COLLEGE NEWS
- Second national honor for ISU buffer project
- Cuban policy-makers to discuss ag trade on July 15
- Hayes named Pioneer chair in agribusiness
- 1890 land-grant meeting ends; ISU alum attends
- Regents to consider animal science, bioinformatics items
- Slight rise in summer enrollment in college
- Bulgarian delegation learns about GMOs
- Music in the gardens on July 16
- Still a need for volunteers at State Fair
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Face-to-face meetings may help team results
INFOGRAZING
- U.S. patent database up and running
INTERNAL VOICES
- Environmental leaders on the golf course
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Farmers not alone in wanting farm-conserving policy
MARGINALIA
- I scream, you scream, we all scream for garlic ice cream
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C O L L E G E N E W S
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SECOND NATIONAL HONOR FOR ISU BUFFER PROJECT
An ISU project has received a national designation as a model for restoring stream corridors and improving water quality. The Bear Creek Watershed Project was one of 12 projects nationwide selected to be a "National Restoration Demonstration Watershed" under the Clean Water Action Plan, a program by nine federal agencies to revitalize the nation’s commitment for clean, safe water. The projects will be demonstration areas that showcase the application of technology to restore stream corridors and to improve environment, water quality and community. This is the project’s second national honor in the past year. In 1998 the Bear Creek project was designated a national research and demonstration area by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The project, begun in 1990, now covers five miles of Bear Creek near Roland. The Agroecology Issue Team of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, a multidisciplinary group, manages the project. Cooperators include local landowners and farmers, USDA, EPA, Pheasants Forever and Trees Forever.
CUBAN POLICY-MAKERS TO DISCUSS AG TRADE ON JULY 15
Two key policy-makers from Cuba will discuss "Cuba's Agricultural Trade Policy: Trends and Projections" in a seminar hosted by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development on Thursday, July 15. Presenters are Maria de la Luz B'Hammel, director of trade policy for North America in the Cuba Ministry of Foreign Trade, and Igor Montero Brito, chief commodity buyer for Cuba's state trading agency. They will review Cuba’s ag trade policy objectives in the next round of World Trade Organization negotations, and discuss possible trade opportunities with the United States, were sanctions to be lifted. The seminar will be from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m., 1951 Food Sciences. A short reception will follow. Reservations aren’t necessary. For more information: Keith Heffernan, 4-0670 or kheffer@iastate.edu.
HAYES NAMED PIONEER CHAIR IN AGRIBUSINESS
Dermot Hayes, professor of economics, has been named to the Pioneer Hi-Bred International Chair in Agribusiness in the College of Business. The endowed chair, founded in 1985, had been held by Max Wortman, distinguished professor of management, who will continue his faculty duties. Hayes, a faculty member since 1986, conducts research on international agricultural trade, especially trade involving meat products. He will continue his faculty position in economics in addition to his new duties as a professor of finance. In his new position, Hayes will teach and conduct research of relevance to agribusiness firms, in particular the seed industry.
1890 LAND-GRANT MEETING ENDS; ISU ALUM ATTENDS
The summer meeting of the Association of Research Directors wraps up today (Friday). The research leaders from the 17 historically black land-grant (1890) colleges spent the week at ISU, conducting business and touring ISU and Iowa sites. This was the first time the group had met on a campus that wasn’t one of their own. One of the attendees is Willie Rawls, associate director of research and professor of agricultural education at Southern University, Baton Rouge. Rawls received his Ph.D. in ag education from ISU in 1978. Rawls visited with faculty and staff in the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies on Thursday.
REGENTS TO CONSIDER ANIMAL SCIENCE, BIOINFORMATICS ITEMS
At the next meeting of the Iowa Board of Regents, July 14-15, two items on the agenda are the restructuring of animal science graduate majors from seven to five, and the development of a new interdepartmental graduate major in bioinformatics and computational biology.
SLIGHT RISE IN SUMMER ENROLLMENT IN COLLEGE
Summer enrollment in the College of Agriculture is 1,020 students, 20 more than last summer. This summer there are 486 undergraduate and 534 graduate students, compared to 480 undergraduate and 520 graduate a year ago. Total summer enrollment at ISU is 8,891, an increase of 51 from last summer.
