News from Campus – Spring 2015

Youngs Receives National USDA Teaching Award

Curtis Youngs, professor in animal science, was one of 10 educators nationwide to receive the USDA Food and Agricultural Sciences Regional Excellence in
Teaching Award. Youngs is the eighth CALS professor in nine years to receive this award.

Smith Selected to Attend USDA Student Diversity Forum

Malcolm Smith, junior in global resource systems, was one of 30 students nationwide selected to attend the 2015 USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum in Washington, D. C.

CALS Faculty Honored for Years of Service

Walter Fehr (’67 PhD agronomy), Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in agriculture and agronomy, was honored for 50 years of service to Iowa State University. Fehr, well known for his research in food grade soybeans, was the first person to develop heart-healthy soybeans free of trans-fat.


College faculty honored for 35 years of service include:

• Nick Christians, university professor, horticulture
• Rick Cruse (’72 agronomy), professor, agronomy
• Manjit Misra, director, Seed Science Center, Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products
• James Russell, professor, animal science
• Richard Schultz (’65 forestry, ’68 MS, ’70 PhD), university professor, natural resource ecology and management
• Elwynn Taylor, professor, agronomy
• Wendy Wintersteen (’88 PhD entomology), endowed  dean, college of agriculture and life sciences

ISU Student Teams Win Overall Prize at National Judging Competition

CALS student judging teams won the overall “sweepstakes award” at the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Judging Contest. ISU teams have won first place in this competition for the past five years. The competition included 823 contestants from 51 teams.

Honors received in individual categories included:

• Ag communications—first place
• Ag computers—second place
• Ag Knowledge Bowl—first place
• Agribusiness—first place
• Crops—first place
• Dairy Judging—second place
• Horticulture—second place
• Livestock Judging—first place
• Meat Animal and Livestock Management—first place

Block & Bridle’s Animal Learning Day Draws 1,000

Iowa State University Block and Bridle students hosted the first Animal Learning Day on April 11 in the Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center. The event provided a fun and educational way for students, members of the Ames community, alumni and families to participate in activities previously featured at VEISHEA Village. More than 1,000 attendees participated in hands-on agriculture activities, interacted with live animals and enjoyed a “Taste of Iowa” sampling of meat products.

Hearty Hellos:

• Don Beerman (’71 animal science), professor and chair, animal science
• Max Morris, professor and chair, statistics
• Clarke McGrath (’91 agricultural business, ’06 MS professional agriculture), on-farm research and extension coordinator, Iowa Soybean Research Center
• Pat Hipple (’98 PhD sociology), director, Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods

Fond Farewells:

• Maynard Hogberg (’66 agricultural and life sciences education, ’72 MS animal science, ’76 PhD animal science), professor and chair of animal science, retired in January
• Larry Johnson, professor of food science and human nutrition, director, Center for Crops Utilization Research, retired in April
• Lee Kilmer, professor of animal science, retired in July