...................................................
AG ONLINE
...................................................
The College of Agriculture Faculty/Staff Newsletter
Iowa State University
July 7, 2000 No. 149
...................................................
C O N T E N T S
...................................................
COLLEGE NEWS
- Ross named to two-year appointment as dean
- Hallam the new chair of economics department
- Finalist named for director of Plant Sciences Institute
- July 14 deadline for distance education courses next spring
- Proposals due Aug. 18 for distance education help
- Ag mechanics event draws 28 Iowa FFA teams
- Lauren Christian Fund benefit on July 22
- See the state fair and help staff the college display
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- What makes type a challenge to read?
INFOGRAZING
- Fulbright program offers 70 awards for faculty, staff
INTERNAL VOICES
- I will survive: a flashback on a year of statistics club
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Three predictions for higher education
MARGINALIA
- Going abroad? Carry this pen and drink the water
...................................................
C O L L E G E N E W S
...................................................
ROSS NAMED TO TWO-YEAR APPOINTMENT AS DEAN
Richard Ross has been named dean of the College of Agriculture through 2002. The appointment is subject to review by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. Ross has been interim dean since February, dividing his time between the ag college and his responsibilities as dean of veterinary medicine. An interim dean for the vet med college will be appointed.
HALLAM THE NEW CHAIR OF ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT
Arne Hallam is the new chair of the Department of Economics, effective July 1. He succeeds John Miranowski who served for five and a half years. Miranowski will remain a member of the economics faculty. Hallam, a professor of economics, has been a faculty member since 1983. He has held other administrative posts in the department, including director of graduate programs, director of undergraduate programs and interim department chair.
FINALIST NAMED FOR DIRECTOR OF PLANT SCIENCES INSTITUTE
Stephen Howell, vice president for research of the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc., will be on campus July 12-14 as a finalist for the director of the Plant Sciences Institute. Howell will visit with several departments in the college. The schedule for his visit and his vita are available online.
JULY 14 DEADLINE FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSES NEXT SPRING
A reminder that the deadline is July 14 for College of Agriculture faculty to identify credit and non-credit courses that will be offered at a distance during spring semester 2001. Contact Richard Carter, 4-6950 or ricarter@iastate.edu, with courses and instructors. So far 10 courses have been set.
PROPOSALS DUE AUG. 18 FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION HELP
Proposals are due Aug. 18 for the Brenton Center’s Instructor Assistance Program for the fall semester. The program helps faculty in preparing or modifying instructional materials for use in distance education courses. For more information: Gaylan Scofield, 4-0045 or ggs@iastate.edu.
AG MECHANICS EVENT DRAWS 28 IOWA FFA TEAMS
The annual Iowa FFA Agricultural Mechanics Career Development Event was held on campus in June, organized by the agricultural & biosystems engineering department. Twenty-eight high school FFA teams participated in the event, which included demonstration of skills and problem-solving in ag machinery and equipment, energy systems, structures, environmental and natural resources, and industry and marketing systems. First place went to the team from Riceville, which will represent Iowa at the national event in Louisville, Ky., in October.
LAUREN CHRISTIAN FUND BENEFIT ON JULY 22
A golf tournament, dinner and auction on Saturday, July 22, will benefit the Lauren L. Christian Endowment. The cost is $60 a person. For those who don’t golf, the mixer and dinner cost $30. Registration is due July 20. A registration form is available from Ag Development, 4-7677, or online. For more information: Mike Telford, 4-7677.
SEE THE STATE FAIR AND HELP STAFF THE COLLEGE DISPLAY
Volunteer for the College of Agriculture exhibit at the Iowa State Fair. The fair starts on Thursday, Aug. 10 and ends Sunday, Aug. 20. Volunteers have a choice of three shifts: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Contact Marty Behrens, 4-5616 or behrens@iastate.edu.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
July 11: Rhodes Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 4:30 p.m., near Rhodes
July 12: President Jischke farewell reception, 4 to 7 p.m., Sun Room, Memorial Union
July 17: Muscatine Island Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 4 and 6:30 p.m., Fruitland
July 22: Animal Science golf scramble, auction and dinner for Lauren Christian Endowment, 1 p.m., Veenker Memorial Golf Course
.......................................................................
