VISIONS Winter 2021

THE MAGAZINE FOR MEMBERS OF THE IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION |

DEEPROOTS How the 2020 derecho altered Iowa State’s campus landscape

Winter 2021

GE T T IN G STA RTED

by Carole Gieseke

c gi e se k e @ i a s tat e . e du

Cultures shift, the coronavirus spreads, and we literally see winds of change

T

here are so many topics playing out in my mind right now, it’s hard to focus, hard to know where even to begin.

So, first, I will say “thank you” – to all of you – for reading, for writing, for discussing the important issues of racism in America. We received an astounding number of responses to our fall 2020 VISIONS story package titled “Let’s talk about racism” (featuring alumni voices and university programs centered around the topics of equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism) and to my fall column titled “It’s not enough.”

We’ve included some of the letters on the following pages. Many have been edited for length. Many more have not been included at all, due to limited space. Please continue this important conversation by reading all the letters in full at isualum.org/ letterstotheeditor, and by sending us any additional thoughts on this topic.

We will post each of your letters on our website.

I have to apologize to several readers who wrote lengthy, thought-provoking letters in response to our recent coverage of Carrie Chapman Catt, an Iowa State alumna who inspired women to become fully participating citizens through the women’s suffrage movement as well as creating an ongoing controversy with her words. These letters have also been posted on our website in their entirety; I wish we had room for them in our print edition, and I hope to find room for them in a future issue.

AS I WRITE THIS, the number of positive COVID-19 tests continue to rise in our county, our state, and across the country. Iowa State has done a remarkable job of testing and tracking cases 2

on campus, and keeping the student learning environment safe. Much of the increased spread within the university community has taken place in residential areas and off campus.

By the time this issue reaches your mailbox, the university will be on a

“The pandemic forced us to re-write a number of our fall traditions this year. I applaud every bit of the innovation that went into this virtual Homecoming, but I grieve the lost hugs and handshakes and other human touches.

I miss my friends.” longer-than-usual winter break and planning for students to return in late January for the beginning of the spring semester. For more COVID coverage, turn to page 8.

The pandemic forced us to re-write a number of our fall traditions this year. Instead of alumni returning for their 50-year reunion, we encouraged alumni to celebrate Homecoming at home, with virtual contests and activities. Instead of students practicing for Yell Like Hell performances, we facilitated virtual mass campaniling.

Instead of serving food on campus during Homecoming week, we provided “Homegating” recipes. Instead of personally pinning flowers on Homecoming Honors and Awards recipients like I do every year, I spent a quiet day in my office on Homecoming Friday. No Cyclone Central, no Homecoming Happy Hour, no pep rally, no pancakes at midnight.

I applaud every bit of the innovation that went into this virtual Homecoming, but I grieve the lost

hugs and handshakes and other human touches. I miss my friends.

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN TOUGH in a lot of

ways, not the least of which has been the weather: Wildfires in California, hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, and straight-line winds in the Midwest.

On Aug. 10, a weather event called a derecho powered through the state of Iowa, leaving devastation in its wake.

On the Iowa State campus, more than 120 trees were damaged or destroyed.

The campus landscape is such a big part of Iowa State’s personality; each time a tree comes down, a little bit of ISU dies with it. When I came to work for the Alumni Association in 1997, I was awestruck by the beauty of the campus: its architecture, its art, and its trees. Each year for the past 24 years I have carefully edited Jim Heemstra’s photos for the Iowa State wall calendar – he gives me thousands of images for what will become just 13 chosen for the calendar – and in nearly every one of those images there are trees: trees framing the campanile, trees sparkling with new snow, trees draping heavily with flowers, trees ablaze with fall color.

I thought about these photos as I toured campus this summer, with the soundtrack of chainsaws in the distance and trees and limbs scattered everywhere. And then I went to our calendar photo archives and chose a few of my favorite to share with you in this issue: a celebration of campus trees.

It’s likely to be a long winter. Please take care of yourselves, be well, and I hope to see you back on campus really soon. 

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COVER STORY

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

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8 S truggling to contain a virus Iowa State students show a resilient Cyclone spirit; fans cautiously return to Jack Trice Stadium; and the testing continues

2 Getting Started 4 Letters to the Editor 6 Around Campus 34 Cyclones Everywhere

Featuring Cyclone stories, newsmakers, fall events recaps, and more 44 Sports 46 Calendar

Deep roots A summer storm alters Iowa State’s campus landscape

16 ‘We have been warned’ The history of epidemics at Iowa State

On the Cover: With thousands of mature trees, every season takes on its own brand of beauty on the Iowa State campus. Photo by Jim Heemstra

22

Frozen land, warm heart Laurie Meythaler-Mullins takes her veterinary skills to remote, underserved communities

26

Heroes and legends Celebrating the 2020 Faculty-Staff Inspiration Awardees

32 ISU Alumni Association annual report

Iowa State-trained veterinarian Laurie MeythalerMullins (’01 animal ecology, DVM ’08) brings much-needed public health veterinary services to remote villages in western Alaska.

Contributed photo

WINTER 2021 / VOLUME 33 / NO. 4 EDITOR: Carole Gieseke PHOTOGRAPHY: Jim Heemstra, Matt Van Winkle DESIGN: Scott Thornton LOCAL PHONE 294-6525 TOLL-FREE 1-877-ISU-ALUM (478-2586) WEBSITE isualum.org

VISIONS (ISSN 1071-5886) is published quarterly for members of the Iowa State University Alumni Association by the ISU Alumni Association, 429 Alumni Lane, Ames, IA 5001 1-1403, (515) 294-6525, FAX (515) 294-9402. Periodicals postage paid at Ames, Iowa, and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to VISIONS, ISU Alumni Center, 429 Alumni Lane, Ames, IA 50011-1403.

Printed with soy ink on recycled and recyclable paper.

V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 1

Copyright 2021 by the ISU Alumni Association, Jeffery W. Johnson, Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed President and CEO and publisher.

The ISU Alumni Association mission: To facilitate the lifetime connection of alumni, students, and friends with the university and each other.

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

A DV E R T I S I N G O P P O R T U N I T I E S : T Y L E R W E I G , tweig@iastate.edu 3

2020-2021 ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Kathy A. (Sullivan) Peterson**^ Chair ’95 Speech Comm.

Aurelia, Iowa Timothy R. Quick**# Chair-elect ’01 Marketing, Intl. Business Clive, Iowa Thomas A. Connop**# Immediate Past Chair ’76 History Dallas, Texas Marc Mores**# Vice Chair of Finance ’95 Exercise & Sport Science Parker, Colo.

Dana (Willig) Wilkinson** Vice Chair of Records ’78 Interior Design Bettendorf, Iowa Joan Piscitello**# University Treasurer ’98 MBA Ex-officio/votin West Des Moines, Iowa Jeffery W. Johnson**# Lora and Russ Talbot ISUAA Endowed President & CEO PhD ’14 Education Ex-officio/non-votin Ames, Iowa ELECTED DIRECTORS Scott Bauer** ’85 Business Mgmt.

Ames, Iowa Kelli Ann Cameron**# ’02 Ag. Education Janesville, Wis. Taylor Davis** ’17 Supply Chain Mgmt.

Las Vegas, Nev. Marvin DeJear** ’00 Business Mgmt., MBA ’03, PhD ’16 Ed. Leadership Des Moines, Iowa

Darius Potts* ’89 Telecommunication Arts Ankeny, Iowa Dawn Refsell** ’01 Agronomy, MS ’03 Crop Production & Physiology Runnells, Iowa Cathy Schmidt**# ’88 Marketing Plymouth, Minn.

Gregory Smith**# ’91 Occ. Safety, MPA ’10 Marion, Iowa Martha Smith**# ’04 Ag. Business St. Louis, Mo. Amy Burrough Tetmeyer**# ’91 Accounting Johnston, Iowa Eric Wittrock**# ’92 Mech. Engr.

Urbandale, Iowa Suzanne J. Wyckoff**# ’70 English Kansas City, Mo. APPOINTED DIRECTORS Sophia Magill** Office of the President Representative ’05 Pol. Sci. Ames, Iowa Michele Appelgate* College Representative ’88 Journ. & Mass Comm.

Ames, Iowa Brad Lewis** Non-alumni Representative Bondurant, Iowa Lauren Sincebaugh*** Senior, Hospitality Mgmt./ Business Mgmt.

Student Alumni Leadership Council Representative Plymouth, Minn.

Heather L. (Reid) Duncan**# ’06 Public Service & Admin. in Ag. Kansas City, Mo.

Membership Key: *Annual member **Life member ***Student member ^Business member # 2020 Sustaining Life donor

Chad Harris** ‘01 Political Science Kansas City, Mo.

To apply for the Board of Directors, go to isualum.org/ board. The deadline is Nov. 1.

Donald A. Hoy**# ’63 Ag. Business Weatherby Lake, Mo.

Meet the Board: isualum.org/about/board

Anthony Jones* ’98 Exercise & Sport Science, PhD ’10 Ed. Leadership Ames, Iowa 4

Larry Pithan** ’73 Mech. Engr.

Andalusia, Ill.

Letters 

WE’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU Let us know what you think about stories in this issue – or about other topics of interest to VISIONS readers. Email your letters to: cgieseke@iastate.edu.

LET’S TALK ABOUT RACISM

Editor’s note: Due to limited space and a heavy response on this topic, we have chosen to run a representative sample of the letters received; some have been edited for length.

I am a 1957 graduate and proud to let everyone know about Iowa State. However, I must let you know that it was difficult for me to even open up the latest VISIONS magazine with a cover story about Black Lives Matter.

You seem to have been sucked into supporting this organization. You should have investigated this organization before printing a cover story about it. I just hope that the university as a whole is not also supportive of this group.

Paul O. Leonard* ’57 DVM Barrington, Ill.

Editor’s note: The VISIONS feature did not focus on the Black Lives Matter organization, but rather provided an opportunity for Iowa State alumni voices to be heard on the subject of systemic racism and reform. The cover was an invitation to a conversation about Black lives mattering.

I just read your opening letter in the new issue of VISIONS (Getting Started, “It’s Not Enough”). That superb piece of from-the-heart writing hit me in the gut. I had a similar awakening. After the killing of George Floyd, I joined protests in our town. His death hit me like a punch in the mouth. I had to get involved, too.

White people have benefited from white privilege while Black citizens have been hobbled in their survival in this country for 400 years. It’s about time we looked at racial justice and the central problem of America.

Pete Prunkl** MS ’68 psychology Salisbury, N.C. I must respectfully disagree with whoever made the decision to feature BLM on the cover! I am a 1963 graduate of ISU and have never had any ill thoughts about people of color. I don’t even notice skin color. Having seen the protests and the resulting destruction, I am convinced the BLM organization was behind the provision of tools used to promote violence! BLM should not be celebrated or supported by the alumni organization!!

James Sheets* ’63 mech engr Ames, Iowa Today I received the new VISIONS magazine, and I wanted to compliment you on your very well-written article – Getting Started, “It’s Not Enough.” This is such an emotional time, and the students, faculty, and our country in general, are on edge. I appreciated your well-chosen words and sentiments. They

really mirror my own thoughts and struggle.

I just wanted to let you know that words really do make a difference, and I am proud of what you and your team do for Iowa State.

Ann Thye* ’80 textiles & clothing Des Moines, Iowa When I saw the headlines for Black Lives Matter on the front page, I realized how racist Iowa State has become. First and foremost, Black Lives Matter is a Marxist organization working with Antifa to take down America. Of course, you wouldn’t want to do the research and see for yourself. Their goals are to defund police, the end to the nuclear family (father, mother and children), free college for all, an end to voter ID laws, collective ownership, and full housing for everyone. Now why would you support such an organization?

The article by Jeff Johnson states that he was appalled by the senseless killing of George Floyd by police. FACT: THE AUTOPSY SHOWED THAT GEORGE FLOYD DIED FROM AN OVERDOSE OF DRUGS IN HIS SYSTEM. HE DID NOT DIE FROM ANY ACTIONS BY THE POLICE. Of course, who cares about the facts? I didn’t condone the police action, but what they did had NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS DEATH. PERIOD. Owen DeBoer * ’68 ag business Ballwin, Mo.

Editor’s notes: The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that the cause of George Floyd’s death was “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.” Drugs were not the cause of death. Floyd’s death was ruled a homicide.

