ISU Rising Star Internship

Ahhhh … now we know why we have our presentations here.

Today in Ames history: On August 7, 1890, construction began on Morrill Hall. It was named for Sen. Justin Morrill, who created the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act. The building was completed in 1891 at a cost of around $30,000.

Morrill was originally constructed to fill the capacity of a library, museum, and chapel. These original uses are engraved in the exterior stonework on the east side.

The building was vacated in 1996 when it was deemed unsafe. In 2007, Morrill Hall reopened after $9 million was raised to renovate the building. The building now houses the Christian Petersen Art Museum, once again fulfilling one of the original uses for the building.

This photo shows Morrill with the Dinkey in front of it, around 1900. Farwell T. Brown Photographic Archive, Ames Public Library.

On July 10 we attended the Hotel Winifred ‘Vision Northwood’ Iowa Economic Development Meeting with Debby Durham
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

This week has been one of my favorite moments of the summer so far. As part of my continued work with urban agriculture in Linn County, I spent time visiting three different community gardens around the area. Each garden offered its own unique atmosphere, purpose, and impact—but all shared the same mission: bringing fresh, healthy food to the people who need it most. These visits reminded me that gardens are more than just places to grow vegetables. They are places of hope, connection, and empowerment. I spoke with volunteers, peeked into pollinator beds, and walked through rows of tomatoes, squash, and greens, all carefully cared for by people who believe in the power of growing food locally.
Read about each of the Gardens in our Rising Star blog ⬇️
https://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/risingstar/

⭐️Taylor and Natalie⭐️ are set up at Central Gardens today from 9-12🪴