COLLEGE NEWS
- Find out more about concerns before going abroad
- Candidates sought for new agriculture dean
- Carver mural dedication April 15 in Food Sciences Bldg.
- ISU tests may help Hawaiian growers ship more fruit
- Panel to discuss sustainable agriculture April 8
- Agronomy Private Eye and more ag science in store
- Register online for North Central Teaching Symposium
- ISU helps tribal colleges participate in MANRRS meeting
- AST Club’s annual lawnmower service days April 9-10
- Biotech and global justice: April 17 Bioethics Forum
- Dairy industry grads from the Fifties plan reunion
- Low cost for student ag internships in Thailand
- Conference debut: Metabolic Pathways in Plants
- Keeney to speak at Gamma Sigma Delta event April 19
- Using the ICN: Brenton Center workshop on April 14
- Two seminars on Cuban agriculture in April
- NIH grant workshop a success; World Bank next
- Climate change presentations now online
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Video outlining college programs available
INFOGRAZING
- By the Numbers: ISU alumni and college alumni
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Transgenic animals can help address human ills
INTERNAL VOICES
- The sign of a true leader, from an ISU student who knows
MARGINALIA
- That’ll do, pig: Expect ham at kiss-a-pig contest
- That’ll do, Bud: Buss a beef for Pre-Vet Club
...................................................
C O L L E G E N E W S
...................................................
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CONCERNS BEFORE GOING ABROAD
Due to heightened security concerns abroad, faculty, staff and students who are planning international travel during the next several weeks are encouraged to contact David Acker, International Agriculture Programs, 4-8454, regarding travel precautions.
CANDIDATES SOUGHT FOR NEW AGRICULTURE DEAN
The search committee for the new dean of the College of Agriculture is seeking nominations and applications. Review of applications will begin May 15. It is planned for candidates to visit campus early in the fall semester. A copy of the position description is on the college website. Send nominations or applications to Harley Moon, search committee chair, Office of the Provost, 107 Beardshear.
CARVER MURAL DEDICATION APRIL 15 IN FOOD SCIENCES BLDG.
You’re invited to the April 15 dedication of the George Washington Carver Mural in the east foyer of the Food Sciences Building. The mural, a triptych, was painted by Youssef Asar, the George Washington Carver artist-in-residence, who has been working in a studio in Curtiss Hall. Bring a lunch to eat in the Dairy Industry Courtyard following the dedication, which begins at noon. Ice cream will be served. You also are invited to view Asar’s Iowa landscapes in the new addition to Kildee Hall.
ISU TESTS MAY HELP HAWAIIAN GROWERS SHIP MORE FRUIT
For a short time last month, papaya replaced pork as the center of attention at ISU's Linear Accelerator Facility. The facility, the nation's only commercial-sized irradiation plant for food research and demonstration, uses electron beams to rid foods of disease-causing organisms. ISU helped Hawaiian tropical fruit growers test the technology on papaya and rambutan (a small, red, bristly-skinned fruit). Currently, Hawaiian fruits must be picked early and heat-treated to ensure no fruit flies or larvae survive the trip to the mainland. Tests at ISU showed that irradiating the fruit with x-rays could be done at uniform doses and at levels that would eliminate the pest problem, allowing the fruit to be shipped at a riper stage. "Based on the positive results we’ve seen at Iowa State, we’re very excited," one fruit grower told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald newspaper. Yesterday (April 1) a group of Hawaiian farmers announced plans to build an electron-beam facility similar to ISU's that will allow them to meet USDA quarantine requirements for fruit flies and ship tropical fruits throughout the United States.
PANEL TO DISCUSS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE APRIL 8
"Of Soil and Society: What Might Sustainable Agriculture Look Like," a panel discussion, will be held 11 a.m., April 8, College of Design atrium. Panel members are Clare Hinrichs, sociology; Ricardo Salvador, agronomy; and LaVon Griffieon, a farmer. The panel is one of a series on sustainable communities sponsored by the design college, the Department of Community and Regional Planning and the Miller Faculty Fellowship Program.
AGRONOMY PRIVATE EYE AND MORE AG SCIENCE IN STORE
Science in Agriculture Day will bring 145 high school students to campus on April 22 to learn about scientific opportunities in agriculture. Students choose three sessions from 25 topics, including those titled Agronomy Private Eye; Water Flows Downhill and Guess What Moves Along; Microscopy and You; Food Flavors: The Real Difference Between Pepsi and Coke; Eradicating Insect Pests; and Making Building Materials from Cornstalks and Switchgrass. This is the program’s 11th year. For more information, look online.
REGISTER ONLINE FOR NORTH CENTRAL TEACHING SYMPOSIUM
Faculty and staff can register online for the North Central Teaching Symposium, June 6-8, and the pre-symposium conference, June 4-6. Check the website. Program information can be found online. The symposium theme is "Engaging Learners through Communication." The pre-symposium conference will focus on "Building the Land-Grant Community with Tribal Colleges." There are no registration or meal costs for ISU faculty, staff and graduate students. For more information: Bill Graves, 4-0034 or graves@iastate.edu.
