Iowa Farmer Today
07-29-06
More ISU agronomy undergrads wanted
By Tim Hoskins, Iowa Farmer Today
Kendall Lamkey is interim chairman of Iowa State University’s Agronomy
Department. He is the Pioneer Distinguished Chair in Maize Breeding and
director of the Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding at ISU. He received
his B. S. and M. S. degrees from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. degree
from ISU. He grew up on a farm in Illinois.
IFT: What are your department’s strengths?
Lamkey: I think we are one of the few departments in the nation that has soil,
plant and climate scientists all housed together. All those are factors in crop
production. It puts us in good position to function as team to improve crop
production.
IFT: What are some of your priorities?
Lamkey: My first priority is to double the number of undergraduates in the
department. We currently have about 110 undergraduates and 50 faculty
members. I have no timeline for that goal.
I would like to emphasize the careers that are available for undergraduates.
Some people are pessimistic about agriculture and think it will go away. I don’t
think that is the case, people will always have to eat. I have never been asked
what research I am working on, it is always what classes do you teach. We are
an educational institution.
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The second priority is faculty excellence. It goes hand in hand with increasing the
number of undergraduate students. You need excellent faculty to get excellent
undergraduates, and excellent undergraduates to get excellent faculty.
Another priority is research. That is what sets Iowa State University apart. It
seems you can go anywhere in the state and get an agricultural education. At
Iowa State, that education is backed by research. Research drives teaching and
outreach.
My other priority is Extension and Outreach.
IFT: You and ISU Dean of Agriculture Wendy Wintersteen have a common goal
of undergraduate education. What are some of the things you would like to do?
Lamkey: We do have the same goals. I would like to engage undergraduates
with research. One possibility is a senior thesis project. In the project, the student
is paired with a research scientist to develop a research project. Some majors,
like meteorology, already require a senior research thesis.
Eventually, it could become a requirement for us. There is work being done with
the campus honors program to develop a campus undergraduate journal so
students can publish their research. Technically, there is the option for students
to currently do a research project. However, I don’t think it is taken advantage of.
The undergraduate research will take faculty time. However, there are some
really good jobs out there at the masters and Ph.D. level. I had eight jobs call this
week for people at the Ph.D. level in breeding.
We simply don’t have the people to fill those jobs. We have been given the
mission of economic development from the state. I think a key to keep young
people in Iowa is agriculture. Agriculture will grow. Agriculture is one thing this
state does very well.
IFT: What will the research focus be?
Lamkey: In the area of research, we have to do some balancing. Some of the
focus has to be what the state and farmers want us to do. Those tend to be
short-term research and have an immediate effect. We also need to do long-term
research for the future, which is always a gamble.
One area I would like to do some long-term research is in the areas of soils. Soils
are Iowa’s largest natural resource. Soils are to Iowa what the Rocky Mountains
are to Colorado or Yellowstone is to Wyoming and Montana. We have the best
soils in the world. Soils is what will separate us from the rest of the world in terms
of production in the future. Brazil’s soils are not as productive, and India’s and
China’s soils are very old.
I think all farmers care about soils. I think there are social, economic and cultural
factors that might not lead to the best soil-management practices. Soils is the last
and largest undiscovered frontier.