College News
College Enrollment Up with Hike in Freshman Class
Freshman enrollment in the College grew by about 11 percent to 560 this fall compared with the 505 last fall semester. There are more female than male freshman students this semester, 286 women to 274 men. Campus-wide, the university enrolled its largest class of freshman and transfer student since 2002. Overall, the College undergraduate enrollment increased to 2,539 from 2,448 a year ago, a nearly 4 percent hike. The number of graduate students declined this fall to 646 from 679 last year.
Still Room on Bus for McNay Research Farm Anniversary
A chartered bus is available to take faculty and staff to the 50th anniversary celebration at the McNay Research Farm Thursday, Sept. 14. The McNay farm near Chariton will celebrate with a field day beginning at 10 a.m. with educational tours of the farm. Following a noon lunch, Dean Wendy Wintersteen will address the group and a special video will be shown commemorating 50 years of research at the farm. The bus will leave the ISU Center parking lot, south end, at 8:30 a.m. and will return to Ames by 4 p.m. The event and the bus ride are free of charge. Contact Sally Medford, 4-5045, to reserve a seat on the bus.
Barbecue Friday to Raise Money in Muenchrath's Memory
A barbecue is set for noon Friday, Sept. 15, to raise money for the ALS Association in memory of Deb Muenchrath. Muenchrath was an assistant professor in the agronomy department who died of ALS in July. The undergraduate Agronomy Club will be grilling in the Agronomy Courtyard. A complete meal will be available for $5. For donations on-line, go to: http://web.alsa.org/site/TR?team_id=9740&pg=team&fr_id=1480, and click "support A-maize-ing Agronomist" under the team photo. There will be a memorial ceremony for Muenchrath at 4 p.m. Oct. 12 courtyard of Agronomy Hall, or the second floor Agronomy Commons in case of rain. Those who wish to speak about Deb should contact Jon Sandor, 4-2209 or jasandor@iastate.edu. Contact Robbie Kerkove, 4-5076 or rkerkove@iastate.edu, or Sandor know if you plan to attend so organizers can estimate how many are coming.
Seminar on Ethanol Impacts Set for Friday
The Iowa Beef Center will host a discussion on "Iowa's Growing Ethanol Industry and Implications for Cattle and Beef Production" on Friday, Sept. 15. Robert Brown, Office of Biorenewables Programs, will provide an overview of the current and emerging technology of ethanol production and the resulting co-products from these processes. Robert Wisner, economics, will discuss the current energy policy and market forces that are driving ethanol expansion and what it implies for crop production and feed availability and cost. The seminar will be 2-4 p.m. in the Alumni Room at the Vet Med Building. Refreshments will be available. Contact: John Lawrence, 4-6290 or jdlaw@iastate.edu.
AgComm Workshop Set for Sept. 20
The first AgComm workshop for the semester will be from noon to 1:15 p.m. Sept. 20 on "Student Self-assessment & Reflection." Michael Retallick and Charles Steiner, agricultural education and studies, will be the presenters. RSVP to Cheryl Abrams, 4-5872 or cabrams@iastate.edu.
Dairy Science Club Fundraiser Honors Former Student
The third annual "Hoofin' it for Alison" 5K race/walk is scheduled for Sept. 23 to benefit the Alison Ciancio Memorial Foundation. Alison Ciancio was an Iowa State animal science sophomore when she was killed in an auto accident in 2002. The Alison Ciancio Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a member of the Dairy Science Club demonstrating a commitment to helping others through community outreach activities. The race/walk begins at 9 a.m. at the ISU Cross Country Course, located west of The Towers dormitories, at the south edge of Ames.
Dean's Office Encourages World Food Prize Attendance
The World Food Prize Foundation has reduced its registration fee to the World Food Prize Symposium, Oct. 19 and 20. Iowans are invited to attend the symposium for $99 reduced from $250. College faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend at the reduced fee. The College of Agriculture will cover the $99 fee for the first 20 undergraduates, graduate students and recently hired assistant professors who submit completed registration forms to Associate Dean-Academic and Global Programs David Acker's office. The form can be downloaded online. The program and the speakers can be viewed online.
Kenyan Grad Student Honored with Research Award
Mary Nyasimi, a student in the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture (GPSA), is the 2006 recipient of the GPSA Interdisciplinary Research Award. The award will be presented at 3:10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13 in Room 1204 Kildee Hall. Faculty and staff are invited to attend. Nyasimsi's master's degree research, titled "Changing Capitals, Shifting Livelihoods: A Case Study of a Luo Community Living in the Awach Catchment of Lake Victoria Basin," was recognized for the high level of integration achieved between social and natural resource management issues. Nyasimi's work, conducted in western Kenya, examined the relationship between the culture of a Luo community and changes in the physical environment and household livelihood strategies. Nyasimi is from Kenya and is working on her doctorate in sustainable agriculture.
