Spring 2013 | CALS News Center Spring 2013 | News from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

2013 Arb Gala is an elegant Asian Reflection

The April 28 Gala in the Garden, the annual garden party and fund-raiser at JC Raulston Arboretum, came with cool temperatures and April showers, yet it was as magical and beautiful as ever.

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Past CALS deans honored at expanded joint foundations spring event

CALS deans all: Wynne, Linton, Oblinger and Bateman stand before the new display at Patterson Hall.

“Bridging the past to the future” was the theme when the boards of foundations supporting N.C. State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences convened for a particularly special and historic joint meeting on April 10.

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Student Perspectives: Kristen Glosson

Guilford County native Kristen Glosson is creating new options for dairy farmers through her nutrition and animal science research at a newly enhanced dairy unit that’s part of N.C. State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. As she pursues her master’s degree, Glosson focuses on increasing the nutrient density of pasteurized whole milk for calves.

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VetPAC networking event draws record attendance

Dr. Shweta Trivedi (center), VetPAC director, and VetPAC interns Sara Fleming (left) and Caitlin Reilly work the registration desk at the networking event.

More than 100 pre-veterinary track students took advantage of the opportunity to hear from a diverse range of veterinary professionals Jan. 31, at the annual networking event hosted by the Veterinary Professions Advising Center.

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Student Perspectives: Suzanne O’Connell and Aaron Fox

Ph.D. students Suzanne O’Connell and Aaron Fox immersed themselves in Croatian agriculture, cuisine and culture as they spent a month exploring study abroad options with the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Agriculture.

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Save the Date for CALS Tailgate 2013!

There’s going to be an End of Summer Party on August 31 at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Tailgate 2013 in Dorton Arena.

Bittersweet: Bait-averse cockroaches shudder at sugar

Sugar isn’t always sweet to German cockroaches, especially to the ones that avoid roach baits. In a study published May 24 in the journal Science, North Carolina State University entomologists show the neural mechanism behind the aversion to glucose, the simple sugar that is a popular ingredient in roach-bait poison.

Fred Gould named to Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources

Dr. Fred Gould, William Neal Reynolds Professor in the Department of Entomology, is one of two North Carolina State University faculty members named to the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, a major program unit of the National Research Council.

Enter the dragon: Landscape design studio’s latest is a hit at the Arb Gala

Created by students in Horticultural Science instructors Will Hooker and Anne Spafford’s small-scale landscape design studio, the bamboo dragon was the studio’s spring sculpture project, constructed especially for the gala.

Animal Science students hold first annual Wolfpack Round-Up livestock sale

A livestock merchandising class in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is paying off for students in more ways than one.

Robert Evans receives prestigious Tipton Award

Dr. Robert Evans, professor and head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, recently received the Royce J. Tipton Award at the U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (USCID) conference.

Specialists association gives awards for programming

The N.C. Association of Cooperative Extension Specialists presented awards to Matt Martin and Dr. Barbara Fair on May 3 at the association’s final meeting of 2012-13, N.C. State University’s Brickhaven Building.

Voices into Action awards four mini-grants in Harnett County

Voices into Action has awarded mini-grants to four local organizations to help expand access to healthy, affordable food and safe places to be active in Harnett County. Voices into Action: The Families, Food, and Health Project is a research and outreach partnership of N.C. State University, N.C. A&T University and N.C. Cooperative Extension.

Nine CALS employees receive college awards

Nine College of Agriculture and Life Sciences employees, including four from N.C. Cooperative Extension, have been recognized as recipients of Awards of Excellence and CALS Safety Awards for 2012-13.

Farm to Fork Picnic tickets now on sale

Tickets are on sale for the 2013 Farm to Fork Picnic being held June 9, 4-7 p.m. at the PLANT @ Breeze Farm Enterprise Incubator near Hurdle Mills. The popular event, which pairs local farmers with Triangle area chefs, has been called “the country’s best all you can eat feast” by Bon Appetit magazine.

CALS Sustainability Office hosts Leadership Triangle program

Dr. Danesha Seth Carley (right), director of the CALS Office of Sustainability, plants seedlings with participants in the Leadership Triangle program.

