FOOTNOTES, Spring 2010

STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN DEMOS WITH SEARCH, RESCUE DOGS
Robin Habeger, development officer with the Iowa State Foundation, moonlights as a search and rescue dog trainer. She often visits undergraduate courses to demonstrate training methods as she is doing in the photo at right. During the demonstration she emphasizes the importance of body language, timing and play as a reward for working dogs. The students pictured are in Anna Johnson’s Domestic Animal Behavior and Well-being class (see story on Johnson on page 18). Moses, a Yellow Labrador-Golden Retriever mix, is one of two search and rescue dogs owned by Habeger. He is a FEMA disaster dog in training with Nebraska Task Force 1.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS GRAD STUDENTS’ BIORENEWABLE RESEARCH
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences scientists and graduate students are researching technologies, biomass and cropping systems to help Iowa become a leader in the bioeconomy. Together they are partnering with farmers, businesses and industry to produce food, feed, fiber and fuel and create new opportunities for Iowans. To watch the video visit http://www.ag.iastate.edu/video/v/This_is_Big.

AUTOMATED ODOR MITIGATION GETS CUES FROM CLIMATE

Steven Hoff, an Iowa State University professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, has developed a system for operating odor mitigation systems only when the weather is most likely to cause the odors to become a nuisance to neighbors. Hoff’s odor mitigation prototype monitors several climate variables and operates only when neighbors may be affected. The system is a miniature weather station that includes locations of neighbors as part of its programming. “If no one is going to be impacted by the odors emitting from a pig house, let’s say, or a poultry house, then save the farmer some money and don’t mitigate,” he says. Learn more at http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2010/mar/hoff.

BUDDING ILLUSTRATORS CREATE DRAWINGS FOR NEW ISU WEED IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
Students in biological and pre-medical illustration (BPMI) created technically accurate illustrations of several grass species for a Weed ID Guide published by the Corn and Soybean Initiative at Iowa State University. The publication is part of a series of field guides widely used by agriculture and university professionals and growers to aid in-field crop management. The students are Jamie Rippke, Ames; Stephen Robinson, Story City; Kaitlin Lindsay, Kearney, Neb.; and Jessica Thompson, Chicago. December 2009 graduate Azusa Okuwa, Kanazawa, Japan, also participated in the project. In return, the students earned course credit towards their degree in BPMI – an undergraduate major in Iowa State’s colleges of Design and Liberal Arts and Sciences for students who want to combine interests and aptitudes in science and art. The major prepares students for careers in biological illustration or for graduate education in medical illustration.

ALUMNI NEWS, Spring 2010

CALS ALUMNI AMONG ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HONOREES
Several College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni received awards at the ISU Alumni Association Honors and Awards Ceremony at Homecoming 2009.
• Alumni Medal – Donald Jordahl (’58 agricultural education)
• Floyd Andre Award – Dwight Hughes Jr. (’70 horticulture)
• Henry A. Wallace Award – David Wright (’82 agronomy, ’86 MS)
• George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award – Charles Sukup (’76 ag engineering, ’82 MS)
• George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award – Jerry DeWitt

ALUMNA TO RECEIVE MARKETER OF THE YEAR AWARD
The National Agri-Marketing Association has honored alumna Stephanie Liska with its Marketer of the Year award, the organization’s most prestigious honor. The award was presented during the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference in April. Liska is the CEO of Beck Ag Inc. She earned a bachelor’s degree in public service and administration in agriculture in 1987. She is pictured (second from left) receiving the award with Amy Bradford, GROWMARK, National NAMA Professional Recognition Chair (left); Lynn Henderson, Agri Marketing Magazine, sponsor of the NAMA Marketer of the Year award (second from right); and Susie Decker, Farm Progress Companies, 2010 National NAMA President (right).

AG BUSINESS ALUM ELECTED ADM VICE PRESIDENT
Joseph Taets was elected vice president of Archer Daniels Midland Co., effective Sept. 15. He relocated from Europe to the company’s headquarters in Decatur, Ill. to be responsible for the ADM Grain Co. within the Agricultural Services business unit. Since joining the company in 1988, Taets has held various trading and management positions in both North America and Europe. He most recently served as managing director, European Oilseeds. Taets received a bachelor’s degree agricultural business in 1988.

ALUM NAMED DEAN AT VIRGINIA TECH
Forestry alum Paul Winistorfer was named the dean of the College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech. He previously served as head of the college’s Department of Wood Science and Forest Products. Winistorfer earned his bachelor’s degree at Iowa State through the university honors program with emphasis in education and forest products, and his doctorate in forestry in 1985. He replaced Mike Kelly, who previously served as chair of Iowa State’s Department of Forestry and later the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management. He retired after serving as dean for the past five years.

FORESTRY ALUM APPOINTED TO SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION SOCIETY
Jim Gulliford, who earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry in 1973 and 1975, became executive director of the Soil and Water Conservation Society in November. Gulliford has extensive experience in soil and water conservation, agriculture and environmental protection. Most recently he served as EPA assistant administrator for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances.

LATHAM ELECTED CHAIR OF NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO SUPPORT AG RESEARCH, TEACHING, EXTENSION
Donald Latham has been elected chairman of the national Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) for a two-year term that began Jan. 1. CARET is a national grassroots organization to enhance support and understanding of the land-grant university system’s food and agricultural research, extension and teaching programs. Delegates are chosen by land-grant universities to be representatives of their state’s programs. Latham earned a bachelors’ degree in agronomy in 1969.

