Hello, CALS colleagues,
After the big wind and rain of Friday afternoon, we had a pretty nice weekend after all!
I was caught at the new Iowa State University Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex when that weather set in on Friday afternoon during a tour of the facility by Dirk Maier (see photo below) and Camille Schroeder. With me were three principals from the City State Bank of Iowa interested in our latest and greatest facility, and it’s a good thing we were not on the roof of the feed mill tower when that weather arrived! As with everyone who visits the complex – they were thoroughly impressed.
Last week was the fantastic CALS Career Day that Mike Gaul and Lois Benning make happen each year. It’s an amazing activity with so much going on that it's hard to fathom (see information and pictures below). The scope and activity of the Career Day, the largest of its kind in the nation, is about far more than the terrific employment opportunities our students end up with – it’s really about the professional development of our students. They go to the event and learn about the industries and sectors they are planning to enter, learn about themselves, and see and explore the widest range of possibilities. I truly think this is one of those activities that, perhaps more than any other, informs our students about the depth and breadth of the entire college. Where else do they actually “see” the variety of organizations that want our students from every department and program in the college? It is truly at the Career Day. The event also shows how much our students and graduates are wanted and valued by the sectors we serve. Great show!
This past weekend was Family Day at Iowa State, where current freshmen invite their families to come see what they have been doing and explore the campus and our programs. It was a record-breaking year for this activity, with more than 400 people attending the CALS event on Saturday morning at Rieman Gardens, and more than 4,000 people visiting every college at Iowa State. Our event was terrific, led by Carmen Bain, and put together by Mary Clancy and a team of incredible workers and participants from the Offices of Academic Innovation, Communications and every department. Special thanks to Paige Jergens, the CALS Council President, who spoke at each of the three sub-events we did that morning.
This week, please come out for the CALS Town Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 17, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Dolezal Auditorium (127 Curtiss Hall). Among many topics we’ll cover will be our new CALS Strategic Planning effort, budget and fiscal overviews, and more.
Also, please consider attending on Thursday, Oct. 19, the dedication of the Alliant Energy Solar Farm at Iowa State University and agri-voltaic research and demonstration facility at 10:30 a.m. at 52166 260th St., Ames (across from the Ag 450 Farm south of town, on the corner of 260th Street and State Avenue). This is a great new facility from the efforts led by Ray Klein to advance our partnership with Alliant Energy.
My best for a terrific week. - Dan
Scenes from CALS
Another successful CALS Career Day took place last Tuesday, Oct. 10. A total of 293 companies were in attendance, 50 of which were there for the first time. Approximately 1,800 students from CALS and at least 10 other academic institutions interacted with these companies, hoping to land their next internship or job. The following day, on Wednesday, 63 interview schedules and 475 individual interviews took place. Kudos to Mike Gaul and Lois Benning, as well as other CALS employees who helped make the event run so smoothly!
The Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering hosted 4-H youth Oct. 7 for some hands-on STEM activities. ABE faculty Jim Wright, Saxon Ryan and Chad Dolphin, assisted by some of ABE's amazing students, put on a fantastic show and do for the youth.
ABE Professor Dirk Maier, who is the faculty director of the new Iowa State University Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex, leads a discussion on a tour with visitors from the City State Bank of Iowa.
Here is one of the coolest pieces of outdoor public art on campus, which reveals itself as you walk and change the angle of your view. It’s the outdoor sculpture, “The Moth,” in Vermont marble by Mac Adams, 2008, in front of Coover Hall on the corner of Osborn and Bissell across from the College of Design. If you’ve not seen it – take a lunchtime walk and enjoy it!