ISU HELPS TRIBAL COLLEGES PARTICIPATE IN MANRRS MEETING
With support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the College of Agriculture is coordinating the attendance of students and faculty from 16 land-grant tribal colleges at the 1999 Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Conference, April 7-10, Roanoke, Va. The support will allow 24 instructors and 17 students to attend. Nine ISU MANRRS members, plus advisers Nina Grant and Mary de Baca, will attend. At last year’s ISU-hosted MANRRS conference, interactions between ISU and tribal college representatives resulted in the establishment of a Tribal College Task Force to explore collaborative activities. For more information: Mary de Baca, 4-8574 or mmdb@iastate.edu.
AST CLUB’S ANNUAL LAWNMOWER SERVICE DAYS APRIL 9-10
The Agricultural Systems Technology Club will hold its annual lawnmower service days April 9-10. The club will take mowers from 1 to 6 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Rates are $27 for push mowers and $32 for riding mowers. The club offers a pick-up and delivery service -- $13 for push mowers and $18 for riders. For more information: Dan Baum, 292-3880 or baumfarm@iastate.edu.
BIOTECH AND GLOBAL JUSTICE: APRIL 17 BIOETHICS FORUM
The ISU Bioethics Symposium on "Biotechnology and Global Justice" will be held April 17 in the Molecular Biology Building auditorium. The symposium will examine the impact of agricultural biotechnology on the world’s rich and poor nations. Speakers include Rebecca Goldburg, Environmental Defense Fund; Loren Lomasky, Bowling Green State University; and Tony Smith, ISU. The $5 registration fee includes lunch. Preregistration deadline is April 9. Sponsors include the College of Agriculture and several departments and centers within the college. For more information: Clark Ford, 4-0343 or cfford@iastate.edu.
DAIRY INDUSTRY GRADS FROM THE FIFTIES PLAN REUNION
The classes of 1950 through 1955 from ISU’s Department of Dairy Industry (now Food Science and Human Nutrition) will hold a reunion during Veishea, April 15-
17. About 100 students graduated from the department during those six years, including Bill LaGrange (’53), an FSHN faculty member. About 25 graduates and their spouses are expected to attend, including Dorothy (Renter) Demeter (’53), the only female graduate in dairy industry during 19- and believed to be the first woman at ISU to receive a degree in dairy industry. The reunion will include a luncheon, tour of campus, Veishea events and a dinner.
LOW COST FOR STUDENT AG INTERNSHIPS IN THAILAND
This summer ISU students can experience Thailand for $500, which includes room, board and round-trip airfare. Students will work on swine or poultry farms, and become familiar with the Charoen Pokphand Group, the agricultural firm that supports the internships. The trip runs from May 19 to July 21. If you know students who may be interested, ask them to contact Eduarda Becerra, 4-3972 or ebecerra@iastate.edu.
CONFERENCE DEBUT: METABOLIC PATHWAYS IN PLANTS
The first Plant Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference, on the topic of "Metabolic Networking in Plants," will be held April 22-25, Scheman Building. Speakers are from universities and research institutions around the country and in Japan and Germany. Sponsors include the departments of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology and botany; the Office of Biotechnology; USDA; and National Science Foundation. For registration and other details, look online or call 4-7978 or e-mail pbmb@iastate.edu.
KEENEY TO SPEAK AT GAMMA SIGMA DELTA EVENT APRIL 19
Dennis Keeney, director of the Leopold Center, will speak on Aldo Leopold and the land ethic at Gamma Sigma Delta’s initiation and banquet, April 19, Great Hall, Memorial Union. Initiation begins at 5:45 p.m. with the banquet at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $16. Gamma Sigma Delta is the honor society for agriculture. For more information: Linda Drennan, 4-5904 or ldrennan@iastate.edu.
USING THE ICN: BRENTON CENTER WORKSHOP ON APRIL 14
The Brenton Center’s next brown-bag lunch workshop, "Using the ICN," will be held at 12:10 p.m., April 14, rooms 9 and 13 Curtiss. The session will be an overview of the Iowa Communications Network and hands-on experience with the system.
TWO SEMINARS ON CUBAN AGRICULTURE IN APRIL
Two April seminars will focus on Cuban agriculture. On April 13, Itamys Caridad Garcia Villar, a DVM with the National Center for the Production of Laboratory Animals in Cuba, will speak on animal health and production in the country. On April 20, Cornelia Flora, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, and Jan Flora, sociology, will talk about their recent trip to Cuba and how agriculture is changing there. Both seminars begin at noon in 142 Curtiss. For more information: 4-8454.
NIH GRANT WORKSHOP A SUCCESS; WORLD BANK NEXT
Seventy-five faculty and staff attended Tuesday’s successful grantsmanship workshop on NIH grants. The next workshop, on World Bank grants, will be held April 29, 1 to 3:30 p.m., Memorial Union. For more information: Deanne Brill, 4-2517 or dbrill@iastate.edu.
