Hello, CALS,
I just returned from visits to the American Farm School in Greece (see last week's message) and then our program in Rome, Italy, with the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (see pics and captions below). I have put off these visits for some years now, but am very glad I made the trip so we can further institutionalize these relationships and find added value and sustainable ways forward. Both of these locations are strategically important to the college with an array of students engaged from multiple departments and majors and changing nearly every year. We also have been discovering new ways for more faculty to engage, and then all the downstream possibilities for further collaborations, funding, science and teaching to happen.
In Rome, the UN FAO is an incredible partner with much more potential to engage with. More on that later. On this trip, we met with the U.S. Ambassador to the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome, Jeffrey Prescott, and the U.S. Minister Counselor of Agriculture with the UN Agencies, Helen Luger - both excellent and forward-looking meetings.
We can be so proud of our students there this summer (and those who have traveled there during the past 15 years). With FAO technical representatives (see pics), the students tackled two challenging topics and performed in outstanding ways. I was there to see their final presentations to FAO technical staff and leadership and via video link to others around the world. This year, our students were mentored and coached with exceptional skill by professors Amani Elobeid and Ebby Luvaga from the Department of Economics. Their work, nearly 24/7 for a month (following coursework/time during the spring semester), with our students was completely terrific!
In Rome, we use the College of Design’s facility, built in the 1500s and located in the heart of the city. It's an outstanding place to live and learn, and our students are utterly transformed in their professional outlook by the experience.
Last week, you learned that our very excellent Associate Dean for Research and Discovery Carolyn Lawrence-Dill will be leaving us this summer to take up the position of dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University. We wish her every success and happiness there and thank her for years and years of great contributions and efforts here, and truly outstanding work as our associate dean. Please be sure to send her a note!
Have a great week. - Dan
Scenes from CALS
Students who presented their projects in Rome included, left to right: Ella McGrath, junior in horticulture, Alaina Gebel, junior in agricultural and life sciences education, Amol Jadhav, FAO Investment Center, Jacob Samuelson, senior in agricultural business, and Tyson Fleshner, senior in global resource systems.
Students worked alongside FAO Food and Nutrition Division representatives Ti Kian Seow and Patricia Fracassi (pictured at far left) to complete their project titled “Pathways to Resilience: Camel-centered strategies for enhancing nutrition for women and children in the Karamoja region of Uganda.” Members of the student team included, left to right: Allyson Aves, junior in agricultural and rural policy studies, Irene Nielsen, senior in dairy science, Sophia Parker, senior in global resource systems, and Rachel Currant, senior in genetics.
The Iowa State University College of Design facility (second floor) in Rome.
The Umbrella Pine tree is a common and very beautiful tree in Rome, and one of the two common species among about 20 commercial species globally from which pine nuts are harvested for human consumption (think pesto!). This one is Pinus pinea – Mediterranean stone pine, and the other common one is Pinus koraiensis – Korean pine. There are also North American species from which nuts are harvested. The shape of the Mediterranean stone pine is unusual, having a candelabra form. Beautiful, for sure!