As part of its Earth Day celebration, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Office of Sustainability Programs hosted a Leadership Triangle class on sustainable agriculture.

Science enthusiasts raise a pint at Tir Na Nog

A group of faithful science enthusiasts gathered Tuesday night at Tir Na Nog pub in downtown Raleigh to raise a pint and hear scientists from the SE Climate Science Center talk about global climate change.

Pardue named to lead CALS academic programs

Dr. Sam Pardue has been named associate dean and director of academic programs for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, effective May 1. Pardue, former head of the Prestage Department of Poultry Science, has been serving as the interim director of academic programs in CALS since July 1, 2012.

Seymour: Preserve forests in the name of food security

Preserving international forests, providing food security and addressing issues of global climate change will require a coordinated effort, Frances Seymour told an audience at N.C. State University for the 2013 Borlaug Lecture.

Military youth honored at Wolfpack baseball game

As N.C. State University’s baseball team took to the field against Virginia Tech in early April, military youth and their families — representing all branches of North Carolina’s military — were on hand to participate in the fourth annual Military Appreciation Day Baseball Game. April is Month of the Military Child.

Farm Animal Days draws nearly 10,000

children holding chicks at NC State's Farm Animal Days

Neither rainy weather nor muddy fields could keep the crowds away from the college’s annual Farm Animal Days event, designed to give children an up-close-and-personal experience with animal agriculture.

N.C. State University hosts international student group

More than 80 university students from the United States and abroad attended a summit at N.C. State University April 11-13 to learn about agriculture and tourism in North Carolina and to explore interests in international agriculture.

PHHI seeks broccoli with enhanced lutein

KANNAPOLIS – A new N.C. State University study under way at the Plants for Human Health Institute at the N.C. Research Campus is focused on enhancing levels of lutein in broccoli. Lutein, an antioxidant, is associated with lowering risks for cataracts and age-related macular degeneration and is also found in leafy greens such as kale and spinach.

Horticultural Science student team places 8th in national competition

The Department of Horticultural Science student team celebrates a successful competition at PLANET Student Career Days.

A student team from the Department of Horticultural Science placed eighth among 64 teams at PLANET Student Career Days, a national collegiate landscape competition held in March at Auburn University.

Dean Linton: Pucker up, pig!

CALS Dean Richard Linton stepped up and kissed a pig during the 2013 Ag Awareness Week activities on N.C. State’s Brickyard this week, all in the interest of good, clean fun and finding a cure for cancer.

N.C. State PreVet students sweep top awards at APVMA annual event

N.C. State PreVet students gather at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine for the 2013 APVMA Symposium.

The 13 N.C. State students who traveled to the event were mentored by Dr. Shweta Trivedi, director of the Veterinary Professions Advising Center (VetPAC), which is housed in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Animal Science Department.

Faculty members attend Let’s Move event at White House

Dr. Sarah Bowen and Dr. Annie Hardison-Moody of N.C. State University, partners in a project to identify the root causes of youth obesity, recently attended a Let’s Move Faith and Communities event at the White House to hear First Lady Michelle Obama speak.

Club raises ag awareness

WRAL-TV meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner with a cow on N.C. State University's brickyard.

With National Ag Day being celebrated throughout the nation on March 19, Alpha Zeta at N.C. State has focused the spotlight on agriculture during a week of activities on the university brickyard.

N.C. State, UT scientists received grant to improve produce safety

KANNAPOLIS – A group of scientists at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and North Carolina State University are working together to improve the safety of organic produce – naturally. Their study, “Alternative Post-harvest Washing Solutions to Enhance the Microbial Safety and Quality of Organic Fresh Produce,” began last fall.

Wiley tells CEFS crowd to “shine a light on” food injustice

Maya Wiley, attorney and social activist, told a Center for Environmental Farming Systems audience last week in Durham that “we need to shine a light” on injustice within the food system that affects everyone from farmers to consumers.

Purdue recognizes Brandenburg as Distinguished Agriculture Alumnus

Dr. Rick Brandenburg, William Neal Reynolds Professor in the Department of Entomology, will be recognized March 1 as one of eight Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Award winners at Purdue University. Brandenburg earned a bachelor’s degree in entomology from Purdue in 1977.

