College News
College Celebrates VEISHEA Friday
Friday, April 21, is VEISHEA's College of Agriculture day. The College will sponsor a breakfast from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the Curtiss Hall Rotunda for faculty, staff and student leaders. A barbecue will be held from 11 a.m. 2 p.m. in front of Curtiss. On the menu are hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, ice cream, lemonade and milk. The Rodeo Club will have a mechanical bull and roping lessons and Mark Pearson from WHO Radio will be broadcasting from campus. Ag Olympics will be among the activities. Ag Online will send a special VEISHEA edition Wednesday with more events.
Beitz Named American Society of Nutrition Fellow
Don Beitz, biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology and animal science, was inducted as a fellow of the American Society of Nutrition at its annual meeting in San Francisco earlier this month.
Diversity Awards Go to Two in College
Violeta Aleman, senior in agricultural business, was selected to receive the Multicultural Liaison Outstanding Student Ward for the College of Agriculture and the MSA Student of the Year Award last week at the MSA (Multicultural Student Affairs) Celebrations Banquet for Students of Color. She has been active with MANRRS, the MVP (Multicultural Visions Program) Program, the GWC Internship Program, Descarga and NCORE/ISCORE National and Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity. Nina Grant, College minority liaison officer, was recognized as the faculty/staff change agent of the year. She was cited for exemplifying diversity within the classroom and her working environment and her leadership abilities in working with student organization(s), serving as an advisor to MANRRS, Sigma Lambda Gamma, Identifying as M.E. (Multi-Ethnic), the MCDT (Marching Cyclones Drill Team) and Descarga.
Think Tank Set for April 24
The final Think Tank on Animal Agriculture for the academic year will be April 24. It will feature a presentation by Jim Harp, research program representative for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Ames Modernization Plan. New laboratory and animal housing facilities in Ames are being built to meet needs for animal health research, diagnosis and product evaluation. These facilities will modernize and consolidate USDA's National Animal Disease Center, National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the Center for Veterinary Biologics. The meeting will begin with social time at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7 p.m. in the Cardinal Room, Memorial Union. RSVP before noon Friday, April 21, to Julie Roberts at jrober@iastate.edu.
Iowa State Alumni, Friends to Receives Top Awards April 20
Iowa State University will present its highest awards to alumni and friends during its Distinguished Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 20, at 4:15 p.m. in the Sun Room, Memorial Union. The awards are given through the ISU Alumni Association and the ISU Foundation, and recognize outstanding achievement and leadership. Distinguished Achievement Awards are going to alumni Deborah Diersen-Schade, principal researcher with Bristol-Myers Squib Co., and James Oblinger, chancellor of North Carolina State University. Also, alumni Gerald A. and Karen A. Kolschowsky will be presented the Order of the Knoll Campanile Award and Theodore Crosbie, vice president of global plant breeding at Monsanto Co., will accept the Order of the Knoll Corporate and Foundation Award for his employer.
New Tool Helps Producers Map Target Marketing Areas
Locating businesses and markets for agricultural products can be a challenge for producers. A new Web site offers an interactive mapping tool to help producers find target market areas for products.
Iowa Farmers to Host Costa Ricans they Visited in March
A group of Iowa farmers and Iowa State University will host Costa Rican farmers, agricultural students and researchers this summer as part of a science and education exchange. The host farmers toured Costa Rican farms and agricultural research facilities in March on a trip coordinated by Iowa State.
Hands-On Workshops Get Students Excited About Science
High school students who attend two upcoming events at Iowa State should leave with a better understanding of the scientific world, plus career opportunities that exist in science. The College of Agriculture is hosting a workshop tomorrow (April 18), with the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition holding an event June 12-13.
Ag Decision Maker Website Features Expanded Law Section
The latest issues in agricultural law appear regularly on a frequently updated ISU Extension website. The Iowa State Agricultural Law Program has developed an expanded section as part of the Ag Decision Maker website.
Deadlines and Reminders
April 18: "Understanding and Communicating Issues in Agricultural Biotechnology," Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products (BIGMAP) Symposium, Gateway Center, more: http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/bigmap/home.html
April 19: "Safe and Secure Food for Public Health and National Security," Institute for Food Safety and Security symposium, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Comfort Suites Hotel, 2609 Elwood Drive, contact: Gail Stecker, 4-4781
April 22: Deadline to apply for Project LEA/RN workshop on May 9-12, contact: Sherri Larson, 4-0598 or selarson@iastate.edu
April 25: 2006 Staniforth Lecture in Weed Science, 4:10 p.m., 2050 Agronomy Hall
April 28: Spencer Award nominations due, more: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., ISU Research Park http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2006/spencer_022706.htm
May 9: Ag Entrepreneur “Cooks Tour” workshop, contact: Steve Nissen, nissen@iastate.edu
June 19: Research and Demonstration Farm Field Days begin, Horticulture Station, near Ames, more: https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings
Communications Kiosk
Don't Confuse Officious with Official
A person who is officious is aggressively nosy and meddlesome. The word has nothing to do with an officer and should not be confused with official. (The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003)
Infograzing
Bioscience Employment Edges Up
A report released at the BIO 2006 conference last week in Chicago showed U.S. employment in biosciences reached 1.2 million in 2004. That was slightly more than a 1 percent increase since 2001, with workers earning an average annual wage of $65,775. The Battelle Technology Partnership Practice co-sponsored the report, which also found that states are spending billions of dollars to support bioscience research and development. State governments are using investment funds and tax incentives to attract large industry anchors, instead of solely focusing on launching and growing new bioscience ventures. (Reuters, April 10)
NSF Report Explains Proposal Review Process
The National Science Foundation received nearly 42,000 new proposals for funding in its Fiscal Year 2005. The foundation awarded 23 percent of the proposals received, making the decisions through the process of merit review. A new NSF report deals with the merit review process highlights that may be helpful for those making proposals. More: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsb0621
External Voices
Alum on the Value of Preparatory Courses
Michelle Jens was quoted in a March 25 story in Iowa Farmer Today about career growth for food-animal veterinarians because of food safety concerns. Jens received her animal science degree from Iowa State in 2001. While in high school, she took several college preparatory classes to help her get ready for the pre-veterinary program at ISU, including courses in math and science. "I knew that's what I wanted to do, and taking those classes really helped me when I got to Iowa State," Jen said. She went on to earn her DVM at Iowa State in 2005.
Next issue: April 24
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."
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