College News
- VEISHEA: College barbecue on Tuesday
- VEISHEA: More food highlights
- VEISHEA: Ag Olympics, Smokey the Bear and more
- Advisor evaluation the topic of college program
- AgComm workshop on teacher and student teams
- ISU to host 150 for Science in Agriculture Day
- Proposals for computer improvements due April 25
- Animal waste consortium seeks preproposals
- Deadlines & Reminders
Communications Kiosk
- ISU agriculture news beamed across country
Infograzing
- Prairie City Wildlife Refuge opening postponed
- New student survey: Influences on attending ISU
External Voices
- The role of agriculture in international development
Marginalia
- Must-see public TV: Troublesome Creek airs next week
College News
Veishea: College Barbecue on April 15
As part of VEISHEA activities next week, Sigma Alpha is sponsoring a free barbecue for College of Agriculture students, faculty and staff on Tuesday, April 15, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., in front of Curtiss Hall.
Veishea: Food, Food, Food
Food stands will be run Friday and Saturday by the following ag clubs: Ag Education Club and the International Ag Club (north of west steps of Curtiss); Farm Op Club (north of Beardshear); Agronomy Club (south of Science I); Fish & Wildlife Biology Club (north of MacKay); and Block & Bridle (northeast corner of library). The Dairy Science Club will sell ice cream in Lush Auditorium. On Saturday, food science & human nutrition students will sell frozen yogurt with toppings in LeBaron lounge, where an exhibit on the past 75 years in the FSHN department will be displayed.
Veishea: Ag Olympics, Smokey the Bear and More
Other activities by College of Agriculture student groups include:
- Ag Olympics, 1-3 p.m., Tuesday, in front of Curtiss.
- Alpha Zeta pie-throwing contest, noon-3 p.m., Tuesday, in front of Curtiss.
- Horticulture Club plant sale, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday, and 9-11 a.m. and 4-6 p.m., Saturday, in hort greenhouse (enter at east or north doors). The sale continues on April 25, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and April 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Microbiology Club open house, 107 and 109 Science I, featuring demonstrations, displays and videos.
- Entomology Club display, Science II lobby.
- Forestry Club demonstrations on central campus on Saturday: log roll (10 a.m., 1 p.m.); bucking (11, noon, 1, 2 p.m.); match split (3 p.m.) and tobacco spit (4 p.m.). Also: a seedling sale, Smokey the Bear and displays.
- Block & Bridle's live-animal display (location to be posted).
- Dairy Science Club's "I Milked a Cow" event, west of Kildee, and open house display, south foyer of Kildee.
Advisor Evaluation the Topic of College Program
If advising is to best serve students and count in promotion, tenure or salary considerations, there must be ways to measure its performance. Advisor evaluation is the topic of a May 1 program in 210 Bessey for college faculty and staff. Recent university reports and goals on advising will be reviewed. Small-group discussion will focus on evaluation forms. Lisa Breja, ag education & studies, and Ron Deiter, ag business, will explain how they use advisor evaluations. Sponsored by the college's Professional Development Committee, the program begins with a Hickory Park-catered meal at 5:15 p.m. and will conclude at 7:30 p.m. To attend, RSVP and indicate a preference for a meat or vegetarian meal to Norma Hensley (4-6614 or nhensley@iastate.edu) by April 29. For more information: Les Wilson, 4-3889 or lawilson@iatstate.edu.
AgComm Workshop on Teacher and Student Teams
An AgComm workshop on "Teacher Teams and Student Teams" will be held Tuesday, April 22, noon to 1:30 p.m., in 229 Curtiss. Faculty members will talk about team-teaching experiences and student participation in collaborative learning efforts. AgComm is the college's communication-across-the-curriculum program. Lunch will be provided. RSVP to Norma Hensley, nhensley@iastate.edu. For more information: Robert Martin, 4-0896 or drmartin@iastate.edu.
