Gustav-Gertrude-Peter C. Seeck Fellowships

The Agronomy Department has a long tradition of utilizing and training graduate students in its introductory courses. This program has a demonstrated history of developing graduate student teaching and communication skills while simultaneously providing individualized instruction to undergraduate students. The objectives of the Gustav-Gertrude-Peter C. Seeck Fellowships in Introductory Agronomy Courses are to:

provide high quality learning opportunities to undergraduate students.
recruit top graduate students and develop them into tomorrow’s educators and leaders.
develop individual expertise in technical communication, interpersonal skills, and teaching methodologies for different learning situations.
foster an appreciation of teaching as an important part of the growth and development of professional agronomists.
provide teaching opportunities and support beyond that available through the Agronomy Teaching Assistants program.
maintain a team environment for teaching introductory crops courses at Iowa State University.

Fellowship Award and Appointment Period

The Gustav-Gertrude-Peter C. Seeck Fellowship program is a selective program open to graduate students who meet the minimum qualifications and desire a meaningful teaching experience as part of their professional development plan during their graduate program.

The award amount for the Fellowship is $660/month for nine months or $5940/year. Normally, the fellowship is awarded once for the duration of one year of the student’s degree program. The total time commitment for a Fellow is 10 hours per week during the Spring and Fall semesters.

Statement of Mutual Benefit

The Gustav-Gertrude-Peter C. Seeck Fellowship in Introductory Agronomy Courses will have mutual benefits to both the student and department. The program will allow the Teaching Fellow to:

pursue a graduate degree and to fully participate in undergraduate teaching activities in principles of crop science, soil science, or climatology
develop critical thinking and communication skills for professional careers in agriculture in industry or public institutions
develop a deeper understanding and experience in using different teaching methodologies for different learning goals
help students develop a professional teaching philosophy and pedagogical understanding of the teaching-learning process
broaden and strengthen our teaching development program for graduate students in agronomy
improve our undergraduate teaching by recruiting top graduate students that possess the personal and professional traits conducive to quality teaching
provide the teaching support to maintain hands-on teaching materials, active learning strategies, and problem solving activities with undergraduate students
maintain current and relevant undergraduate courses in Agronomy by increasing the diversity of people, ideas, knowledge, and background of our current teaching staff

Selection of candidates for Teaching Fellows is based on the following qualifications:

A Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy or related major.
Acceptance into an MS or PhD program at Iowa State University.
High academic performance with strong potential for successfully completing a graduate program. Students are expected to have a strong science background and a minimum GPA of 3.20 or be in the top 1/4 of their graduating class at the B.S. level.
A sincere interest in teaching.
Good communication and leadership skills. International students must meet the university-wide English speaking proficiency requirement.
A strong work ethic and experience and/or interest in agriculturally related activities.

Application Process

There are two application periods per year. Graduate student applicants for the Gustav-Gertrude-Peter C. Seeck Fellowships in Introductory Agronomy Courses must submit a vita, unofficial transcript, and a statement of interest in teaching to the Agronomy Department Chair by May 1 or November 1.

Responsibilities of an Introductory Soils Teaching Fellow (Four Fellows per Year)

A Soils Fellow will teach up to 16 students in one Site Lab session of Agron154 - Fundamentals of Soil Science. In the site lab, students evaluate soil properties and utilize soils information to make land use decisions for a prospective client. Fellows will also assist students in Agron 155 - Soils for Horticultural Scientists and Agron 156 - Soils for Urban Use with research, analyses of data and writing of Site Lab reports. Soils Teaching Fellows will provide four hours of supervision of the Soils Learning Center, where they will:

ensure smooth running of computers in the Learning Center
answer questions students may have while studying at the Learning Center
administer and grade weekly quizzes
update displays, demonstrations, and Site Lab materials.

