Hello CALS Colleagues,
Week #2 is underway, and COVID aside, isn’t it great to have our students and the energy and enthusiasm of learning back on campus?!
For example, I hope you had a chance to visit SoyFest on the quad between Marston and Beardshear last Wednesday. The event was put on by the Iowa Soybean Research Center and sponsors, and the organizational energy of ISRC employees Greg Tylka, Jill Cornelis, Kara Berg and the rest of their team. It was a great example of energy and enthusiasm. They had two kinds of burgers – those made directly from beans, and those made from beans initially processed by pigs. There were all kinds of educational booths, too, and The Creamery had soy-enhanced ice cream in their mobile cart.
But COVID does shadow us. Let’s please continue to use every means the university has to personally stay safe and keep our community safe, and to encourage others to do so, as well.
There are two more Snippet Stories below, and some more Nature in Focus pictures for you to enjoy to add a little positive energy to the start of our week! Please continue to send in your pics, and consider penning a Snippet for a future week (send to me your contributions, ~100 words). Special thanks for the picture last week from Jack Dekkers of the memorial bench for our colleague, Nick Lauter, at Cave Point County Park, in Door County, Wisconsin. What a beautiful spot for him to be remembered.
My best to all for a great week. - Dan
CALS Snippet Story
By Kurt Rosentrater, associate professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering
This summer I had two undergraduate students working (in person) in my laboratory. They had the chance to work on projects for companies, visit those companies for in-person tours, and attend a live industry conference. These students were very excited about the mentoring opportunities and are convinced that their experiences at Iowa State are setting them up for great careers.
CALS Snippet Story
By Jodi Cornell, director of CALS Study Abroad
I am impressed by the amazing dedication shown year after year by CALS faculty and staff who lead study abroad courses across the globe. As program directors, they take on added and unique responsibilities to offer life-changing experiences for our students and ensure they graduate as global citizens.
Recently, two upcoming travel courses – one to Costa Rica, and one to the United Arab Emirates – were filled quickly by students eager to travel during Thanksgiving Break. Protocols for approving study abroad programs have changed during the global pandemic, and our travelers have thoughtfully expressed the importance of keeping each other and in-country hosts as safe and healthy as possible during their journeys.
It is truly great to witness once again CALS faculty and students enthusiastically preparing for an exceptional learning experience that will provide academic, professional, and personal growth!
Nature in Focus
Did you see the neat lines of clouds last Thursday as the thunderstorm rolled across campus? Whitney Baxter, digital content creator with CALS Communications, captured them as they were traveling over central campus.
Later in the day Thursday, I came across this beautiful sunset while traveling on 260th Street in Ames, looking west. You'll see the ISU Dairy Farm on the left, and off in the distance, the Ag450 Farm on the right. The top of the poultry farm can be seen even further into the distance on the right side of the photo.
Finally, three geese were munching on the grass outside Curtiss Hall last week, paying no mind to students as they walked by, or to Whitney Baxter as she took their photo.
Please keep sharing your photos with me via email!