According to Politifact, Black Lives Matter was formed in response to the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager, in Florida.

The Black Lives Matter organization has grown into a national anti-racism movement broadly supported by Americans, few of whom would identify themselves as Marxist.

Just read your Getting Started column like always when the issue arrives. This time I read and reread, relating to every single word.

Thank you. It is about us. We are the problem. And how enlightening to know this country was founded by white men for white men.

Why am I just understanding that at age 67?

The Cedar Valley has undertaken a community book read of Abram Kendi’s How to be an Anti-racist. We’re going to dig deep into the roots of racism and the policies that continue *Annual member of the ISU Alumni Association **Life member of the ISU Alumni Association W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION! Read unedited and additional letters at www.isualum.org/letterstotheeditor

racism. We’re going to DO something, and keep doing something until it’s enough. Like you said, walking away is not an option.

Dee Vandeventer ** ’75 psychology/child dev Cedar Falls, Iowa I wanted to thank you for modeling vulnerability in the Black Lives Matter issue of VISIONS. It is so incredibly important for the Alumni Association and Iowa State to set the tone and model the idea that we may have unchecked behaviors that hurt people and that it is never too late to learn, grow, and do better.

It’s uncomfortable and sometimes personally damaging to raise our voices against systemic racism and the apathy of our peers, and I cannot tell you how glad I am that you have the support of the ISUAA behind you.

Katie Davidson** ’05 philosophy, MBA ’10, PhD ’17 Creston, Iowa Thanks to Jeff Johnson and all the other contributors to the latest VISIONS. The recent, and not so recent, events involving Black lives is an epiphany for many. I am sure there are many, like me, who knew that racism was alive and well in the U.S., but still didn’t understand the depth and impact that it has on so many.

We hope that enough people are appalled by the litany of recent Black deaths at the hands of law enforcement, to cause the majority to say that things must change, and work for respect and equality that is far too long in coming.

Nels Backlund** ’75 DVM Omaha, Neb. Your fall 2020 VISIONS headline is “Black Lives Matter: An invitation to a conversation.”

I doubt your sincerity. Each writer in that edition exhibits all the characteristics of a racist, and that includes Dr. [Jeff] Johnson. As long as you and they perpetuate the primacy of focus on “communities,” skin color, or race, racism will be emphasized. Instead, you should be glorying in the uniqueness of each individual human. Until we all see each other as remarkable individuals, the condition of racism will not change.

Jack Burris* ’85 botany Gilbert, Ariz.

The cover of the fall 2020 edition of VISIONS was disturbing. While a discussion on race has merit, support for BLM does not. The background and training of their leadership, the goals they promote, and their manipulation/ distortion of facts and civil disturbances to achieve those goals are extremely troubling.

It makes me wonder how much you really V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 1

know about the group. Black lives matter (as do all other lives) and needs addressing, but Black Lives Matter is too extreme to have rational discussions and goals.

Chuck Runge* ’62 math Sunnyvale, Calif.

How could you? This magazine represents thousands of alumni. Yes, I believe in freedom of speech and have military service to prove it.

However, this does not mean freedom to speak for others you have the privilege to represent. You mention your research of BLM. Congratulations, you have DRUNK THE KOOLAID. BLM is financed and supported by many organizations including the Liberation Road, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Chinese Progressive Association, organizations bent on the destruction of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The BLM has no conscience as they destroyed Black businesses and neighborhood businesses Blacks depend on for their day-to-day needs. When I saw the cover on the fall issue of VISIONS, it saddened my heart. Yes, I am white and that does not make me a racist of any kind. There is no place for racists of any kind in this nation.

John J. O’Connell** ’52 indust ed Geneva, Ill. I was shocked and disappointed to receive my fall issue of VISIONS with “Black Lives Matter: An invitation to a conversation” on the cover. We in St. Louis have seen first-hand what the fallout of BLM’s activism can do to a community (aka Ferguson), as well-trained, well-funded thugs fly into a community, check into upscale hotels, and attract ill-informed people to a cause which has nothing to do with the worth or welfare of the African American community.

BLM is not an invitation to conversation; their goal is not about bring awareness to racial injustice or racial prejudice. Theirs is a Marxist organization bent on creating chaos and destruction. I would speculate that the BLM movement has done much more to divide, stoke hatred, and alienate than it has to help the plight of the African American community.

Tragically, the Blacks have suffered more than any people group as a result of BLM’s activism.

In my opinion Iowa State University’s role in affecting racism (as you define it) can best be met by celebrating the achievements of those alumni who have distinguished themselves among their peers, bringing credit to their ethnicity, and by encouraging and equipping men and women of color to be producers, innovators, contributors to their culture and a tribute

to their Maker who planned diversity in the first place. Give hope, not fuel for hate.

Karen Bacon** ’61 textiles & cloth St. Louis, Mo.

Editor’s note: VISIONS received several letters on the topic of Carrie Chapman Catt. Due to the volume of letters, those letters will be held for a future issue.

However, you can read them online at www.isualum. org/letterstotheeditor ILLUSTRATING THE PANDEMIC I would like to thank you for publishing the copy of the beautiful illustration done by assistant professor Miriam Martincic entitled “Some of Us Will Die.” This beautiful and haunting illustration is now cut out and hangs above my sewing machine where I make masks in my small attempt to help out with this COVID-19 pandemic. Our lights must continue to burn during this pandemic, but we can never forget the ones that went out.... God bless those families that have suffered such a great loss. May our nation’s scientists and medical professionals fight on for a cure, and may we as responsible adults do our part to stop the spread! Thank you also to the VISIONS staff for a great fall edition – it was a great issue!

Diane Twait Nelsen** MEd ’89 Ringsted, Iowa

Correction: In the fall issue of VISIONS’ Honors & Awards list, we inadvertently repeated the credentials of David C. Wheelock (’82 economics) in the description for Justin K. Hines. Hines received the Liberal Arts & Sciences Distinguished Young Alumni Award. He has a 2004 BS in biochemistry and a 2007 PhD. He is associate professor at Lafayette College in Harleysville, Pa.

Iowa State University values communication with alumni and other audiences, and VISIONS welcomes letters from readers about topics in the magazine. Letters must be signed and include address and daytime phone number.

Letters chosen for publication may be edited for length and clarity. The editor may decide to publish a representative sample of letters on a subject or limit the number of issues devoted to a particular topic. While universities are places of open discussion, letters deemed potentially libelous or that malign a person or group will not be published.

Letters express the views of the readers and not Iowa State University nor the ISU Alumni Association. Send letters to VISIONS Editor, ISU Alumni Center, 429 Alumni Lane, Ames, IA 50011-1403 or email cgieseke@iastate. edu.

Throughout this magazine: (L) indicates life member of the ISU Alumni Association (A) indicates annual member of the ISU Alumni Association 5

CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION UPDATE Gerdin Business Building: Construction on a four-story, 45,000-square-foot east addition to the Gerdin Business Building was completed at the end of November. The $28 million addition enlarges the building by 40 percent, adding five classrooms, five team rooms for stude collaboration, a central commons area, a professional sales suite, and 35 faculty offices Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory: ISU’s College of Veterinary Medicine has long had a commitment to providing diagnostic services in support of Iowa’s $32.5 billion animal agriculture industry. That commitment has continued, as groundbreaking ceremonies were held in late October for the new Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory on the veterinary medicine campus.

Around Campus

Small wonder Iowa State broke ground this fall on a Nanovaccine Institute that hopes to produce groundbreaking science of its own.

Coordinated by Iowa State, the Nanovaccine Institute is a consortium of 70 researchers at 20 universities, research institutes, national laboratories, and companies. The institute’s research is a transdisciplinary merger of expertise in immunology, nanotechnology, materials science, microbiology, neuroscience, cancer biology, gerontology, clinical science, and social science. Scientists at the institute are developing nanovaccines and nanotherapeutics for respiratory infections, neural disorders, tropical diseases, cancer, aging, and veterinary diseases, including a current $2.8 million National Institute of Health grant on new ways to vaccinate against the flu.

Green campus

I

owa State’s campus sustainability plan is one step closer to implementation with a recent endorsement by ISU President Wendy Wintersteen (L)(PhD ’88).

A University Sustainability Committee has been working on the plan, which identifies overarching strategies through 2025 that reduce the impact of campus operations on the environment, since 2017.

Specifically, the plan calls for Iowa State to: • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent with the conversion of the last two coal-fired boilers to natural gas • Triple the use of renewable energies • Reduce annual building energy consumption by 5 percent through operational changes and energy-efficient design and construction.

A longer-term goal is carbon neutrality by as early as 2035.

Inclusive classroom training Neither a pandemic nor a derecho could keep the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) from completing its first year of inclusive classroom training.

The annual training sessions that were conducted for all 56 departments on campus began in January 2020 and concluded on Oct. 15.

“The last session we did in person was March 13 in agronomy, and then COVID-19 hit,” CELT director Sara Marcketti (A) (PhD ’05 textiles & clothing) said. “We [also conducted a session] during the derecho.

The power went out, the lights went out, and we just kept going.”

The training helps participants recognize why teaching inclusively is important and identify course-specific improvements to

foster inclusiveness. Moving training online presented many of the same challenges faculty across campus faced with the transition to virtual learning, Marcketti said.

“We had to figure out the best way to have people interact, how best to use discussion rooms, and what was the right number of people in each,” she said. “We wanted to create an environment where everyone feels welcome.”

The biggest takeaway for faculty after taking part in a session is the importance of collecting and applying feedback from their students, Marcketti said.

“If faculty wait until course evaluations, then it is too late to impact the course they are teaching.”

– Jeff Budlong, ISU News Service

“We are always deeply grateful for the many ways our donors invest in Iowa

State University, and this is another opportunity for them to make a difference to help ensure the arts remain an important part of our university community and culture.”

– ISU President Wendy Wintersteen, on the new committee formed to develop funding strategies in support of Stephens Auditorium.

Athletics Director Jamie Pollard helped create the committee, which will examine approaches to sustaining operations as well as long-term opportunities that better position the Iowa State Center as a vibrant district for arts, culture, and entertainment.

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Thiel honored with named spaces

Dorhout is new VP for research Peter K. Dorhout from Kansas State University has been named vice president for research (VPR) at Iowa State University. Dorhout, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and former president of the American Chemical Society, currently serves as VPR and professor of chemistry at Kansas State. He will begin his tenure in Ames in January.

“I am excited for the opportunity to support Iowa State’s world-class researchers and programs, building on the university’s established strengths such as biosciences and engineering, while expanding our capacity in the arts, social sciences, and humanities, and maintaining a strong connection with the Ames Laboratory,” Dorhout said. “I also look forward to working with faculty and students to support their entrepreneurial efforts, and helping bring their discoveries to the marketplace.”

After Pat Thiel, a fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences, died last fall, Iowa State has named the lobbies of Hach Hall in her honor. The lobbies of the chemistry building will now be known as Thiel North and Thiel South. Artwork by Nori Sato in the north lobby references Thiel’s research and will provide a lasting visual reminder of Thiel’s impact on Iowa State’s Department of Chemistry. Thiel was a distinguished professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, professor of chemistry, and faculty scientist at Ames Laboratory.

Hey, fall semester and spring semester: Meet winter session Set to take place during the Covid-extended winter break this year is a special academic term featuring 55 undergraduate courses chosen to help students make progress toward their degrees.

The winter session (Dec. 14 through Jan. 21, with no classes on Dec. 24-25, Jan. 1, or Jan. 18) will allow students to take up to four academic credits in Iowa State’s six undergraduate colleges.

FIVE COOL THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW AND SHARE ABOUT ISU 1. Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering ranked No. 2 in U.S. Iowa State’s undergraduate Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering program is ranked No. 2 in the 2021 U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges” rankings.

2. Improving disease diagnostics and treatment Rizia Bardhan, ISU associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, has received three awards totaling $2.25 million to support her research in engineered medicine.

3. Biobased electronics Iowa State’s Jonathan Claussen, associate professor of mechanical engineering, will contribute his expertise in sensor technology to a $9 million project using plant-based inks to print low-cost, biodegradable, and recyclable electronics.

university rankings released last fall by U.S. News and World Report. Iowa State is tied for 54th among public universities; the Ivy College of Business is tied at 42nd among public schools.

