The CALS Advantage – Fall 2020
A CALS WEEK LIKE NO OTHER
With extra precautions and safety procedures in place due to COVID-19, the CALS Council was able to put on a successful, albeit modified, CALS Week Sept. 28-Oct. 4. Students collaborated with university partners to implement COVID-19 safety measures while honoring traditions of this annual event.
Complimentary meals were offered on central campus Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, serving approximately 1,350 attendees.
The annual CALS Week Olympics competition drew 17 teams from CALS student organizations. Alpha Gamma Rho came out on top.
The Block and Bridle Club hosted their annual hunger fight for Meals from the Heartland, packaging more than 50,000 meals and meeting a lifetime goal of 500,000 meals for the organization.
Iowa State Bacon Expo used campus-approved food trucks to host their event, serving bacon treats to more than 430 attendees.
Sigma Alpha hosted a virtual version of their annual “Mr. CALS” competition raising more than $1,000 for Food at First and crowning Connor Erbsen, a junior in agronomy representing the Beginning Farmers Network, 2020 Mr. CALS.
This year’s CALS Week co-chairs were Marcus Daughton, junior in agricultural systems technology, Logan Hoffman, junior in animal science, Tiffanie Koch, senior in agriculture and life sciences education, and Madelyn Main, senior in agricultural business.
TEAMING UP FOR NATIONAL SUCCESS
Members of the Iowa State University Livestock Judging team received third place for reasons, while McKenna Brinning (’20 animal science) and Genna VanWye (’20 animal science) were named All-Americans at the National Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest in November 2019. During the Judge2Win Crew online judging contest in April 2020, Dalton Line, senior in animal science, received high individual.
The Crops Team placed third overall as a team at the Collegiate Crops Contest. Team member Ben Kolbe, senior in agronomy, tied for third place individually in grain grading and was named All-American.
ISU Block and Bridle Club earned first place in the annual yearbook competition at the National Block and Bridle Convention.
ISU Professional Agricultural Student Organization earned second place, crops; first and third place, farm business management; first and third place teams in overall livestock; first place team in swine; first place team in horticulture landscaping; first place in soils; first and third place teams in college bowl and their annual competition.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Cody Acevedo, senior in animal ecology, received the George Washington Carver Spirit of Innovation and Service Award.
Matthew Breitzman and Daniel Kohlhase, graduate students in agronomy, received the C.R. Weber Award for Excellence in Plant Breeding.
Macy Marek, (’19 agriculture and life sciences education) earned the outstanding senior award at National Block and Bridle Convention.
Graham Redweik, PhD student in food science and human nutrition, was named a Young Ambassador for the American Society of Microbiology.
Behnia Rezazadeh Shirazi, senior in biology, was named a Goldwater Scholar.
Alexis Stine, senior in animal science, was crowned Iowa Miss United States Agriculture.
