Hello, CALS colleagues,
I hope this finds all of you and yours very well after a wonderful holiday break and start of the new year! The campus is not yet full of the buzz of students – but soon will be! Enjoy the quiet for a bit longer, and even more so, enjoy the energy and vitality our students bring on their return. How lucky we are to work at a place like Iowa State and receive the energy and outlook our students bring to us every semester, every year. And the feeling and purpose in CALS is always the best.
As our students begin returning to Ames and campus ahead of next week's start of the semester, please remember to use caution when driving. Slow down when approaching crosswalks, especially if you see students in the area. And if you're navigating campus on foot yourself, keep in mind these winter walking safety tips.
We have a busy semester ahead of us, from capital projects to presidential jumpstart initiatives, from faculty and staff hiring underway to student recruitment and success, from plans for study abroad to broad engagement with Extension and outreach all around the state. The Kent Corporation Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex is really taking shape with the completion of most exterior work and start-up testing scheduled for this spring. Soon we’ll interview for our next associate dean for facilities and operations. There is the happy event coming of the acceptance/dedication of the Fork in the Road satellite campus we have on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The new nitrogen initiative is strong and gaining ground. Our college-wide work in the realms of entrepreneurship and innovation have never been stronger, including the Start Something efforts. And so much more.
Please watch for announcements of the many great events, lectures and activities all through the spring semester. Two I want to put on your radar just now, and very much encourage you to attend, are: 1) the evening of Feb. 1, in the Memorial Union, an event to recognize the first ever State of Iowa George Washington Carver Day, and 2) the evening of April 11, the annual Hertz Lecture on Emerging Issues in Agriculture, presented this year by Tim Glenn from Corteva.
Wishing you a great start to the new semester, and all good things all through this new year. As always, I am interested to know what you’re thinking. My best - Dan
Scenes from CALS
Lyle Rossier, farm superintendent at our Allee Demonstration Farm, where the Allee Mansion is located (on our farm, but managed by the Newell Historical Society), shared these images taken at the farm prior to winter break. Read about George Allee and his family and how they came to influence and wealth through early corn improvement – a great Iowa story!
This deer was spotted along Ioway Creek this morning in Ames, blending in with it surroundings.
Finally, have you noticed the evidence of wind-blown soil erosion following the blizzard that took place just days before Christmas? Lots of soil-covered snow drifts, including these near Gilbert, can still be seen across central Iowa.
