Issue: 120

COLLEGE NEWS - Students' trip to China postponed - After delay, ISU team arrives for project in China - Ag convocation honors spring and summer grads - All in the family at spring graduation - Gov. Vilsack salutes ISU swan committee - International students seek summer intern experience - Research highlighted at institute's 10th anniversary - NMR machine donated to CCUR and chemistry department - More summer field days added at research farms - Plan to attend North Central Teaching Symposium - Expo '99 looks at innovative future for farming - Deadlines & Reminders COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK - Spelling goofs: Add "millennium" to the list INFOGRAZING - NIH can add funds to grants to attract minorities INTERNAL VOICES - There's much for graduates to learn from other fields EXTERNAL VOICES - Churchill's rules for making a point MARGINALIA - Our busy graduates, from Cargill to Komodo dragons ................................................... C O L L E G E N E W S ................................................... STUDENTS' TRIP TO CHINA POSTPONED International Agriculture Programs has resumed planning for the student exchange with China that was postponed due to a travel warning issued by the U.S. State Department. The travel warning was discontinued yesterday and International Ag Programs is looking at holding the program in the near future. Twenty-two students and three faculty were scheduled to participate. AFTER DELAY, ISU TEAM ARRIVES FOR PROJECT IN CHINA After a delay caused by the concerns in China, an ISU team arrived there today to begin a program to strengthen rural research and extension education programs. The trip is part of a three-year partnership with Zhejiang University in Hangzhou that is funded by the U.S. Information Agency. ISU faculty and staff in sociology, international programs, farm management, agricultural education and journalism will spend four weeks working at a training center with Chinese extension agents and clients. They also will review Zhejiang University programs that support extension education. The overall goal is to help develop educational programs that support democratic reforms in rural China. AG CONVOCATION HONORS SPRING AND SUMMER GRADS Two hundred fifty-nine seniors attended the College of Agriculture Convocation for spring and summer graduates on May 8. Tonia Hesse, dairy science, gave the address. The Agriculture Student Council presented awards to Chad Dummermuth, agricultural systems technology and agricultural business, for academic achievement; Paul Hansen, agricultural education, for distinguished service; Aimee Lee, public service and administration in agriculture, for leadership excellence; and Tonia Hesse for outstanding senior. ALL IN THE FAMILY AT SPRING GRADUATION Four College of Agriculture graduates had their own fraternities -- two sets of brothers earned degrees last week. They aren't twins, but Mark and Matthew Bernabei earned identical degrees in agricultural studies. They both plan to return to the family farm near Ottawa, Ill. Jay and Matthew McLaren majored in ag business. Matt plans to return to the family farm near Farragut while Jay pursues a career in commodity trading. In "related" news, new graduates Scott and Jasmine Lester of Ames both earned degrees in professional agriculture. They are husband and wife. GOV. VILSACK SALUTES ISU SWAN COMMITTEE Iowa Gov. Thomas Vilsack recognized the efforts of the ISU Trumpeter Swan Restoration Committee when he signed a bill last month increasing the penalty for killing or possessing protected swans and cranes. Gov. Vilsack mentioned several individuals and groups involved in Iowa's swan restoration project, which has released 175 swans. The ISU group works with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and other organizations to help educate and promote Iowa's restoration programs. The group publishes a newsletter, sells t-shirts and other promotional items and sponsors wetlands appreciation activities. The group had a float in last month's Veishea parade. The committee's members include students in animal ecology, animal science, journalism, sociology and environmental science. For more information: Brenda Van Beek, 4-3056 or brendavb@iastate.edu. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SEEK SUMMER INTERN EXPERIENCE International Agriculture Programs is looking for faculty or staff who would consider providing 10 to 40 hours per week of internship experiences for students in the Summer International Internship Program in Agriculture. Here are the numbers of students, their countries and areas of interest: one from Germany (crop science/sustainable agriculture); three from Greece (crop science/animal science/sustainable agriculture); two from Mexico (food and meat science); two from Slovakia (management/economics); and three from Ukraine (engineering/management/economics). For more details: Vanessa Lutz, 4-8447 or vlutz@iastate.edu. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTED AT INSTITUTE 10TH ANNIVERSARY On April 27, 120 people attended the 10th anniversary celebration for ISU's Institute for Social and Behavioral Research. The institute was founded in 1988 as the Social and Behavioral Research Center for Rural Health. During dinner, some institute faculty highlighted results of their work from the past decade. Among the results: 1) Researchers distinguished between two groups of delinquents -- early starters who are at risk for adult anti-social behavior and late starters who are likely to quit delinquent behavior after a short period of experimentation. 