Five Things

Here are five things to put on your Cardinal & Gold radar this week:

1) ISU chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition Ruth Litchfield is part of a community of scientists hoping the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s collaborative recent release of scientific data will finally debunk the widespread myths surrounding genetically modified crops that paint them as damaging to health and the environment. The opposite is actually true, scientists say, and now the public can get the facts directly from the experts.

“Up until now we have been arguing in a content-free environment,” said Fred Gould, distinguished professor of entomology and co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center at North Carolina State University in a recent NBC News story, which also quotes Litchfield as saying the documentation is another significant addition to the long list of studies that validate the safety of genetically engineered foods.

2) Starting next week, ISU President Steven Leath will become a member of the Division I board of directors of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), representing the Big 12 Conference. Division I comprises nearly 350 colleges that collectively field more than 6,000 athletics teams with more than 170,000 student-athletes.

3) June 1 (next Wednesday) is the deadline to submit your application for the ISU Young Alumni Council (a leadership organization providing a voice for the classes of 2006-2016 on ISU Alumni Association programming and outreach). If you think you would be a good fit for this group, submit your application online via www.isualum.org/yac.

4) Cyclone Nation will take over Kauffman Stadium in KC June 18 during Cy’s Day at the K. The event is being organized by the ISUAA Club of Kansas City, but alumni and friends who love major league baseball are invited to come from all over for this annual tradition as the Royals take on the Detroit Tigers. Let’s pack the stadium with Cardinal & Gold for this event. (Hey, KC is an easy drive from central Iowa.) Registration deadline is June 10.

5) It’s summer, and everyone’s on the road — including the ISU Alumni Association. Our new “Celebrate State” events are coming to Chicago (June 16; register by June 8) and Denver (June 23; register by June 16). Hope to see you there!