Hello, CALS colleagues,
Just a few notes of encouragement to be inspired on this Monday.
Last week I shared with you one of my favorite poems for the season, and maybe you have one to share back? Send me what you think is a great seasonal poem!
It’s just such a beautiful time of year, and the crisp, clear, brilliant air of the season is, I think you’ll agree, invigorating! Poetry, like any art form, can inspire and offer insights to the world around us. We are so fortunate to be on a campus full of art that does both.
This past week, during the ISU Foundation Governor’s Week events, we had the Fred Foreman Scholars (as funded by Dana and Martha Robes) reception and dinner in the Parks Library Rotunda, surrounded by fabulous art, including the incredible Grant Wood murals. It’s truly amazing how close they are to us, how accessible, how impactful. If you’ve never been over to the library to see them, or have not for some time, please take the time to walk over in this beautiful weather and have a look at the murals in the rotunda, on the stairs and at the bottom of the stairs. You’ll not be disappointed!
There is lots of other art to check out on campus, as well. From the exhibitions in the Brunnier Art Museum in the Sheman Building, to the artwork throughout the Memorial Union. Stop in at the Memorial Union when it's not too busy and gaze up at the stained glass windows in the entrance, the Gold Star Hall, that honors our fallen Cyclone veterans. And don’t forget, with pride and contemplation, to take time to view the Jack Trice statue just outside the north entrance of Beardshear Hall. Consider the evidence on that monument of Trice’s enrollment as a student of animal husbandry, and consider the newest recognition planned for Jack Trice.
Ahh, the inspiration of art – as poetry, painting or sculpture! We are so lucky to have a campus that embraces this part of our psyche, and that so much of it relates, in some fashion, to landscapes and agricultural things.
My best for a great week. - Dan
Scenes from CALS
Darwin Campbell, data analyst, captured this photo of a rainbow over the Campanile Sept. 23, following a brief thunderstorm that rolled across campus.
Last week, Oct. 4, I had a great visit with Iowa State University - Uganda Program staff who are on campus this month and next. Pictured with me, left to right, are: Moureen Mbeiza, agronomy and land use specialist, Gideon Nadiope, national director, and Yvette Nikuze, livestock and animal health specialist.
Shout out to Amber Anderson, assistant teaching professor in agronomy, for her work hosting and organizing the Region V soil judging contest. The event was held at the farm of Nathan Anderson, agronomy alumnus and Amber's brother, near Cherokee, Iowa. A total of 85 students participated in the contest, representing seven universities and three community colleges. Iowa State's team placed third in the competition, qualifying them for the 2023 National Intercollegiate Soil Judging Contest.
