COLLEGE NEWS
- New agronomy head named
- Visual literacy the next brown-bag topic Jan. 23
- Deadline for harassment prevention training approaches
- Pesek forum to focus on sustainable agriculture
- Barwig to speak on livestock farmers’ energy needs
- NSF grantsmanship seminar on social/economic sciences
- Environmental Council official to speak on water policy
- Bloedel seminar on academic ethics on Feb. 12
- Schedule on-campus summer courses in the Brenton Center
- Students can study abroad in Argentina, Panama
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Disembodied voices, dominant visuals
INFOGRAZING
- More Iowa acres devoted to organic soybeans
- Upcoming deadline for soybean research proposals
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Mead on the ‘who’ of change
- Franklin on the ‘when’ of change
MARGINALIA
- Cutworm heaven, where no one cooks with cornmeal
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C O L L E G E N E W S
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NEW AGRONOMY HEAD NAMED
Steven Fales has been named the new head of the Department of Agronomy. He will begin June 1. Fales has been the head of the agronomy department at Pennsylvania State University since 1995. He is an alumnus of the University of Rhode Island and Purdue University (Ph.D.) and has been a Penn State faculty member since 1985. Fales’ areas of expertise include forage crops and grazing systems. Tom Loynachan has served as interim department head since August 1998, when Ronald Cantrell left ISU to become director general of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.
VISUAL LITERACY THE NEXT COLLEGE BROWN-BAG TOPIC JAN. 23
Lynette Pohlman, director of University Museums, will discuss visual literacy -- understanding the creation, use and impact of images and design -- at the next College of Agriculture brown bag-lunch at noon, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 142 Curtiss. Beverages and cookies will be provided.
DEADLINE FOR HARASSMENT PREVENTION TRAINING APPROACHES
All faculty, staff and grad students must participate in updated Sexual, Racial and Ethnic Harassment Prevention Training. Those who have participated in such training since fall 1999 are in compliance with this Affirmative Action requirement. Any new faculty, staff or graduate students who have completed the university's orientation program since fall 1999 also are in compliance. The Training and Development Office (4-8914) is working with departments to provide a 1-2 hour training session. Online training will be available after Feb. 1.
PESEK FORUM TO FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Sustainable agriculture is the focus of a new forum named for John Pesek, a retired ISU agronomist who helped bring worldwide attention to the issue. The John Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture will feature Pesek, a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture, as its first lecturer. The two-day forum will be held March 1-2. Pesek’s lecture, "From a Trail to a Path to Sustainable Agriculture," will be held March 1, 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Benton Auditorium, Scheman Building. A reception will follow. The second day will be held at Luther College in Decorah, where Pesek will outline the main points from his lecture, then open the floor for discussion. Both events are free and open to the public. The Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture are the main sponsors of the colloquium, along with several other ISU programs.
BARWIG TO SPEAK ON LIVESTOCK FARMERS’ ENERGY NEEDS
Floyd Barwig, director of the Iowa Energy Center, will speak on how livestock farmers will meet future energy needs at the next meeting of the Think Tank on Animal Agriculture, Monday, Jan. 22, Cardinal Room, Memorial Union. Social time begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and discussion at 7 p.m. Meal cost is $11, payable at the door. To make a reservation: Jane Linn, 4-2063.
NSF GRANTSMANSHIP SEMINAR ON SOCIAL/ECONOMIC SCIENCES
Mariann Jelinek of the National Science Foundation will present a grantsmanship seminar on NSF funding and research trends in social and economical sciences at 3 p.m., Jan. 23, 171 Durham. Jelinek is co-program director for innovation and organizational change in NSF’s Division of Social and Economic Sciences. For more information: Prem Paul, 4-6344.
ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL OFFICIAL TO SPEAK ON WATER POLICY
Susan Heathcote of the Iowa Environmental Council will speak on the council’s role in water resource policy decisions at a seminar on Monday, Jan. 22, at 4:10 p.m., 1131 National Swine Research and Information Center. Heathcote is research director for the council. The seminar is sponsored by the Iowa State Water Resources Research Institute.
BLOEDEL SEMINAR ON ACADEMIC ETHICS ON FEB. 12
James Bloedel, vice provost for research and graduate education, will present a seminar on "Academic Ethics and the Privatization of Iowa State University Funding" on Feb. 12 in 3140 Agronomy. The seminar, sponsored by the Agronomy Graduate Students Club, begins at 3:20 p.m. in 3140 Agronomy, preceded by a 3 p.m. reception. Bloedel will provide background on how the university and the college are funded and talk about donors’ expectations, potential conflicts and contractual pitfalls. For more information: Eric Hurley, 4-9602 or hurley@nstl.gov.
