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Campus Chatter - October 11, 2017
 

Applications open for global agriscience competition

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Entering its 13th year, the Alltech Young Scientist (AYS) program is considered one of the world’s most prestigious agriscience competitions for university students. Applications are now open for rising agriscientists who wish to take part in the 2018 competition.

Undergraduate and graduate applicants will compete first within their home regions of North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific or Europe/Africa. Regional winners will be invited to attend an all-expense-paid Alltech Young Scientist Discovery Week in Lexington, where they will compete in the global competition during ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18), May 20-23, 2018.

The prizes include a fully funded Ph.D. position and $5,000 for the global undergraduate winner and a fully funded postdoctoral position and $10,000 for the global graduate winner.

“Lifelong learning is a core value within Alltech and we are proud to invest in young, bright minds through our Alltech Young Scientist program,” said Dr. Aoife Lyons, director of educational initiatives and engagement at Alltech. “It provides a global stage for students to present their research and have the opportunity to further their education and join the Alltech team.”

Registration will close on Oct. 31. Students must be nominated by a professor in order to participate, and may submit scientific papers on topics such as animal health and nutrition, crop science, agriculture analytical methods, food chain safety and traceability, human health and nutrition and other agriscience-related sectors.

Paper submission may be completed online through Dec. 31, and regional winners will be announced in March 2018. For more information and to register for the Alltech Young Scientist program, visit www.AlltechYoungScientist.com

USPOULTRY OKs $125,000 in new avian influenza research

TUCKER, Ga. — The USPOULTRY Foundation has approved $125,000 in additional emergency funding to support avian influenza research and communication. The research is a follow-up study on a previously funded project in which researchers provided insight on using ventilation shut down (VSD) as a humane depopulation method.

The study showed that the addition of heat and/or CO2 to the VSD procedure provided a rapid and humane depopulation method. The recently funded additional research will repeat these investigations using broiler chickens and turkeys, since the original research was completed with layers. The previous research summary and final report can be found on the USPOULTRY website at www.uspoultry.org

The funding for the additional research was approved by the board of directors, based on recommendations from the Foundation research advisory committee. The research grant to North Carolina State University is made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Prestage Farms.

Partners for Pollution Prevention awards inaugural scholarships

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention (Partners) welcomed three new members during its 20th annual conference and trade show on Sept. 20. ARaymond Tinnerman, Decatur Plastic Products (DPP) and PK USA were welcomed as new members.

This milestone year of the conference took place during Pollution Prevention Week as proclaimed by Gov. Eric Holcomb for Sept. 18-24. Partners is a group of Indiana industries, businesses, nonprofit organizations and governmental entities that are interested in pollution prevention and the financial and environmental benefits pollution prevention projects can bring.

The group holds quarterly meetings and an annual conference and trade show enabling members to exchange ideas, receive updates on regulations and share pollution prevention success stories. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) Office of Program Support facilitates Partners by coordinating and promoting networking opportunities, voluntary pollution prevention activities and participation in state recognition programs.

Partners started a scholarship fund in honor of the “20 years of Pollution Prevention in Indiana” celebrated at this year’s conference. Three schools were chosen to receive the scholarships: Purdue University, Ball State University and Indiana University.

Each school received $1,000 to award to a student of its choosing with the following criteria: an undergraduate student at one of these three schools; an Indiana resident; and interested in pursuing industrial sustainability and/or pollution prevention in industry.

Megan Townsend at Purdue received one of the scholarships. She is a junior in Environmental and Ecological Engineering. At Ball State, recipient Anthony Smith is focusing on the environmental management track of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. Indiana University's recipient is yet to be named.

Additional information about the Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention can be found at www.idem.IN.gov/ppp/index.htm

Michigan State using grant to boost yield of biofuel crop

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State University is using a federal grant to explore ways to boost the yield of a biofuel crop that could offer environmental and agricultural benefits.

The East Lansing school says it will lead a $10 million U.S. Energy Department grant to study the metabolism and genes of the camelina plant. Researchers say it doesn't require as much water or fertilizer as food crop species, or require special equipment to be planted or harvested. They add it can better resist pests and disease.

It's been used to fly planes. Other potential uses include pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The researchers' overall goal is to get a 300 percent increase per acre in production. If they can do that, the oilseed plant could compete with other petroleum products.

World Food Prize selects 15 students for internship program

DES MOINES, Iowa — The World Food Prize Foundation announced the selection of its 2017 Fall George Washington Carver (GWC) Interns. This unique internship will allow these students to take on key roles in the international nonprofit organization as well as assume significant responsibility in planning and carrying out a wide range of the Foundation’s projects.

Fifteen interns from Iowa State University, Drake University, Grinnell College and Grand View University will learn firsthand both the public and private side of operating an international nonprofit organization. Working one-on-one with a staff mentor, each intern will play an integral role of this internationally renowned organization as well as the fall Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium.

"The George Washington Carver Internship is an unsurpassed professional development experience that provides exceptional opportunities in program design and implementation, as well as interaction with an array of international leaders in global food security,” said Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize.

“Carver Interns work directly with World Food Prize professional staff in planning the Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium, guiding the Global Youth Institute, staging the Iowa Hunger Summit and welcoming Laureates, government officials, business leaders and research scientists from over 40 countries."

This year’s interns are, from ISU, Sierra Becker, Kayla Kaalberg, Madison Lapke, Katherine Stewart, Victoria Butt, Michele Frederickson, Emma Robinson and Hannah Soma; from Drake, Lauren Blum, Madeline Cheek, Caroline Hogan, Sarah Schroeder and Gustav Swanson; from Grand View, Missy Farni; and from Grinnell, William Hamilton.

 

10/12/2017