COLLEGE NEWS
- Name change for biochemistry & biophysics
- Proposals sought for teaching in ICN classrooms
- Become a Visiting Professor
- State Fair orientation on Aug. 6
- Ensminger, noted animal scientist, dies July 5
- Ag alumni weekend coming in September
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- ISU helping Russia develop ag communications
- Agreement strengthens ties with Russian communicators
INFOGRAZING
- AGRICOLA database now on Web
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Intellectual property rights in academia
MARGINALIA
- 100 issues of Ag Online: Take one down, pass it around . . .
- Is it Ag Online or Ag On-line?
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C O L L E G E N E W S
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NAME CHANGE FOR BIOCHEMISTRY & BIOPHYSICS
At its July meeting, the Board of Regents approved a name change for the biochemistry and biophysics department. It’s now known as the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.
PROPOSALS SOUGHT FOR TEACHING IN ICN CLASSROOMS
The Brenton Center has received a grant from Extended and Continuing Education to help ag faculty enhance or develop materials for use in the ICN/multimedia classrooms. Proposals are due by Aug. 10. A maximum of eight will be selected for the fall semester. In December, the project will seek another eight for spring semester. For more information: Gaylan Scofield, 4-0045 or ggs@iastate.edu.
BECOME A VISITING PROFESSOR
The college’s Visiting Professor Program Enrichment Lecture Series will be offered again for 1998-99. Since 1990, this popular program has provided College of Agriculture expertise for Iowa high school classes. If you haven’t participated, or want to participate again, you’re encouraged to do so. The college pays expenses. To be included, choose the topic you would present, prepare a catchy description about it for the program that is sent to high schools, and forward to Norma Hensley, 4-6614 or nhensley@iastate.edu.
STATE FAIR ORIENTATION ON AUG. 6
An orientation session for people who have volunteered to work at the ISU College of Agriculture exhibit at the Iowa State Fair will be held Thursday, Aug. 6, 8:30 - 9:30 a.m., in 15 Curtiss. Refreshments will be served, and admission and parking tickets distributed. Workers also will receive a Gear for Sports polo shirt in their choice of red or navy. Volunteers can come anytime during the one-hour orientation, with general announcements at 9 a.m. An e-mail reminder will be sent to volunteers. Tickets, shirts and information will be delivered to people unable to attend. For more information: Susan Thompson, 4-0705, or sander@iastate.edu.
ENSMINGER, NOTED ANIMAL SCIENTIST, DIES JULY 5
M.E. "Gene" Ensminger died July 5 in Clovis, CA. He was 90. In 1996, ISU awarded Ensminger an honorary doctorate of humane letters to recognize his lifelong achievements in animal science, education and international agriculture. In recent years, he teamed with College of Agriculture officials to conduct agricultural technology schools in Russia, Ukraine and Cuba. Another school is planned in China this fall. Also this fall, the animal science department will dedicate the Ensminger International Room in the new addition to Kildee Hall and the Meats Lab. The meeting room will be an archive for many of Ensminger’s papers, memorabilia and collected works of art.
AG ALUMNI WEEKEND COMING IN SEPTEMBER
The college will host ISU ag alumni Sept. 4-5 for a weekend that includes departmental open houses, campus tours and opportunities to socialize. The weekend begins with a golf tournament at Veenker Golf Course, followed by a get-together at the Memorial Union. Open houses, tours, alumni awards and a brunch are among the activities that precede the football game on Sept. 5. A schedule and registration forms are online.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Aug 6: State Fair orientation, 15 Curtiss, 8:30 a.m.
Aug. 13-23: Iowa State Fair.
Aug. 27: College of Agriculture Convocation, Sun Room, 4 p.m.
Sept. 4: "Agricultural Contracts: Freedom or Restraint?", Fall Agricultural Policy Conference, Scheman Bldg., 4-6257.
Sept. 4-5: Ag Alumni Weekend.
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C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
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ISU HELPING RUSSIA DEVELOP AG COMMUNICATIONS
One offshoot from the college’s research agreements with Russia in the 1980s has been work to establish a Russian agricultural extension system. A key component is communications. ISU is the only institution working on the communications part of the fledgling Russian extension system. The colleges of agriculture and liberal arts and sciences have provided coordination and support for recent ag communications training in Russia by journalism professor Eric Abbott and graduate student (and former College of Agriculture media production coordinator) Allan Schmidt. The College of Agriculture continues to work with Russian faculty to link academics with research, then link those with extension. As part of the World Bank project, the college has hosted Russian faculty. ISU ag faculty also have visited Russia to relate their extension activities.
AGREEMENT STRENGTHENS TIES WITH RUSSIAN COMMUNICATORS
One step in strengthening ties between ag communicators in Russia and America came at last week’s annual international meeting of Agricultural Communicators in Education (ACE) in Pacific Grove, CA. ISU’s Eric Abbott, Allan Schmidt and Elena Polouchkina arranged for the deputy director of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture’s Press Video Center to attend the meeting. An agreement was developed with ACE that will facilitate cooperation between Russia’s ag communicators and those at institutions around the U.S. and the world. ISU is taking a lead role. In September, a group of Russian managers will arrive to work with Craig Tordsen, agronomy, and others on campus to learn more about computer databases and information technology.
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I N F O G R A Z I N G
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AGRICOLA DATABASE NOW ON THE WEB
The National Agricultural Library (NAL) is now providing World Wide Web access to its AGRICOLA database. AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access) is a database of bibliographic records created by the NAL and its cooperators. The web version has two parts that need to be searched separately: articles (journal article citations) and books (books, journals, audiovisual materials, etc.).
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E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN ACADEMIA
M.M. Scott of Indiana University, writing on concerns about corporate and university ownership of intellectual property rights in the May/June issue of Academe: "Scholars have noted that outside restrictions on research not only inflict damage on the traditional academic values of intellectual openness and autonomy, but they also create conflicts of interest, distort the focus of research, hurt faculty productivity and increase the split between the haves and the have-nots."
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M A R G I N A L I A
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100 ISSUES OF AG ONLINE: TAKE ONE DOWN, PASS IT AROUND . . .
Ninety-nine issues ago, on Sept. 2, 1994, the first Ag Online was e-mailed to College of Agriculture department and center leaders for distribution to faculty and staff. Today, Ag Online is e-mailed directly to 490 subscribers. Most are college faculty and staff, but there also are subscribers in Rock Rapids, IA, Cali, Colombia, and on an Israeli kibbutz. Your comments are always welcome. E-mail Brian Meyer, bmeyer@iastate.edu, or Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu.
IS IT AG ONLINE OR AG ON-LINE?
Last week, at a grammar scrum during the Agricultural Communications in Education meeting in Pacific Grove, CA, we learned that "online" is the recommended spelling, according to the latest edition of the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. But if you use the Gregg Reference Manual, "on-line" is recommended. We use the AP Stylebook here. (Aside: Both AP and Gregg recommend "off-line.")