Borlaug Poster Competition Deadline Sept. 25
The 2006 Norman Borlaug Lecturer will be Margaret Catley-Carlson, chair of the Global Water Partnership, a network that links thousands of water management professionals around the world. Her speech will be 8 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Sun Room. The Fifth Annual Norman Borlaug Lectureship Poster Competition for graduate and undergraduate students will precede the lecture. Students are encouraged to enter poster abstracts in the general area of world food issues. Poster title and an abstract or summary (250 word limit) may be submitted to Patricia Murphy (pmurphy@iastate.edu) by Sept. 25. Abstracts should contain: hypothesis and objectives of project; methods; results, discussion of results; conclusion, relationship of poster to world food issues.
Competition Seeks Meaningful Study Abroad Experiences
Agriculture Study Abroad is seeking entries for a contest to find students' most meaningful study abroad experience. Oct. 1 is the deadline for entries from students in the College of Agriculture or on College programs who traveled abroad during the 2005 - 06 academic year. Projects can be entered into the contest as a group or by individuals and can include film, photography, theater, poetry, writing, etc. Three prizes will be given worth at least $500 each. Contact: Difei Shen, dfshen@iastate.edu or 111 Curtiss Hall, for applications.
Iowa State to Offer Master's in Seed Technology and Business
Iowa State will offer a master's degree in seed technology and business beginning next year. The interdisciplinary degree will integrate coursework from the colleges of Agriculture and Business.
ISU Students Teach, Learn, Help Develop School Farm in Uganda
Six Iowa State students traveled to Uganda this summer. The group included a student from each of these educational areas - horticulture, human nutrition, engineering, agronomy and agriculture-related social sciences and education.
Deadlines & Reminders
Sept. 14: Iowa Real Estate and Insurance Seminar, Quality Inn & Suites, Ames, 9 a.m.
Sept. 14: McNay Research and Demonstration Farm anniversary celebration, 10 a.m.
Sept. 14: 15th Annual Growth Factor and Signal Transduction Conference, Scheman Building
Sept. 19: Distance education public forum, Leon Higley, entomology professor at the University of Nebraska, 2 to 4 p.m., in 1951 Food Sciences
Communications Kiosk
Be Sure to Use Ensure, Insure and Assure Correctly
Ensure is the general term meaning to make sure that something will or won't happen. In best usage, insure is reserved for underwriting financial risk. So we ensure that we can get time off for a vacation, and insure our car against an accident on the trip. We ensure events and insure things. But we assure people that their concerns are being addressed. (The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003)
Infograzing
Agriculture One of State's Teacher Shortage Areas
Agriculture is one of nine elementary and secondary teacher shortage areas (TSAs) reported by the Iowa Department of Education. The state has reported a shortage of agriculture teachers at the secondary level since the 2000-2001 school year. In the last five years nearly 34 percent of reporting states have declared a teacher shortage in agriculture education, according to Ryan Stein, Iowa's National FFA Officer Candidate. Educators who obtained a federal Stafford Student Loan and/or Supplemental Loan for Students (SLS) while becoming licensed to teach and are employed full-time in a designated teacher shortage discipline, may be eligible for up to three years of deferment, which postpones loan repayment, the state education department reported.
Iowa State Leaders on New eXtension Portal
Ten new Communities of Practice have been named to join eXtension, an Internet-based portal to the nation's largest educational and information system. Among the leaders of the new communities are; Palle Pedersen, agronomy extension, of Corn and Soybean Production; David Meisinger, U.S. Pork Center of Excellence, of the Pork Information group; and Colleen Jolly, human development and family studies extension, of the Family Caregiving; Caring for the Aged and/or Disabled Adults.
Search Begins for ISU's Center for Plant Responses
A search has begun for the director of the Plant Sciences Institute's Center for Plant Responses to Environmental Stresses after Thomas Baum, plant pathology, announced his resignation as interim director, effective Oct. 1. The position description is on ISU job website.
Grant-Writing Workshop Nov. 15-16
A Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) writing workshop will be held Nov. 15-16 in the Memorial Union. The workshop will provide an overview of the SBIR/STTR programs, describe the differences between contracting agencies and granting agencies, and offer tips on how to make your proposal more competitive, as well as providing information on preparing a Phase I commercialization plan. The workshop is open to anyone planning to submit a Phase I or Phase II SBIR/STTR application or is interested in learning more about the SBIR/STTR programs. Participants may attend either or both days. Phase I will be presented on Nov. 15, Phase II on Nov. 16. Registration fees include lunch and breaks, and are $25 for Phase I and $15 for Phase II. Discounts will be given to participants registering for both days. Contact Kris Johansen, kajohans@iastate.edu or visit http://www.techtransfer.iastate.edu/
Marginalia
College Faculty and Staff Part of Cancer Society Fundraiser
Teams with members from the College took part in the American Cancer Society 5K fundraiser in August bringing in $2,005. Overall, 400 participants raised more than $43,000. The team from agronomy raised $1,200; Team Ag, $805 and the JR's, led by Julie Roberts in animal science, $200.
Next issue: Sept. 18
Ag Online
Editor: Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616
Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
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