STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT – Spring 2012

AGRICULTURAL WEEKEND EXPERIENCE OFFERS NEW PERSPECTIVES

The college’s Agricultural Weekend Experience (AWE) gives students majoring in agriculture and life sciences the opportunity to interact with Iowa families and the agriculture community. Participants spend the weekend as guests on a working family farm. This fall, 11 students participated in the AWE program. Carly Martin, student intern in the college communications office, coordinated the program. The ISU Agricultural Endowment Board and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences sponsor AWE. Participants say the program helped broaden their understanding of agriculture.

“I saw that farming is not as cheap as I thought it was. It made me realize that you never know how something is until you get out there and experience it, which is what this program has allowed me to do.” Khadija Brown, a freshman in animal science pre-vet from Chicago.

“The weekend answered many of my questions with first-hand examples like allowing us to use the equipment.” Chawn McGrath, a freshman in animal science from Pennsylvania.

“This program is very beneficial for any student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Whether a student has a farming background or not, it can give someone a new perspective on how farms are operated.” Katelyn Gardner, a junior in public service and administration from Vinton.

“The AWE program showed me what a true Iowa family farm is like and it was interesting to see all the hard work and challenges that go along with farming.” Kelsey Regan, a junior in agricultural biosystems technology from Davenport.

CALS STUDENTS RECEIVE ALL-UNIVERSITY SENI OR AWARD

Four of the five student-recipients of the ISU Wallace E. Barron All-University Senior Award were from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The award recognizes outstanding seniors who display high character, outstanding achievement in academics and university/community activities and promise for continuing these exemplary qualities as alumni. CALS recipients for 2012 were: Sam Bird, global resource systems and economics; Sagar Chawla, biology and global resource systems; Scott Henry, agricultural business, finance and international agriculture; and Amy Peyton, agricultural business, economics, public service and administration in agriculture and international agriculture.

STUDENTS ELECTED TO NATIONAL LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

Danielle Hamilton, a senior in agricultural and life sciences education, was elected president of the National Postsecondary Agriculture Student Organization and Logan Lyon, a junior in agronomy, was elected president-elect at the group’s national meeting in November. Rachel Owen, a senior in global resource systems and agronomy, was elected national vice president of Students of Agronomy, Soils and Environmental Sciences at the American Society of Agronomy in October.

CALS WOMEN HONORED FOR “IMPACTING” ISU

Four women from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were honored by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics on the sixth annual Women Impacting ISU calendar. Molly Heintz (right), a senior in animal science; Alejandra Navarro, a senior in animal ecology; Sharon Bird, associate professor of sociology; and Shelley Taylor, assistant director of Global Agriculture Programs were selected to appear on the 2012 calendar.

SLIDE SHOW: NEW GRADUATE ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO CONTINUE THEIR ADVENTURES

Write your story and continue the adventure you started in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: That was the advice of convocation speaker Ashley Dermody, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy in December. Hear her complete address and see a photo slideshow online at www.cals.iastate.edu/stories

A SAMPLING OF STUDENT CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES

Agricultural Business Club

For the past six years, Iowa State University’s Agricultural Business Club has been recognized as the “National Outstanding Chapter.” This award distinguishes the club as the best agricultural business club in the nation. The club has more than 150 members, with about 30 of those serving each year as chairs for eight committees. The club strives to provide agricultural business students with opportunities to develop their leadership skills, recognize their accomplishments and create unity among the students and faculty. Agricultural business students are given the chance to participate in an industry golf tournament, Pre-Career Day panel discussion, roadside cleanup, industry tours and attend the National Agriculture and Applied Economics Association conference each year.

Block & Bridle

Block & Bridle, the largest club in the college with nearly 300 members, promotes the animal industry through various activities and service projects. The club dates back to 1919, when ISU was among its founding national member universities. It recently received several awards at the 2012 National Block and Bridle Convention placing first in chapter activities and chapter yearbook and second in chapter webpage. The Little North American showmanship contest is one of the most prestigious events the club hosts annually along with other livestock and companion-animal shows. The club serves the Ames community through canned food drives, donating hand-made blankets to hospitals and participating in VEIS HEA service projects.

