Announcements
May 2016
June 2 hearing precedes regents' Ames meeting
If you'd like to comment on any items scheduled for discussion at the state Board of Regents June 8-9 meeting in Ames, you have several options:
- Attend one of six public hearings held at the regents institutions and board office June 2-3. Iowa State's hearing is Thursday, June 2 (4-5 p.m.), Gold Room, Memorial Union. All public hearings will be video recorded and posted to the regents' hearings website. Transparency officer Shirley Knipfel will preside at the meeting.
- Provide written comments to regents transparency officer Josh Lehman, jlehman@iastate.edu.
Meeting materials and an agenda for the June meeting will be posted to the regents homepage by May 31.
Arthropod, nematode research proposals sought
The Center for Arthropod Management Technologies (CAMTech) announces a call for proposals for research projects to begin Jan. 1, 2017. Proposals are due June 20 and should be for pre-competitive (not leading to patentable information) research related to arthropod or nematode management. The use of economically relevant organisms is encouraged. More information, including an executive summary template, is online. CAMTech is a National Science Foundation industry-university cooperative research center.
Stange Road reopens Tuesday afternoon
Stange Road north of 13th Street will reopen to all four lanes of traffic around 3 p.m. today (Tuesday, May 31), a full week ahead of schedule. The scheduled closing began May 9 so crews could make repairs and upgrades to the bridge over Squaw Creek. June 7 had been the target completion date. Happy trails.
Reminder: East section of Osborn Drive closes June 6 for several weeks
A short section of Osborn Drive, from Stange Road to Farmhouse Lane, will be closed June 6-28 so crews can connect underground utilities to the Bessey Hall east addition. During this time, the Stange barricades east of Lagomarcino Hall will be removed, and vehicles and CyRide buses will access central campus via Stange. Food truck vendors assigned to the Stange Road space temporarily will set up shop on Osborn Drive near the closure.
Leath fills two top university posts
Retired Rear Admiral Kate Gregory has been named senior vice president for university services and Husch Blackwell attorney Michael Norton, university counsel. Subject to approval by the Iowa Board of Regents, the two will start July 11.
Veterinary blood bank seeks dog, cat donors
The College of Veterinary Medicine's 18-year-old animal blood bank relies on donations from local healthy pets -- and their obliging owners.
Chemistry Stores closed June 7-9 for inventory audit
Chemistry Stores will be closed Tuesday-Thursday, June 7-9, to perform its annual inventory audit. The sales counter will be open briefly on those dates, 9:30-9:45 a.m. and 12:30-12:45 p.m., for dry ice and liquid nitrogen sales and special-order pickups. Daily campus deliveries will be limited to gas cylinders only. Regular hours and services resume on Friday, June 10.
Reiman Gardens' summer hours start Saturday
Extended summer hours (9 a.m.-6 p.m.) at Reiman Gardens begin Saturday, May 28. These hours apply to the gardens and the gift shop; the butterfly wing will continue to close at 4:30 p.m. Reiman Gardens is open Memorial Day (May 30).
CELT offers June workshops on flipped classrooms
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching will offer a 4-part workshop series to help instructors learn more about the flipped classroom and how to incorporate this approach into a course. It will be offered Tuesdays in June (10-11:30 a.m., 2030 Morrill). A flipped classroom is an instructional strategy that reverses the traditional educational arrangement by delivering instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom. It moves activities, including traditional homework, into the classroom. The goal of this summer workshop series is to help instructors and potential instructors start developing their course to a flipped classroom approach. Registration is free and online via Learn@ISU.
Memorial Day ceremony is May 30
Employees, retirees, spouses and ISU alumni and friends will be remembered during Iowa State's Memorial Day ceremony May 30.
Leath named to NCAA board of directors
President Leath will join the National Collegiate Athletic Association's board of directors on June 1.
Visitors keep campus busy during summer
Iowa State is the destination of choice for many groups to hold their summer meetings and events. Find out which groups will be on campus, and when.
Strategic plan headed to regents for final OK
The i's have been dotted and t's crossed on Iowa State's next strategic plan, which is scheduled to go into effect July 1. The plan needs final approval by the Iowa Board of Regents.
Progress continues toward new business, student technology system
Following the completion of an extensive request for proposal (RFP) and vetting process, negotiations will soon be underway with a vendor to provide Iowa State’s new enterprise resource planning and student information systems (ERP SIS). The ERP SIS is the cloud-based software that will run the university’s financial, human resources and student information systems. Nearly 400 stakeholders from the ISU community helped to identify requirements for the RFP and participated in vendor visits earlier this year. Watch for further announcements as the negotiation process is completed and the implementation process begins.
