The College of Agricultural Sciences will gain a young leader as Paxton Morse joins the ranks of SIU’s freshman class. A 2016 graduate of Eldorado High School, Morse took a gap year to serve as a FFA officer section president for the state of Illinois. During the past year, Morse traveled to all 332 FFA chapters across the state to advocate for Illinois agriculture. He also traveled to Springfield and presented to the Illinois Senate.

Morse’s goal is to become a high school agriculture teacher. “I am committed to teaching others about the importance of agriculture and its mission to feed the world.”

Coming to Southern Illinois University Carbondale was an easy choice for Morse.

“SIU plays such a big part in FFA by supporting its activities and giving the program needed supplies. Plus, the College of Agricultural Sciences has really made me feel at home. The professors and staff all know my name, they are friendly, and just make me feel like family. There is really no other college and university I’d rather be attending.”

To learn more about supporting the College of Agricultural Sciences through Forever SIU: The Campaign for Students, visit http://foreversiu.org/colleges-units/agricultural-sciences.php, or contact the foundation at 618/453-4900 or siuf@foundation.siu.edu.

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SIU graduate student Robert J. Jerry Lewis is determined to dedicate his career to teaching the game of basketball. That wasn’t always the goal, though.

A Des Plaines native, Lewis came to SIU with hopes of walking onto the Saluki basketball team. Then he injured both of his knees. Instead of letting go of his dream, he simply amended it.

“For as long as I can remember, basketball has been my sport,” he said. “Since my injuries dashed my hopes of being able to play the sport, I decided I wanted to teach young people about the game of basketball and the game of life.”

While earning his bachelor’s degree from the College of Business, Lewis came across a brochure featuring the sports administration graduate program within the Department of Kinesiology. That moment marked the beginning of his new journey.

“The kinesiology department helped me view sports from a different perspective,” Lewis said. “I have learned about the human body, exercise science, health, sociology, neurology – this program has opened up an entire new world.”

To fulfill the program’s internship requirement, Lewis became a manager for the SIU men’s basketball team. In August, he was chosen for an internship with the Charlotte Hornets.

Once his stint with the NBA franchise is over, he’ll return to SIU to complete his master’s degree in sports administration. Lewis hopes his story can highlight the importance of kinesiology and encourage others to get involved.

“We could really use funds to repair equipment and purchase needed items,” he said. “We need a wide array of items – from replacement bulbs for projectors to soccer nets to office supplies and beyond.”

To learn more about the Department of Kinesiology, visit http://ehs.siu.edu/kinesiology/. To learn more about the needs of the College of Education and Human Services, visit http://foreversiu.org/colleges-units/education.php.

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When alumni and supporters think of SIU’s College of Agricultural Sciences, the word “family” often springs to mind.

Seburn Pense, professor of agricultural education, recently was quoted in the College of Agricultural Sciences’ spring e-newsletter as saying, “Students come here and they see the campus and the facilities. They see that this college is like a family.”

Karen Midden, associate dean and professor for the college, agrees.

“The College of Ag really is just an excellent college with so much to offer its students,” Midden says. “We are very much like a family. The university farms provide hands-on experience for the students. It’s a backbone of the animal science teaching program, (and) it’s critical for agronomy and horticulture as well. The leading research at the farms provides experiential learning and prepares students for jobs in industry and academia, or to pursue graduate degrees.”

Right now, University Farms is in need of some assistance in several areas. The 2,000-acre farm system has significant upkeep needs – and, with the budget cuts and restricted spending in place across campus, the college hopes alumni will step forward and help.

After all, that’s what families do.

The following are areas that need assistance:

Research Greenhouse

When visiting the research greenhouses where students do significant research on soybeans and tomato plants, the need for updates is evident. As Midden explains: “The SIU research greenhouses were built sometime in the 1950s and are extremely outdated. What they need is to update their systems.”

The soil in all research greenhouses must first be sterilized before any planting can begin. To sterilize the soil, SIU greenhouse employees use a soil steamer. Unfortunately, the steamer no longer works, so employees must borrow one, which is inconvenient in scheduling and transporting.

The heating and cooling systems are in need of modernization, which would include the replacement of pipes, thermostats and vent motors. The propane boiler, which heats the greenhouse, also needs to be repaired or replaced.

Swine and Beef Centers

At the farm’s swine and beef centers, a sanitation truck is used to transport the manure from the livestock areas. This truck, which is between 25 and 30 years old, has a faulty engine in need of repair. The centers also have several tractors more than 50 years old that require constant repairs and upgrades.

