Message from the Dean - September 23, 2024

September 23, 2024

 

Hello, CALS,

Welcome to the work week, and hope you had a great weekend. This week, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 3:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall, we'll recognize people receiving University Awards. We especially give shout-outs to those in CALS:

  • Robert Wallace, EEOB, Regents Award for Faculty Excellence
  • Jason Ross, animal science, Award for Early Achievement in Departmental Leadership
  • James Dickson, animal science, International Service Award
  • Dipali Sashital, BBMB, Margaret Ellen White Graduate Faculty Award
  • Amy Andreotti, BBMB, Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research
  • Jianming Yu, AGRON, Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research
  • Yang Yang, BBMB, Award for Early Achievement in Research
  • RegenPGC Team, Interdisciplinary Team Research Award (Daniel Andersen, Amy Kaleita, Anne Kinzel and Raj Raman, ABE; Cynthia Bartel, Susana Goggi, Thomas Lübberstedt, Marshall McDaniel and Ken Moore, agronomy; Amani Elobeid, economics; and Shuizhang Fei, horticulture)
  • Brian Gelder, ABE, Professional and Scientific Research Award
  • Thomas Lübberstedt and Ursula Frei, agronomy, Award for Achievement in Intellectual Property
  • Brett Ramirez, ABE, Award for Early Achievement in Extension or Professional Practice
  • Shelley Taylor, CALS Global Engagement, Professional & Scientific Excellence Award
  • Kan Wang, agronomy, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences

Also this week, on Thursday, Sept. 26, is the Paul L. Errington Memorial Lecture by Dr. Serra Hoagland, USDA Forest Service Research & Development. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall.

And don't forget about CALS Week, which started yesterday and runs through this Friday. Check out all the activities and lunches on central campus the CALS Student Council has lined up.

Next week is the ISU Foundation’s Forever True Week, and the college will be full of visits from donors, partners and friends. Please note the Oct. 2 evening lecture by C S Liew, "Can Sustainable Agriculture Feed the World?" Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in 1148 Gerdin Hall.

Have a great week. - Dan

Scenes from CALS

Pictures of the American plum tree (Prunus americana), and fruit, just southwest of the Farm House, between it and Jischke Hall. This beautiful specimen sits humbly next to sidewalks, and, each year, its delicious little plums ripen in the early fall sunshine on campus. In fact – right now! As soon as you read this, go out and see the tree and maybe pick up some plums from the ground that fell overnight and enjoy! I have. Scroll to the bottom to find additional links with information on this species.
Tree standing between two sidewalks.
I’ve had a great email chat with Gail Nonnecke, Jeff Iles and Suzanne Slack in the horticulture department about this specific tree. We’re not sure how old it is, but probably pretty old. It's fun to speculate that it was planted there on purpose by one of the former residents of the Farm House and its fruit enjoyed by those families for many years. A couple years ago a Scots pine came down just southeast of the Farm House, and counting the rings indicated it was planted probably in ~1904, and maybe by the hands of Dean Charles Curtiss. Perhaps he planted this plum tree, too!

About Wild Plum

Prunus americana

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Guide - Wild Plum

140 years of Minnesota plums