5. Expanding American innovation ISU President Wendy Wintersteen (L)(PhD ’88) recently joined the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office’s National Council for Expanding American Innovation, a group of innovation leaders across all sectors — corporate, academic, professional, and government — working together to develop a comprehensive national strategy to expand opportunities and fuel U.S. innovation. This strategy will foster the involvement of underrepresented groups as inventors, patentees, entrepreneurs, and innovation leaders.

Martin Thuo, ISU associate professor of materials science and engineering, is also involved with the project.

4. Improved rankings Iowa State improved in the 2021 public

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COVID-19 UPDATE The spring semester will begin on Jan. 25, two weeks later than originally planned.

Spring break has been eliminated, and the semester will end on May 6.

Struggling to contain a virus Campus rules clash with off-campus behavior After hundreds of Iowa State students ignored social distancing and face-covering guidelines the weekend before classes began in August, ISU administrators enacted a COVID-19 safety policy for student gatherings that extended to off-campus events.

In late August, the coronavirus began to spread dramatically in several Iowa counties, including Story and Johnson Counties, where Iowa State and University of Iowa are located. On Aug. 27, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (A)(’16 liberal studies) signed an emergency proclamation ordering bars in six counties to close through Sept. 20, and ruled that restaurants must stop serving alcohol at 10 p.m. (The order was later extended for Story and Johnson Counties.) The Ames City Council also approved a city-wide mask mandate at the beginning of September, though the mandate held no penalty for violation.

Restrictions on bars and restaurants in Ames were lifted on Oct. 5, allowing them to

resume operations with physical distancing guidelines. According to the Oct. 13 Iowa State Daily, despite the risk of COVID-19 and Iowa State’s social gathering policy, students flocked to parties and bars over the weekend. “Crowds of maskless students” reportedly made their way down Welch Avenue to reach the bars while others gathered in apartment buildings and houses.

By November, numbers of positive tests were increasing exponentially in the state of Iowa. The week of Nov. 2-8 saw 366 positive cases on the ISU campus, and on Nov. 11 President Wendy Wintersteen (L)(PhD ’88) implemented new restrictions on social events and visitors in the sorority and fraternity community as well as in residence halls.

Gov. Reynolds announced on Nov. 17 a partial mask mandate and other restrictions throughout the state.

Testing for COVID-19 was made available to all students prior to leaving for semester break in late November.

University data has not shown evidence of transmission in the classroom where cloth face coverings are required. Of the individuals identified as close contacts since the first day of the semester, the vast majority were identified as close contacts outside the classroom.

FALL 2020 COVID TESTING

BY THE NUMBERS Pre-semester screening:

175

positive results from

8,094 residence hall students and student leaders

Positive tests during the fall semester*:

2,060

36

graduate students

staff

faculty

160

121 1

10 2,227 students

*As of 11/23

8

Random asymptomatic testing**:

total positive

total tested

total positive ** Students without symptoms volunteered to be tested in October

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THE RESILIENT CYCLONE SPIRIT

Study abroad programs have been cancelled through April 2021. The university will monitor the global situation and make a decision regarding programs beginning in May.

Extension = innovation Iowa State’s Extension and Outreach is helping people and communities address COVID-19 in Iowa and beyond. The Extension website (www.extension.iastate.edu/disaster recovery/covid-19) has information on dozens of topics, including: • safe food-handling procedures • helping children manage stress • innovative ideas for small businesses to help them prepare for the holidays • tips for dairy farmers • handling COVID at farmers’ markets • best practices for food banks Extension specialists are also bringing “Tips from an Expert” to Iowans and others via Facebook Live. The sessions began in May, with topics ranging from gardening to parenting during a pandemic to recovery from the derecho.

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Despite the pandemic, Iowa State students found innovative ways to connect this fall • The Student Activities Center hosted a virtual Clubfest featuring more than 230 of the 900+ clubs and organizations on campus.

• The Student Union Board coordinated a slate of fall semester entertainment, including an outdoor movie on central campus.

• The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition hosted an ice cream social, and students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences planned outdoor activities and events during CALS Week.

• Recreation Services offered outdoor yoga, rock climbing, and intramural competition.

• Learning communities organized team-building activities, including pumpkin painting, crafts, broom-hockey competitions, and TikTok skits.

• With theaters and performance halls closed, students embraced an innovative spirit and flexibility to find ways for the show to go on – outdoors.

• “Cyclones Care” behaviors – especially the use of face coverings and physical distancing – helped make “normal” activities and interactions possible.

• Iowa State was ranked in the top 50 universities in the country for student engagement in the 2021 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education college rankings.

SATURDAYS AT JACK TRICE STADIUM After the Cyclones played their first home football game on Sept. 12 to an empty stadium due to a high rate of positive COVID-19 tests on campus and in Story County, fans were allowed to attend the Oct. 3 game against Oklahoma.

In an open letter to Cyclone fans Sept.

24, President Wendy Wintersteen (L) (PhD ’88) and Athletics Director Jamie Pollard (L) shared plans for allowing about 15,000 spectators – or just under 25% capacity – into Jack Trice Stadium.

A declining percentage of positive COVID19 tests influenced that decision. No tailgating was allowed in the stadium lots, and all fans were required to wear face coverings while at the game.

Following the game, Pollard wrote another letter to fans. “On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff, I want

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to say ‘thank you’ for helping us have a successful weekend. The atmosphere in the stadium Saturday night was incredible, and the energy created with fans in the stadium was a huge factor in defeating Oklahoma. I also want to recognize those in attendance for doing an outstanding job in adhering to our mitigation efforts. We asked for your support in creating a safe environment…and you delivered!”

Approximately 13,700 fans attended the Oct. 3 game, and the percentage of positive tests in mid-October remained below 5%.

Fans were allowed at the Oct. 10 and Nov. 7 games as well.

But with an increasing number of positive COVID cases in November, Pollard announced that fans at the Nov. 21 game against Kansas State would be limited to families and guests of student-athletes and staff.

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DEEP ROOTS

Summer storm can’t blow away the timeless beauty of central campus

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b y ca role g ieseke photos b y ji m heemst r a

he morning of Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, was a normal start to a summer work week in Ames.

Across the Iowa State campus, students loaded clothes and microwaves into their residence hall rooms for the start of the fall semester, and staff who had spent the summer working remotely headed back to their offices.

Even when tornado sirens sent a warning that a storm was imminent, the weather didn’t seem that severe. The National Weather Service hadn’t even predicted rain.

But at 11 a.m., high winds suddenly toppled trees, tossed branches, and downed power lines. The storm, called a derecho, destroyed more than 50 trees on campus, many of them unique and historic. Dozens more were damaged.

What does a storm with wind speeds comparable to a 

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DEEPROOTS

Category 2 hurricane do to a campus that is known for its beautiful landscape?

Creating the campus aesthetic Looking back, agriculturalist Peter Melendy was one of the first to articulate a vision for the campus landscape that would prevail at the newly founded Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm.

In 1865, he wrote: “There have been several hundred ornamental and shade trees and shrubbery set out. I deemed it essential to make an ample lawn, with here and there a tree, with shrubs for fragrance, and evergreens to relieve the golden of the summer day; with bordered walks and quiet nooks, the embowering shade of trees, with beautiful trailing vines, and shrubs, and flowers.”

He directed that the founders should “group native and foreign trees promiscuously through the ground, taking for the center of the group the oak and the chestnut, which are among the largest and the noblest of our trees.”

He continued that the arrangement of spruce, hemlock, ash and beach, locust 12

and hickory, cottonwood, sycamore, walnut, and soft maple should be carefully studied.

“Plant trees,” he said, “wherever they would be a beauty or a refreshment [and where] their branches may year after year wave with a fascinating grace and variety.”

Over the first three decades of the 20th century, college officials paid attention to diversifying and increasing the number of trees on the campus.

Adonijah Welch, the college’s first president, recalled that in the college’s early days the surrounding forest provided many of the saplings that were transplanted to the campus. Administrators and faculty promoted the use of native plant material, but in fact the campus became a laboratory to test which species could survive in the state’s climate, serving as practical illustrations in horticulture and arboriculture.

Professors routinely brought back trees from around the world as they traveled: the European dwarf mountain pine, Russian oleaster, Russian oaks, Riga pine, and the European Mayday tree.

A diverse landscape Joe Stoberl, a campus landscape architect, walks along a sidewalk on the east side of campus. It’s late September, and most of the damage on central campus has been cleaned up.

“Iowa State is a land-grant university,” he says. “It’s important that we keep planting new trees and take down old trees and maintain the natural diversity.”

The Campus Plant Inventory tracks more than 11,600 trees on the developed portions of campus. Many of the trees on central campus are older, Stoberl says, some as old as 125 years. When damage is done by a storm, buildings are insured and will be rebuilt. It’s not the same for the trees.

“When they’re gone,” Stoberl said, “they’re gone forever.”

It can take 100 years for a tree to grow to maturity. So Iowa State’s campus landscapers are constantly advocating for the trees. They work with campus planners who are adding new buildings to ensure that trees are protected. They fight to maintain the diversity and hierarchy of trees on the campus. As older W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER GANNON, ISU NEWS SERVICE

WHAT IS A DERECHO, ANYWAY?

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Above: Brad Spainhower of Campus Services chain saws a downed tree limb from a boom truck arm. (Left) Downed trees and sign outside of the Farm House Museum after the August storm.

Climate change may or may not be to blame, Gallus said. He thinks one of the most important objectives will be figuring out how to give people more notice that violent, straight-line winds are on the way.

“Hurricanes come with days of notice,” Gallus said. “With this derecho, the National Weather Service did a very good job to give 20 to 40 minutes of notice. Beyond that, this storm was very poorly forecasted.”

ILLUSTRATION: JENNY WITTE

he kind of storm that blew through Iowa on Aug. 10, 2020 is called a derecho, described by the National Weather Service as “widespread, destructive, straight-line winds.”

Based on the forecasts for Aug. 10 made the day before, “The last thing in the world you’d expect was this incredible event in central Iowa,” according to Bill Gallus, ISU professor of geological and atmospheric sciences.

Gallus told Iowa State News Service that two conditions generally come together to create a derecho and its destructive winds: strong, 50-plus-mph winds miles up in the atmosphere and unstable, hot, moist weather near the ground.

Then, if something triggers a thunderstorm – maybe a warm or cold front – the storm taps into the cold, heavy, fast-moving air high in the atmosphere. Gravity even helps pull it down and accelerate it. And that creates the violent wind.

“There’s a lot of talk that this derecho was one of the most intense ever,” Gallus said.

In fact, the derecho that struck in August brought sustained and widespread winds over 100 mph. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the powerful derecho is officially the most costly thunderstorm event in recorded U.S. history.

NOAA released its findings in October, reporting that the sustained line of thunderstorms that traveled 770 miles from South Dakota through Ohio in 14 hours, has cost $7.5 billion. Millions of acres of corn and soybean crops were flattened, as were homes, farm buildings and, of course, trees.

“It’s shocking to have that large of an area getting 100 mph winds,” Gallus said.

August 10, 2020 Derecho Wind Speeds 60-70 mph 80 - 100 mph 120+ mph 60 - 70 mph 70-80 mph 100 - 120 mph 70 - 80 mph 80-100 mph

DERECHO WIND SPEEDS

100-120 mph 120+ mph

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DEEPROOTS

The Iowa State campus remains one of the most beautiful in the country, but the Aug. 10 derecho significantly damaged more than 120 trees across campus.

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To see a walking tour of the derecho damage on campus by videographer Matt Van Winkle, visit youtube.com/isualumniassociation.

trees die, or get sick, or get destroyed by a natural disaster like August’s derecho, the landscapers have a plan. New trees are routinely and methodically planted, a process called “back planting” – planting trees so they will reach a desirable size by the time many of the mature trees on campus die out.

And it’s extremely important not to rely too heavily on any one tree species.

After Dutch elm disease killed most of the elms on campus, a popular replacement tree was ash. Soon, 20 percent of all campus trees were ash. Then came the emerald ash borer. In 2012, ash trees were replaced by black gum, oak, Kentucky coffee, sugar maple, and tulip trees.

“Following the Dutch elm disease and the threat of the emerald ash borer, the university’s landscape architects realized that an overreliance on a single species of trees could have a disastrous effect on both the aesthetic quality of the campus and the university’s budget in the event of a widespread infestation,” writes Paula A. Mohr in the book Campus Beautiful.

Heritage trees Some trees are just special. That huge bur oak near Catt Hall, the one with its limbs sweeping almost to the ground?