ISU to Host 150 for Science in Agriculture Day
About 150 high school students will participate in the annual Science in Agriculture Day on April 24. Nineteen agriculture faculty members will give presentations on topics that include: isolating DNA in potatoes; using the Internet to track the weather; examining differences between cola beverages; and identifying sources of genetic variation in animals. For more information: Richard Carlson, 4-9868.
Proposals for Computer Improvements Due April 25
The college's Technology Advancement Committee seeks proposals to improve student access to computer services. Each year the college distributes on a competitive basis a portion of revenues generated from student computer fees. This year about $25,000 is available. Proposal deadline is April 25. More information is available on the college website.
Animal Waste Consortium Seeks Preproposals
The Multi-State Consortium on Animal Waste seeks preproposals for collaborative research. Deadline for submissions is May 12. Funding will begin on July 1. This is the consortium that was formed by ISU and North Carolina State University last year, and which has since added as members Michigan State University, University of Missouri, Oklahoma State University and Purdue University. The request for preproposals can be found on the website. For more information: Colin Scanes, 4-1823 or cscanes@iastate.edu.
Deadlines & Reminders
April 21: Deadline, Internationalization Grants, ISU Council on International Programs. 4-8454.
April 22: Teacher Teams/Student Teams, AgComm workshop, noon, 229 Curtiss. 4-6614.
April 23: Writing Winning EPA Grants (Successful Grantsmanship Series), 6:30 p.m., Holiday Inn Gateway Center. RSVP by April 18: 4-3629 or cpersaud@iastate.edu
May 1: Advisor Evaluation Program, 5:15 p.m., 210 Bessey. RSVP by April 29: 4-6614 or nhensley@iastate.edu
Communications Kiosk
ISU Agriculture News Beamed Across Country
A new satellite-delivered information service geared to farm and rural residents debuted March 28. Channel Earth Communications, Inc. is beaming agricultural news, weather, markets and other ag-related programming on Channel 283 to subscribers of DirecTV. ISU is one of 10 land-grant universities supplying 10-minute news packages to the channel. ISU's stories air the first Wednesday of each month. The first ISU program aired April 2 and included stories on manure management, pork exports and winter grazing. The May program will feature stories on meat safety, sheep shearing and National Forum for Agriculture highlights. A one-minute student recruitment piece runs with each program. The College of Agriculture Information Service and ISU Extension Communications work together on the project. Send story ideas to Susan Anderson, sander@iastate.edu.
Infograzing
Prairie City Wildlife Refuge Opening Postponed
Because of the threat of heavy snow, the formal opening of the Prairie City Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, April 12, will be rescheduled to a later date, says Dennis Keeney, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Keeney serves on the refuge's research committee.
New-Student Survey: Influences on Attending ISU
(More results from last fall's survey of 540 new students in the College of Agriculture.) Percentage who said the following people or things had "great" or "some" influence on their decision to attend ISU:
Parents: 62
Other family members: 45
ISU students: 46
Vo-ag instructors (of those who took vo-ag): 40
ISU literature: 32
Scholarships: 30
Extension personnel (of those involved in 4-H): 22
High school counselors: 16
In 1985, percentage who said high school counselors: 48
External Voices
The Role of Agriculture in International Development
"Agriculture is an important part of development assistance. It's an important part of America's interest, as well .... Our farmers plant one out of every four acres for export abroad. Forty-three of the top 50 importers of American agricultural products were former USAID recipients .... In many of these developing world countries, 80 percent of their GNP is in the agriculture sector. So if we can't help them there, we're really not going to be leaders in the development community." J. Brian Atwood, U.S. Agency for International Development administrator, to the House International Relations Committee on Feb. 25.
Marginalia
Must-See Public TV: Troublesome Creek Airs Next Week
Iowa Public Television will broadcast "Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern" at 9 p.m., Monday, April 14, and at 3 p.m., Sunday, April 20. The award-winning documentary tells the story of Russel and Mary Jane Jordan's attempt to hold onto their Iowa family farm in the face of possible foreclosure. The film was made by the Jordan's daughter, Jeanne Jordan, and her husband Steven Ascher. It won two awards at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, and received a 1996 Academy Award nomination for best documentary.