ALUMS’ LECTURES ARE AVAILABLE FOR LISTENING
The presentations of alumni Will Martin (’82 PhD economics), lead economist with the World Bank’s Trade and Development Research Group, and Charles Manatt (’58 rural sociology), former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, are available as podcasts on the Lectures Program website. Martin spoke on campus Oct. 14, presenting “Trade and Food Policy Alternatives for Developing Countries.” Manatt presented the 2009 William K. Deal Endowed Leadership Lecture Oct. 27, titled “Preparing Leaders to Meet Future Global Challenges.”

CALS ALUMNI AMONG YOUNG ISU STATEMENT MAKERS
The 2010 Iowa STATEment Makers, inaugural honorees of the new recognition program pioneered by the Young Alumni Council. James Johnson (’01 ag education) and Jeff Goodenbour (’04 genetics) were selected for the honor because of their early personal and professional accomplishments and contributions to society. Johnson is a farmer, teacher and coach and previously served as mayor of Avoca, Iowa. Goodenbour is a brain development and neurological researcher at UCLA whose research has been published in Nature. View all the STATEment Makers or nominate someone for the 2011 honor.

NEW ALUM URGES FELLOW GRADUATES TO SEEK PERFECTION
“I had the great privilege of being able to work with the Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation and live at Dr. Borlaug’s birthplace farm near Cresco, Iowa. Dr. Borlaug is considered to be a founder what is known as the Green Revolution. He saved over a billion lives from starvation and malnutrition and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. But the most incredible thing about Dr. Borlaug — he was a farm kid, from small town Iowa. He succeeded because he had big dreams and lofty expectations of himself. He believed that through hard work and determination, he could make a difference and could impact this world for the better… The challenges of tomorrow need our attention today. It is up to us to provide a better future for our children and to leave our planet better than we found it. Ladies and gentlemen, to do all this we should expect of ourselves nothing short of perfection.”
–Nathan Upah, speaking to fellow graduates at the College’s graduation convocation in December

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS, Spring 2010

Sam Bird

CALS STUDENT SELECTED TO BE 2010 UDALL SCHOLAR
Samuel Bird, a second-year student in global resource systems and economics from Gilbert, has been named a 2010 Udall Scholar by the Udall Foundation. The foundation, established by Congress in 1992, awards scholarships to undergraduate students committed to careers related to the environment or Native American issues. Among other honors and activities, Bird lived and worked in Uganda as part of the ISU-Makerere University Uganda Service Learning Program, is president of the ISU International Agriculture Club and represented the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in 2009.

Nicole Cortum

STUDENT COUNCIL NAMES AG MAN AND AG WOMAN OF THE YEAR
The CALS Student Council named Ryan Hrubes and Nicole Cortum the CALS Agricultural Man and Agricultural Woman of the Year at the National Ag Day barbecue March 9. Hrubes is a senior in agricultural business, and Cortum is a senior in public service and administration in agriculture. The award goes to graduating seniors who have demonstrated leadership in the college, strong academic success, and participated in quality internships and volunteer services.

TWO CALS STUDENTS RECEIVE WALLACE E. BARRON AWARD
The 2010 Wallace E. Barron Award Recipients include Tyler Bauman, a senior in animal science, and Nicole Cortum, a senior in public service and administration in agriculture. (Bauman is featured on pages10-11). They are two of four students who were recognized at an ISU Alumni Association Board of Director’s lunch Feb. 26 and will be honored at a reception at the Knoll April 25. The Wallace E. Barron All-University Senior Award was established in 1968 to recognize outstanding ISU seniors. The award is in memory of Barron, who received his bachelor’s degree in 1928 in agricultural economics. After graduation, he served in various offices at Iowa State until 1970. He was editor of the Alumnus from 1935 until 1968.

Jenna Dixon

UNDERGRADUATE TO PRESENT RESEARCH AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Jenna Dixon, an undergraduate in animal science, will present her research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) at the Experimental Biology international conference in April in Anaheim, Ca. Dixon works in the lab of Josh Selsby, assistant professor in animal science. DMD is caused by a dystrophin deficiency and affects one in 3,500 male infants, leading to wheelchair confinement by the early teenage years and death by the mid to late 20s.

CALS STUDENT TEAMS TOPS IN NATIONAL COMPETITIONS
• The Block and Bridle Club received first place for its website, first place for its annual yearbook and third place in the club activities division at the 90th Block and Bridle National Convention.
• The newly re-established Dairy Products Evaluation Team won fourth place in all products and third place in cottage cheese, cheddar cheese and butter category during the 88th Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest. It has been 34 years since ISU last had a Dairy Products Evaluation Team.
• The ISU Horse Judging Team was the highest scoring three-person team at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress and at the Arabian Horse Nationals.
• The Iowa State chapter of SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Development and Sustainability), a program of the Ecological Society of America, placed second in its chapter of the year competition. (Club adviser Fred Janzen, is profiled on page six).
• For the fourth consecutive year, the ISU Soils Judging Team has qualified for the national competition. The team placed third overall at the American Society of Agronomy Region 5 contest.
• The ISU Livestock Judging Team finished fifth overall at the American Royal Livestock Judging Contest.
• The ISU Turf Club won first place at the Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition for the eighth time the team in nine years at the annual Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s education conference.

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HORTICULTURE STUDENTS HELP KEEP CAMPUS BLOOMING
The ISU Horticulture Club is involved in many projects both on and off campus, ranging from providing plants to the new Soults Visitor Center to maintaining the plants in the Gerdin Business Building, as well as their annual sales and a variety of service projects. This fall, they took on the flowerbed at the corner of Wallace and Osborn.