................................................... COLLEGE NEWS ................................................... NEW STUDENT BARBECUE OPEN TO FACULTY AND STAFF Faculty and staff are invited to welcome new College students at the annual Freshman/Transfer Barbecue Thursday, Sept. 1. College administration and the Agricultural Student Council host the barbecue. It will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Kildee Hall Livestock Pavilion. Student organizations in the College will inform students about opportunities they have to offer. The barbecue is free for new students and $3 for others. U.S. NEWS STORY ABOUT THE COLLEGE ON THE WEB A Web link is available for the story about the College in U.S. News & World Report College Guide. The College of Agriculture and its students shine in "Ag School Confidential," a feature about the modern face of agriculture education, in U.S. News and World Report's "Best Colleges" issue.You can read the article online. AGCOMM ORIENTATION WORKSHOP ON SEPT. 7 New faculty and instructors are invited to the Sept. 7 AgComm workshop for an orientation on the program and ISUComm. The session will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in Room 8 Curtiss Hall. AgComm Co-directors Robert Martin, agricultural education and studies, and Rebecca Burnett, English, will lead the workshop. Don Payne, director of ISUComm, will give an overview of the university-wide effort. Pizza and pop will be available. RSVP by Sept. 6 to Cheryl Abrams, 4-5872 or cabrams@iastate.edu. GROWMARK HONORS GAUL FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE Mike Gaul, director of the College of Agriculture Career Services, was presented the 2005 Friend of GROWMARK Award Aug. 26 at its annual meeting in Chicago. The award cited Gaul’s outstanding service in linking students with the agricultural industry. HARMON TO PRESENT AT FUTURE TRENDS IN ANIMAL AG SYMPOSIUM Jay Harmon, agricultural and biosystems engineering, will be a featured speaker on farm animal welfare at a Sept. 21 Future Trends in Animal Agriculture Symposium in Washington, D.C. The goal of the program, "Certification and Education Programs: Current Status of Farm Animal Welfare," is to help ensure that USDA personnel and policy-makers, animal advocates, staffers and the public have a better understanding of the current status and implications of certification programs and educational initiatives. In the symposium's section on educational programs, Harmon will speak on an alternative swine housing educational package. The Future Trends in Animal Agriculture committee fosters balanced and enlightened public dialogue on topics related to the nature and future of animal agriculture. For more information: Richard Reynnells, National Program Leader, Animal Production Systems, USDA/CSREES, rreynnells@csrees.usda.gov. ISU RECEIVES $3 MILLION GRANT FOR BIOINFORMATICS The National Science Foundation has awarded Iowa State a $3 million grant for graduate studies in computational molecular biology. The five-year grant will support continuing growth in bioinformatics and computational biology at Iowa State. The NSF grant was awarded to a faculty team led by Daniel Voytas, professor of genetics development and cell biology. ISU RESEARCH SUGGESTS NEW CROP OPTION FOR IOWA Iowa crop producers are getting ready to harvest this year's corn and soybeans. But Lance Gibson, associate professor of agronomy, suggests they consider some fall planting, as well. "Triticale provides valuable soil conservation and nitrogen capture benefits in fall and spring," said Gibson, who coordinated four years of research on triticale by a multidisciplinary team. ISU SEMINARS OFFERED ON FARM BUSINESS AND TAX ISSUES Iowa State will offer two seminars for professionals who serve the owners and operators of Iowa's farm businesses. The Farm Estate and Business Planning Seminar will be Sept. 15. The 22nd annual Iowa Real Estate and Insurance Seminar will be Sept. 22. Roger McEowen, associate professor of agricultural law and policy in ISU's Department of Agricultural Education and Studies, will conduct both seminars. ISU RETURNS TO THE 2005 IOWA FARM AND FIELD FEST Iowa State is returning to its hoop building at the 2005 Iowa Farm and Field Fest near Boone Aug. 30 through Sept. 1 with demonstrations, exhibits and speakers. Three different manure applicators will be demonstrated. A display featuring the 100th birthday of the agricultural and biosystems engineering department and a general College display are among the exhibits. The ISU Cyclone Power Pullers also will do demonstration pulls each day. The rest of the time these agricultural and biosystems engineering students will have their tractors on display outside the hoop building. DEADLINES AND REMINDERS Aug. 29-30: Biobased Industry Outlook Conference, Scheman Building Sept. 1: Northern Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 9:30 a.m., near Kanawha, more: https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings Sept. 6: McNay Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 4:30 p.m., near Chariton, more: https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings Sept. 8: Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 1:30 p.m., near Nashua, more: https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings Sept. 12: Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm field day on high tunnels, 4:30 p.m., near Lewis, more: https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings Sept. 12-14: "A Conference to Reinvigorate Public Breeding of Seeds and Animals for a Healthy 21st Century Agriculture," Gateway Center, http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2005/seeds_072705.htm Sept. 