Collegiate FFA

Members of the ISU Collegiate FFA were happy to have the Iowa FFA Convention back on the Iowa State campus this April after a few years held elsewhere. Iowa State University has had a presence at the Iowa FFA Convention for more than 25 years. The Collegiate FFA assists with the conventions every year by volunteering at a silent auction, sponsoring a bingo night and interacting with high school FFA at different convention activities. Besides helping with FFA events, this organization is most well known on campus for its annual pancake breakfast which is held during National FFA Week and sponsoring a “Dean for a Day” contest as a fundraising event for the club.

Landscape Club

Known for its hands-on experiences, the Landscape Club gives ample opportunities to enhance learning outside of the classroom. It seeks service projects that allow club members to conduct the entire process of landscape design and installment. Recently, members took part in the design and installation process of the green roof on the Horticulture Building. Because of their great efforts, the club was asked to install another green roof on the Memorial Union in Spring 2012. “The skills that we learn through these projects we put to use at our annual Professional Landcare Network trip,” says club president, Miles Thompson, a senior in horticulture. During the trip club members compete at events such as landscape installation and design contest and take advantage of great networking opportunities.

National Agri-Marketing Association

Iowa State University’s student chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association is a catalyst for students with the desire to expand their agri-marketing abilities while developing and utilizing professional networks. The student club works closely with the Iowa Professional NAMA chapter. The club supports a marketing team, which competes nationally. Students receive independent study credit as members of the marketing team. Currently, there are over 30 student members and this continues to grow each year. The Iowa State student chapter has earned several national awards in recent years including Outstanding Chapter twice in the last five years and the 2011 John Deere Signature Award.

VEISHEA

The 90-year-old tradition of VEISHEA wouldn’t be a success without strong leadership from College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students. The 2012 executive committee was nearly 50 percent CALS students and led by B.J. Brugman, senior in agricultural business, as a general co-chair. The college had 11 clubs participating in this year’s VEIS HEA through fundraising and activities for the public. Some VEISHEA favorites include the Dairy Science Club’s “I Milked A Cow” event, timbersports on central campus, the Horticulture Club’s plant sale and several club foodstands.

Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Science

The Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Science is a growing organization open to students from any major. This national organization promotes the advancement and potential of multicultural students on campus through assisting with leadership activities, internships, scholarships and career placement. “This organization is all about making life changes and helping students have a successful college experience,” says Aurelio Curbelo, the club’s adviser. Statistics have shown that multicultural students involved with MANRRS have increased graduation rates and obtain jobs faster. One of the most rewarding activities that MANRRS members partake in is a campaign promoting the importance of receiving a diploma in Iowa and Illinois at-risk school districts. Members also get the opportunity for international travel and serve the community with various service projects.

INTRODUCING PEERS TO A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES

Tia Sandoval has been bitten by the travel bug and she loves to share her affliction. Sandoval is a Student Travel Consultant with the Ag Study Abroad office.

Three College of Agriculture and Life Sciences travel courses to China, Brazil and Ecuador are just the beginning of her international experiences.

The senior in animal science and international agriculture spent last spring semester in Brazil. While there, Sandoval, from Kansas City, Mo., polished her Portuguese skills and completed an independent study on poultry nutrition at the Federal University of Viçosa in Minas Gerais. She also taught an English conversational course.

“It can be difficult to learn a language from books or teachers, so I came up with different topics each week and led them in conversations,” Sandoval says. “It was rewarding to see them progress in their English and become more conversational.”

In order to share her experiences, Sandoval has worked as a Student Travel Consultant with the Ag Study Abroad office since 2009. The student consulting program grew from suggestions by students in 2005 who wanted more interaction with students who had been abroad. Today there are five student consultants on staff.

