Message from the Dean - September 16, 2024

September 16, 2024

Hello, CALS,

What a great week we just had, and a new one to look forward to! Last week, we celebrated the CALS Inspiration and Innovation Artwork installation on the fourth floor of the Student Innovation Center. It was a terrific event with Provost Jason Keith attending, as well as Corby Fichter from Farm Credit Services of America, several student speakers and many more. See pictures below!

We also celebrated the updating of a machine shed at the Ag 450 Farm that transformed it into an all-weather, first-class instructional building in which students and faculty can work out-of-the-weather on some of the biggest machines and more. A substantial gift from 1973 graduates Lonnie and Marlene Miller made this possible. The remodeled building was dedicated on Friday afternoon with a great group in attendance, including the Millers and family, Jim and Clare Frevert, students and others.

Then on Saturday morning at Reiman Gardens, the entire team from the Office of Academic Innovation made possible our CALS welcome event for our new freshmen class as part of Cyclone Family Weekend. More than 300 people attended and visited with faculty, staff and peer mentors from every department and program in the college. Thanks to them all! We presented background information on the college, talked up the family/community atmosphere we have here, gave reassurances to parents and family, encouragements to their students, and had a terrific time of it. We promoted study abroad, scholarships, and of course, Bacon Expo! It’s a great event each year, and if you’ve never volunteered for it, please do so next year and enjoy the energy!

This week, Jay Harmon is leading the ANR Extension Professional Development events, there will be an Iowa Nitrogen Initiative Day with ANR Extension, a celebration for the retirement of the extraordinary Andy Suby from the BioCentury Research Farm, and a visit from colleagues from Cote d’Ivoire in West Africa. And so much more.

Best - Dan

Scenes from CALS

Person standing and talking into a microphone amid a crowd of people seated at tables.
Carmen Bain, CALS associate dean for academic innovation, addresses the gathered crowd of students and their families during the CALS Cyclone Family Weekend event at Reiman Gardens.
Person standing behind a podium while addressing a gathered crowd inside a building.
People looking at a mural on a wall.
We had a great time celebrating last Thursday the hard work and collaboration that went into making the CALS artwork on the fourth floor of the Student Innovation Center a reality. Attendees could admire and study the art and heard from individuals who played a role in the design process.
People standing on either side of a plaque hanging on the wall inside a building.
A special event took place at the Ag 450 Farm last Friday to celebrate the updates to the machine shed and thank Lonnie and Marlene Miller for their generosity that made the renovations possible. Pictured with me are (left to right): Gelin Gil, CALS Development Office; Marlene Miller, Lonnie Miller; Mike Retallick and Skyler Rinker, Department of Agricultural Education and Studies.
Slide showing soy exports by the numbers.
Graph of Top Corn Markets 2023/24 (MT)
Where does U.S. corn and soybeans go? Slides from presentations I saw last week.
Large grouping of small American flags displayed on a grassy lawn.
Last week, thousands of American flags were placed on the lawn in front of Parks Library in memory of those who lost their lives during the four hijacked airplane attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Always in our memory.
Plants growing beneath rows of solar panels.
The Alliant Energy Solar Farm at Iowa State University with peppers and grapes growing beneath the solar panels! A great dual land use strategy, known as agrivoltaics, being developed here in CALS. Learn more about this multidisciplinary and collaborative research project.