C O N T E N T S
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COLLEGE NEWS
- Two faculty to make research visits this spring
- Townsend meat research labs dedicated in Kildee
- Space available in ISU tent at Farm Progress Show
- Climate change the focus of 1999 National Ag Forum
- Iowa FFA looking for a few good judges
- Ag Business Club banquet on Feb. 27
- NIH grantsmanship workshop planned for March 30
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Let your hometown paper know what’s new
INFOGRAZING
- Number of agriculture faculty totals 372
- ISU Summer Job Fair for students on Feb. 18
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Strong world food demand may slow consolidation
MARGINALIA
- Fetal pig shortage hamstrings biology teachers
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C O L L E G E N E W S
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TWO FACULTY TO MAKE RESEARCH VISITS THIS SPRING
This semester two faculty will take advantage of the Experiment Station’s Faculty Research Exchange Visits program. Helen Jensen, economics, will visit Oglala Lakota College and Cheyenne River Community College, both in South Dakota, to review programs in food and nutrition, dietary intake and food security, and to identify common areas for future research. Harold Crawford, agricultural education and studies, along with four members of the college’s Tribal Task Force, will visit Sinte Gleska University in South Dakota to explore partnerships in research and education. Sinte Gleska educators also will visit ISU. The faculty research exchange visits help build connections with 1890 (historically black) and 1994 (tribal college) land-grant institutions.
TOWNSEND MEAT RESEARCH LABS DEDICATED IN KILDEE
New meat research facilities were dedicated in Kildee Hall on Thursday, Feb. 4. The Ray T. Townsend Meat Research Laboratories will help expand the animal science department’s capabilities in chemistry and microbiology. The new facilities were made possible by a $250,000 gift from Ray Townsend, founder of Townsend Engineering in Des Moines and an ISU alumnus. Townsend and his wife Cleda were among those present at the dedication.
SPACE AVAILABLE IN ISU TENT AT FARM PROGRESS SHOW
Exhibit ideas are welcomed for ISU’s tent at the Farm Progress Show the last week of September in the Amanas. Exhibits should have an educational component or be related to student recruitment. They also should have a way to capture visitors’ attention in an environment with lots of competition for attention. Send ideas to Gerald Miller, 4-4333 or soil@iastate.edu.
CLIMATE CHANGE THE FOCUS OF 1999 NATIONAL AG FORUM
Implications of climate change on agriculture and energy will be addressed at the 1999 National Forum for Agriculture, March 1-2, at the Scheman Building. Science and policy impacts of climate change on land use and energy use will be outlined by industry, government and university speakers. Officials from the European Parliament, energy companies, USDA Economic Research Service, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research are among the confirmed speakers. Registration fee is $50. For more information: Judith Pim, 4-6257 or jpim@card.iastate.edu.
IOWA FFA LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD JUDGES
The Iowa FFA is looking for ISU faculty or staff who are willing to serve as judges for the Iowa FFA State Agricultural Proficiency Award Judging on Saturday, Feb. 20, in Des Moines. The judging will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a lunch included. If you’re interested or want more information, contact Scott Johnson, an ag education student, 292-9670 or sjohnson@iastate.edu.
AG BUSINESS CLUB BANQUET ON FEB. 27
Faculty and staff are invited to the Ag Business Club banquet on Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Scheman Building. Social time begins at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased in 174 Heady Hall before Feb. 24. For more information: Jennifer Smith, 233-5948 or jensmith@iastate.edu.
NIH GRANTSMANSHIP WORKSHOP PLANNED FOR MARCH 30
A grantsmanship workshop on NIH grants will be held March 30 at the Gateway Holiday Inn. The workshop, which will run 7 to 9 p.m., will include an overview of NIH funding opportunities. Presentations on preparing successful NIH grant proposals will be given by faculty in zoology and genetics, sociology and food science and human nutrition. Carol Meeks, dean of family and consumer sciences, will moderate. The workshop, the 13th in a series, is sponsored by the Experiment Station; the colleges of agriculture, family and consumer sciences, liberal arts and sciences, and veterinary medicine; and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research & Advanced Studies. For more information: Deanne Brill, 4-2517 or dbrill@iastate.edu.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Feb. 11-12: Vision 2020 tour of northwest Iowa community colleges, 4-2698.
