COLLEGE NEWS
- President Geoffroy to visit college on Sept. 18
- Reminder: College convocation on Sept. 6
- Jolly to help station assess stakeholder issues
- College receives ISU grant to recruit minority students
- Sign up for Project LEA/RN workshop this fall
- Thirty ag students in entrepreneurial studies minor
- College to explore projects with university in Peru
- FSHN plans nutrition study-abroad course in Peru
- Chinese delegation studies ag markets at ISU
- USDA Cochran Fellows learn about plant biotechnology
- Participants needed for beginning Spanish class
- Plaque installed honoring ag engineering landmark
- Pierre lecturer William Jury adds seminar on Sept. 13
- Niche and value-added markets for pork producers
- Weekly sustainable ag colloquium begins on Sept. 10
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Need a place to meet in downtown Des Moines?
INFOGRAZING
- College’s departments award 551 scholarships
- Speaker Sept. 5 on consumers and ag biotechnology
- Sunday hours extended at Reiman Gardens
- 2001 World Food Prize goes to Danish economist
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Stauber outlines four strategies for rural America
- Stauber on rural areas and the information superhighway
MARGINALIA
- Headline writers get whiff of catnip story, have heyday
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COLLEGE NEWS
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PRESIDENT GEOFFROY TO VISIT COLLEGE ON SEPT. 18
Iowa State University's new president will make a get-acquainted visit to the College of Agriculture during the afternoon of Sept. 18. The schedule still is being developed, but will include a session to which all faculty and staff will be invited. That session is likely to be held at 4 p.m.
REMINDER: COLLEGE CONVOCATION ON SEPT. 6
At the College of Agriculture’s convocation on Thursday, Sept. 6, new faculty will be introduced. Also, a draft of guidelines for restructuring. developed by a college committee, will be distributed. Refreshments will begin at 3:30 p.m. and the program at 4 p.m. in the Sun Room, Memorial Union.
JOLLY TO HELP STATION ASSESS STAKEHOLDER ISSUES
Bob Jolly, professor of economics, has taken on a special assignment in the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. Jolly will work with administrators, faculty and staff on assessing the station’s stakeholder relationships and service to constituencies. The goal is to identify, support and improve processes important to good stakeholder relationships. Contact Jolly, 4-6267 or rjolly@iastate, with your ideas and observations.
COLLEGE RECEIVES ISU GRANT TO RECRUIT MINORITY STUDENTS
The college’s Office of Minority Programs has received a $2,710 ISU recruitment and retention grant that will be used to visit high schools to discuss career opportunities in agriculture and natural resources. The project was one of 12 that received $30,000 from the P&S Council. The President’s Office provides the funds. In the project, college staff and MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences) students will visit schools in Iowa and Illinois. Minority undergraduates and graduate students will serve as peer mentors to incoming students contacted through the program. Visits will begin this fall and run through January.
SIGN UP FOR PROJECT LEA/RN WORKSHOP THIS FALL
Sept. 7 is the deadline to sign up for an introductory Project LEA/RN workshop. The workshop, for those interested in expanding their learning-centered approach to teaching, will meet on four Friday evenings (5:30 to 8:30 p.m.) and the following Saturday mornings (8 a.m. to noon) throughout the semester. The first session is Sept. 21-22. Materials, meals and breaks are free. For more information: Steve Jungst, 4-1587 or sejungst@iastate.edu. To enroll, Sherri Larson, 4-0598 or selarson@iastate.edu.
THIRTY AG STUDENTS IN ENTREPRENEURIAL STUDIES MINOR
This semester 30 agriculture students are pursuing a minor in entrepreneurial studies. The minor’s goal is to educate non-business students on starting new business ventures. This fall, Paula Teig, the college’s recruitment coordinator, is teaching an online course (Management 310) on entrepreneurship and innovation. Half of the course’s 24 students are agriculture students.
COLLEGE TO EXPLORE PROJECTS WITH UNIVERSITY IN PERU
The College of Agriculture and a Peruvian university will explore the development of joint educational and research projects. A memorandum of understanding was signed this week by Dean Richard Ross and Saul Fernandez-Baca Aquirre, dean of veterinary medicine and animal science at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru. The result may be faculty and student exchanges and collaborative programs.
