HELPING LIVESTOCK JUDGING AND ANIMAL RESEARCH REACH NEW HEIGHTS

Dr. Tyrone Artz, a retired orthopedic surgeon, didn’t follow the path be began at Iowa State into the animal agriculture industry. But, his gift of farmland will help ensure future animal scientists the best opportunities.

By Melea Reicks Licht

Dr. Tyrone Artz, a retired orthopedic surgeon in Valley Center, Kan., never forgot the lessons he learned showing livestock in 4-H and as an undergraduate at Iowa State University.

“Showing livestock teaches responsibility and that animals deserve a high quality of life,” he says. “They should be respected and treated decently, and not taken for granted.”

Artz created an estate provision in his will so future students may learn these same lessons as they grow their skills and experience in livestock judging at Iowa State.

As a freshman in animal science in 1960, Artz remembers feeling anxious about “making the grade.” But something he heard at his orientation session stuck with him, even tho ugh the speaker’s name has faded from memory: “Students that have the ‘I will’ fare much better than students that have the I.Q.”

He took the comment to heart, worked hard and gained confidence during his first quarter. His grades were high, and he was accepted to vet school.

He would have “D.V.M” behind his name rather than “M.D.” if it weren’t for an exchange with his local veterinarian while working on his home farm one hot Iowa summer day.

“In the middle of a particularly hot and messy visit our local vet asked me why I’d ever want to do what he did for a living and reminded me doctors work in the comfort of air conditioning,” Artz recalls with a smile. “He told me if I was smart enough for vet school I was certainly smart enough for med school.”

Artz took his vet’s advice. After graduating from Iowa State he completed medical school at the University of Iowa and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

While his future didn’t play out in animal agriculture, he’s taking steps to ensure future animal scientists trained at Iowa State University have the best opportunities.

Now retired, Artz has invested in both Iowa State and the University of Iowa with a land gift through his estate. His gift to Iowa State also will benefit the College of Veterinary Medicine with the creation of an endowed professorship.

Maynard Hogberg, professor and chair of animal science, says Artz’s gift will provide the margin of excellence over similar programs across the country.

“The Artz Judging Team Fund will assist with recruiting the best students and reinforce our commitment to leadership skills development,” Hogberg says. “It will create an environment for students to interact with and care for animals and to better understand the agricultural and food system.”

The gift also will endow the Artz Chair for Faculty Excellence in Animal Science for a faculty member who has shown distinction in undergraduate education and  research in an area that strengthens and supports animal agriculture in Iowa.

Funds generated from Artz’s endowed gift of farmland will support students, faculty and staff and programming. It will provide travel support, scholarships, professional development, materials, equipment and the development of a stronger advising system. The department will use part of the fund to sponsor and host judging competitions and recruitment programs.

ENRICHING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE, PAYING IT FORWARD

Scholarship recipient Alyssa Swan helps groom the horses at the ISU Horse Barns as part of a service project with the ISU Horseman's Association. Swan says receiving a scholarship allows her to participate in service activities and gain research experience rather than working to finance her education.

For many students, receiving a scholarship not only supports them financially, it gives them that extra boost of confidence needed to take advantage of all the opportunities college presents.

Alyssa Swan is such a student. As a Dean’s Leadership Scholar she receives financial support for working at east 10 hours per week in an area related to her major.

“Our scholarships come from someone who believes in us and in the college,” she says. “Being selected as a Dean’s Leadership Scholar was fantastic. It was like someone saying, ‘Here you go, you can do this!’ The donors believe in CALS and they believe I can make an impact and that helps me go that extra mile.”

Make that miles. Swan, a junior in animal science from Milwaukee is an officer in the ISU Horseman’s Association and a member of the Pre-Vet Club. She also is a member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Alpha Lambda Delta / Phi Eta Sigma and Alpha Zeta honor societies as well as the University Honors Program.

She has worked as undergraduate research assistant in Matthew Ellinwood’s lab since her freshman year (see story on Ellinwood on page four). Swan worked as an animal caretaker and assisted Ellinwood with a surgical procedure related to his genetic research on the mucopolysaccharidoses diseases.

Swan continues to work in the lab, but is now leading her own project researching cat coat color genetics. She believes this project has the potential to advance the future genetic research potential of the cat colony.

“I don’t think I ever would have been adventurous enough to attempt undergraduate research my freshman year if it hadn’t been part of my scholarship. Because of my work with Dr. Ellinwood, I’ve really been able to begin to figure out what I like to do and how to plan for my future,” she says.