Perhaps one of the biggest needs is for an automated hog feeder. Currently, an SIU employee must hand-feed the hogs each day, hauling between 50 and 60 buckets every morning, seven days a week.

Colten Collier, senior agricultural research technician, also points out fencing that needs repair at the beef center.

“Bulls often break through these fences to get to the cows, and we don’t have the lumber to replace it,” Collier says. “So we patch it as best we can.”

But Collier says the fences are not the only issue.

“One of the challenges we face is that we can’t put the cows in several of the pens, because the watering system is so old that it can’t hold water any longer,” he says. “If there’s no water, then the space can’t be used for the cattle.”

Service Center

In the farm’s service center sits the farm’s only combine, used to service 700 acres of corn and beans. The motor for the combine is more than 25 years old and is in constant need of repair.

“Our herbicide sprayer burned out six years ago, so now we contract that service out,” Midden says. “The problem with contracting is that we can’t control when we get the spraying done. That’s critical, because there is such a small window of when to spray and when to plant. It would be nice if we could control the timing to suit our needs.”

University Farms is more than a working farm system. It’s also a classroom, a laboratory and a social scene for students who learn and work at SIU. Students conduct feed efficiency research projects and learn animal husbandry at the beef and swine centers, and they conduct soil fertility and plant growth research projects in the research greenhouse. Some of these projects are faculty-mentored student studies, while others are faculty research with student assistants, but everything at the farms contributes to the hands-on learning community the College of Agricultural Sciences created.

Monetary donations to support these areas of the farm or donating actual items is the best way to ensure University Farms continues its success.

To learn more about the College of Agricultural Sciences’ University Farms program, visit http://coas.siu.edu/research/university-farms-forest-research/. To learn more about the needs of the College of Agricultural Sciences, visit http://foreversiu.org/colleges-units/agricultural-sciences.php.

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Some hidden gems across campus go unnoticed because of their geographic locations, and such is the case for the McLafferty Annex research facility.

Located on the outskirts of campus, the 65,000-square-foot annex holds a state-of-the-art research facility that houses the Aquatic Research Laboratory and Saluki Aquarium, part of SIU’s Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences.

“The research in fisheries, aquaculture and aquatic sciences goes far beyond what most people would think about in relation to fish,” said Dr. Ed Heist, acting director of the massive facility. “We have graduate and undergraduate researchers who come in and do research projects. SIU’s marine biology program sends students over to study our starfish and crabs. The behavioral analysis and therapy programs come here to work with octopus and zebrafish to learn more about cognitive development, autism and behavioral psychology.”

He added: “We have a major project currently going on researching the federally endangered pallid sturgeon species. This facility is used by many disciplines, and we are proud of it.”

The center has 17,000 square feet of indoor aquatic research space, significantly more than most other universities. The Aquatic Research Laboratory and Saluki Aquarium measures 7,000 square feet, while the Wetlab production facility across the street is slightly larger, at 10,000 square feet.

Heist also manages the 90 research ponds at the Touch of Nature site along with a 7½-acre reservoir. He allots space to research projects and assists students, who do a majority of the labor, fish harvesting and feeding, and equipment maintenance, too.

Because of the space and facility, SIU students receive plenty of hands-on experience in their major.

“Our students also have a very high success rate of receiving job offers when they graduate,” Heist said. “Many of our graduates go directly to work for the federal and state governments, along with private companies such as Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill – just some of the big-name employers who are hiring our students.”

“There is so much to be proud of,” Heist added. “Just a few weeks ago, Archer Daniels Midland aquatic research and development came to tour our facilities so they can update their research system to replicate SIU’s facility.”

Along with these many points of pride comes the reality of funding.

“It costs a lot to maintain Infrastructure and research systems, along with funding needed to conduct high-quality research,” Heist said.

Besides funding for the maintenance, the ultimate funding dream is to finish the construction of an 8,000-gallon display aquarium. The initial phase of the Aquatic Research Laboratory and Saluki Aquarium began in 2012 but is on hold pending additional funding. The cost to complete the aquarium stands at $350,000.

“It’s our dream that this world-class aquatic facility and aquarium will enable SIU to continue our important work in promoting greater understanding of, and education about, our precious aquatic resources,” Heist said.

To learn more about supporting the project through Forever SIU: The Campaign for Students, visit http://foreversiu.org/colleges-units/science.php, or contact the foundation at 618/453-4900 or siuf@foundation.siu.edu.

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