Hello CALS, and happy Monday!
Last week I was in Florida, missing the deep cold (my apologies!), and visiting with alums and donors who support our programs in so many ways. This is an annual January trip I make along with members of our development team (and just like the annual February trip to Arizona for the same). It’s a great week spent connecting with people who have graced our hallways and are paying it back and paying it forward by enabling support of you and our students, and all the next generations of faculty, staff and students. The range of people and interests spans from our global programs to digital agriculture, crop productivity, entrepreneurship, student scholarships, and student emergency and completion grants, and so much more. The generosity of spirit and financial support is extraordinary.
During the annual week in Florida there is a “big event” sponsored by the ISU Foundation that brings together several hundred Cyclones to celebrate together and to hear from ISU Foundation President Larissa Holtmyer Jones and ISU President Wendy Wintersteen. In President Wintersteen’s remarks, there were shout-outs for every college, and most certainly I heard specific shout-outs for CALS programs in digital ag (Matt Darr and team), our Uganda program (David Acker and team), and others. There was also a special kind of shout-out to our alum and supporter, Murray ('73 agriculture, plant pathology) and Valerie Wise, for their support of CALS scholarships (named for Harold Crawford) and for the very recent publication of the book, "A Giving Man – The Story of C.Y. Stephens" (1925 dairy industries alum). The book looks at how Stephens changed Iowa State University and is written by Steven Jones. It’s a fun read – let me know if you’d like to borrow a copy! This is the same Stephens featured in this History of Campus Buildings at Iowa State University article, and for whom there is a plaque in the entryway to the Food Sciences (formerly Dairy Industries) Building.
This week there is a lot going on, including a presentation by animal science's Curt Youngs at the Think Tank on Monday evening, Jan. 27 (social 6-6:30 p.m., dinner 6:30-7 p.m., program 7-8 p.m.) at the Iowa Cattlemen's Association Building (2055 Ironwood Court, Ames) on "Feeding the World with Animal Source Proteins." We also have the visit of the first of three candidates for the position of agronomy department chair – with a seminar on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 9 a.m. in 3022 Agronomy Hall.
A quick note, as well, on a terrific report by NREM’s Steve Dinsmore and colleagues on the state of Iowa’s white-tailed deer population. Did you know that while it is difficult to estimate, there are probably around 350,000-400,000 deer in Iowa today, with stable or declining trends since 1996? The value of deer to Iowa is about $180 million each year, without accounting for the value of wildlife viewing. And the cost of deer to Iowa is about $30 million due to deer-vehicle collisions, $5 million due to crop losses, plus the costs of management. When European settlers first arrived, deer were recorded as abundant, but by 1936, the statewide total number of deer was between 500 and 700. There was no legal hunting of deer in Iowa from 1898 to 1953. Today, there is not a single county with a population below the thousands. All of this reflects land-use and wildlife-use change, and conservation and management at work. Here’s the 2024 Density, Population Trends, and Economic Impacts of White-tailed Deer in Iowa report by Dinsmore, Delaney and Tyndall.
If you're in Curtiss Hall during the coming weeks, stop by the Dean's Gallery on the first floor and check out the art on display from the Crosspollinating Art and Science competition, coordinated by GDCB's Dior Kelley as part of her involvement in the CALS Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows program. From a 3D-printed insect brain to a Vincent van Gogh-inspired rural scene created with mud, moss and sticks, each piece of art is reflective of the creativity of our students and faculty.
My best for a great week. - Dan
Scenes from CALS
Consider one of the combinations of whimsy and science tied together (or not) in our public art on campus and reflected in CALS.
Many people know of the World's Largest Concrete Gnome, named Elwood and found in Reiman Gardens. It's fun and maybe a bit silly, but pretty cool. Probably also worth considering what exactly are gnomes - learn about their history and symbolism and their origins and folklore.
And then there is the G-Nome art-science installation on the Molecular Biology Building, affectionately known as Moli-Bio and the home of BBMB and GDCB. Many people drive by this building, and some look up and wonder about its adornments – and here they are and explained. I’d say this is more than just fun, not silly, and also pretty cool. Enjoy!