“As a consultant, we share personal experiences from a student perspective so other students can relate to the program and find out more about studying abroad,” Sandoval says.

Briana McNeal, a junior in global resource systems and nutrition, will be studying abroad on the same semester exchange program to Brazil next year.

“It was nice to listen to Tia’s personal experiences rather than reading pamphlets from the school, because now I have a better idea of what to expect,” says McNeal.

Each semester, the consultants provide valuable feedback to the Ag Study Abroad staff on what their peers are interested in, helping the programming to be more effective. Last year, 220 students participated in Ag Study Abroad travel courses. Shelley Taylor, director of study abroad for the college, says the consultants play a critical role.

“Student travel consultants are insiders. Students consider the information more valuable coming from peers than from me,” Taylor says. “This program is so valuable in recruiting. It is a crucial link in staying relevant to our goals.”

Sandoval says she enjoys sharing what she has learned abroad.

“My experiences have taught me to be open minded,” Sandoval says. “When you’re in a new country or culture, it is important to keep an open mind, because they have different beliefs, cultural activities, food and ways of doing things. This gives me the opportunity to learn something new and also share what I know.”

Sandoval has been nominated for Agriculture Extension in Sub-Sahara Africa with the Peace Corps, where she

Tia Sandoval

hopes to share her passion for agriculture in an international setting.

BUILT ON TRUST – STRONG RELATIONSHIPS SUPPORT AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS

Agricultural journalism alum Janine Whipps helps her clients focus on what's most important: their relationships with customers.

When Janine (Stewart) Whipps was a student at Iowa State, her family’s farm faced a crisis when pseudorabies struck the purebred Duroc herd.

The family worked with Iowa State to successfully transfer embryos from their best Duroc sows and implant them in disease- free sows. The result: Elite genetic lines were saved and the herd rebuilt.

Whipps (’83 agricultural journalism) wrote a story about it. She pitched it to Successful Farming magazine, which bought the article and ran it.

“That was the first article I ever sold. It was a big deal. As a student, you have to do things like that to be different and stand out from the crowd,” she says. “That’s what I tell young people who have a passion for agriculture and for communications.”

Whipps has lived her advice. She’s one of the principals of Morgan&Myers, a company she’s been with 27 years, that provides integrated communications and strategic planning services for agricultural clients in animal health, seed, banking, commodity organizations and more. The company offices in Waterloo, where Whipps is based, and Waukesha, Wis.

As a student, Whipps was active in both journalism and agricultural groups, including working for swine industry legend Al Christian at the ISU Swine Teaching Farm. Her goal was to work for a national agricultural magazine. But she graduated as the Farm Crisis deepened and found slimmer opportunities.

So her first job was working for a Harvestore dealership in communications, advertising and client relations. “It was a great first job. You leave college thinking you know it all, then you realize you don’t. That’s good for everyone to learn,” she says.

Whipps went on to work for the Hampshire Swine Registry in Peoria and then an agency in Cedar Falls that worked on animal health and seed industry accounts. Morgan&Myers eventually bought the agency and Whipps stayed on.

“We’ve grown while staying very true to our agricultural and pasture-to-plate roots,” she says. “I’m pleased to have worked so long with so many who are making a difference in food and agriculture.”

One accomplishment she’ll never forget was leading the team that worked with Asgrow to introduce Roundup Ready soybeans.

“I’d take farmers to a field and watch them as the plants were sprayed. You’d just see them cringe,” she recalls. “Then we’d return two weeks later and see this beautiful field of soybeans. Seeing that new technology take off was a great experience.”

Whipps has seen major changes in communications tools (gleefully, she believes every student should experience a manual typewriter). But some things don’t change.

“The fundamentals remain the same. You need to know your audience, have insight into what’s important to them, know what information is relevant and understand who influences their decisions,” Whipps says. “These are the foundation for building consistent messages that are on track and resonate. Then you need to build relationships and gain trust by being as transparent as possible. At the end of the day, relationships matter and are what sets companies, products and people apart.”