Reminder: Madden letters due June 1
Letters of appreciation to senior vice president for business and finance Warren Madden, who retires at the end of June, are due June 1 (unfolded, please) to Judy Hankins, 1350 Beardshear. The public reception for Madden will be held Friday, June 24.
P&S Council meet and greet is May 24
Professional and scientific employees are invited to the P&S Council's 2nd annual meet-and-greet reception on Tuesday, May 24 (3-5 p.m., remarks at 3:45 p.m., Elings Hall atrium). Meet your council representatives, network with other employees, enjoy snacks by ISU Dining and register for prizes.
Live video session with ISU's web accessibility coordinator May 19
ISU's web accessibility coordinator (WAC) Zayira Jordan and Dena Fife, instructional development coordinator at the Brenton Center, will answer questions about making websites and other digital content accessible in a live video session Thursday, May 19 (3-4 p.m.). You can connect to the "Ask the WAC" Zoom videoconferencing session from your own computer by going to https://iastate.zoom.us/j/628801865. (If you don't already have Zoom software on your computer, get the free download from this site ahead of time.) Bring your questions about online checkers, video captioning, accessible HTML and PDFs and anything else to this session, which fittingly is being held on national Global Accessibility Day.
World Refugee Day is June 4
ISU Extension and Outreach, community and economic development, is a sponsor of a World Refugee Day cultural celebration (noon-5 p.m.) and all-nations soccer tournament (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) on Saturday, June 4 (Valley Community Center, 4444 Fuller Rd., West Des Moines). Volunteers are needed for many aspects of the day.
Summer projects will keep you on your toes
A hectic summer of building and road projects. Here are a few to keep on your radar.
Applications due June 1 for NTE faculty development funds
The provost's office has funds to support professional development of lecturers/senior lecturers, clinicians/senior clinicians and adjunct faculty. Applications are especially encouraged from faculty without access to departmental support for professional development. Up to $500 is awarded to help cover the costs of a professional conference, workshop or training. Applications are due June 1 for events taking place this year between July 1 and Dec. 31. Application details, including the form, are online.
Botany program request goes to regents committee
Meeting May 16 in Cedar Falls (1-3 p.m., 301 Rod Library), the state Board of Regents' academic and student affairs committee will consider an Iowa State request to officially terminate the M.S. and Ph.D. programs in botany. No new students have been admitted since 2004 and the major has been functionally dormant for nearly 10 years. The committee also will review the fall 2015 student retention and graduation rates report. The meeting agenda is online. The committee's recommendations will go to the full board at its June 9 meeting.
Registration is open for youth summer dance workshop
Registration is open for the Kids’ Co’Motion 3-week dance performance workshop, Zonal Flow!, for youth ages 8-18 years. Previous dance experience is not required. Participants receive training in contemporary dance, dance theater, theatrical improvisation and dance choreography, as well as in live stage production. The workshop runs weekdays 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., July 11-29, with the first two weeks in the Forker Building and the last week and performances July 29-30 in the Ames City Auditorium. Cost is $210.
Optional summer office hours begin May 9
Iowa State's flexibile hours program allows most offices to implement summer office hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a shortened lunch break, this year from Monday, May 9, through Friday, Aug. 12. Schedules should be approved by the appropriate dean, vice president or senior vice president.
Reiman Gardens to sell its tulip bulbs by the bag on May 14
Reiman Gardens will sell its tulip bulbs to the public on Saturday, May 14 (8 a.m.-noon, bridge east of the main entrance). Buyers should bring a shopping bag(s) to be filled with bulbs as they are dug. Cost is $10 per bag; cash or check only. A bulb's success can't be guaranteed. The gardens grew about 30 varieties of bulbs, but bulbs will be mixed and specific varieties won't be separated.
DNA facility upgrades short-read sequencing capability
ISU's DNA Facility, located in the Molecular Biology Building, has upgraded its short-read sequencing capacity, installing an Illumina HiSeq3000 that generates twice the data in half the time. The instrument is jointly operated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center. Mike Baker, who oversees the DNA Facility's genome sequencing service, operates the new sequencer.
Reminder: Stange Road closes Monday for 30 days
Repairs and upgrades to the Stange Road bridge over Squaw Creek will close all four lanes of the road for about 30 days, beginning Monday, May 9. The goal is to keep one bridge sidewalk open for pedestrians and bicyclists.
