College News

 

MEET CALS' GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER INTERNS

This summer, 24 undergraduate students and 10 high schoolers from 10 different states and Puerto Rico are interns in the George Washington Carver Summer Research Internship Program. The program helps students explore science through experiential learning, champions the value of graduate education, increases diversity in STEM fields and helps recruit new bright minds to undergraduate and graduate programs in CALS. More

 

REDUCING NUTRIENT RUNOFF WITH PERENNIALS

Iowa State University research shows an increase in perennial bioenergy grasses throughout the Corn Belt would lead to a significant reduction in nitrogen moving down the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico. The study by Andy VanLoocke, assistant professor of agronomy, used computer models to simulate how various levels of perennial grasses might affect the level of nutrient runoff from Midwestern farmland. More

 

CAGE-FREE EGGS: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Hongwei Xin, agricultural and biosystems engineering and director of the Egg Industry Center, wrote on the opportunities and challenges of going cage-free in a recent edition of Poultry Times. Xin emphasized the importance of egg-buying companies making use of the available scientific data when making decisions. More

 

ADDING MONARCH HABITAT TO THE MIDWEST LANDSCAPE

Research at Iowa State provides information to help producers make decisions about establishing monarch habitat and encourage them to join the effort to re-establish milkweed and forbs that support monarchs during migrations across the state. More

A coalition of researchers from Iowa State, USDA and other conservation groups is offering farmers across Iowa and the Midwest financial support to help restore the monarch butterfly population. The deadline to apply to the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Development Project is Aug. 5. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office or view the NRCS website.

 

GET THE FACTS WITH NEW CROP FORECASTING TOOL

A new ISU Extension and Outreach web tool helps farmers make in-season and pre-season crop management decisions based on real-time information and predicted outcomes. The Forecast and Assessment of Cropping sysTemS (FACTS), recently launched online, provides detailed information on weather, soil water and nitrogen, crop staging, temperature stress and yields. More

 

STORIES OF GROWING LEADERS

The college’s role in growing leaders is featured in the most recent issue of Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni magazine STORIES. With a focus on student leadership, this issue features several young leaders making a difference in the college and among their peers. It also includes a conversation on leadership with Dean Wendy Wintersteen. View STORIES website, access online extra content or download a PDF. To be added to the print mailing list or request additional copies e-mail stories@iastate.edu.

 

Join us Sept. 3 at the Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center, prior to the ISU vs. UNI football game! Visit fellow alums, students, faculty and friends from 3 - 6 p.m. with a program by Dean Wendy Wintersteen at 4:30 p.m. Bring your family and enjoy fun for all ages including hands-on activities from CALS student organizations, balloon animals, a Hickory Park meal and more! Registration requested by Aug. 20. A free will donation (suggested $5 per person) to help defray meal costs will be accepted at the door. Check out photos from last year’s event which drew more than 460 alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students. More

 

Social Media Spotlight

 

Follow @ElwynnTaylor on TwitterConnect with more Iowa State University Agriculture and Natural Resource Extension and Outreach faculty and staff experts online

 

Events

Alumni News

 

NEWLIN HONORED FOR SEED LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) honored seed-industry veteran Owen Newlin (’51 agronomy, ’53 MS) with its inaugural Lifetime Industry Achievement Award. The award will be known as the Owen J. Newlin Lifetime Seed Industry Achievement Award recognizing exceptional professionals whose career contributions to the seed industry span more than 50 years. It is the highest award given out by the association. Newlin was honored on June 20 during the Opening General Session of the joint ASTA-Oregon Seed Association Annual Convention in Portland, Oregon. More

 

BRUDVIG WINS NSF EARLY CAREER AWARD 

Lars Brudvig (’07 PhD ecology and evolutionary biology), associate professor of plant biology at Michigan State University, received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award. The five-year, $653,460 award will support Brudvig’s work on understanding how to restore damaged ecosystems, particularly grasslands in southwestern Michigan, and provide funds to train students. More

 

EDDY NAMED TO NATIONAL FFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Southeast Polk’s agriculture education instructor, Matthew Eddy (’99 agricultural education, MS ‘08) was recently named to the National FFA Board of Directors. Eddy is a Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) Certified Master Teacher. He authored the governor's STEM Scale-Up grants supporting Iowa agriculture programs’ participation in the CASE model. Eddy's chapter is one of the state’s largest and hosts the Animal Learning Center at the Iowa State Fair. More

 

CALS ALUMS HONORED AT FARM PROGRESS SHOW                                 

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Women in Agriculture program will introduce a special recognition during Farm Progress Show to showcase eight outstanding Iowa women including three CALS alums. Nancy Bohl Bormann (’04 environmental science, ag and life sciences education), environmental services manager and agronomist for Maschhoff Environmental; Kathy Dice (’85 fisheries and wildlife biology), a farmer near Wapello; and April Hemmes (’82 animal science), a farmer near Hampton will be honored during the show August 30 – September 1. More

 

About STORIES Online
 
STORIES Online is a supplement to STORIES magazine. The e-newsletter delivers college and alumni news, class notes and relevant links each month. If you have news or story suggestions or would like to subscribe please contact editor Melea Reicks Licht at mreicks@iastate.edu.