Feb. 15: Deadline, Dean of Agriculture’s International Research Grants, 4-8493.
Feb. 19-20: Cellular Differentiation: 5th Annual Spring Symposium, Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 4-6116.
Feb. 22: Deadline, agriculture international research and education grants for graduate students and post-docs, 4-8493.
March 1-2: National Forum for Agriculture, Scheman Building, 4-6257.
March 13-16: Project LEA/RN workshop, Scheman Building, 4-1167.
March 18-19: Global Agriculture and the American Midwest Conference, Iowa State Center, 4-8854.
March 24-26: From the Heartland to the World: The Importance of Clean Water Conference, Scheman Building, 4-4913.
March 30: NIH grantsmanship workshop, Gateway Holiday Inn, 4-2517.
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C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
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LET YOUR HOMETOWN PAPER KNOW WHAT’S NEW
Faculty and staff who want the Agriculture Information office to publicize their awards or other recognition -- or those of their students -- now have an online way to send us the details. The Hometown News Release Form can be filled out on the web and submitted to Ag Info for developing a news release. Drafts of news releases will be sent back for approval before they are mailed to the news media specified. The form is located at: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/releaseform.html. Any questions or comments can be directed to Ed Adcock, 4-2314 or edadcock@iastate.edu.
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I N F O G R A Z I N G
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NUMBER OF AGRICULTURE FACULTY TOTALS 372
In the fall of 1998, there were 372 faculty members in the College of Agriculture. Forty-eight, or 13 percent, were women. Twenty-eight, or 8 percent, were minorities. (ISU Office of Institutional Research, November 1998)
ISU SUMMER JOB FAIR FOR STUDENTS ON FEB. 18
The ISU Summer Job Fair ’99 will be held in the Great Hall, Memorial Union, on Feb. 18, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The job fair, which is open to all students, hosts more than 100 organizations looking for summer workers. The organizations include camps, resorts, non-profit groups, government agencies and ISU offices. For more information: 4-9490 or check the web: www.iastate.edu/~career_info/sjf99/sjf99.html.
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E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
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STRONG WORLD FOOD DEMAND MAY SLOW CONSOLIDATION
"In a period of low farm prices, consolidation will accelerate (and) will put some strains on farm families and the communities in which they live . . . The economic forces behind this trend are so powerful and the benefits to consumers so substantial that it is neither possible nor desirable to legislate consolidation away. Still, farm-dependent rural communities will feel the effects. With that in mind, policymakers may want to pay particular attention to efforts to return world food demand to a strong growth path. (That) would help lift prices of agricultural commodities, and thus appears to be the policy option of choice if policymakers wish to slow the pace of consolidation and thereby mitigate rural impacts." Mark Drabenstott, vice president and director, Center for the Study of Rural America, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, in testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Jan. 26. (His testimony can be found at: http://www.senate.gov/~agriculture/drab126.htm)
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M A R G I N A L I A
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FETAL PIG SHORTAGE HAMSTRINGS BIOLOGY TEACHERS
There’s a shortage of fetal pigs, a staple of biology teaching labs as a model of vertebrate anatomy. U.S. classes use an estimated half million fetal pigs a year. The crisis has less to do with plunging pork prices than with changes in prices paid for fetal pigs by wholesalers. Biological supply houses now pay about $9 per fetal pig -- about the same price as a 40-pound feeder pig.
Although many instructors will answer "when pigs fly" to the question of when they will switch species used for dissection, spiraling prices have some seeking solutions. Supply houses are gearing up to offer viable alternatives, including nine-inch-plus rats and degreased minks. (The Scientist, Feb. 1)