Extension Council Day on Campus

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Extension Council Day on Campus. Various buildings on the Iowa State University campus. Sponsored by ISU Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Extension Council Association.

Register Now

Friday, September 13, 2024

On September 13th, Ames will be the place to be! Extension council members from across Iowa will converge on the Iowa State University campus to engage, learn, and do. 

  • See where the research happens - - the same research that fuels the extension programs presented in your county. 
  • Meet the people who help extend the reach of the university. 
  • And of course there are some can't-miss tours like Jack Trice Stadium, the new Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex, the tornado simulator, and the Culinary Discovery Lab. 
  • Connect with other council members and campus extension staff.
  • Meet ISU President Wendy Wintersteen, Vice President for Extension and Outreach Jason Henderson, Assistant Vice President for County Services Andrea Welchans, and Extension and Outreach Program Leaders.

Register now.  Spots are limited, so plan to register early! The registration fee for council members is just $25 and is reimbursable as professional development by your county.

Schedule

9:15 AM    Registration & Refreshments, Jacobson Building

9:45          Welcome 

  • ISU President Wendy Wintersteen
  • Vice President for Extension and Outreach Jason Henderson
  • IECA Executive Director Jennifer Vit
  • IECA President Bruce Clark

10:00        Jack Trice Stadium Tour featuring the turf grown at the ISU Horticulture Research Station

11:00        Tour Stop 1

12:15 PM  Lunch; Keynote address: "What's on the Horizon for ISU Extension and Outreach" with Dr. Jason Henderson

1:15          Tour Stop 2

2:30          Tour Stop 3

3:45          Return to stadium and depart for home

Tours

When registering, participants will get to choose their preferred tour track from the four options below.  Note that several of the tours require some walking and the ability to stand for a period of time.  Please see specific notes about about clothing or visitor requirements for livestock protocols under the tour stop information.

Tour Track A

Note: This tour requires participants to wear closed-toe shoes.  Participants will need to quarantine from all poultry and exotic birds 72 hrs. prior to the tour and may also need to quarantine for 72 hours prior to entering other poultry facilities following the tour.

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Pear leaves with pear rust infestation

Stop 1 - Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic

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Stop 1 - Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic

See the clinic where they test for plant health problems. The tour will include the triage and soil grinding area, media prep room, isolation and incubation room, microscope area, and the molecular lab.

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Professor with student viewing the airflow around a model town in a tornado simulator

Stop 2 - Aerospace Adventures

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Stop 2 - Aerospace Adventures

Join us for an out of this world experience! Tour the aviation simulators, tornado simulator, wind tunnel, and more!

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chickens in cages

Stop 3 - Robert T. Hamilton Poultry Teaching & Research Farm and University Compost Facility

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Stop 3 - Robert T. Hamilton Poultry Teaching & Research Farm and University Compost Facility

The ISU Poultry Farm is utilized for teaching and research activities with broilers, layers, turkeys, and other avian species - especially important in defending Iowa's flocks against avian influenza. You'll view both cage-free and conventional systems. The other stop on this tour is the ISU compost facility. As they say, "we take crap from everyone(as long as it's from the university 😉)."


 

Tour Track B

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3D Printing Lab in the Student Innovation Center

Stop 1 - 3D Affordable Innovative Technologies Housing Project (Part 1)

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Stop 1 - 3D Affordable Innovative Technologies Housing Project (Part 1)

Opened in 2020, the Student Innovation Center is a hands-on hub providing a unique space for design, fabrication, testing, and demonstration of ideas ranging from culinary to lunar to vehicles. Explore the Student Innovation Center and learn about its use and potential. 

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Large scale 3D printer laying concrete walls

Stop 2 - 3D Affordable Innovative Technologies Housing Project (Part 2)

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Stop 2 - 3D Affordable Innovative Technologies Housing Project (Part 2)

See the 3D Affordable Innovative Technologies Housing Project and get a demonstration of the College of Design’s research and development on the 3D printing of houses including a remote drone tour and a walkthrough part of the work.

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produce grown in a high wind tunnel

Stop 3 - Horticulture Research Station

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Stop 3 - Horticulture Research Station

The 230-acre Horticulture Research Station is an interesting place to visit. With 80+ research projects annually on topics ranging from fruit and vegetable production to turf grass and animal ecology projects using birds, bees, and fish, you're sure to learn something new.   


 

Tour Track C

Note: Closed-toe shoes, pants, and short- or long-sleeve shirts required. Do not wear clothing on the tour that has been worn in any other livestock or poultry facility. Walking over a variety of surfaces (rock, dirt, pavement) required.  Additional constraints may be necessary depending on activity with avian flu, etc. and will be shared closer to the tour date.

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Professor teaching about food science in the culinary discovery lab

Stop 1 - Culinary Discovery Lab

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Stop 1 - Culinary Discovery Lab

Tour the Food Science & Human Nutrition Department's Culinary Discovery Lab and learn how the space has created new opportunities to teach audiences about food. The lab is used as a studio for AnswerLine and Spend Smart Eat Smart videos that promote extension resources as well as hosting workshops such as charcuterie, salsa, and fresh pasta.

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3 bottles of ISU Winery wine

Stop 2 - ISU Winery/Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute

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Stop 2 - ISU Winery/Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute

Come visit the Iowa State University Winery and learn more about what the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute is doing to help the Iowa grape, wine, beer and cider industries. You might even be able to taste a bit of ISU's creations.

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Kent feed mill complex at Iowa State University. This includes a grain elevator, bin sites, and a teaching facility.

Stop 3 - Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex

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Stop 3 - Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex

Opening in 2023, the Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex is a state-of-the-art facility on 10 acres including 47,000 square feet of teaching and learning space. Tour the classroom, warehouse, lab, pilot plant, mill, and grain center. Learn how the research done at this complex provides data and recommendations for extension program specialists.


 

Tour Track D

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Multiple cuts of meat laid out on a table

Stop 1 - ISU Meat Lab

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Stop 1 - ISU Meat Lab

The Iowa State University Meat Laboratory is a federally inspected facility that serves multiple roles including undergraduate and graduate teaching, research, and extension programs. The internationally recognized short course programs on meat processing and food safety provides programming for meat processors in Iowa, across the entire United States, and around world. 

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senior citizens doing yoga

Stop 2 - Journey Through Parkinson's

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Stop 2 - Journey Through Parkinson's

See where the ISU research happens to support Parkinson's disease advances. Meet and hear first-hand from persons with the disease and ISU students who participate in our local outreach programs. This research and outreach inspired the creation of the Journey Through Parkinson’s Disease program offered across the state.

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Mural of a man looking through binoculars painted on a brick building

Stop 3 - Mayor's Workshop and Design Studio Tour

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Stop 3 - Mayor's Workshop and Design Studio Tour

Take an inside look at the design process by visiting a working design studio and seeing the progress on the Mayors’ Design workshop. The 2024 Mayors Workshop will be working with mayors from Marshalltown, Council Bluffs, Atlantic, Ottumwa, Ft. Madison and Cedar Falls over this summer.  The work happening in those communities will be highlighted, but the program is transferrable to any city.