Everyone who’s ever gone to school here knows that tree. And the flowering dogwoods by Lagomarcino? The English oaks and Chinese lilac, the redbuds and ginkgoes and lacebark pines? They make the Iowa State campus unique.

“Trees evoke emotion,” Stoberl said. “It’s like they’re your friends. You remember how they make you feel and V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 1

create a space where you enjoy going.”

In 2013, a beautiful but structurally unsafe catalpa near Pearson Hall was removed, but not before seeds were collected from the tree. The seeds were planted and resulted in more than 500 seedlings, some that were planted on campus and some that were sold by the ISU Alumni Association.

That was the beginning of the Heritage Tree Program launched by ISU horticulture professor Bill Graves.

Graves, who is also dean of ISU’s Graduate College, said in 2013, “Instead of just removing those [trees] in declining health, we had this idea of trying to propagate them to generate progeny that can be planted to maintain the same genetic heritage on campus.”

The next year, the program sold seedlings propagated from historic sycamore trees from Iowa State’s beloved Sycamore Row on the east side of campus.

Barb Steiner, ISU Facilities Planning and Management campus services manager, said a pair of historic maples located by the flagpole near Beardshear Hall may become Heritage Trees after they were damaged in last summer’s derecho (although the official program is currently on hiatus). Seeds will be taken and grown in the university nursery before one or both of the trees are removed. Eventually, she said, that genetic line will be brought back to campus.

Bob and Eileen Martin established a Heritage Tree Fund through the ISU Foundation in 2013. Donations continue to be accepted from alumni and friends

who wish to support the campus tree fund at www.foundation.iastate.edu.

The campus today As the storm damage of summer gave way to the brilliant color of fall, life on campus carried on.

Steiner said alumni returning to campus will notice that it looks different this year due to the loss of several historic trees, notably the trees around the Farm House and a large Norway spruce near the Gerdin Business Building. Those two maples by the flagpole near Beardshear are still standing for now, but at least one of them will have to come down.

“If those are some of your favorite trees, you need to come look at them soon,” Steiner said. “They probably won’t be here a year from now.”

If there is any silver lining to the August derecho, it’s this: students involved in forestry, horticulture, and landscape architecture have had – and will continue to have – an opportunity to study and learn more about Iowa State’s historic trees.

“I hate to lose any of our trees,” Steiner said. “When it’s one of our older ones, it’s heartbreaking. The campus is still beautiful, but we did just lose some of our really nice old trees. It was definitely a bad storm.”

Some reporting for this story came from Iowa State University News Service and from Campus Beautiful, published in 2015

by University Museums.

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WE HAVE BEEN

Rows of cots line the State Gymnasium, which served as a temporary hospital for soldiers ill with the Spanish influenza in 1918.

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WARNED

How past epidemics battered the Iowa State campus

he COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the life of nearly every person in the world. Stories of how Iowa State students, faculty, and staff have worked to help fight the global pandemic have appeared in newspapers and magazines and on television. Yet while the current outbreak is new, Iowa State has a long history of facing epidemics. These stories of sorrow and loss also show how the institution met the challenges of the time to keep the community safe.

Although Iowa Agricultural College (as ISU was then known) was founded in 1858, classrooms, labs, and dormitory facilities were not ready until 1869 when the first students arrived on campus. With the inception of classes, the college faced constant public health concerns. Early epidemics at the young college were brought on by overcrowding, an inadequate water supply, and poor sanitary conditions.

OVERCROWDING, WATER SHORTAGE, AND TAINTED MILK

In the early years, the college community went to class, had their meals, studied, and slept – all within the walls of the Main building. The Main was a woodand-brick structure fashioned like a capital E, with the long arm facing east.

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The building, standing about where Beardshear Hall does today, was intended to house about 220 students. But the college soon found that the building was too small to accommodate its needs, and overcrowding was the result.

Overcrowded conditions stressed the Main’s sanitary system, and by 1877, when the sewers became blocked and without sufficient water to flush the system, the first cases of typhoid appeared.

More than two dozen students came down with typhoid fever that year; four died. The only way the college was able to repair the problem in a timely manner was for three IAC faculty to negotiate a bank loan in Ames for $1,200 under their own names and contract with a private firm to expand the college’s sewer system.

The expanded sewer system from the late 1870s served the college well. In 1888, the college built “sanitary towers” at the end of each of the Main’s long arms. These were three-story structures about 20 feet of the west end of each wing connected via wooden-planked bridges.

All bathroom facilities were in these towers. Students remember them being dreadfully cold in winter because they had no heat, but they greatly improved sanitation in the college dormitory.

Further sewer enhancements in the 1890s also helped health conditions, but that same decade saw significant enrollment growth. Because the Board of Trustees mandated that all students live and board on campus, great strain was put on the existing physical plant.

The Main was remodeled many times to add more student rooms. Overcrowding

made it possible for all manner of diseases to appear and spread easily. College physician David Fairchild constantly fought small outbreaks of disease in the 1880s and 1890s. Fairchild reported 18 cases of measles and 23 cases of German measles in 1888, 26 cases of mumps in 1889, and a further 24 cases of measles in 1891.

While mumps, measles, and colds were annoying, they were not generally life-threatening. But by 1895, Iowa State began to face more significant public health issues based around a shortage of fresh water. Because the founders never envisioned a college of 300 students – let alone the 500-student enrollment reached by 1895 – the college and farm had only a number of shallow wells to draw upon. As the college water supply dwindled, cases of typhoid fever developed on campus in mid-October.

And when the college literally drank its wells dry several weeks later, President Beardshear found himself in a difficult situation. Without sufficient water to flush the sewer system, the college faced the very real threat of a major outbreak of typhoid fever. After consulting the faculty, Beardshear closed the college four weeks early, sent the students home, and canceled graduation exercises.

The near-catastrophe of 1895 led to allocations from the legislature for a 2,215-foot-deep artesian well and a 162,000-gallon steel water tank (Marston Water Tower). While IAC’s water problems seemed under control, overcrowded conditions on campus only worsened as the turn of the century neared. By 1899, enrollment had reached 830, with no downturn in sight. The Trustees

PHOTOS FROM IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY / SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT

B Y D OUGLAS BIGG S AND BECKY JORDAN

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In the early years, the college community went to class, had their meals, studied, and slept – all within the walls of the Main building. The Main, standing about where Beardshear Hall does today, was intended to house about 220 students. But the college soon found that the building was too small to accommodate its needs, and overcrowding resulted in outbreaks of typhoid fever, measles, and other forms of disease. In this photo from 1895, the Main is on the left and Morrill Hall is on the right.

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he 1918 Spanish Flu proved as deadly as it was disruptive to both college and Student Army Training Corps affairs. More than 50 men from the SATC died from the flu, while 28 from the student body fell victim to the disease by the time the epidemic died down in late November. The SATC men who died are listed with the World War I dead in the Memorial Union’s Gold Star Hall.

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continued to follow the college policy that demanded all students (or at least as many as possible) live and eat on campus. As Beardshear saw it in October 1899, overcrowding reached the point that “we are full from cellar to garret and still making room for more.”

The overcrowded conditions greatly worried the president, and he pushed the Board of Trustees to allow students to live in the city of Ames. However, as the Trustees were conscious of the need to balance budgets, and the income from room and board helped the bottom line, they turned a deaf ear to Beardshear’s requests. With little choice, Iowa State continued with too many people in too small a space, and conditions became favorable for public health issues.

When the next epidemic hit, it came through contaminated food. Milk and other food for the boarding department in these years were always contracted out to local farmers. In October 1900, cases of typhoid fever began to appear among the student body. College authorities quickly discovered that the milk sold to the college by one of the local farmers was contaminated, but the damage was already done. Over the next several weeks, a total of 65 cases of typhoid fever were reported. More than 40 students were cared for on campus; 23 others went home. Five students died as a result of the fever.

A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

The public health issues that had confronted Iowa State before 1918 were specific to campus and were a direct result of sanitary issues solved relatively quickly by college authorities. But, as the world became smaller and long-distance travel more common, more people from different parts of the country came to Iowa State and brought with them more global public health concerns.

During the last months of World War I in 1918, the world faced the outbreak of what people at the time called the “Spanish Flu” or the H1N1 virus, and Iowa State was caught up in a global pandemic. In the United States, the disease may well have started in rural Kansas.

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During the last months of World War I in 1918, the world faced the outbreak of what people at the time called the “Spanish Flu,” and Iowa State was caught up in a global pandemic. The first cases at the college appeared on Oct. 8, and the flu swept through the community so quickly that within several weeks there were 1,250 cases.

Shown here, a military corps and hospital staff stand for a formal portrait in front of the college hospital.

But by March 1918 it had reached military training facilities in Fort Riley, and from there it spread rapidly. The flu was unusual in that its first waves attacked young people between 20 and 40 years of age; thus, college campuses and military training facilities were among the hardest hit locations. Over 24 weeks in 1918, the influenza killed approximately 675,000 Americans.

The first cases at Iowa State College (as the college was known by that time) appeared on Oct. 8, and the flu swept through the community so quickly that within several weeks there were 1,250 cases. The new college hospital (now the Student Services Building) had just opened that spring, and it was quickly filled to capacity with sick students and men from the Student Army Training Corps (SATC). It was not long before the floor of the State Gym, along with boarding houses and fraternities close to campus, were requisitioned as hospital space. One of the women’s dormitories was used to care for female flu victims.

Classes were suspended, and the cam20

pus was quarantined. Both students and SATC men needed special passes to go into Ames. No one could leave campus except in a family emergency, and dining in town was forbidden. Though the student newspaper claimed that the influenza had been “literally stamped out” in its Oct. 25 edition, such was hardly the case.

While the number of cases of flu had declined, even by Armistice Day on Nov. 11, there were still over 100 cases in the hospital.

The influenza proved as deadly as it was disruptive to both college and SATC affairs. More than 50 men from the SATC died from the flu, while 28 from the student body fell victim to the disease by the time the epidemic died down in late November. The SATC men who died are listed with the World War I dead in the Memorial Union’s Gold Star Hall.

H1N1 influenza returned to Iowa State throughout the 1920s. In January 1920 the Ames Daily Tribune took a positive attitude to the fact that there were “probably something like 20 cases of influenza in the city – all mild.” But

by Jan. 27, all dances had been banned, and Dr. C.G. Tilden, ISC’s physician, reported nearly 100 cases at the college hospital. The ISC Student was not blind to what was happening and published an editorial, “The Danger Line,” which called for more cars for the interurban train between the college and Ames.

“We know that close contact with people who are suffering even the least bit with a cold or a touch of influenza is not conducive to good health,” they wrote. “We have been warned to get the proper ventilation, to avoid stuffy places, to stay as much as possible away from congested places. Yet, we are packed into the street cars like sardines in a can….

We need 15-minute service at least and 10-minute service at certain busy times of the day. If this service is available and enough cars are put on to carry the passenger comfortably, a big hole will be shot into the influenza monster.”

By Feb. 2, 1920, four students had died at the college hospital. That morning, Iowa State called off its annual short course, Farm and Home Week.

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The students were to have Feb. 9-14 as vacation, to make way for short-course attendees, but this, too, was cancelled.

It was believed that the epidemic had passed its crest in Ames, but it had not done so in the rest of the state, and it was thought that movement of large numbers of people might further spread the disease. Though two more students had died at the college hospital by Feb. 6, the epidemic died down by the middle of the month.

Another flu epidemic in 1928-1929 was considered the worst since World

MODERN SCOURGES

While public health concerns were never far from the minds of Iowa State authorities in the 1930s, there were no serious outbreaks. The coming of World War II in late 1941 brought thousands of Army, Navy, and Air Corps servicemen to campus. Fortunately, no major epidemic occurred. Small outbreaks of influenza were a common occurrence, however, and the 1955 Bomb was happy to note that a Cyclone men’s basketball team “riddled with influenza” defeated the Cornhuskers with 5' 7" Gary Thompson

In the early decades of the 20th century, students and faculty in quarantine who wished to enter or leave campus required a pass. This pass from a scrapbook in the ISU archives, shows that William Hogue could return to class after having scarlet fever.

War I. Flu was prevalent in the Ames community in December 1928; one sixth of Ames school students were out sick by Dec. 11, and the schools were closed a week early for the winter break on Dec. 14. That same day, there were 65 flu patients in the college hospital.

