Special Branch Activities
Branch Participation
Apparel Sales
Each year the Iowa State Chapter of ASABE orders club polos and t-shirts. Club polos are worn when the club is publicly represented, during industry tours, and are often worn for more formal presentations in ABE courses. During the 2017-2018 school year, members were able to order t-shirts, jackets, and baseball hats. These are worn by students for informal occasions, such as during general meetings or during club fest on campus.
Engineer’s Week
During a week-long celebration of engineering in the spring, ASABE volunteered time to assist in grilling a free luncheon for engineering students. In such, they were able to promote the club and department.
Community Service
Throughout the year Iowa State’s Student Branch of ASABE serve the community through various events. On campus events include volunteering with FIRST Lego League, whose Iowa Championships are held at Iowa State University; volunteering as judges at a Middle-School and High-School Science Bowl and donating time and food to SHOP, an on-campus food bank.
Members participate in Adopt-A-Highway twice a year–once in the fall and once in the spring.
Fundraising
The club’s main fundraisers are a concession stand during a football game, a concession stand during a basketball game, and the Leaf Rake Weekend in the fall. In addition, the club receives donations from members of the community and the ABE department to cover its expenses. However, additional fundraising opportunities are being explored.
Taking a break during the Leaf Rake Weekend
The weekend can be a little stressful for the Committee Chairs
Raking Leaves is fun if you make it fun!
Action Shots
Brendan at Basketball Concessions
Career Educational Programs
FFA State Convention
The Iowa FFA Leadership Conference was held in Ames, Iowa in Hilton Coliseum and the Scheman Building on Iowa State University’s campus. The club had several members assist in leading students around the campus and giving tours. They also helped to grill at the event, cooking pork loins to serve many students.
Inspection Trips and Tours
Fall Industry Trip
The club annually takes a trip to a city in the Midwest to visit agricultural industries. Typically, these industries are focused around power and machinery, animal production, food production, or land and water resources to reflect the interests of the majors in our ABE department. On September 21, 2017, 20 members of our Student Chapter headed to St. Louis, MO. On the way, members stopped to tour John Deere Ankeny Work, Tones Spices in Ankeny, and Lely in Pella. Our John Deere tour focused heavily on the Power and Machinery aspect of agricultural engineering. Tones spices focused on food production and Lely focused on animal production with robotic milking in the dairy industry. Members later headed to central Missouri and toured a cattle feeder facility. After arriving in St. Louis, members had the opportunity to tour the ever-popular Budweiser Brewery. The club also visited the St. Louis Locks and Dams, the St. Louis Museum, and enjoyed the City Museum.
Members at the St. Louis Locks and Dams.
Members at a cattle feedlot in Central Missouri. The barn was built on top of an old dirt air strip and spanned over half a mile.
Members had the opportunity to see Lely’s North American headquarters and manufacturing location in Pella, Iowa.
Just a short distance from Ames is Tone’s Spices. Members donned neon yellow coats, hairnets, and safety glasses, and headed out to the production floor.
Attendance at ASABE Meetings
Iowa State Student Chapter Meetings
The general membership gathered bi-weekly in the biorenewables complex to listen to industry speakers, faculty members, or participate in social activities within the branch.
Members during the social hour before the general business meeting
Social Hour before a general meeting
Lining up the perfect shot during Sukup Classic Mini-Golf Tournament held in place of a regular business meeting
Sukup Classic Mini-Golf Tournament held in place of a regular business meeting
Annual International Meeting
Eleven members of Iowa State University’s Student Branch attended the International Meeting in Spokane Washington in July of 2017. Several members presented research and papers, while teams of students also participated in the fountain wars and robotics competitions and networked. Results included a fourth place finish for Fountain Wars, while the robotics team’s equipment was broken during shipping.
Midwest Regional Rally
Midwest Regional Rally was hosted at Ohio State University in March of 2018. Attendees from various schools arrived on Thursday to check-in. The rally included social and networking events for members to participate in. In addition, several tour options were offered to attendees. The conference concluded on Saturday afternoon.
Attendees from all schools that attended 2018 MRR.
Members on an industry tour.
Members on an industry tour.
Social Functions
Cookouts
In order to bring students, faculty and staff of our department together, the club regualrly holds cookouts at both the first and last general meetings of the school year. The ASABE Club sponsored the cookout and grilled the food for the event. The Grillmaster and members grilled and served hamburgers to faculty, staff and students in the parking lot of the Biorenewables Complex.
Members enjoy a game of Cornhole behind the Biorenewables Comples
The grillers stay busy during the event
Grillmaster Trace
Interdepartmental Tournaments
Each fall and spring the social committee pairs with that of the Agricultural Systems Technology Club. The fall semester hosts a flag football team with the two clubs facing off. In the spring, a slow-pitch softball game is played.
Iowa Sectional Tailgate
September 24, 2016 the Student Branch was invited to socialize and network with the engineers of the Iowa Section of ASABE. The student branch was asked to grill at this event, and were compensated for the supplies and time they donated. All were invited.
WASABE
The Women in ASABE host a gathering each month, to further establish their connections and promote it within the ABE department of Iowa State University. Examples of events included cookouts, a Thanksgiving potluck, chocolate fondue for Valentine’s Day and a white elephant gift exchange.
WASABE Ladies hosted cookie decorating for Valentine’s Day
Socials
In order to bring the members of the Student Branch together, several socials are hosted throughout the year. This year they included an Olympics style tournament, two Night Out for Majors events and a social to Seven Oaks, a local ski resort.
Members at Seven Oaks Ski Social
Canoeing Social in September
Intramurals
Throughout the school year, ASABE sponsors members of the branch to be active in various intramural tournaments. In the fall semester this included broomball and volleyball teams. The spring season included ice hockey and broomball. The highlight of the year was the Women’s Hockey Team becoming intramural champs of Iowa State!
Intramural Champion Women’s Hockey Team
Branch Publications
ISU ASABE Website
The branch maintains a website for members and non-members to what the club is about. In addition to current meeting agendas, past meeting minutes can be found on the site. The page also has an updated calendar of events, announcements, photos and current events in the news related to agriculture.
Facebook Page
A Facebook page is also maintained by the branch. Members may upload photos, post ideas and network, while also serving as a quick and effective form of communication for members. There is also an extension where members may purchase and sell books required for classes relating to their majors.
Our chapter now has a twitter account through which members may maintain contact with the events of the branch.
E-Mail Server List
The secretary is responsible for maintaining the list of all email addresses of members. Through this, minutes may be emailed post-meetings, and a reminder may be sent prior to meetings and events.
Departmental Publication
A publication is emailed to all students within the Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering Department on a monthly basis highlighting recent events and publications within the department