Swan has an externship at Wisconsin Equine Clinic and Hospital this summer— an opportunity she says she might not have been able to take if she had not received a scholarship, because the job is unpaid.

She benefitted so much from her scholarship she’s already looking for ways to pay it forward.

“I see myself becoming a donor in the future because these scholarships have improved my experience tenfold,” she says.

INTEREST IN CULINARY SCIENCE HEATS UP

Culinary science student Phil Canada interned at the Soyfoods Council developing recipes such as this soy pesto served on baguettes.

Cooking is chemistry. Every time you heat, stir, cool or mix ingredients you are experimenting. Studying and understand-ing the chemical interactions behind the recipe is what students majoring in culi-nary science are doing.  “The curriculum is based strongly in food sciences and students develop basic culinary skills and knowledge,” says Erica Beirman, Iowa State University alumna and culinary science coordinator. “Our gradu-ates work in the test kitchens and research labs where food products are developed.”  That’s what attracted Phil Canada who is a junior in culinary science. One of the requirements for students is to participate in at least two internships, one in the food science industry and one with a culinary science focus.  Rich and Nancy Degner contributed scholarship funds to help culinary science students pursue internships in the food, restaurant or culinary industry. Rich (’72 agricultural education, ’77 MS) is execu-tive director of the Iowa Pork Producers Association and Nancy (’72 food science) is executive director of the Iowa Beef Industry Council.  Canada is one of the 2011 Degner schol-arship recipients. Last summer, he interned at the Soyfoods Council developing recipes. The goal was to create recipes to be used in dining services that serve a large number of meals, like a cafeteria or dining hall. One of the ingredients was a shelled edamame, a green soybean that is a com-plete protein because it contains the essential amino acids. Canada says they developed a pesto recipe that included edamame, spinach, walnuts, basil, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. He and Angelica Gutierrez, a senior in culinary science and food science, prepared and served it at a college event last fall. The soy pesto was a hit. “It’s a classic pesto recipe. The rst bite gives you a pesto flavo, then you get a mild smoky, spicy flavor at the end fom the Tabasco sauce we added,” Canada says. The culinary science major was firstavailable in 2008 to students in both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Human Sciences. The rst culinary science students graduated last May scoring jobs with a Pampered Chef test kitchen, the Iowa Egg Council, August Home Publishing and Hy-Vee  grocery, among others. Cassie Miller was a College of Human Sciences graduate in that first graduatingclass and also received the Degner scholar-ship. One of Miller’s internships took her to Denver where she worked in recipe devel-opment, education and food production at the Beef Culinary Center at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Miller cur-rently works as a demonstration chef with Hy-Vee promoting products and educating the public on food preparation techniques.  Beirman says faculty and staff are care-ful about letting interested students know the difference between culinary arts and culinary science. “We want students to be sure this is the right major for them,” Beirman says. “This is the major for students who develop the products for the restaurant, not the stu-dents who want to own the restaurant.” Interest in the degree is heating up. The number of prospective students interested in the major has tripled since it was firstintroduced three years ago.

Click here for Canada’s recipe for soy pesto, Degner’s recipe for French onion beef sandwiches, and Beirman’s peanut butter balls.

THE FUTURE IS CLEAR: New Greenhouses Provide First-rate Experiences

New horticulture greenhouses at Iowa State University built through public, private partnerships provide a rst-class venue for education and research.

Alum Dwight Hughes (’70 horticulture and land-scape architecture), second from right, presented commemorative green ties to Iowa State University administrators involved in the ribbon cutting—Dean Wendy Wintersteen; Jeff Iles, horticulture chair; and President Gregory Geoffrey (right).

The 12,000 square-foot, state-of- the-art facility, dedicated in September, replaces 98-year-old greenhouses that were demolished in 2010.

The green-houses extend along the south side of Horticulture Hall, home of the Depart-ment of Horticulture.  The complex is partitioned into sec-tions dedicated to research, teaching  and student club activities. Each area  is equipped with computerized control system monitors that regulate environ-mental parameters such as temperature, humidity and light intensity providing optimal conditions for plant growth.

During the next semester hundreds  of students from several departments in the college will study and learn in the new greenhouse facility.

“We are very proud of this facility and excited about the opportunities it will provide for our students as they prepare for their careers,” says Jeff Iles (’93 PhD horticulture), professor and chair of the department of horticulture.

Funds for the $4 million project included approximately $1 million in  private gifts. Iowa State and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences provided the remaining funds.