BULGARIAN DELEGATION LEARNS ABOUT GMOS
A delegation from Bulgaria visited ISU last week to learn more about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The members of the delegation are involved in approving GMO seed for sale in Bulgaria. They visited with several ISU officials, including Colin Scanes, executive associate dean, and Bruce Babcock, head of CARD. The delegation’s visit was hosted by Monsanto.
MUSIC IN THE GARDENS ON JULY 16
Don’t forget Jazz in July at the Reiman Gardens on Friday, July 16. The Ames Jazz Quartet will perform from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Cost is $5. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Reiman Gardens or at the door. Bring lawn chairs or blankets and stay for fireworks from the Iowa Games opening ceremony at Jack Trice Stadium. The event is sponsored by the Co-Horts, the gardens volunteer group.
STILL A NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS AT THE STATE FAIR
Help staff the College of Agriculture’s exhibit at the Iowa State Fair, Aug. 12-22. Contact Marty Behrens, 4-5616 or behrens@iastate.edu.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
July 6-9: Association of Research Directors (1890 colleges) summer meeting.
July 12: Proposal deadline, Leopold Center conference/workshop support, 4-3711.
July 16: Jazz in July, Reiman Gardens, 6:30 p.m.
July 22-24: Leadership for Higher Education in Agriculture Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Aug. 12-22: Iowa State Fair.
Aug. 23: College of Agriculture fall convocation, Sun Room, 4 p.m.
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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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FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS MAY HELP TEAM RESULTS
If you have a work team that can avoid meeting electronically, the results may be better, according to recent research. University of Dayton psychology professor Ken Graetz found that people make much better decisions as a group when they're able to meet face-to-face rather than electronically. Graetz discourages electronic chat or teleconferencing for "multiparty decision-making that involves moderate to large amounts of information exchange."
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I N F O G R A Z I N G
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U.S. PATENT DATABASE UP AND RUNNING
Online searches are a popular feature of the U.S. Commerce Department's Internet database, containing text and images of 2 million patents and more than a million registered and pending trademarks. There also is information on submitting for patents and trademarks. The database can be found at: http://www.uspto.gov
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I N T E R N A L V O I C E S
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ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS ON THE GOLF COURSE
Anne Larson, senior in horticulture and a staff writer with the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, has won first place in a national student essay contest sponsored by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. (Another ISU student, Aaron Patton, placed third.) Larson’s essay will appear next January in the association’s magazine, Golf Course Management. Here’s an excerpt: "Public sensitivity to surface water and groundwater pollution is at an all-time high and intensively managed settings such as golf courses and farms are frequent targets of criticism. . . . Taking a leadership role as an ecosystem manager and educator offers a number of golden opportunities for the golf course superintendent. . . . As communities continue to grow, governmental and business leaders want to be able to assure new residents of a high quality of life. Minimizing the off-site impacts of golf course management while providing valuable soil erosion control and wildlife habitat is just one piece of the mix that can prove to be a valuable community asset. . . . What might be seen as potential environmental threats are indeed opportunities for gaining credibility with club members and the community while truly making a difference for the environment."
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E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
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FARMERS NOT ALONE IN WANTING FARM-CONSERVING POLICY
From an opinion piece written by farmer and writer Wendell Berry in the July 6 New York Times: "I don’t think that ‘Get big or get out’ and ‘Adapt or die’ are appropriate government policies [for agriculture]. I cannot see why a healthful, dependable, ecologically sound farm-and-farmer-conserving agricultural economy is not a primary goal of this country. I know that I am not alone, and that farmers are not alone, in wishing to see such a policy. A rapidly increasing number of urban consumers also wish to see it. Any politicians who now think that only farmers care about farming or have an interest in it are wrong. They will have to think again."
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M A R G I N A L I A
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I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR GARLIC ICE CREAM
More ice cream is consumed in July than in any other month, and most of it is still vanilla, according to the International Ice Cream Association. But in New York City, the heat makes people do weird things to ice cream. This summer restaurants are serving ice cream and sorbet that include flavors of corn, hot pepper, cactus pear, fig, herb, beet, cucumber, beer, curry and garlic. (The garlic ice cream contains Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces.) H.L. Mencken once denounced ice cream for "leading the younger generation from the straight and narrow path of spinach." But Mencken could not have anticipated one restaurant’s garden mint flavor, which gets its green color from . . . spinach. (New York Times, June 30)