CLIMATE CHANGE PRESENTATIONS NOW ONLINE
Some of the presentations -- audio and text -- from last month’s National Forum for Agriculture on climate change are available online. More will be posted soon. Check the forum link on CARD’s homepage: http://www.card.iastate.edu/
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
April 5: Deadline, ISU Internationalization/Globalization Grants proposals, 4-8802.
April 14: Using the ICN, Brenton Center workshop, 12:10 p.m., 4-1862.
April 15: George Washington Carver Mural dedication, east foyer, Food Sciences Building, noon.
April 16-18: Veishea.
April 17: ISU Bioethics Symposium, Molecular Biology Building, 4-0343.
April 19: Gamma Sigma Delta banquet, Great Hall, Memorial Union, 4-5904.
April 22: Science in Agriculture Day at ISU.
April 22-25: Metabolic Networking in Plants Conference, 4-7978.
April 29: World Bank Funding Opportunities, Successful Grantsmanship workshop, 1 p.m., Memorial Union, 4-2517.
.......................................................................
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
.......................................................................
VIDEO OUTLINING COLLEGE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE
An eight-minute video that briefly outlines the College of Agriculture’s teaching, research and outreach efforts is available for checkout from Ag Information, 304 Curtiss. The video, produced by Ag Information and the Brenton Center, targets campus visitors and others who want to know more about the college. For more information: Susan Thompson, 4-0705 or sander@iastate.edu.
...................................................
I N F O G R A Z I N G
...................................................
BY THE NUMBERS: ISU ALUMNI AND COLLEGE ALUMNI
A few figures on ISU and College of Agriculture alumni, from a March report by ISU’s Office of Institutional Research:
Number of living ISU alumni: 183,416
Number who are agriculture alumni: 31,474
Percentage of living ISU alumni who are ag alumni: 17
Number of ISU alumni in Malaysia: 662
Rank of Malaysia in countries outside U.S. with most alumni: 1
Rank of Taiwan, Canada, Indonesia and South Korea: 2, 3, 4, 5
Percentage of ISU ag graduates from 1997-98 who were employed six months after graduation (excluding those pursuing further education): 77
Percentage of those who were employed in Iowa: 71
Rank of Deere & Co., Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Cargill Inc., and Caterpillar in top 15 employers of ISU alumni: 4, 6, 10, 15
Total number of ISU degrees awarded from 1872 to 1998: 209,004
...................................................
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
...................................................
TRANSGENIC ANIMALS CAN HELP ADDRESS HUMAN ILLS
"(To them) Dolly was just an interesting animal. But I kept thinking, if we can’t do something about cystic fibrosis, these kids are likely to be dead in 10 or 15 years. That’s all the justification I think we need." Ron James, watching two girls afflicted with cystic fibrosis play with Dolly, the sheep cloned from an adult cell. James, the managing director of the Scottish firm that cloned Dolly, was commenting on the importance of proceeding with transgenic-animal research. (Washington Post, Feb. 28)
...................................................
I N T E R N A L V O I C E S
...................................................
THE SIGN OF A TRUE LEADER, BY AN ISU STUDENT WHO KNOWS
"Being a leader is not simply being the president of a club or captain of a team. A leader is someone who is actively involved in an organization or group and who is a role model and inspiration to others because of their strong work ethic, their initiative and their genuine interest and enthusiasm for their work. This person may even chair a smaller group or be a sub-committee director in a large organization, but through their actions and leadership qualities they inspire those members on their committee as well as equals and even people holding higher offices. That is the sign of a true leader." Rachel Allbaugh, junior in animal science (preveterinary medicine), speaking at last Sunday’s ISU Student Scholars and Leaders Recognition Ceremony. At the event she received the W. Robert Parks and Ellen Sorge Parks Senior Scholarship and a High Scholarship Award.
...................................................
M A R G I N A L I A
...................................................
THAT’LL DO, PIG: EXPECT HAM AT KISS-A-PIG CONTEST
You’re invited to a kiss-a-pig contest, the College of Agriculture’s Senior Send-Off, on April 21 at 12:30 p.m., Kildee Hall Pavilion. The Senior Send-Off is an event to say farewell to graduating seniors. Prizes and giveaways will be part of the event. Students can nominate a faculty or staff member and an ag club officer to kiss a pig by visiting their advising office, or 23 Curtiss or 141 Curtiss, by April 9. For more information: Emily Reel, ag representative, Senior Class Council, ereel@iastate.edu.
THAT’LL DO, BUD: BUSS A BEEF FOR THE PRE-VET CLUB
ISU’s Pre-Vet Club is sponsoring a kiss-a-steer contest during Veishea. Twelve ISU faculty and staff (including Dean Topel, Mike Gaul and Doug Kenealy) have volunteered to be candidates to kiss Bud, a steer at the vet med college. Students can vote with their spare change (a penny a vote) at several places during Veishea week (signs will be posted), including the Sigma Alpha barbecue stand and the Pre-Vet Club’s petting zoo. The club plans to put video of the "winner" and Bud on its web site. For more information: Julie Kruse, 268-3232 or jewelsk@iastate.edu.