College authorities stated that unless things changed quickly for the worse, the school would continue as planned, closing on Dec. 21. Fortunately, cases of the flu abated, and fall quarter commencement took place as planned in the MacKay Hall Auditorium.

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(usually point-guard) playing center because he was healthy.

The H2N2, or so-called “Asian flu,” arrived on campus in 1957. This was a global pandemic that caused serious concern. But the nation was ready, and 587,000 doses of vaccine had been released, with an ultimate goal of 85 million doses by January 1958. The earliest reports of the flu came from the University of Iowa, which was reporting about 450 cases by Sept. 30, including 15 football players. A week later, 500 students were absent from Ames’ junior

and senior high schools. By Oct. 9, there was a line of students outside the hospital to receive the vaccine. The hospital was on its third batch of shots, and about 150 students had already been treated for the flu. The epidemic appeared to peak on Oct. 14, when about 400 students had shown up for treatment at the hospital.

Around 50 were admitted, most not in serious condition but feeling miserable.

Cases continued to decline throughout October, but the public was still being urged to get vaccinated in case the flu should return in the spring of 1958.

International cooperation of public health officials mitigated many of the negative effects of the “Bird flu” in the 1990s, and the work of public health officials around the world made the outbreak of the H1N2 or “Swine flu” of 2009 less deadly than it might have been. Prompt response by the U.S. government, the stockpiling of medical supplies early in the epidemic, global cooperation, travel restrictions, the closure of schools, and an effective vaccine helped to avert a 1918-level disaster.

Today, ISU is working to meet the challenges of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 head-on with innovations in predictive models and collaboration with researchers around the globe to increase testing and formulate an effective vaccine. For only the second time in its history, Iowa State was forced last spring to suspend face-to-face classes and cancel graduation exercises. But, unlike President Beardshear’s decision in 1895, advances in technology allowed for education to continue in the online space.

ISU continues to meet the public health needs of its community and responded to epidemics with resolve and purpose.

Douglas Biggs (L)(’82 history, MA ’86) is a professor of history at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Becky (Seim) Jordan (L)(’75 English) is a former reference specialist in the University Library’s special collections department, retiring in 2017 after working in the library since 1975.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Dogs are a big part of Alaska’s remote villages. And it takes someone special to help keep them healthy.

BY CAROLE GIESEKE

unapitchuk is a tiny village in western Alaska, part of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Its 466 residents are 95 percent Alaska natives.

The village has no roads; it is accessible only by small aircraft, boats, and snow machines. Goods and services are provided by a single general store. And the village has never been visited by a veterinarian.

Until now.

Last February, Iowa State-trained V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 1

veterinarian Laurie Meythaler-Mullins (’01 animal ecology, DVM ’08) brought much-needed public health veterinary services to Nunapitchuk.

“I confirmed it with the human health organization here,” she said. “They said, ‘Yup, sure enough, congratulations, you’re the first!’”

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eythaler-Mullins didn’t start her veterinary career aiming to make history in a remote village.

She was perfectly happy working as a veterinarian in private practice in her home town of Des Moines, Iowa. But… she also felt a tugging at her heart that said, “Hey, maybe there’s something else I should be doing.”

When she learned about an open position for a community outreach and public health veterinarian in Bethel, Alaska, she saw an opportunity for that “something else.” She interviewed for the job. She talked to her husband, Dan 23

In the snowy, remote village of Nunapitchuk, veterinarian Laurie Meythaler-Mullins set up a mobile clinic in the local bingo hall.

Mullins, a computer programmer.

They thought about how much this move would change the lives of their three children. And then they took the plunge.

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t 6,080, inhabitants Bethel has the largest population of any community in western Alaska. The city, inaccessible by Alaska’s limited highway system, is surrounded by 48 remote villages, including Nunapitchuk. Working on a public-health grant, Meythaler-Mullins provides veterinary services to the people of those villages, as well as to Bethel’s low-income community.

Most of her work involves providing preventive veterinary treatment to dogs.

Alaskans definitely love their dogs.

“Dogs historically have very, very close ties to these communities,” she says. “Historically, they were used as transportation, and they still are; there’s lots of sled-dog teams around here. And then, of course, companionship. These villages are geographically isolated, and Alaskan winters are long. I think most

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of us can appreciate having that companionship from dogs.”

Sled-dog racing in Alaska, she says, is kind of like college football in Iowa.

It’s fun, it’s exciting, and everybody gets involved. The 2019 Iditarod winner was Pete Kaiser, a Bethel native.

There’s a big sled dog race in Bethel called the Kuskokwim 300. Last year, Meythaler-Mullins was a race veterinarian, giving each dog a full physical exam, checking their body condition, listening to their heart and lungs, treating any lacerations or musculoskeletal injuries.

Sled dogs are performance athletes, she said, and she teams up with the dogs’ owners to provide the best care for them.

“I’ll tell you, these mushers know their dogs very well,” she said. “They’re likely the first ones to come up to me and say, ‘Hey, can you check her right shoulder? I think there’s something going on.’”

But it’s her role as a community outreach veterinarian that MeythalerMullins finds most gratifying.

“Things that we take for granted – these dogs had never been vaccinated,

never had access to spay and neuter surgery – it’s a public health issue,” she said. “Dogs are such a big part of these communities, and you have children running around hugging these dogs.

There have actually been two rabies outbreaks in the communities I work with. It really shows the importance of public health and veterinary medicine and how intertwined they are.”

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oving to Bethel, Alaska, has not been without its challenges: No Starbucks, for one thing. No Target to run to. Sometimes there are no eggs at the market. If a plane doesn’t come in today, nobody gets to leave.

Many of the Alaska natives practice a subsistence lifestyle, hunting and fishing and gathering their own food.

When we spoke last August, Meythaler-Mullins said everyone in the community was busy picking blueberries, cranberries, and salmonberries. All summer, they’d been fishing and storing the fish to get through the winter. Soon it would be moose-hunting season. One W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

DRE AM TE AM moose, she said, would feed a family for an entire year.

“Being off the road system, any groceries have to be flown in or barged in, so they’re very expensive,” she said.

“So, living off land is such an important part of the lifestyle here.”

Her family is embracing the culture.

Meythaler-Mullins said her daughter and two sons love playing in the mud during the summer and building snowmen in the winter. They watch the sled-dog races and practice their ice-skating skills.

“Some of the best parts are just being a part of the community,” she said.

“Everyone takes care of each other and supports one another. We’re learning so much about Alaska native culture, and being exposed to it has been so great for us. Being able to give our kids the opportunity to see another language [the native language of Yup’ik] living in action is really neat.”

W

hen Meythaler-Mullins landed on the airstrip in Nunapitchuk last February, it was covered in snow. She was picked up by a snow machine to cross the river into the village, the first veterinarian ever to care for the villagers’ dogs.

Nunapitchuk is 29 air miles from Bethel. Meythaler-Mullins quickly set up a mobile clinic in the local bingo hall.

She was limited on how much equipment and supplies she could bring, because she must be mindful of the weight limit on the bush plane.

While she was there, she provided care for 49 dogs.

“I was busy working nonstop,” she said. “Then suddenly at 5 p.m. on Friday, it was quiet. The entire community piled in the school gym to watch the basketball game between Nunapitchuk and a surrounding village. The other team arrived in Nunapitchuk via snow machines. Basketball is huge in rural Alaska.”

One evening, to thank MeythalerMullins for coming into the community, a group of elders and youth brought her dried fish. The men played drums and sang a native song, while the youth did a native dance.

“It honestly brought tears to my eyes,” she said.

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In the fall of 2019, veterinarian Laurie Meythaler-Mullins and her husband, Dan, took their oldest daughter, then a fourth-grader, to sign up for the crosscountry team at the school in Bethel, Alaska. It was then they learned that there was no coach. And no coach, no team.

“Dan turned to me and said, ‘Oh, Laurie knows something about that,” MeythalerMullins said, laughing. And just like that, her side gig as a cross country coach began.

With her husband’s help, MeythalerMullins was well prepared to coach a team of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. After all,

she ran cross country and track at Iowa State between 1996 and 2001.

Some things are the same, whether you’re running in Alaska or Iowa, she says.

You just run. You can run anywhere.

But some things are different. In Bethel, the roads don’t go on forever like the never-ending paved and gravel grid of county highways in Iowa.

“Bethel has a limited area,” she said.

“You can only run so many places because the roads just stop. So, we started to be creative with where to run.”

And for a meet, you can’t just pile into a school bus and drive to the nearest village. Instead, the kids travel to village meets by boat.

Also, the median household income in many of the villages is less than $30,000 a year. So some of the kids don’t have running shoes. And they definitely don’t have cute team T-shirts. MeythalerMullins is hoping to find time to do some fundraising for her team, whose activities have been temporarily paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I would love it if we could make certain every kid had a good pair of running shoes and if we could have matching T-shirts,” she said. “That’s kind of the dream I have for our team.”

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Heroes and legends

Six members of the Iowa State faculty and staff were recognized remotely this fall with the ISU Alumni Association Faculty-Staff Inspiration Award. Nominations are from former students whose lives have been touched by these Iowa State professionals. The following are excerpts from nominees.

COMPILED BY CAROLE GIESEKE • PHOTOS BY MATT VAN WINKLE

2020 Faculty-Staff Inspiration Awardees

Pol Herrmann*  BOB AND KAY SMITH PROFESSOR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AMES, IOWA

“Pol Herrmann changed my life. I am originally from Korea and spent most of my life there. I never knew that I would meet my life mentor in Iowa. [During] the darkest time of my life…I felt safe enough to share the anxiety that I only kept to myself, and ask for help. He gave me courage to continue research and endeavor to graduate. [Pol] is a man who taught me the importance of rules and promises. In October 2019, Pol and I coincidently reserved the same flight. I was going for my campus visit [to interview for an assistant professor position at California State University] and Pol was visiting his hometown. Since we were scheduled on the same flight, he kindly offered me a ride to the airport. He came to my apartment at 3:30 a.m. to go to the airport. In the middle of the ride, he told me that his trip has been canceled, but he still wanted to give me a ride because it was a promise. I was truly touched.”

– Younggeun Lee (PhD ’20 business) 26

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Brenda Thorbs-Weber**  MS ’81 RURAL SOCIOLOGY, PHD ’88 EDUCATION ACADEMIC ADVISER/DIRECTOR OF MULTICULTURAL STUDENT SUCCESS, IVY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AMES, IOWA

“Like many of the lives Brenda has impacted, I was a young, fearless, yet overwhelmed and under-supported African American teen.

Brenda was an advocate [and] a voice of reason. I am deeply and truly grateful for all the hard work, sacrifice, and guidance Brenda has executed on my behalf. She is a hero and a legend.”

– Taylor Davis (’17 supply chain mgmt)

READ more about these inspirational faculty and staff and view videos at www.isualum.org/inspiration.

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Heroes and legends

Jeremy Withers  ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH AMES, IOWA

“When I entered Iowa State in 2011, I was a non-traditional student, starting on a second career, and raising my daughter as a single parent. I was older than several of my instructors, and many of them were not quite sure what to do with me; indeed, my first adviser told me that I should give up this ‘hobby’ and return to my ‘lucrative’ career as a nurse. In my third year, however, I took Jeremy’s Literary Theory class and two things happened: First, I found a passion for literature that I did not know existed and, second, I found an instructor who was excited to support one of his students in their academic pursuits….

His faith in my writing abilities and ideas supported, encouraged, and, yes, inspired me to put my ideas out in the scholarly world.”

– Brenda Tyrrell* (’15 English, MA ’17)

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Thelma Harding  MS ’85 TEXTILES & CLOTHING ISU MCNAIR PROGRAM DIRECTOR AMES, IOWA

“Throughout the years, I have been a witness to Thelma’s dedication to students, colleagues and Iowa State University. She insists in seeing to it that each and every student is tended to at a human level. More than an academician and staff, Thelma takes it upon herself to offer the human support the students she interacts with need. She is part of the story of many of us, no small part of the success many of us have attained.”

