Wes Wierson is working to cure cancer in dogs. The founder and CEO of LEAH Labs, Wierson (‘13 microbiology, ‘18 PhD molecular cellular and developmental biology) and his team are the first to successfully put pet dogs with lymphoma into remission with a pioneering cell therapy.
Wes Wierson is working to cure cancer in dogs. The founder and CEO of LEAH Labs, Wierson (‘13 microbiology, ‘18 PhD molecular cellular and developmental biology) and his team are the first to successfully put pet dogs with lymphoma into remission with a pioneering cell therapy.
Michelle (Euken) Myers (‘09 ag business, economics) describes herself as a “scent storyteller,” using fragrance to evoke feelings and memories. What began as a hobby in Myers’ spare time has grown into Dirt Road Candle Co., a brand rooted in rural Lewis, Iowa, built on storytelling and named for the dirt road she and her husband, Steven (’10 ag business), call home.
A child screams in delight as they rocket down the volcano slide, just one of many thrilling activities at the sprawling Cox Farms agri-tainment venue outside Centreville, Virginia. Creating those moments of joy (or terror) is what Lucas Cox-Galhotra (’05 horticulture) enjoys most about his role as co-farmer-in-chief.
Natalie (Eick) Paino (‘20 agricultural business) knew she’d have to get creative if she wanted to return to her family’s dairy farm after college. Her dream was to take the farm’s milk and make it into bottled milk, cheese and ice cream. With help from Start Something CALS, that dream became a reality.
See what keepsakes CALS alums have been holding onto since their time at Iowa State University. Do any of these items elicit memories of your time on campus?
Faculty and staff in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have developed many patents and contributed to impactful innovations and discoveries over the years. Did you know about these notable ones?
Dear CALS alums and friends,
“Everyone remembers that friendly face in college. Be that friendly face for someone else,” says Ryan Wolf, a junior in animal science.
José González-Acuña knows the value of networking. Connections established while living and working in Costa Rica brought him to Iowa State University, where he’s collaborating on projects to develop new plant disease management tools and support effective fungicide use.
Abby Wing ('25 ag communication) always joked she had known she was going to Iowa State since she was born. Find out who positively impacted her time on campus and who was always around for "an awful dad joke."
Armed with real-world experience and practical knowledge, plus teaching at an alma mater of four generations of her family, Kate Gilbert (’07 food science) is on a mission to grow students’ networks and set them up for success.
Armed with real-world experience and practical knowledge, plus teaching at an alma mater of four generations of her family, Kate Gilbert (’07 food science) is on a mission to grow students’ networks and set them up for success.
When he's not busy teaching, Shawn Dorius, professor of sociology, can be found fly fishing, skiing, biking or hiking. He says that "almost any problem in the world has its answer and parallel in a clean, cold creek full of brook trout."
Walter Moss has a unique ability to visualize the structures of biomolecules. An associate professor in the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Moss uses this superpower to harness the most basic structures of life to fight disease in new ways.
Iowa State researchers are working alongside farmers to discover the optimum rate of nitrogen to apply to fertilize fields and to develop a new tool to aid in that process.
Gail Nonnecke estimates she has built strong connections with more than 4,000 students over the course of her career at Iowa State University. As she prepared for retirement this past spring, she reflected on her 40-plus years in Ames.
“This is a conservation program all about farming and farmers,” says Adam Janke, ISU Extension and Outreach wildlife specialist, about the Land Stewardship Leadership Academy he helped develop.
“This is a conservation program all about farming and farmers,” says Adam Janke, ISU Extension and Outreach wildlife specialist, about the Land Stewardship Leadership Academy he helped develop.
Ed Zaworski (’14 MS plant pathology), plant extension specialist, hosts “I See Dead Plants,” a podcast on integrated pest management (IPM). He welcomes expert guests to discuss research-based topics like fungicide, disease modeling and historical plant pests. “I See Dead Plants” episodes are posted Wednesdays at 7 a.m. CST. Find other ISU Extension and Outreach Agriculture and Natural Resources podcasts online.