13: Muscatine Island Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 3 p.m., near Fruitland, more: https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings Sept. 14: Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 1:30 p.m., near Crawfordsville, more: https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings Sept. 15: Rhodes Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 6 p.m., near Rhodes, more: https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings Sept. 26-28: Workshop on hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and other water quality issues, campus ................................................... COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK ................................................... MINDSET OF THE CLASS OF 2009 Freshmen entering college are just turning 18 years old and have a different view of the world according to the Beloit College Mindset List. Starbucks, souped-up car stereos, telephone voicemail systems and Bill Gates have always been a part of their lives. Each August Beloit College releases the list, which offers a worldview of today's entering college students. Below is a sample of what is on this year's list (http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/releases/mindset_2009.htm): - Andy Warhol, Liberace, Jackie Gleason and Lee Marvin have always been dead. - They don't remember when "cut and paste" involved scissors. - Pay-Per-View television has always been an option. - Iran and Iraq have never been at war with each other. - Al-Qaida has always existed with Osama bin Laden at its head. - Voice mail has always been available. - "Whatever" is not part of a question but an expression of sullen rebuke. - There has never been a "fairness doctrine" at the FCC. ........................................................ INFOGRAZING ........................................................ KNOW THE ISU POLICY: CHECK OUT ONLINE POLICY LIBRARY Iowa State's online Policy Library (http://policy.iastate.edu) provides easy access to the most important university-wide policies. The site features a comprehensive search of university-wide policies, manuals and handbooks. It's also posts new developments you should be aware of under "Policy News." The latest: The Code of Business and Fiduciary Conduct has been adopted as policy by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. It is a formal statement of existing expectations regarding ethical behavior. The Policy Library includes an introductory letter, a link to the code and a listing of key university policies that support the code. TRANSCRIPT FOR IOWA’S FARM BILL FORUM ON THE WEB A transcript for the U.S. Department of Agriculture sponsored Farm Bill Forum that took place earlier this month at the Iowa State Fair is online. STUDY ABROAD DISCUSSION FORUM ONLINE An online discussion forum set up by the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program gives the academic community and the public a way to discuss study abroad and the development of the best program to serve college and university students. The discussion forum, launched in early March, will be available until the Lincoln Commission completes its work at the end of 2005. ........................................................ EXTERNAL VOICES ........................................................ BUSINESS LEADERS: DOUBLE THE SCIENCE, MATH GRADUATES Business leaders are decrying the United States’ declining prominence in science, technology, engineering and math, and are calling for a doubling of the number of college graduates in those fields by 2015. The nation’s “scientific and technical capacity is beginning to atrophy even as other nations are developing their own human capital,” the business group said in a statement. John J. Castellani, president of the Business Roundtable, an association of corporation chief executives, said the situation “threatens to undermine our standard of living at home and our leadership in the world.” The group said the federal government must join with states, private industry and higher education in making the production of graduates in these fields a top priority. (Chronicle of Higher Education, August 5) ........................................................ MARGINALIA ........................................................ TREATS DEVELOPED TO ENHANCE HEALTH At today's, Aug. 29, American Chemical Society national meeting in Washington, D.C., Agricultural Research Service chemist George Inglett served cookies with his scientific presentation. He was unveiling Calorie-Trim, an all-natural, super-carb product he created to promote health. The cookies are among various C-Trim-containing foods available for sampling. Derived from whole oats and barley, C-Trim contains 20 to 50 percent beta-glucan, a soluble fiber found in these grains. When eaten, the biologically active fiber helps the body regulate blood glucose and lower bad cholesterol, diminishing the risk of heart disease. C-Trim is the latest in a line of Trim technologies Inglett has developed to boost the health benefits of food. C-Trim, with less than four calories per gram, boasts five to 10 times more soluble fiber than regular milled oats, flour and oatmeal. (ARS News Service) Next issue: Sept. 6 ........................................................ AG ONLINE ........................................................ EDITOR 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 Monday. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag Online subscribe" to edadcock@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 Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3680 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.