FSHN PLANS NUTRITION STUDY-ABROAD COURSE IN PERU
Next June, the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition will offer a USDA-funded, four-week undergraduate summer course in Peru. The program is designed for junior and senior life-science students. The international nutrition course will be taught at the Instituto de Investigación Nutricional (Nutrition Research Institute) in Lima. The institute is a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research and Training in Child Nutrition and Infant Feeding. It conducts research in maternal and child health and nutrition, and does large-scale vaccine trials. Application deadline is Jan. 11. For more information: Grace Marquis, 4-9231, or Mary Jane Oakland, 4-2536.
CHINESE DELEGATION STUDIES AG MARKETS AT ISU
A team of Chinese officials visited campus this week to learn more about ISU’s agricultural market outlook and policy analysis services. The Agricultural Outlook Publication Team included economists and editors from China's Information Center and Ministry of Agriculture. The group met with economists and market analysts in the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development and its affiliate, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. The Midwest Agribusiness Trade Research and Information Center organized the visit, which was sponsored by the USDA and China’s Ministry of Agriculture.
USDA COCHRAN FELLOWS LEARN ABOUT PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY
A group of 22 scientists and journalists from nine countries visited ISU this week to learn more about plant biotechnology. ISU faculty and staff presented information on economic, regulatory, scientific and ethical issues. The visit was sponsored by USDA’s Cochran Fellowship Program, which provides funds to train agriculturalists from around the world. The group also visited farms, businesses and agricultural groups. Reva Bhushan, Seed Science Center, coordinated the program. The participants were from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Bangladesh.
PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR BEGINNING SPANISH CLASS
The college is organizing a beginning Spanish class for faculty and staff. If enough people sign up, the class will be offered twice a week for eight weeks, meeting each time at 4:30 p.m. for an hour and a half. The cost will be $50. Classes begin the week of Sept. 17. For more information or to register: Eduarda Becerra, 4-3972 or ebecerra@iastate.edu.
PLAQUE INSTALLED HONORING AG ENGINEERING LANDMARK
A plaque commemorating an agricultural engineering landmark has been installed in the Davidson Hall lobby. Earlier this year the American Society of Agricultural Engineering (ASAE) named ISU an historical landmark for its 1940s research on the development of mechanical grain aeration. In 1976 Davidson Hall itself was named an ASAE historic landmark in honor of J. Brownlee Davidson, ASAE founder and first president.
PIERRE LECTURER WILLIAM JURY ADDS SEMINAR ON SEPT. 13
William Jury, distinguished professor of soil physics at the University of California at Riverside, will speak on "The Emerging Global Water Crisis" at the 2001 Pierre Lecture in Soil Science, 4:10 p.m., Sept. 12, in 2050 Agronomy. Also, Jury will give a presentation at 11 a.m., Sept. 13, on "Why Methyl Bromide Shouldn't Be Banned" in 3140 Agronomy. For more information: Michael Thompson, 4-2415.
NICHE AND VALUE-ADDED MARKETS FOR PORK PRODUCERS
An ISU conference will focus on challenges and opportunities for providing differentiated pork products to consumers. "Niche and Value-added Marketing: What's in it for You?" will be held Sept. 18 in the Scheman Building. The seminar is organized by the Iowa Pork Industry Center and the Leopold Center.
WEEKLY SUSTAINABLE AG COLLOQUIUM BEGINS ON SEPT. 10
The Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture is a weekly seminar this fall for graduate students in the sustainable agriculture program and others interested in the future of agriculture and the food system. The seminars will be held on Mondays, 12:10 to 1:15 p.m., in the Ensminger Conference Room, Kildee Hall. The first one will be held Sept. 10. A schedule of topics and speakers is available online.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Sept. 6: Orientation, Teaching-Extension Grant Writers Program, E105 Lagomarcino, 9 a.m., 4-8493.
Sept. 6: College of Agriculture Fall Convocation, Sun Room, Memorial Union, reception at 3:30 p.m., program at 4 p.m.
Sept. 7: Deadline, Project LEA/RN Workshop sign-up, 4-0598.
Sept. 12: "The Emerging Global Water Crisis," William Jury, 2001 Pierre Lecture in Soil Science, 2050 Agronomy, 4:10 p.m.
Sept. 13-16: "Tissue Remodeling," Growth Factor and Signal Transduction Conference, Scheman, 4-7978.
Sept. 15: Deadline, American Royal Scholarship Program, 4-6614.
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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NEED A PLACE TO MEET IN DOWNTOWN DES MOINES?
