Hello, CALS colleagues,
Tonight (Oct. 30) at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union’s Sun Room will be a very excellent lecture by Shannon Monnat from Syracuse University on "Population Health in Rural America: Contemporary Trends, Causes, and Complexities." This is the annual George M. Beal Distinguished Lectureship in Rural Sociology, co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. In CALS, we spend a lot of time thinking about the vitality of rural communities and how the various industries and occupations we serve are tied-up in this topic. This lecture is a great chance to learn more about the people we care so deeply about and some of the casual factors that challenge those we serve. Please come out and engage.
Last week were the many events associated with the World Food Prize that we benefit from our access to and special relationship with. It's just remarkable the worldwide gathering of thinkers and doers that come to Des Moines every year for this week-long event, and all leave knowing more about the world around them, including about Iowa State and our college. While for a variety of reasons (wrestling among them) Norman Borlaug went to the University of Minnesota and not his home state institution of Iowa State, he has certainly done as much for us as any great alum to bring attention and recognition to us through the World Food Prize Foundation and its association with Iowa State. He was and his legacy is clearly part of us! (A personal note – my father-in-law grew up in Cresco, Iowa, and his oldest brother wrestled in high school with Norman!)
Last week was also the annual meeting of the Egg Industry Forum, held this year in Indianapolis, Indiana. The meeting was sponsored by the Egg Industry Center, located in our college, that serves the North American industry. It’s a great enterprise led by ABE/animal science professor Rich Gates in support of this vital industry that Iowa leads.
This week and the next few, we have candidates interviewing for the department chair positions in horticulture and agronomy. Please come out and attend those seminars if you can.
Don't forget to register to attend the second annual Food Insecurity Challenge, which will kick off Nov. 6, and nominate graduating seniors by Nov. 1 for CALS Council Senior Awards.
And suddenly it’s a bit cold! Enjoy the crisp freshness of it as fall colors now start to recede, and we can anticipate the rigors of deepening fall and the bluster of winter.
My best - Dan
Scenes from CALS
Amazing fall colors can be seen all around, including on this burning bush, Euonymus alatus.
Students in Robert Brown's beer making class have been busy working in the lab space in the Food Sciences Building this semester.
Have you seen the newly-renovated community space in Agronomy Hall? Plenty of seating and natural light for anyone who needs a spot to study or gather with a small group.
Harvest is in full swing, including at the Ag 450 Farm, where students harvested corn from the surrounding field earlier this month.
Claudia Lemper-Manahl, PPEM, organized industry tours for CALS students earlier this month. Stops included Merck Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim, USDA National Centers for Animal Health, Elanco and Kemin.