– Zayira Jordan (’01 journ/mass comm, MA ’04 anthropology, PhD ’10 human comp interaction)

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Heroes and legends

Kenneth “Mark” Bryden  PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AMES, IOWA

“I came to ISU wanting to ‘make a difference’ but not knowing how to. As a senior in mechanical engineering in 1999, I was disillusioned with engineering and the career that lay ahead. I wanted to do something more meaningful than designing machine components. That changed when I met Professor Bryden. He was an exciting, dynamic teacher who clearly loved being an engineer and spoke fervently about how engineers could make a difference. Mark recognized my frustration and understood my desire to do something meaningful, and he invited me to work with him and his research group on a ‘humanitarian engineering’ project. He introduced me to the reality that 40 percent of the world’s population cooks over inefficient, polluting, and dangerous campfires – and showed me that as an engineer, I could help to design improved cook-stoves that would slow deforestation, improve health, and protect the environment. I latched onto this possibility as my career quickly headed into a nontraditional but incredibly satisfying direction. Today, because of Mark, I am in my dream job as an assistant professor in the humanitarian engineering program at Oregon State University.”

– Nordica A. MacCarty (’00 mech engr, MS ’13, PhD ’15)

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Steven J. Hoff  EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURAL AND BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING JEWELL, IOWA

“I’ll never forget our final ABE 418 class. We had a group study session for the final exam where we covered all the exam material in short time. The second half of the class time was available. Dr. Hoff told the students attending that we could either call it a night, keep studying, or just have a group interaction session.

Nobody in the class wanted to leave. The class and I remained in our seats and circled around Dr. Hoff talking about engineering and learning how the world worked. It is still my most memorable moment of my college career. My favorite professor, all my colleagues, and myself in a room talking about the past four years of our engineering education, knowing that in a few short weeks we’d begin our new lives, new adventures, and new careers.

Dr. Hoff helped to build a family of engineers through the struggles and successes of our academic careers. Dr. Hoff encouraged and helped us to be the best engineers we could be.”

– Alexander Kubik (’15 ag engr)

* Annual member of the ISU Alumni Association ** Life member of the ISU Alumni Association Only ISU degrees are listed V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 1

The ISU Alumni Association established the Faculty-Staff Inspiration Award in 2011 as a way for former students to recognize current or former ISU faculty or staff members who had a significant influence in their lives as students at ISU. The award is partially funded by earnings from the Nancy (’72 food science) and Richard (’72 agriculture, MS ’77) Degner (L) Alumni Association Endowment. Read more about these inspirational faculty and staff and watch special videos about each awardee and their nominators at www.isualum.org/ inspiration The nomination deadline has passed for spring 2021 awards, but you can nominate someone for the 2022 award online at www.isualum. org/inspiration.

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2019-2020 Year in review

A remarkable experience Dear ISU Alumni and Friends: The ISUAA’s 2020 fiscal year was one defined by great successes and unique challenges. Board leadership and Association staff were tasked with the following goals: (1) growing constituent engagement; (2) strengthening collaborative partnerships; (3) focusing on diversity and inclusion initiatives to enhance relationships with alumni of color; and (4) ensuring the ISUAA’s long-term financial stability.

Together, they tackled these goals with relish.

The year was highlighted by a thriving Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program that provides educational and socialization opportunities for alumni and friends 50 years of age or older, expanding life membership, and growing our LegaCY Club enrollment.

The fall was capped off by a successful Cyclone football season that allowed the ISUAA and Athletics to offer successful travel packages to the Camping World Bowl.

In February, the ISUAA hosted the Cardinal and Gold Gala, which netted over $125,000 in

Sustaining Donors $208,104 total donations Total Sustaining Donors: 1,072

ISU alumni and ISUAA membership Total ISU alumni: 273,134 Total members of the ISUAA: 43,180 • Life members: 24,595 • Annual members: 14,128 • Student members: 4,457

support of alumni and student programs, as well as scholarships for first-generation students.

And then the world was attacked by a virus called “COVID-19.” Plans so carefully laid and begun were ripped apart. The ISUAA’s treasured travel program came to a screeching halt. Alumni Center rentals trickled to a virtual standstill.

But ISUAA staff soldiered on, mostly working remotely, to handle essential functions. Expenses were pared, and revenues were guarded. Board leadership and staff overcame these unheardof challenges. Here are a few examples: • O verall alumni engagements grew 12% over the prior three-year average, to 245,124 tracked engagements.

• T he ISUAA entered into a seven-year guaranteed extension of its affinity card contract with Bank of America.

• Engagement with alumni constituents of color grew from 7.7% to 14.4%.

• A memorandum of understanding was estab-

lished with ISU Extension and Outreach to strengthen the bond with Iowa county extension services.

• The Association achieved its highest revenue return in a three-year period through its partnership with the ISU Bookstore.

• The ISUAA surmounted the obstacles imposed

by Covid-19 to turn a net surplus of $60,703 for the fiscal year, a truly remarkable achievement!

I thank you, ISUAA members, staff, and the ISUAA Board, for the opportunity and honor to serve as the ISUAA Board chair for FY 2019-2020. It was a remarkable and rewarding experience.

I chose as my guiding quote these words from Mark Twain: “The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you found out why.” I hope you recall how you “found out why” through your association with Iowa State University.

Your contributions of time, talent, and treasure are what make Iowa State University great.

Thomas A. Connop (L)(’76 history) 2019-20 Chair, ISUAA Board of Directors

Digital connections

4,886

complimentary 6-month digital memberships were gifted to the spring 2020 graduating class

16,935 Facebook fans 8,292 Twitter followers 3,263 Instagram followers Top social media posts: 1. TODAY Show interview features ISU Gamma Phi Beta sisters who have stayed connected with round-robin letters for more than 60 years 2. Jack Trice statue moves from the foot ball stadium back to central campus 1,298 social media posts 31 original videos created and shared

LegaCY Club

The ISUAA increased career webinar participation from 847 registrants in FY19 to 3,747 in FY20 32

2,159 total children enrolled 412 NEW children enrolled in FY20 5,570 current ISU legacy students enrolled at Iowa State

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 IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REPORT JULY 1, 2019 – JUNE 30, 2020

Welcome, new life members!

Brenda Allen (EDUC ’02, EL PS ’02, HD FS ’17) Robert (PSA ’76, AG EC ’81) and Charlene Anderson Robert Beattie (HIST ’74) William (EE ’81) and Pamela (ENGL ’81, I AD ’81) Berneking Theron Bobzin (ME ’85, BUSAD ’97) Robert (V M ’71) and Kay (EL ED ’71) Bogan Melanie Boulden (ENGL ’94) Steven Brownmiller (ZOOL ’79) Eric (V M ’88) and Kathy (HORT ’88) Christianson Cacey Clark (MKT ’12, MGMT ’12) Alexander Clemons (I E ’11, I E ’13) Joshua Conrad (I E ’17) Dawn Crawford (MGMT ’84) Chad Cullinan (I E ’10) Bradley Dill (I AD ’81) Kevin Doyle (ARCH ’71) Mark Ferguson (MATH ’89, COM S ’89) Michael (EL ED ’96) and Melanie Frisk Samuel Gerrard (AN S ’19) and Allison Jacobi (KIN H ’19) Jennifer Greminger (ARCH ’91) William Griffith (AG ST ’17) Ann Hames (T M ’68) Natalie Hanson (BSE ’18) Daniel (ACCT ’16, FIN ’16) and Brianna (JL MC ’16) Harding Sara Harper (EL ED ’92) Mary Harrison (EL ED ’78)

Thank you to our FY20 ISUAA sponsors and advertisers Accura Healthcare of Ames AESU Aging Resources of Central Iowa AHI Travel Ames Chamber of Commerce Ames Community Grant Ames History Museum Ames Public Library Ames Silversmithing Bank of America Care Initiatives Hospice Central Iowa Symphony Clarity Asset Management Coe’s Floral, Gift, and Décor Cookies, etc.

Cyclone Sports Properties Davis Brown Law Firm Des Moines Metro Opera Edward Jones Investment First National Bank Gateway Hotel and Conference Center Go Next Thomas P. Gohagan & Co. V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 1

John (EL ED ’74) and Janet (EL ED ’74) Hawkins Mario Hess-Winburn (POL S ’11) David Hinman (H R M ’88) Marc Hoffman (G BUS ’84) Maureen Horn (JL MC ’87) Sarah Humke (FS H ’07, CH E ’07) Andrew Iverson (ARCH ’96) Carolann Jensen (P S A ’86, I AG ’86) John Johnson (V M ’78) Stephan Johnson (I R ’95) Charlotte Jordan (FS H ’19) Kristopher Klann (POL S ’06) Bryon Koster (C E ’18) Tracey (CON E ’74) and Wanda Lambert Brian Lansing (AG B ’93) Kelly Leaman (ARTGR ’07) Kelsey Leighton (AMDP ’10) Bradley Lewis James (BACT ’76, BIOCH ’76) and Karen Linder Paul Martin (AN S ’79) Jennifer McCormack (ACCT ’96) Janet Merfeld (FN D ’76) Kelsey Meyer (AN S ’18, BIOLA ’18) Abrah Meyer (AG B ’19, SCM ’19) Jason (AGRON ’01) and Angela (ACCT ’01, TRLOG ’01) Mickelson Brian Mullins (M E ’93) Dennis (ACCT ’82) and Jana Munson Ruth Nekonchuk (FN D ’80) Grant Nelson (MKT ’03)

Donald Nielsen (ARCH ’61) Nicholas Oberender (JL MC ’12) Jonny (F OP ’83) and Rachel Olson Kay Opperman (BIOL ’89) Thomas Paris (S E ’20) Roman (V M ’93, VMICR ’00, VMICR ’05) and Sherry (AG ED ’93, AG B ’93, AGEDS ’95) Pogranichniy Erin Recupero (ENSCA ’20) Adam Ring (JL MC ’14, HIST ’14) Andrew (MGMT ’07) and Amanda (ECE ’07) Schade Jessica Schewe (MATH ’08) Michael Schmidt (I E ’90) Aaron Schoening (MGMT ’13) Mark (CON E ’88) and Mary Schraeder Christina Schroeder (GEN S ’99) Scott Sergeant (JL MC ’76) Joseph Shay (C E ’65) Tanya Shipkowitz (E SCI ’85) John Tamashunas (D ST ’79) Alexander Tangen (MKT ’16) Janice Van Ekeren (I AD ’81, ACCT ’81) Gladys Vaughn (H ED ’68) Janet von Sternberg (PSYCH ’74, PSYCH ’78) Jeffrey Wells (AN S ’84, V M ’88) Michael Whaley (MIS ’02) Thomas Wilgenbusch (AN S ’18) Gary Wilson (MKT ’87) Gary (FT SC ’83) and Janice (AG JL ’83) Zoet

Greater Des Moines Partnership Green Hills Retirement Community Hamilton Relay Healing with Heart Massage Therapy Home Instead Senior Care Homeboy Construction Insomnia Cookies Iowa State Center Iowa State Fair Iowa State University Book Store Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Iowa State University Ivy College of Business Iowa State University Memorial Union Iowa State University Parks Library KASI Radio Life Choices at Bethany Life Mary Greeley Medical Center McFarland Clinic Mittera/ColorFX Nationwide Insurance Northcrest Community Northridge Village Nyemaster Goode, P.C.

Octagon Center for the Arts Odysseys Unlimited Orbridge Destination Specialists Premier World Discovery Publishing Concepts Reiman Gardens Senior Home Finder of Iowa Sigler Sisters Home Style Entrees South Duff Apartments Stevens Memorial Chapel Tailgate Clothing Ten Toes Elderly & Diabetic Foot Care The Filling Station The Foundry Thomson Safaris TruMark Home Care US Cellular USI Travel Select Insurance Vintage Cooperatives WesleyLife at Home Windsor Oaks Retirement Community WorkInAmes WPS Health Insurance

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 FROM THE PRESIDENT

Connecting Cyclones Everywhere Dear Members: In an effort to evaluate the impact of our brand among our constituents, the ISUAA Board employed the services of Essman/ Associates, an Iowa-based marketing firm, to conduct a brand identity survey.

Their professional team did their work, and you, our alumni and friends, responded with clarity and solid direction. While you like our rally cry, Cyclones Everywhere, you told us that it needs to promise something…which a brand should.

And that something, from your perspective, was also shared loud and clear – Connecting Cyclones Everywhere.

I simply love this tweak to our current brand statement. I also hope you know this demonstrates the power of your voice and that we listen!

Thank you for always being there and choosing to be responsive. We owe each of you so much.

As French writer and former teacher JeanBaptiste Alphonse Karr stated, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” Your feedback ties in very well with our current Mission Statement: “To facilitate the lifetime connection of alumni, students, and friends with Iowa State University and each other.” You have clearly solidified our work going forward. So, again, thank you for sharing your insight and wisdom with us. We heard you!