SCHEDULE ON-CAMPUS SUMMER COURSES IN THE BRENTON CENTER
The Brenton Center is accepting requests for scheduling summer on-campus classes and events. (Courses planned for ICN and/or videotape delivery should have been scheduled previously.) Make requests through your appropriate departmental channels. Requests must be received by Feb. 5. For more information: Ann Bugler, 4-9732 or bugler@iastate.edu.
STUDENTS CAN STUDY ABROAD IN ARGENTINA, PANAMA
Faculty and staff are encouraged to remind students about openings in study-abroad programs in Argentina and Panama. The colleges of agriculture and business are offering a course that will compare farming, handling, storage, processing, distribution and marketing of agricultural products in the United States and Argentina. The weekly class begins in February. The travel will take place May 6-20. For more information: Ebby Luvaga, 4-5795 or luvaga@iastate.edu. The seven-week Panama program, May 15 to July 10, involves a three-credit course, "Life and Culture in Panama," which will include field trips and Spanish conversation classes. Students will participate in internships based on their interests. For more information: Eduarda Becerra, 4-3972 or ebecerra@iastate.edu.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Jan. 22: Floyd Barwig, "Livestock Farmers and Future Energy Needs," Think Tank on Animal Agriculture, 6 p.m., Cardinal Room, Memorial Union.
Jan. 22: Susan Heathcote, "Iowa Environmental Council’s Role in Water Resource Policy," 4:10 p.m., 1131 National Swine Research and Information Center.
Jan. 23: Lynette Pohlman, "Visual Literacy," College of Agriculture brown-bag lunch, noon, 142 Curtiss.
Jan. 23: Mariann Jelinek, grantsmanship seminar on NSF funding for social and economical sciences, 3 p.m., 171 Durham.
Feb. 12: James Bloedel, "Academic Ethics and the Privatization of Iowa State University Funding" seminar, 3:20 p.m., 3140 Agronomy.
Feb. 28: Deadline, World Food Prize nominations, http://www.worldfoodprize.org.
March 1-2: John Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture, 3 p.m. on March 1, Benton Auditorium, Scheman Building; March 2 session at Luther College, Decorah.
March 26: Deadline, Leopold Center-supported conference/workshop proposals, 4-3711.
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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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DISEMBODIED VOICES, DOMINANT VISUALS
Visual aids have become so easy to prepare that they can dominate presentations. Management consultant Joseph Robinson suggests less is more when using PowerPoint and similar computer programs. In an article in Presentations magazine, Robinson says even the best graphics cannot compare with the eye-to-eye impact you have when you are at center stage, rather than a disembodied voice in the shadows. "Just because you put something on the screen, your audience doesn't magically understand and absorb the information. In a darkened room, you sacrifice your own visual ability to monitor the listeners’ reaction," he says. Robinson suggests winnowing out all but the half-dozen visuals that illuminate the heart of your message and keep the spotlight’s focus on you. His comments are online.
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I N F O G R A Z I N G
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MORE IOWA ACRES DEVOTED TO ORGANIC SOYBEANS
Organic soybean acres are on the rise. In 1999, 884 farms were Iowa-certified organic, for a total of 111,000 acres. An additional 40,000 acres are in transition, soon to become certified to grow organic beans. A recent Iowa trade mission to Japan emphasized to Japanese buyers and consumers the consistent quality of Iowa’s organic soybeans, non-GMO beans and conventional soybeans. "Iowans can serve all these markets," says Jim Legvold, a Vincent, Iowa, farmer. "We also are demonstrating to farmers that higher value alternatives exist, rather than simply growing commodity crops." (Wallaces Farmer, January)
UPCOMING DEADLINE FOR SOYBEAN RESEARCH PROPOSALS
Feb. 12 is the deadline for proposals for two Iowa Soybean Promotion Board RFPs. The Production Technologies Committee seeks proposals that improve soybean profitability. The Market Development Committee seeks proposals that identify focused objectives based on unmet market needs and specific, commercially viable product applications. Information and applications are available online.
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E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
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MEAD ON THE ‘WHO’ OF CHANGE
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead
FRANKLIN ON THE ‘WHEN’ OF CHANGE
"When you're finished changing, you're finished."
- Benjamin Franklin
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M A R G I N A L I A
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CUTWORM HEAVEN, WHERE NO ONE COOKS WITH CORNMEAL
From a column by garden writer Michele Driscoll Alioto in the Nov. 22 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle: "An effective and harmless weed inhibitor is old cornmeal from the cleaned-out kitchen cabinet. According to Nick Christians, professor of horticulture at Iowa State University, spreading a generous portion over your lawn or flowerbeds will prevent germination of weed grasses and add nitrogen fertilizer to the lawn. A handful of dried cornmeal spread over the garden will also get rid of cutworms. They will eat it, but because they can’t metabolize the cornmeal it will send them to cutworm heaven."
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AG ONLINE
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NEXT ISSUE: Feb. 2 DEADLINE: Jan. 31
EDITORS
Brian Meyer, bmeyer@iastate.edu, and Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
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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."
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