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
.......................................................................
WHAT MAKES TYPE A CHALLENGE TO READ?
Paula Curran, ISU associate professor of graphic design, recently spoke about typography to a group of campus communications specialists. She pointed out several common mistakes that make type difficult to read:
Lots of bold type or lots of all-capital letters
Tiny type: smaller than 8 point is too hard for readers over 40
Type size that’s too big for narrow columns
Justified type; use ragged right instead
Centered type, especially in long lines; use flush left instead
...................................................
I N F O G R A Z I N G
...................................................
FULBRIGHT PROGRAM OFFERS 70 AWARDS FOR FACULTY, STAFF
The Fulbright Scholar Program for faculty and professionals is offering more than 70 awards in education for lecturing and doing research internationally during the 2001-2002 academic year. Areas of study include higher education administration, curriculum design, social sciences, humanities, virtual and distance learning, science, math, English as a foreign language, economics, management, finance, art, philosophy, public health and psychology. Opportunities for education and research can be found around the globe. For a listing of offerings, visit http://www.iie.org/cies/.
...................................................
I N T E R N A L V O I C E S
...................................................
I WILL SURVIVE: A FLASHBACK ON A YEAR OF STATISTICS CLUB
In the May issue of the Department of Statistics newsletter, Kari Rabe, president of the graduate students club, reported on a year of club’s activities. She wrote: "When I was first approached about being the Stat-ers president, I was pretty hesitant . . . Then, almost as if I was being beckoned by the Stat-ers spirit itself, I could almost hear the disco beat of ‘I Will Survive’ resonating through the halls of Snedecor Hall . . . Through a little ‘Jive Talkin’’, [we] were able to round up a group of terrific committee members as well as to recruit new members. And the result has been that the Stat-ers have been ‘Stayin’ Alive’ in our ‘Funkytown’ of Ames . . . So it was a busy year, but ‘That’s the Way (uh-huh, uh-huh), I Like It.’ Thanks to all of the committee members for their ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ attitude toward Stat-ers."
...................................................
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
...................................................
THREE PREDICTIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
From "16 Predictions for Higher Education," an article by Samuel L. Dunn in the March-April issue of The Futurist:
- By 2005 there will be "killer" courseware applications covering the 25 college courses that enroll 50 percent of all credits.
- Consortia of colleges, universities and other kinds of institutions will increasingly band together to produce and deliver courses for students in their member institutions. Many of these consortia will seek their own accreditation and approval.
- Distinctions between and among public and private, for-profit and nonprofit institutions of higher education will largely disappear.
...................................................
M A R G I N A L I A
...................................................
GOING ABROAD? CARRY THIS PEN AND DRINK THE WATER
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have developed a battery-operated "pen" device that can decontaminate drinking water, eliminating the need for chemical disinfectants or lengthy boiling to purify water. You unscrew the pen’s cap to remove a salt pellet, drop it into the cartridge, screw the top back on, shake it and wait until the whole thing stops vibrating. The device generates mixed oxidants, including chlorine, from a sodium chloride salt pellet, and the result is a solution that can disinfect about a liter of water. The treated water has no chlorine smell or taste, say the researchers, and is free of bacteria, viruses and cryptosporidium. (Reuters/Wired.com, May 25)
........................................................
AG ONLINE
........................................................
NEXT ISSUE: July 21 DEADLINE: July 19
EDITORS
Brian Meyer, bmeyer@iastate.edu, and Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
SUBSCRIBE
Ag Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture, is e-mailed every other Friday. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag Online subscribe" to bmeyer@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe, send "Ag Online unsubscribe."
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 318 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.