I’m also happy to report that your Board of Directors has adopted a new Vision Statement for the Alumni Association: “To be the best alumni association in the U.S. at engaging diverse partners to help showcase how Iowa State University and Cyclones everywhere are making communities, Iowa, and the world a better place.” As we work to improve and enhance connections, we also know the stories are only going to get richer and more plentiful. We can’t wait to tell YOUR story, and those of your former roommates, faculty and staff members, fraternity or sorority colleagues, club friends, former student athletes, band members, theatre partners, legacies, etc.

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“I hope that you take time to

share your story in our Cyclone Stories project that is being carried out for us by Publishing Concepts, Inc. The coffee-table book that these stories will help create will go a long way toward connecting generations of Iowa Staters for years to come.”

I hope that you have taken time, or will take time, to participate in our Cyclone Stories project that is being carried out for us by Publishing Concepts, Inc. (PCI) out of Dallas, Texas. PCI has done exceptional work for the Association in the past, producing many of our alumni directories.

Make sure you share your story when you receive their call or email. The coffee-table book that these stories will help create will go a long way toward connecting generations of Iowa Staters for years to come.

In closing, I’d like to honor a close friend and staff member, Don Behning, who is retiring from the Association on Dec. 31. Don has served the Association since 2007, most recently as vice president for finance and Alumni Center operations. Don has been a dedicated employee

revered by his staff colleagues, direct reports, countless Board, Audit Committee, and Finance Committee volunteers, campus colleagues, Traveling Cyclones’ passengers, and professional colleagues of other associations. We all wish him happiness in the next chapters of his life.

He served us well!

Yours for Iowa State,

Jeff Johnson Lora and Russ Talbot ISUAA Endowed President and CEO PhD ’14 education

Read VISIONS online We hope you enjoy receiving VISIONS magazine as a benefit of your ISU Alumni Association membership.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for your membership!

Do you prefer to read your magazine on a smartphone or tablet? Want to cut down on paper waste and have a copy of VISIONS magazine that’s

easier to read on the go? Now you can say YES to receiving VISIONS online ONLY! Simply let us know if you prefer the digital option for future issues, and you’ll start receiving a special email alerting you each time a new issue is ready to read online or through the Iowa State Alumni app. Fill out the form at isualum.org/visionsonline.

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LegaCY Program Endowment

 ISUAA CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES

Goal: $1.5 million

ISU launched its $1.1 billion campaign, Forever True, For Iowa State, in fall 2016.

For the ISU Alumni Association, the campaign will help position the Association to better serve and showcase Iowa State and Cyclones everywhere. The Association has identified 10 campaign priorities: student leadership, VISIONS magazine, awards, staff development, LegaCY programs, young alumni, clubs, technology, diversity and inclusion, and CEO endowment.

Priority focus: LegaCY Program One of the most powerful legacies an adult can leave a child is the legacy of higher education. Through the Iowa State Alumni Association’s LegaCY Club, children are made to feel like they belong in the Iowa State family long before they’re old enough to start thinking about applying to college.

Launched in July 2017 as an expansion of the original legacy program, the ISUAA LegaCY Club has educated the children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews of ISU Alumni Association members about Iowa State and the meaning of being a Cyclone through age-appropriate gifts and activities. The LegaCY Club has quickly become a point of connection and pride for ISU Alumni Association members.

IMPACT OF PRIVATE GIFTS ON THE LEGACY PROGRAM • Fund the production of milestone gifts to send to children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews of ISU alumni enrolled in the LegaCY Club • Develop new programming aimed at attracting a greater number of legacies to become future Iowa State students

TO MAKE A GIFT: To learn how you can support the LegaCY Program Endowment or underwrite one of the LegaCY gifts, contact Jamie Stowe, ISU Foundation director of development for the ISU Alumni Association, 877-ISU-ALUM (toll-free), 294-7441 (locally), or jstowe@ foundation.iastate.edu Learn more about the ISUAA’s Forever True, For Iowa State campaign priorities at isualum.org/giving

“As a writer, I fondly remember how my childhood books influenced my life.

I’m confident Cy’s Surprise will inspire hundreds of alumni kids – as well as non-alumni wishing to start their families’ Cyclone legacy – to join the Iowa State family, making them future legacy Cyclones.”

– Ana Hays McCracken** ’84 fashion merchandising

How to enroll a child in the LegaCY Club Enroll your child, grandchild, niece, or nephew today in the ISU Alumni Association’s LegaCY Club at www.isualum.org/legacy.

A one-time $35 charge per child ensures children will receive gifts throughout their childhood and adolescence. In addition to the enrollment fee, the sponsor of the child’s membership must simply remain a current annual member or be a life member of the Alumni Association.

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LegaCY Club offers gifts and benefits for little Cyclones everywhere As a member of the LegaCY Club, children receive: • Birth to age 2: Cy’s Surprise, an exclusive children’s book written and illustrated by Iowa State alumnae Kate Bruns and Tara Gartin, respectively • Age 2: Cyclone growth chart * • Age 5: Cyclone backpack • Age 7: Cyclone bank, to encourage saving for college*

• Age 10: Cyclone school notebook and pen* • Age 13: Cyclone sleepover pillowcase* • Age 16: Cyclone car decal and keychain for new drivers* • All ages: Cyclone birthday cards • Upon graduation from Iowa State: LegaCY cord • Plus a LegaCY Club certificate and invitations to LegaCY Club events *Denotes items that remain to be endowed or underwritten

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 NEWSMAKERS & CY STORIES

TOP JOBS Susan Hennis (’99 journalism/speech) has joined OneAmerica as chief underwriter, leading a team of 25.

Joseph Porter (’15 philosophy) has joined Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman PLC as an associate attorney.

ALUMNI HONORS

ALUMNI BOOKSHELF Meg Thacher (MS ’91 physics & astronomy) has published a children’s book, Sky Gazing, a guide to observing the sky from wherever you are, day or night, with no telescope required. Activities engage kids and adults in hands-on science.

Kyle Fiddelke (L)(’97 landscape architecture), a partner with OJB Landscape Architecture in San Diego, was recently awarded the 2020 National Design Award for Landscape Architecture from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Museum.

Justin Rosenberg (’13 DVM) and Laura Kleinschmidt (’09 biology, ’13 DVM) have been designated Diplomates in the American College of Zoological Medicine. This achievement is recognized as being an expert in zoo/aquatic/wildlife medicine and is a designation bestowed to approximately 250 people in the world.

Iowa State associate teaching professor Rachel Mans McKenny (MA ’12 English) has written a book, The Butterfly Effect. The novel, set on the Iowa State campus and at Reiman Gardens, features an entomology PhD student heroine.

Xixuan Collins (A)(MS ’99 food science, PhD nutrition) has published her debut novel, a multi-generational family epic titled Flowing

Water, Falling Flowers. Collins was born in Hechuan, Sichuan Province, China, and grew up in Kangding, on the East Tibet Plateau.

Denise Williams-Klotz (A)(’04 psychology, PhD ’15 education) has written a novel, How to Fail at Flirting, a contemporary romance featuring diverse characters and tackling real issues. Williams-Klotz is assistant director of multicultural student affairs at Iowa State.

CYCLONES ON THE FRONT LINES OF COVID-19 Ryan Finke (’08 mech engr) has spearheaded the engineering of 16 fully-integrated systems to increase production of COVID-19 test kits for Morrison Container Handling Solutions.

The equipment is responsible for sorting, filling, capping, and transferring COVID-19 test kits for packaging. Morrison was founded by Iowa State alum Nick Wilson (L)(’67 chem engr) in 1971. These systems will aid in filling the demand for COVID-19 tests worldwide.

CAROL FASSBINDER-ORTH AND BRIAN ORTH GLENWOOD, IOWA From left: Carol, Amara, Brian, Odin, and Quill Orth

WHAT’S THE BUZZ? Bees reflect the state of our earth.

“Many people know that bees are important for the pollination of many of the foods we eat, but it is very important to also realize that bees are indicators of the health of the land around us,” Carol Fassbinder-Orth (’03 genetics) says.

Fassbinder-Orth and her husband Brian Orth (’02 agronomy) opened Bountiful Blossoms Bee Company, LLC in 2015 near their home in Glenwood, Iowa. The business is half boutique for those looking for all-natural honey and beeswax products, and half educational opportunity for their community and visitors from across the state of Iowa and neighboring states.

Fassbinder-Orth includes science in every step of the process.

“I am a better honey bee researcher because I understand the pragmatic aspects of beekeeping, and I am a better beekeeper because I am always researching honey bee health in my colonies,” she says.

“Science is the foundation of what sets our business apart from

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competitors, and our understanding of the science of bees and habitat began at Iowa State University,” Fassbinder-Orth says. “Through Brian’s land management training and my bee research background, we can connect habitat to bee biology in ways that are informative and helpful for the public and other beekeepers alike.”

Beekeeping is in Fassbinder-Orth’s blood. The Iowa native grew up on a honey bee farm in Elgin, where her parents owned about 2,000 colonies. When she came to Iowa State, Fassbinder-Orth was quick to pair up with top-notch faculty and got involved with clubs and activities on campus. Through their Cyclone adventure, both Carol and Brian recognized a calling to make their community and the state of Iowa a better place for bees to thrive. – Kate Tindall

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ARE YOU FOREVER TRUE? We’re grateful to thousands of alumni and friends who continue to give to the Forever True, For Iowa State campaign.

As Cyclones working together, we can achieve our historic $1.5 billion goal! Your support is helping to ensure a quality Iowa State experience for students during this challenging time – and will benefit the university for years to come.

You can still make a campaign gift at ForeverTrueISU.com.

Thank you for being Forever True!

 HOMECOMING

Homecoming 2020 will be remembered for the many creative, innovative ways the ISU Alumni Association and Student Alumni Leadership Council engaged students, alumni, and friends with special, virtual activities. From a virtual LIVE Cyclone Power Hour to virtual mass campaniling, Cyclones everywhere celebrated Homecoming at home.

A Cardinal & Bold Homecoming • LIVE from Cy’s Lounge, Homecoming editions: – 40 Years of the ISU Alumni Band: 4,500+ views – Candles, Cake, and Cy: 4,400+ views – LIVE Cyclone Power Hour: 1,400+ views (above)

• Virtual Mass Campaniling: 2,540 views • Homecoming activities for kids: Games, mask-making, art projects, crafts, puzzles • “Homegating” recipes, games, and crafts • Homecoming Bingo: 285 participants • Virtual Paint Victory Lane contest for kids and adults • Virtual 5K participants: 118 • $1,910 raised in the Cylent Auction for Cardinal Court scholarships • CyFactor Facebook videos: 6,900 views • 150 Homecoming buttons sold • Virtual alumni band reunion: 54 registrants

• Traditional Honors & Awards event postponed; awardees will be recognized in the future • Cyclone Sweethearts  Eric Waters (A) (’86 marketing) and Liliana Bonanno Waters (A)(’87 accounting) of West Des Moines • 4 5 Cyclone Sweetheart applications and 8,000+ views of the Sweethearts announcement

Cyclone Classics A. Cardinal I-State Hoodie $29.99 B. Champion Women’s Black Vest $59.99 C. Women’s Gold Iowa State Cropped Top $34.99 D. Champion Cropped Women’s Rugby Polo $44.99 E. Vintage Iowa State 54”x84” Gold Sweatshirt Blanket $39.99 F. Flannel I-State Pants $15.00 G. Comfort Color Campanile Crew Neck Sweatshirt $49.99 H. Reborn I-State Throw Pillow $42.99

H.

A.

G.

F. C. B.

D. E.

ALUMNI MEMBERS SAVE 15% EVERY DAY! PLUS NO SALES TAX ON ALL PURCHASES

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DES MOINES, IOWA

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE. #2 Best Place for Young Home Buyers — Clever Real Estate, 2019

Discover what it’s like to live near 800+ miles of walking, running and biking trails. Where apartment dwellers and homeowners alike are just steps from the great outdoors and truly embrace all four seasons, year-round. And where owning your own home with a spacious yard is an achievable reality — today.

Learn what it’s like to live in Greater Des Moines (DSM) and make it your place. Take a virtual tour today at liveDSMUSA.com.

