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Keith Urmie was tasked with quantifying how much maize weevils could eat per day under ideal growth conditions. He completed the research for his Honors program capstone project during his undergraduate studies in agricultural engineering at Iowa State University.

Bloom shares successes, life lessons with future ag teachers

Melanie Bloom’s superpower as an agriculture teacher is knowing what questions to ask and when to ask them. She encourages aspiring ag teachers to do the same and identify great teachers to learn from.

CALS student club spotlight: Swine Production Advocates

Learn about the Swine Production Advocates club and see if it's a good fit for you!

Investing in the longevity of food science

With a focus on innovation and ideation, Kate Gilbert has dedicated her College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows (IEFF) project to enhance FSHN 4120 Food Product Development, a three-credit capstone course for food science and culinary food science seniors. The course challenges students to develop a new food product using the knowledge they have gained from prerequisite courses. 

Irwin will share her purpose-driven leadership approach during Deal Lecture Dec. 3

Gretta Irwin, executive director and home economist with the Iowa Turkey Federation, will present the 2025 William K. Deal Leadership Lecture Dec. 3, at Iowa State University.

Soil Machine Dynamics Lab solves problems in outer space and Iowa fields

Iowa State University launches new Cidery, debuts hard ciders made with Iowa-grown apples

Two hard ciders are now available from the newly launched Iowa State University Cidery. All fruit used to produce the ciders is grown locally at the Iowa State Horticulture Research Station.

Articles describe genomic selection’s potential to meet future challenges in agriculture

Developing high-yielding, nutritious and climate-resilient crops is vital to safeguard the future of global food production. To meet the challenges, Iowa State University scientists are working with crop breeders to look for approaches that can efficiently speed up crop improvement programs. Genomic selection is an important part of the answer, according to Professor Jianming Yu, the Pioneer Distinguished Chair in Maize Breeding and director of the Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding at Iowa State. 

CALS student club spotlight: Farm Operations Club

Learn about the Farm Operations Club and see if it's a good fit for you!

SCN Coalition helps farmers fight relentless pest

The microscopic, soil-borne soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is considered the most serious biological threat to the U.S. soybean industry. In North America, it causes yield losses worth more than $1 billion annually. The SCN Coalition helps farmers combat this relentless pathogen in a variety of ways. Established by Professor Greg Tylka, director of the Iowa Soybean Research Center, with colleagues at other universities, the coalition was launched in 2018. It now includes scientists from 28 states and Ontario, Canada, grower checkoff organizations and corporate partners. 

2025 awards to be presented to CALS alums, friends

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Iowa State University Alumni Association will present awards to several CALS alums and friends at the 94th annual Honors & Awards Ceremony on Oct. 24.