Hongwei Xin has been named the new assistant dean for research in CALS. Xin, a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor who holds the Iowa Egg Council Endowed Professorship in the agricultural and biosystems engineering and animal science departments, Xin was named to the newly created position effective April 1. He will focus on the promotion …Continue reading “Agricultural engineering and animal science professor named CALS Assistant Dean for Research”
On March 23, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) was 1 of 20 colleges and universities featured by AgGrad as part of their “March Ag-Ness” promotion on Snapchat.
Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences presented awards to faculty and staff March 9. The award winners included: The Team Award went to the Bioplastics for the Green Industry Team. This interdisciplinary team has made significant contributions through research, extension and graduate education to improve the sustainability of specialty crop production. Producers …Continue reading “ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences presents outstanding faculty and staff awards”
The new report outlines Iowa State research led by Hongwei Xin and colleagues, who developed adaptations for cage-free egg production systems that improve indoor-air quality and allow more farmers to respond to consumer demand by adapting cage-free systems.
Kristina Craft is a graduate student working toward a master’s degree in agricultural and biosystems engineering. The goal of her graduate work is to increase understanding in the science involved in mitigating adverse water quality and soil health impacts of row crop systems while maintaining or improving upon production. Kurt Rosentrater, associate professor of agricultural …Continue reading “Craft and Rosentrater named to CALS Sustainability Task Force”
Name: Brad Kruse, Title and Company: Test Engineer, Kine Manufacturing, Hometown: Dyersville, IA, Major and Graduation Date: M.S. Industrial and Agricultural Technology- Fall 2015; B.S. Agricultural Systems Technology- Spring 2014 Major Job/Position Responsibilities: I support product testing from the point of initial concept to production on new products and options for the both planter and grain cart product …Continue reading “CALS young alum of the month: Kruse (AST)”
Matt Darr, an associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University, called UAVs a “bleeding-edge technology” with great potential in agriculture. And faculty and students at Iowa State are playing a multifaceted role in advancing this emerging technology, he says. Iowa State engineers are developing software to make UAVs smarter and faster at …Continue reading “Birds-eye view of agriculture”
Amy Kaleita, associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, has many reasons for working with remote sensing. “I got into sensors because I think they’re cool and fun,” she says, “but also as a grad- uate student I did enough field work by hand that I thought, we’d never be able to answer these big questions …Continue reading “Soil to space”
Researchers are using remote sensing technologies to increase the health and efficiency of livestock production. One of the studies involved tracking chickens to get a sense of the basics for potential cage-free production. How many feeders to provide a cage- free flock is one of the many production questions that need answering, says Hongwei Xin, director of …Continue reading “Monitoring animal health”
David Grewell has his thumb on the pulse of industry. He also has a unique approach to problem solving, which he uses in his research and encourages among his students. A professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Grewell brings a wealth of real-world experience to the next generation of industry professionals. His goal is to see …Continue reading “Welding industry tech to student opportunities”
“You can observe and measure phenotype, but it has been mostly done manually,” Tang says. “We see more and more automated applications to help scientists collect data. With the Enviratron we can probe the plant with very high precision using the robotic arm’s advanced imaging and sensors.”
The U.S. News and World Report named Iowa State’s agricultural and biosystems undergraduate program number one among all national universities and first among public universities this September—a tie with Purdue University. Iowa State was ranked number two last year.
Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences presented awards to two professors for applying research findings to benefit Iowans. The Dean Lee R. Kolmer Award for Excellence in Applied Research was presented to Charles Hurburgh, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering who is professor-in-charge of the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative, and Joseph Sebranek, …Continue reading “Hurburgh honored for applied research accomplishments”
The hands-on nature of the agricultural systems technology major appealed to Colin Connor, and it turned out to provide ample opportunities for leadership development. As a freshman and sophomore, Connor served on committees in the 80-member Agricultural Systems Technology (AST) Club. He became treasurer as a junior and was elected president as a senior last year. “I …Continue reading “Learning and leading by doing”
The Iowa Chapter of the Honor Society of Agriculture, known as Gamma Sigma Delta, presented awards April 21 to Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni, faculty and students. Two individuals’ accomplishments were recognized with the 2016 Distinguished Achievement in Agriculture Award: Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Thomas Loynachan, professor …Continue reading “Awards bestowed by Iowa State University Agricultural Honor Society”