Responsibilities of an Introductory Crops Fellow (Three Fellows per Year)

As a Crops Fellow, you will be part of a team consisting of faculty, staff, and other graduate students teaching Agron 114-Principles of Agronomy and Agron 212-Crop Growth, Productivity, and Management. Most Teaching Fellows begin as instructors in Agron 114 and after one semester experience teach a section of Agron 212 laboratory. Teaching Fellows in Agron 114 help students learn fundamental principals of crop and soil management in small group settings or on an individual student basis in a learning center. Teaching Fellows are responsible for preparation, set-up, and organization of demonstrations and displays and quizzes for three weekly units. These duties plus four to six hours of staffing the learning center are considered a full responsibility in Agron 114. The second semester of the teaching fellowships offers the opportunity for sole responsibility of a laboratory section of 20 students in Agron 212. In addition, teaching fellowships provide leadership for one Agron 212 laboratory unit. When teaching a section of Agron 212, Teaching Fellow responsibilities in Agron 114 are reduced two to three hours per week in the learning center and responsibility for two weekly units.

Responsibilities of an Introductory Agricultural Meteorology Teaching Fellow (Two Fellows per Year)

Agricultural Meteorology Fellows will join the teaching team in Agronomy/Meteorology 206: Introduction to Meteorology. Typical enrollment in the class is close to 300 students. This course is required of all agronomy and meteorology majors. It also serves an extremely wide variety of other students: all types of majors from every college at all levels (first-year students through seniors). Because of the large number of students in 206 and the wide range of backgrounds, teaching 206 is both a joy and a challenge. Fellows in 206 would help us increase the effectiveness of 206 by either: establishing regular recitation sections that would review and reinforce topics covered in lecture using innovative teaching methods (active learning, computer-based simulations, demonstrations, laboratories); developing and executing demonstrations to illustrate concepts in lecture; or creating computer-based simulations in stand-alone learning centers.

Course Topics

Agronomy 114 – Principles of Agronomy - Crop plant anatomy, crop classification and identification, crop physiology, climate, soils, soil water, tillage and seeding, plant breeding, seed and grain quality, weeds, insects, crop diseases, harvesting and storage

Agronomy 154 – Fundamentals of Soil Science - Introduction to physical, chemical and biological properties of soils, their formation, classification, and distribution. Use of soil survey and computer databank information in balancing agronomic, economic, and environmental concerns in soil management

Agronomy 155 – Soils for Horticultural Scientists - Physical, chemical, and biological properties of natural and manufactured soils. Use of soils information when producing plants in natural and manufactured soils.

Agronomy 156 – Soils for Urban Use - Fundamental properties of soils and their application to urban settings. Development of a site plan for area of land using data from soil survey and computerized data bank information. Field trip.

Agronomy 206 – Introduction to Meteorology. Basic concepts in meteorology, including atmospheric measurements, radiation, stability, precipitation, winds, fronts, forecasting, and severe weather. Applied topics include global warming, ozone depletion, El Nino, world climates, and weather safety.

Agronomy 212 – Crop Growth, Productivity, and Management - Morphology, growth, and development of corn, small grains, soybean, and forages; grain and forage crop management, composition, and quality

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Russ Mullen Professor - Crops Department of Agronomy Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 50011-1010 USA Telephone: 515-294-3271 Fax: 515-294-8146 E-mail: remullen@iastate.edu	Dr. Lance Gibson Associate Professor - Crops Department of Agronomy Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 50011-1010 USA Telephone: 515-294-2143 Fax: 515-294-8146 E-mail: lgibson@iastate.edu
Dr. Andrew Manu Associate Professor - Soils Department of Agronomy Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 50011-1010 USA Telephone: 515-294-5510 Fax: 515-294-8146 E-mail: akmanu@iastate.edu	Dr. Brian Hornbuckle Assistant Professor – Agronomy, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Geological and Atmospheric Sciences Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 50011-1010 USA Telephone: 515/294-9868 E-mail: bkh@iastate.edu