Over the past 20 years, our geopolitical landscape has been radically transformed. Global Engagement by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences also has been transformed to keep pace with this new reality. When the Cold War, ended, the college was uniquely positioned to help with the massive economic transitions occurring in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Our faculty, alumni and industry partners trained a new generation of managers and policymakers to meet the challenges of modern agriculture sector.

Iowa State University animal scientists provide the leadership for a series of international animal science conferences known as Ensminger Schools. The most recent conference in Spain in May 2010, organized by Iowa State University and the University of Lleida, brought together 150 people from 16 countries to discuss the future of animal production.

Laurie Hueneke Martens has many tools in her arsenal, but her weapon of choice is science. As director of international trade policy, sanitary and technical issues for the National Pork Producers Council, Martens' (01 animal science and international agriculture) mission is to knock down barriers to trade. When the H1N1 flu virus hit hard last winter, it was Martens who sat down with foreign trade liaisons and negotiated reopening trade with countries that had banned U.S. pork.

The "Dirt Warriors" landed on Afghan soils in July ready to help rebuild the agricultural infrastructure and increase capacity of agricultural systems in the Kunar province. The 60 members of the Iowa National Guard 734th Agri-Business Development Team (ADT) coined their own nickname. The Iowa Army and Air National Guard members are also livestock and crop producers, veterinarians, agronomists, engineers, foresters, marketers and agri-business professionals. Their first order of business was to become familiar with Kunar province land, farmers, agricultural professionals and government officials. ADT senior officers focused on building relationships and learning how the Afghans see their agricultural needs. Such conversations and assessments gave the team solid footing for developing practical, sustainable initiatives to implement relatively quickly.

As a volunteer manager for Peace Corps in Honduras, Alejandrina Carrasco looks at her job as a way to bring two cultures together for a common good. "The Peace Corps has a beautiful mission to provide technical assistance to countries that require support. It's a cultural exchange- volunteers come to share American culture and learn about Honduran culture," she says. Carrasco ('01 PhD agricultural education) is the manager of the Peace Corps municipal development project in her native country. She serves as liaison to the Government of Honduras to determine their interests, needs and potential for cooperation. It is her job to ensure her volunteers' efforts are consistent with those of the government and Peace Corps philosophy. She oversees 35 volunteers in the field, develops training and evaluates programming for the volunteers.