News from Campus – Spring 2016

IOWA STATE AG PROGRAMS TOP-RANKED IN U.S., WORLD

For the fourth straight year, Iowa State was ranked in the top 10 for programs in agriculture and forestry by QS World University Rankings. Iowa State’s agriculture and biosystems engineering program also recently jumped to No. 2 in U.S. News and World Report’s national graduate school rankings.

SUCCESS FOR CALS STUDENT TEAMS

  • Four students from the Department of Food Scienceand Human nutrition received first place in the annual Student Taste of Elegance competition hosted by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. Sam Wiesenfeld, senior in culinary science; Toluwani Awokoya, freshman in nutritional science; Brian Klopf, senior in food science; and Casey Halder, senior in culinary science, competed against 13 teams, five of which were from culinary schools.
  • The Iowa State University Livestock Judging Team placed second in the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic in Kearney, Nebraska.
  • CALS students won the overall sweepstakes award at the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Judging Contest. ISU teams have won the top prize in this competition for the past six years. Honors received in individual categories included Ag Knowledge Bowl, Ag Sales, Ag Computers and Ag Business.
  • The Iowa State National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) team received Outstanding Student Chapter and John Deere Signature Award honors at the national student NAMA competition.

RAO NAMED ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH, JOHANSEN INTERIM CHAIR

Guru Rao, Roy J. Carver professor in biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology and chair of the department since 2009, has been named associate vice president in the office of the vice president for research. Kristen Johansen was named interim chair of the department.

TYLER NAMED ASSISTANT DEAN FOR STUDENT SERVICES

Howard Tyler, an animal science professor, is the new assistant dean for student services for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Tyler began serving as assistant dean on June 1. For the past 25 years Tyler had research, teaching and advising roles in the animal science department. Tyler succeeds Tom Polito, an assistant professor of agronomy, who has worked in that position for 38 years (read more about Polito on page 6).

IOWA STATE TO HOST REGIONAL CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY

Iowa State University will become a regional center for food safety in an effort to help businesses that grow and process food comply with new federal regulations in the coming years. Angela Shaw (’03 animal science, ’06 MS meat science, food science and technology), assistant professor of food science and human nutrition, will lead the effort.

CALS FACULTY NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO EDUCATION

  • William Edwards(’69agriculturalbusiness,’71MSagriculturaleconomics,’79PhD), retired professor of economics; Matthew Ellinwood, associate professor of animal science, and Robert Jolly, retired professor of economics, have been honored with an ISU Alumni Association Faculty-Staff Inspiration Award.
  • Joseph Sebranek, distinguished professor of animal science, received the North American Meat Institute’s Harry L. Rudnick Educator’s Award.
  • Mike Retallick(’05PhDagriculturalandlifescienceseducation),associate professor of agricultural education, received the National Association of Agricultural Educators Teacher Mentor Award.