Center for Environmental Farming Systems receives $3.9 million grant

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) has been awarded a five-year $3.9 million grant to build and evaluate supply chains for local farmers and fishers to supply large-scale markets in North Carolina. The grant was awarded by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Lee County trains businesses to be disaster prepared

Lee County wants to make sure that local businesses are prepared for disasters that come their way. In January, 17 Lee Emergency Planning Committee members went through training in Sanford to offer the Ready Business program. Training was provided by N.C. Cooperative Extension and the Industrial Extension Service.

Entomology student receives prestigious fellowship

Diane Silcox, a doctoral student in entomology, is one of three students nationally to receive a $5,000 post-graduate grant by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) as a winner of the Watson Fellowship Program.

Laura Taylor awarded Leopold Fellowship

Dr. Laura Taylor, professor of agricultural and resource economics, has been awarded a Leopold Leadership Fellowship. She one of just 20 environmental researchers in North America to receive the prestigious honor this year.

BAE-designed stormwater wetland earns national construction award

After completed construction, the W-shaped outlet weir at the Jack Smith Creek project undergoes a leak and flow test.

The Jack Smith Creek Stormwater Project, one of the largest stormwater retrofits in the state, can capture and treat the runoff from more than 1,000 acres of residential and commercial property.

‘In the Garden’ wins second regional EMMY Award

N.C. State University’s television show, In the Garden with Bryce Lane, won a regional EMMY® Award last weekend in the Instructional/Informational Series category. Bryce Lane, the show’s host and instructor in the Department of Horticultural Science, brings more than 30 years of teaching experience to television.

Two CALS faculty involved in award-winning crop protection efforts

Picture of Jim Dunphy and Steve Koenning

Two College of Agriculture and Life Sciences faculty members were involved in award-winning efforts to protect soybean growers from Asian soybean rust, a new disease that threatened the United States soybean crop beginning in 2004.

New state obesity prevention plan announced this week

Dr. Carolyn Dunn, N.C. Cooperative Extension nutrition specialist, is lead author of new obesity prevention plan released by Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina.

Public invited to attend college listening sessions

CALS Strategic Planning Listening Session at the N.C. Biotechnology Center in Research Triangle Park.

As N.C. State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) charts its future, it is looking for insight from the people it serves – the people of North Carolina. Over the coming weeks, the college’s dean, Dr. Richard Linton, will lead listening sessions in locations across the state.

‘Fotonovela’ will help teach Latino families about 4-H

4-H leaders have a new tool to help Spanish-language families understand the value of 4-H activities to their young people. Cintia Aguilar and her N.C. Cooperative Extension colleagues have developed a fotonovela – a book similar to a graphic novel with photos – to tell the story of 4-H in both English and in Spanish.

Walden receives Order of Long Leaf Pine award

Picture of Dr. Mike Walden with Order of the Long Leaf Pine award certificate.

Dr. Mike Walden, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of agricultural and resource economics and N.C. Cooperative Extension economist, is a recipient of North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine award.

Lommel accepted to Food Systems Leadership Institute

Dr. Steven Lommel, associate director of the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service and North Carolina State University assistant vice chancellor for research, has been accepted to the two-year Food Systems Leadership Institute program.

Biochemistry grad honored at West Virginia University

Samantha Smith, a 2011 North Carolina State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and chemistry, recently received the Patricia “Pat” Fedeles Award for Compassion in Physical Diagnosis given by the West Virginia University School of Medicine.

New Agricultural Institute director named

Dr. Elizabeth Wilson, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education at N.C. State University, has been named director of the university’s Agricultural Institute and assistant director of academic programs for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Stewart completes Food Systems Leadership Institute program

Ken Swartzel, Marshall Stewart and Bill DeLauder

Dr. Marshall Stewart was among the 20 fellows of the Food Systems Leadership Institute (FSLI) honored recently during a ceremony at the annual meeting of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities in Denver.

Bledsoe will join National FFA as chief operating officer

When Joshua Bledsoe entered high school as a freshman in 1987, he was surprised to find agricultural education listed as his elective at Surry Central High School in Dobson. Soon this N.C. FFA leader will join the national organization as chief operating officer.