 

Young Alum of the Month

Ellie Weiss

 

 

Title: Account Executive, Meyocks

Hometown: Ames, Iowa

Degree: '13 ag studies

Major Responsibilities: I work with companies’ marketing teams to put together advertising, marketing and communication goals and strategies and make sure their projects get done on time and on budget.

 

CALS HERITAGE LIVESTOCK TOUR OPEN TO ALUMNI, FRIENDS

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is hosting an educational travel tour of the United Kingdom and Scotland for alumni and friends June 14-24, 2017. Led by animal scientists Maynard Hogberg and Jodi Sterle, guests will engage with experts, producers, researchers and caretakers as they explore the historical roots of a variety of purebred livestock. Space is limited. View the complete brochure and reserve your spot today. More

 

Class Notes

 

Did you land a new job? Receive an honor or award? Reach a milestone? We’d like to know! Submit your class note via e-mail stories@iastate.edu.

 

2010s

Jennifer Elliott (’16 ag and life sciences education) has joined Smithfield Foods as a sales and business trainee.

 

Rebecca Haugland ('16 ag and life sciences education) is the new customer success representative at Global/VetLINK in Ames.

 

Courtney Harder (’15 ag business) is the new commercial product trainer at CNH Industrial in Racine, Wisconsin.

 

Morgan Shrader (’15 ag business, agronomy) has been promoted to Account Manager with DuPont Pioneer.

 

Kelsey Carlson (’14 animal science, MS ’16) won the M.S. Research Award from the American Meat Science Association at the 2016 Reciprocal Meat Conference in San Angelo, Texas.
 
 

Carl Hanson (’14 ag studies) is the new business development manager for AgYield.

 

Amber Selman (’12 ag and life sciences education, dairy science, animal science) has taken a position as marketing executive at Filament Marketing in Saint Charles, Illinois.

 

Caitlin Wessel (’12 ag and life sciences education), ag educator at East Marshall Community Schools, has been appointed to the Iowa Council on Agricultural Educaton by Governor Branstad.

 

Kimberly Thayer (’11 environmental science, ’16 MS agronomy) has been hired as an agronomist for Tucker Consulting in Storm Lake.

 

2000s

Ryan Collins (’09 ag systems technology), a farmer near Harpers Ferry, was featured in Iowa Farmer Today for using a rotational grazing system on his farming operation.

 

Justin Rumple (’09 ag studies), a farmer near Casey, was featured in AgriNews for practices on his farming operation.

 

Peter Scharpe (’09 animal science) has been hired as a loan processor at Farmers State Bank in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

 

Leah Worth (’08 horticulture) is the new agriculture/horticulture program coordinator for Iowa State Extension in Jasper County.

 

Brianne Streck (’05 ag and life sciences education), grain merchandiser with Flint Hills Resources from Moville, has been elected public relations chair of the Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmers Committee.

 

Jacob Handsaker (’04 ag studies), owner of Hands On Excavating in Radcliffe, has been elected chair of the Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmers Committee.

 

Sarah Kaatz ('03 MS fisheries and wildlife biology) has been named director of the Iowa State Office for Responsible Research. 

 

Brian Steward (’00 ag business) has been promoted to senior commercial field underwriter for Acuity.

 

1990s

Joel Rochleau (’96 ag business), senior vice president and branch manager of security state bank in Springville, was honored by the Northwestern Financial Review Magazine as one of the 2016 Rising Stars in Banking.

 

1980s

Juston Lamb (’86 ag and life sciences education), agricultural educator at Pekin Community Schools was featured by the University of Iowa for his student’s STEM Innovator business,The Chicken Tractor Project.

 

1970s

Dallas Maxwell (’77 animal science) has been named superintendent of the Iowa State Armstrong and Neely-Kinyon research and demonstration farms in southwest Iowa.

 

1960s

David Trauger (’64 fisheries and wildlife biology, ’67 MS, ’71 PhD zoology) has co-published the book Peak Oil, Economic Growth and Wild Life Conservation.

 

In Memoriam

Daniel Kiesling (’13 MS animal science), 34 of Williamston, Michigan, died July 11.

 

Douglas Fuller (’86 agronomy), 58, of Ames, died June 24.

 

Harold John Dane (’47 farm operation), 90, of Iowa City, died July 7.

 

 

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Iowa State University 

303 Curtiss Hall

Ames, Iowa 50011

(515) 294-5616

stories@iastate.edu

http://www.cals.iastate.edu