College News
Colletti Appointed to College of Agriculture Administration
Joe Colletti has been named senior associate dean of the College of Agriculture. Colletti's appointment was effective Aug. 1. He had been serving as the senior associate dean on an interim basis since Aug. 15, 2005. Colletti joined Iowa State in 1978 as a faculty member in the forestry department.
Group Visits Uganda to Learn How Center has Improved Life
An Iowa State group traveled to East Africa last week to learn more about how an Iowa State center has improved the lives of rural Ugandans. The Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods was established in the College of Agriculture in 2003 to help rural residents of developing nations increase food security and farm incomes.
Seminars Offered on Farm Business and Tax Issues
Roger McEowen, the Leonard Dolezal Professor in Agricultural Law, will conduct two seminars in September for professionals who serve the owners and operators of Iowa's farm businesses. The Farm Estate and Business Planning Seminar will be Sept. 7 and the 23rd annual Iowa Real Estate and Insurance Seminar will be Sept. 14.
George Washington Carver Interns Tops in Competition
Participants in the College of Agriculture's George Washington Carver Internship Program placed first in a summer internship research symposium held in July involving interns from Iowa State, University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa. Kylah Porter, from Florida A&M University, won the oral presentations portion. She was mentored by Mack Shelley, statistics. Katherine Schuessler, Roberts Wesleyan College, won the poster presentation. Her mentors were Forrest Nutter and Alison Robertson, plant pathology. Yun Rose Li, Stanton Preparatory High School in Florida, won the high school competition that consisted of oral and poster presentations. Her mentor was Gwyn Beattie, plant pathology. There were 39 students in the George Washington Carver Internship Program this summer, nine from high schools and the rest undergraduates. Fifteen of the college students were from minority-serving institutions. Harold Crawford, agriculture education and studies, and Nina Grant, multicultural program, were judges from the College of Agriculture. This was the fourth symposium, the first that included UNI students, and was organized by the three Iowa universities. It was sponsored by the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers and held at Iowa State. There were 63 interns involved.
Iowa State to Host Event Endorsing Biorenewables Goal
Iowa State will host a dinner and rally of the leaders of all of Iowa's commodity groups will join in endorsing the 25x'25 vision -- meeting 25 percent of the nation's energy needs with renewable sources by 2025. Dean Wendy Wintersteen will emcee the program during the barbecue and rally on central campus Aug. 28. Thomas Dorr, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, Rep. Leonard Boswell and Gov. Tom Vilsack plan to attend. The event, set for 6 p.m., will cap the first day of the 2006 Biobased Industry Outlook Conference. The annual conference gathers industry and community leaders, academicians and government agencies to learn and share information about manufacturing, distributing and marketing biobased products.
Corn Production Field Day Set for Near Ames
A corn production field day will be held Aug. 24 at the Bruner Research Farm west of Ames. The Research and Demonstration Farms plans to host regular field days at its Ames locations. The program will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. Topics to be discussed include plant populations, corn response to tillage, planting date, nitrogen management, corn plant development and hybrid selection. The Bruner farm is located 1 mile south of U.S. Highway 30 on "W" Avenue, and a half mile east on 240th Street.
Iowa State Awards Economic Development Grants to 11 Projects
Grants from the state's Grow Iowa Values Fund will support studies of new soy proteins for the food industry, biomass gasifiers for the ethanol industry, corn- and soy-based composites for the plastics industry and other projects with commercial potential.
IMMAG Announces New Manure Management Resource
Members of the Iowa Manure Management Action Group (IMMAG) are developing a new resource for the state's crop and livestock producers. The group will write and distribute a series of fact sheets that will address a variety of issues regarding manure management. The first fact sheet became available in July.
Iowa State Gears Up for 2006 Farm Progress Show
Visitors to the Iowa State exhibit at the 2006 Farm Progress Show Aug. 29-31 will see displays featuring educational and research programs inside and outside a big white hoop building. Students from the College of Agriculture will staff a recruitment display. The college also is sponsoring a drawing for $3,000 in scholarships.
ISU Extension Hires Two Crop Specialists
Two crop experts will join ISU Extension in western Iowa today (Aug. 14). Mark Licht will serve part of west central Iowa and Kyle Jensen will serve a portion of southwestern Iowa.
Deadlines & Reminders
Sept. 5: Fall Convocation, 3:30 p.m., Food Science Courtyard
Sept. 14: McNay Research and Demonstration Farm anniversary celebration, 10 a.m.
Communications Kiosk
USE A PERSON'S NAME IN THE E-MAIL 'FROM' Line
Research shows that people are more likely to open an e-mail if the "From" line contains the name of a person rather than the name of a company. Dianna Huff, president of DH Communications, says a pharmaceutical company showed this by asking its sales representatives to send the company's marketing e-newsletter to their own customers in an e-mail that included their photo. Response rates went through the roof because the e-mail didn't look like a spam. Huff was interviewed for an article in the May 2006 Writing that Works.
Infograzing
National Biorenewables Conference Set for October
The USDA and Department of Energy will host a conference Oct. 10-12 in St. Louis on "Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural Renaissance." Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman will be among the speakers discussing biofuels, wind and solar energy.
Internal Voices
25x'25 Vision Crucial to Rural Economies
"The 25x'25 vision is not only attainable, it is crucial to the growth of our rural economies and key to assuring a cleaner environment. This rally is an opportunity for us to showcase Iowa and ISU leadership in the biorenewables industry. We take pride at being in the center of a movement that will lead the nation to a secure and infinite energy supply."
--ISU President Gregory Geoffrey, about hosting of the Biobased Industry Outlook Conference conference, dinner and rally (see item in College News)
Marginalia
An Update on the Dean's Travels to Africa
Dean Wendy Wintersteen made it through London security at Heathrow Airport last Friday and flew to Africa to meet up with President Geoffroy and other ISU officials on their way to Uganda for a visit to the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods' rural projects. Dean Wintersteen had flown into London last week just as news hit that a suspected terrorist plot in Britain had been thwarted. Traveling a day later, President Geoffroy and others rerouted their travels to avoid London. In an e-mail sent Sunday, the Dean wrote that she and her husband Robert spent two and a half hours going through security prior to the flight out of London. The result meant leaving some carry-on materials behind, including ink pens, books, non-essential paperwork and Chapstick. A physician was inspecting all passenger prescription medicines. Despite the heightened security, their flight left only 30 minutes behind schedule. On Sunday, the Iowa State delegation had breakfast with a small group of ISU alumni in Nairobi, including Olive Mugenda, chancellor of Kenyatta University, and Leah Marangu, vice chancellor of Nazarene University.
Next issue: Aug. 21
Ag Online
Editor: Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
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