#DSMUSA

V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 1

liveDSMUSA.com

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ď ˝ CARDINAL & GOLD GALA

A new Cardinal & BOLD Gala The Cardinal and BOLD Mask-erade will be like no gala before. In place of the in-person gala normally held in Des Moines, the ISUAA is planning virtual activities and events throughout the week of Feb. 8-16, 2021, with a short virtual event the night of Feb. 12. There will be BOLD mask decorating contests and giveaways. A virtual format ensures Cyclones everywhere can celebrate and raise critical funds for students and alumni programming while practicing Cyclones Care physical distancing.

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Debuting this year: Our ever-popular paddle raise and auction will become one mega event this year! Each giving level will come with a

unique gift – from a Beat Iowa cocktail party to a Zoom call with Jeff Johnson, Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed ISUAA president and CEO. And every gift over $250 will receive two limited edition 2021 Commemorative Gala glasses.

Go online for more information: isualum.org/gala If you have questions, contact Chelsea Trowbridge, manager of special events, at ctrow@iastate.edu or 515-294-2584.

Let the mask-erade commence!

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PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT 1. Publication Title: VISIONS 2. Publication Number: 1071-5886 3. Filing Date: 9/28/20 4. Issue Frequency: Quarterly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 4 6. Annual Subscription Price: Annual membership dues ($57) 7. Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Iowa State University Alumni Association / 429 Alumni Lane / Ames, IA 50011-1403.

8. Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: Same as No. 7 above 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Jeffery W. Johnson, Publisher; Carole Gieseke, Editor / 429 Alumni Lane / Ames, IA

50011-1403 10. Owner: Iowa State University Alumni Association (same address as No. 9 above) 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during the preceding

12 months 13. Publication Title: VISIONS 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Fall 2020 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation:

Average No. Copies Each Issue No. Copies of Single Issue

During Preceding 12 Months Published Nearest to Filing Date

a. Total Number of Copies: 30,772 28,658

b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscribers: 29,439 27,295 (2) In-county Paid/Requested Mail Subscribers: 0 0 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS: 0 0 (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS: 218 198

c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 29,657 27,493

d. Nonrequested Distribution (1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies: 0 0 (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies: 0 0 (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS

by Other Classes of Mail: 0 0 (4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: 600 600

e. Total Nonrequested Distribution: 600 600

f. Total Distribution: 30,257 28,093

g. Copies not Distributed: 515 565

h. Total: 30,772 28,658

i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 98% 97.86%

TELL YOUR CYCLONE STORY Iowa State University Alumni Association 2021 oral history publication Share YOUR stories with Cyclones everywhere! The Iowa State University Alumni Association has partnered with Publishing Concepts, Inc. to collect stories from alumni to create a unique oral history archive.

The CYCLONE STORIES publication will unite Iowa State alumni across generations, careers, geography, and life experiences. By sharing memories of how your ISU degree has helped make Iowa, your community, or the world a better place, you’ll ensure that the rich history of Iowa State will be preserved for generations to come.

Publishing Concepts, Inc. will soon be contacting you by mail, phone, and email asking you to participate. Thanks for telling your Cyclone stories!

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 ASSOCIATION NEWS

NEW resource: Career coaching Interested in exploring a new career path or just improve the one you’re on? A new ISU Alumni Association career coaching program provides alumni and friends at all career stages with the skills and resources necessary to continue growing their careers. This program is an affordable option for professionals wishing to enhance their career goals.

Choose from a comprehensive, six-session career plan or topic-specific sessions.

Book your consultation today! For questions, contact Amanda DeMaris, certified career services provider and director of community outreach, at ademaris@iastate.edu or call (515) 294-3977. More information is online at www.isualum.org/careercoaching.

LIVE from Cy’s Lounge!

LIVE from Cy’s Lounge is a new program launched by the ISU Alumni Association, sharing stories of Cyclones everywhere who are making communities, Iowa, and the world a better place. Hosted by Matt Van Winkle (A)(’13 journalism), visual content

PARTNER WITH CYCLONE POWER Business owners: Reach 270,000+ Cyclones everywhere when you partner with the ISU Alumni Association.

Explore options, including: • Advertising • Business membership • Sponsorships

SIGN UP TODAY Sign up for our online business directory at isualum.org/business directorysignup and opt in to receive our quarterly business newsletter

Contact Tyler Weig, ISUAA membership and business partnership manager, by calling (515) 294-9603 or by emailing tweig@iastate.edu.

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specialist with the ISUAA, these engaging conversations with alumni are streamed live across the Association’s Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn, and can also be found wherever you get your podcasts. Tune in LIVE from Cy’s Lounge for a new interview most Wednesdays at noon CT.

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THE MAN BEHIND THE NBA BUBBLE

W

BY LINDSEY GIARDINO

hen the pandemic hit the United States full force in March, everything came to a halt and the word “normalcy” became a buzzword – one that peppered countless conversations, a state that everyone wished to return to, but wasn’t sure how or when – or even if – it would happen.

One of the many cultural pillars to crumble was sports – professional, collegiate and youth – leaving a gaping hole in sports fans’ lives and schedules.

What ultimately helped the NBA and MLS fill that void safely and get back to playing was none other than the Most Magical Place on Earth.

At the center of conversations about how to create a playing “bubble” was Faron Kelley, a 1988 marketing graduate from Iowa State who serves as vice president of the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, located in Walt Disney World Resort; runDisney; and Disney’s two water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. He helped facilitate discussions between the two major sports organizations, ESPN and Disney, all of whom played a key role in ensuring the safety of the bubble – a tightly controlled setting where players live, practice, and play.

“All these groups came together at the table and said, ‘How do we do this?‘ Kelley said. “It was really

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a process of building it from the ground up. No one had done anything like this before. Step one – and the lens for everything – was safety, which is a top priority for Disney to start with, but then you layer on top of that this pandemic environment and other elements such as enhanced cleaning protocols, face masks, face shields and social distancing. All of those elements built into this, and every day we’d sit down and try to figure it out. What does a practice look like? What does a game look like? What does players’ hotel lodging look like? We literally figured out every aspect and how we could make it as safe as possible.”

As the MLS and NBA successfully wrapped up their time in the bubble, Kelley looks toward what’s next for the Wide World of Sports Complex – a facility that typically hosts youth tournaments.

He hopes to take his experience with the bubble and apply it to future tournaments, making them bigger and better. “[The bubble] is a blessing in disguise in that we have learned so much,” Kelley said. “We think it’s only going to get better for our youth athletes, and at the same time, we’ve built a strong relationship with professional leagues and would welcome them

back at any time should they have a need. Hopefully not because of a pandemic.”

Throughout his entire career at Disney – which started as a student in the Disney College Program and continued save for a year working as an Iowa State admissions officer – Kelley has looked back on his time at the university and feels nothing but gratitude.

“I learned so much at Iowa State,” he said.

“There was the strong educational background, but it was also some of the best years of my life.

They are some of the fondest memories I have” – memories that include his brotherhood in Sigma Alpha Epsilon and performing as the male lead in “Hello, Dolly!” for Stars Over VEISHEA. In the future, Kelley, who gives back to the university through funds like the Business Fund for Excellence, hopes to return to campus more than usual, as his daughter plans to attend beginning next fall.

And when getting back normalcy feels just out of reach, Kelley can close his eyes and remember his days on Iowa State’s campus.

“It felt like home.”  Lindsey Giardino (’17 journ/mass comm & English) is a writer for donor relations and communications at the Iowa State University Foundation.

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“All these groups came together at the table and said, ‘How do we do this?’ It was really a process of building it from the ground up.

No one had done anything like this before.”

– Faron Kelley (’88 marketing)

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

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Calendar

NOTE: Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, all events are subject to postponement, cancellation, or format changes.

 Cyclones Everywhere Please note that the ISUAA is in the process of planning additional virtual events; check www.isualum.org/events for updates.

 Alumni Travel Jan. 18-30: Awe Inspiring Antarctica Jan. 18 – Feb. 2: Wondrous Wildlife of Africa Jan. 31 – Feb. 16: Tales of the Tasman Feb. 27 – March 10: Middle East Meandering March 10-17: Cuba & Its People March 27 – April 11: Portrait of Italy April 12-23: Italy & the Adriatic April 14-25: Springtime Coasts of the South April 17-25: Basque Country

Jan. 30: Drumline LIVE, Stephens March 1 – April 2 / April 12 – May 7: FOCUS: Critical Conversations with Art, Petersen March 5: Prague Symphony Orchestra, Stephens March 7: Nathan Carter, Stephens March 26: Whose Live Anyway?, Stephens March 29: Velocity, Stephens Through March: Judging Books by Their Fanciful Covers, Farm House Museum Through summer: From Time Immemorial: Art as Commemoration, Petersen

 Awards

Jan. 7: Virtual Cyclone Power Hour, 7 p.m.

Feb. 15: Nomination deadline for Homecoming 2021 awards For criteria and to submit a nomination for ISUAA awards: www.isualum.org/awards

Feb. 8-16: Virtual Cardinal & Gold Gala 2021 – “A Cardinal & BOLD Mask-erade” March 22: Virtual STATE Day, celebrating Founder’s Day

 On campus &

around Ames

Dec. 14: Winter session begins Jan. 21: Winter session ends Jan. 25: Spring semester begins

It’s time to start dreaming of new adventures with the Traveling Cyclones! For information on upcoming trips, go to www.isualum.org/travel.

All tours are subject to change.

 At the ISU Alumni Center

 Arts & Entertainment

Please note that the Alumni Center remains closed but is available to rent for private events.

January to July: Rose Frantzen, Christian Petersen Art Museum Jan. 11 – July 23: Compelling Ground: Landscapes, Peoples, and Environments of Iowa, Brunnier Art Museum Jan. 19 – May 9: Art Nouveau Innovation: Danish Porcelain from an American Collector, Brunnier Jan. 19 – Feb. 12: reACT Exhibition Series, Petersen Jan. 25: Ballet Hispanico, Stephens Auditorium

Feb. 12: ISUAA Board of Directors winter meeting

 Cyclone Athletics March 10-13: Men’s Big 12 basketball tournament, Kansas City March 11-14: Women’s Big 12 basketball tournament, Kansas City For all Cyclone sports schedules, go to www.cyclones.com 46

April 20-28: Dutch Waterways April 22 – May 10: Panama to Palms April 28 – May 2: Kentucky Derby May 2-14: Enchanting Ireland May 8-23: Cruise the Heart of Europe May 14-24: Classic Europe Graduation Trip May 14-24: Gems of the Danube March 14-21: Destination Dubai May 17-30: Journey Through Britain May 20-28: London: African American Experience May 21 – June 3: Journey to Brazil

 Lifelong learning All OLLI at ISU classes and events will be held virtually this winter and spring.

Jan. 11: OLLI at ISU first day of winter classes Feb. 18: OLLI at ISU “Learn about Spring Classes” online event March 22: OLLI at ISU first day of spring classes

 Careers Feb. 2: AgCareers.com spring event (virtual) Feb. 16-17: Engineering Spring Career Fairs (virtual) Feb. 23: People to People Spring Career Fair (virtual) Feb. 24: Spring Business, Industry & Technology Career Fair (virtual)

 Find more events online Campus Calendar: http://event.iastate.edu/ ISU Alumni Association: www.isualum.org/calendar Cyclone Athletics: www.cyclones.com Reiman Gardens: www.reimangardens.com Iowa State Center: www.center.iastate.edu University Museums: www.museums.iastate.edu Lectures: www.lectures.iastate.edu/ Around Ames: https://web.ameschamber.com/ events.

W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

DOES YOUR HEART BEAT A LITTLE FASTER WHEN THE

FIGHT SONG PLAYS? JOIN THE CLUB. Your pride runs deeper. Your spirit shines brighter. And with your support, the future of Cyclone athletics has never looked better. It’s with your membership that Iowa State Athletics can enable student-athletes to succeed in competition and in the classroom, stay competitive by attracting and retaining the best coaches and staff, and invest in improvements including construction of state-of-the-art facilities. Show the Nation your loyalty by signing up – or increasing your contribution to the club – today at

CYCLONECLUB.ORG.

Iowa State University Alumni Center 429 Alumni Lane Ames, Iowa 50011-1403

VISIONS magazine is published four times a year by the Iowa State University Alumni Association, which serves more than 273,000 living alumni as well as ISU students and friends. VISIONS reaches more than 43,000 Alumni Association members and is just one benefit of membership; details can be found at isualum.org/join.

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