No mad dash toward digital-only course materials
The printed textbook isn't going away and digital course materials aren't one size fits all. That's University Book Store manager Heather Dean's takeaway from a recent course materials survey at 29 institutions.
Cyclone marching band represents US in D-Day commemoration
Cyclone marching band director Steven Smyth said he'd never take the band overseas. But he and 168 band members leave for France on June 2. Find out why he changed his mind.
Student showcase their culinary inventions
Vegetable-mango gazpacho and a soy-based lemon with blueberry waffle were among culinary inventions on display at a food showcase earlier this week. Student teams developed 11 creations in their food product development class.
Bridge repairs will close Stange Road for 30 days
A Stange Road closure (between 13th Street and Schilletter/University Village) begins Monday, May 9. Vehicles will be detoured; pedestrians and bicyclists shouldn't be affected.
IT Solution Center moves to library May 14
In a new collaboration between ISU information technology and the library, the IT Solution Center is moving May 14 from its current home in the Durham Center to 192 Parks Library (next to Bookends Café). The move will put the Solution Center in the heart of student activity on campus and make it more accessible for anyone at ISU seeking technology help. Solution Center hours will remain the same, and the center will continue to offer user support via email and phone. Two important changes to note:
- Materials for this summer’s orientation were printed prior to this change and list the Solution Center’s location as 195 Durham. After May 14, all Solution Center traffic should be directed to 192 Parks Library.
- The Collaborative Learning Spaces in the Durham Center (rooms 108, 110, 112, and 114), currently managed by Solution Center staff, will now be open for student use on a first-come, first-served basis.
New online tool for incident reporting rolls out July 1
Beginning July 1, workers' compensation, tort, auto and property claims, along with any incidents and near misses, all will be reported through a single online portal. The change will streamline how the university collects, analyzes and reports on this information, allowing ISU to better manage claims, identify root causes and develop solutions. For questions about this change, contact Joseph Rayzor, 294-1963.
Register now for May 9 mentor training
The Undergraduate Research and Honors programs will hold a half-day mentor training workshop on Monday, May 9 (8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 1151 Jischke Honors Building). The workshop is intended to help faculty, postdocs and graduate students improve their mentoring skills and the research experiences of the undergraduate students, including summer REU students. The workshop will consist of the two panel discussions and four small group discussions of research mentoring case studies. Registration is free; deadline is 5 p.m. on May 5.
Get O.A.R. tickets beginning May 6
Rock band O.A.R. will perform at Stephens Auditorium on Aug. 31. Tickets for the show go on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, May 6. Tickets run $29.25 to $49.75 and include a $4.25 digital download of the band's new album, XX (to be released July 29). Ticketholders will receive an email with instructions on how to receive the download. Tickets will be available at the Iowa State Center ticket office and through Ticketmaster.
Free learning opportunities for summer interns
Athletics director Jamie Pollard will discuss teamwork and effective leadership and Iowa State Daily CEO Lawrence Cunningham will talk about personal branding as part of a series of free events for summer interns working in the Ames area. The 2016 Summer Intern Program, sponsored by the Ames Chamber of Commerce, will highlight the Ames community while offering interns learning opportunities. Companies and interns who would like to receive updates about program activities are asked to sign up online.
Nason will present the May 9 Osborn Club lecture
John Nason, professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, will present "A Pollination System on the Edge: Unraveling the Mysteries of Reproduction in the Fig-Fig Wasp Mutualism," at the next Osborn Club lecture on May 9 (6 p.m., following club social at 5:30 p.m., Hach Hall atrium). The lecture is free and open to the public. Cost for the social is $20 per person ($10 for students).
EH&S streamlines hazard evaluation process
Environmental health & safety, which coordinates ISU's occupational medicine program, has launched a new interactive hazard inventory form. The form allows employees to identify and provide information about workplace hazards, all on the same form. It also will reduce review time and the number of email requests that labs and programs receive from occupational medicine, effectively decreasing the time required for medical evaluations and other services. Instructions (PDF) on accessing/opening the form (Firefox and Chrome browser users must change some settings). Call 294-5359 with questions.
Emmalee Jacobs scholarship fund is open
The Collegiate Women in Business club has created a scholarship fund in memory of Emmalee Jacobs, a freshman pre-business major who died from injuries received when she was hit by a vehicle in December. The fundraising goal of the FundISU campaign is $25,000. Fund organizers intend that one incoming freshman female in the College of Business would receive the Emmalee Jacobs memorial scholarship (up to $1,000) each academic year.