Consider Iowa State's Learning Connection. The colleges of agriculture and veterinary medicine share a room at the center. It’s equipped with a white board, table and four chairs. The room is available at no cost, as are three small conference rooms and a reception area. An overhead projector, LCD projector, slide projector, portable screen/white board and an easel also are available free. Discounted rates are charged for two training rooms (space for 40 and 48 people) with computers, fax machines, speaker telephones, VCRs and televisions. To schedule the rooms: Dee Sonnenburg, (515) 471-6850 or dsonneb@iastate.edu, or reserve online. The Learning Connection is located on the second floor of the Partnership Building, Locust Center (across from the Des Moines Marriott), at the corner of Locust and Seventh streets. A parking ramp is connected to the building, which is on the skywalk system.
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INFOGRAZING
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COLLEGE’S DEPARTMENTS AWARD 551 SCHOLARSHIPS
During the past year, departments in the College of Agriculture awarded 551 scholarships totaling $453,870. The awards went to a mix of undergraduates, graduate students and transfer students. Scholarships also are awarded by the college. For 2000-2001, the College of Agriculture awarded 342 scholarships totaling almost $440,000.
SPEAKER SEPT. 5 ON CONSUMERS AND AG BIOTECHNOLOGY
Gregory Jaffe, co-director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s Biotechnology Project, will speak on "Resolving the Food Fight: Consumer Perspective on Agricultural Biotechnology" at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 5, in 171-179 Scheman. The speech is sponsored by the Graduate Student Organization of Plant Physiologists in the Interdepartmental Plant Physiology Program.
SUNDAY HOURS EXTENDED AT REIMAN GARDENS
Beginning Sept. 1 and continuing through November, the Reiman Gardens will open at 9 a.m. on Sundays. The Gardens had opened at noon but the change was made in response to visitor requests. Fall hours will be Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday-Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Thursday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Members of the CoHorts, the Gardens' member organization, have extra hours to visit the Gardens, from 7 to 9 a.m. Monday-Thursday.
2001 WORLD FOOD PRIZE GOES TO DANISH ECONOMIST
On Monday, the World Food Prize Foundation announced its 2001 laureate: Per Pinstrup-Andersen, director-general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C. Pinstrup-Andersen, a citizen of Denmark, receives the $250,000 award for his efforts in helping world leaders change food policies to improve food security in developing countries. The prize will be awarded in an Oct. 18 ceremony at the Des Moines Civic Center. ISU faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. For more information: http://worldfoodprize.org/.
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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STAUBER OUTLINES FOUR STRATEGIES FOR RURAL AMERICA
Karl Stauber, president of the Northwest Area Foundation, spoke at the Rural Summit held this week at the Scheman Building. He outlined four strategies for rural America’s future: rely less on commodities; invest in communities, not sectors; get communities to think regionally to build a competitive advantage; and encourage entrepreneurism. Stauber is looking for brief stories on successful rural community projects and what made them successful. Contact him at: kns@nwaf.org.
STAUBER ON RURAL AREAS AND THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY
"For rural communities, the coming of the information superhighway is like the railroads. Railroads created wealth primarily for their owners, not for communities. What railroads did was to create opportunity. The information superhighway can do the same thing. Rural areas have got to pull it in, then figure out how to turn the opportunity into wealth. My concern is that communities will spend all their time and energy getting it there, then they won’t know what to do with it. If the train just shows up, it doesn’t do the community much good." Karl Stauber, speaking at the Rural Summit this week.
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MARGINALIA
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HEADLINE WRITERS GET WHIFF OF CATNIP STORY, HAVE HEYDAY
Joel Coats, chair of the entomology department, received a lot of media attention this week for his research on catnip-based mosquito repellent, which he presented at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting in Chicago (see news release). Here are examples of newspaper headlines on the story:
"Get catnip and say hello kitty, goodbye mosquito," Los Angeles Times
"Catnip may make mosquitoes buzz off; while cats love it, mosquitoes hate it, two researchers say," Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"Catnip might work as a mosquito repellent, but will it draw cats instead?," Associated Press
"A drop of catnip has mosquitoes on the run," The Daily Telegraph (London)
"Mosquitoes get no buzz from catnip," Toronto Sun
"Plant may be cat’s miaow when it comes to putting the bite on mossie problem," The Herald (Glasgow)
"Mosquitoes’ new foe: Catnip purring with promise as repellent," Houston Chronicle
"Catnipped skeeters," Hartford Courant
"Kitties love catnip, but mosquitoes appear to hate it," Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
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AG ONLINE
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NEXT ISSUE: Aug. 31 DEADLINE: Aug. 29
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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