2) Brief family-focused interventions can produce long-term benefits for children, including fewer conduct problems and reduced use of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana. 3) Childhood anti-social behavior often escalates into adult criminal activity because relationships that function as social controls are undermined. NMR MACHINE DONATED TO CCUR AND CHEMISTRY DEPT. The Center for Crops Utilization Research and the Department of Chemistry have jointly acquired a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) machine. The device was donated by Corn Products International, Bedford, Ill. Relocation and transportation of the $400,000 NMR was made possible with help from Henry Zobel, a retired USDA and Corn Products International employee. The device is housed in Gilman Hall. NMR is a non-destructive method to study the environment of atoms. Discovered by physicists and developed by chemists to assign molecular structures, NMR is now used in many fields. For more information: Robert Scott, 4-4057 or scott@iastate.edu. MORE SUMMER FIELD DAYS ADDED AT RESEARCH FARMS Four field days have been added to the summer schedule at the Research and Demonstration Farms. A sustainable weed management workshop will be held June 3 at the Southeast farm; a pasture tour will be held June 21 at the Rhodes Farm; a weed management plot tour will be held July 1 at the Northern Farm; and a hoop-building field day will be held Aug. 23 at the Rhodes Farm. Program topics for the summer field days were recently updated. They are located on the Web: https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings PLAN TO ATTEND NORTH CENTRAL TEACHING SYMPOSIUM The college's Professional Development Committee has been helping to plan the 1999 North Central Teaching Symposium, June 6-8, Holiday Inn Gateway Center. Ag faculty and their graduate students are invited to attend -- free of charge -- all activities and meals. The theme is "Engaging Learners through Communication." Speakers, hands-on workshops and poster sessions will be featured. This is an opportunity to gain new information and skills to improve communication in the classroom, and to interact with peers from across the north-central region. Participation also is welcome in a pre-symposium conference, June 4-6, on "Building the Land-grant Community with Tribal Colleges/Universities." Program details and registration are available online. For more information: Flora Tyler, 4-4548 or ftyler@iastate.edu. EXPO '99 LOOKS AT INNOVATIVE FUTURE FOR FARMING "Expo '99: Creating a Thriving Iowa Agriculture" will be held June 17 in the Scheman Building. The expo will focus on success for the Iowa farm in the future. It will include a panel discussion with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge, and breakout sessions featuring entrepreneurs working on innovative projects with crops, livestock, organics, energy and other areas. The expo will run from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $10, which includes a lunch of all-Iowa foods. Preregister by June 11. The expo is sponsored by Vision 2020, ISU Extension, the Leopold Center and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension, with support from several Iowa agricultural groups. For more information: Karen Lind, 4-2092 or kklind@iastate.edu. DEADLINES & REMINDERS May 16-18: From Jay L. Lush to Genomics: Visions for Animal Breeding and Genetics Symposium, Scheman Bldg., 4-6202. May 19: Iowa Food Industry Day, Food Sciences Bldg., 4-3394. ....................................................................... C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K ....................................................................... SPELLING GOOFS: ADD "MILLENNIUM" TO THE LIST Which spelling errors occur frequently? In the 1998 edition of "Dictionary of Modern American Usage," Bryan Garner lists some of the most frequently misspelled words. These include MISSPELLING and GRAMMAR. High on the list are three contractions: IT'S, THEY'RE and YOU'RE. Among the other favorites dating back to grade school are: SEPARATE, RECEIVE, OCCURRENCE, INOCULATE, COMMITTEE, EMBARRASS, DEFINITELY, ACCOMMODATE and HORS D OEUVRE. A little later perhaps people failed to learn to spell these: HARASS, MINUSCULE, PAVILION, PERSEVERE, PLAYWRIGHT and RESTAURATEUR. Probably the newest one to make the list is MILLENNIUM. (Writing That Works newsletter, April) ................................................... I N F O G R A Z I N G ................................................... NIH CAN ADD FUNDS TO GRANTS TO ATTRACT MINORITIES The National Institutes of Health has funds to supplement existing NIH research grants for the support and recruitment of minority students or investigators. NIH Research Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities are designed to attract minority students (from high school to post-doc) to research careers. They are not intended to provide an alternative or additional means of supporting minority individuals who already receive support from research or training grants, or from other funding. A request for these supplemental funds may be submitted any time. For more information, contact your DEO or Jerry Klonglan's office, 4-4763. ................................................... I N T E R N A L V O I C E S ................................................... THERE'S MUCH FOR GRADUATES TO LEARN FROM OTHER FIELDS "Our challenge is to continue to learn, and more importantly, learn not only in our own fields but also in broader arenas. Where do you start? Make a point of learning about the world around you a little more deeply than in 15-second sound bites. Too many adults do not read a newspaper, a book or even a magazine on a regular basis . . . Read each day, and try to learn not only what is happening in your community but in the world at large. Extend this idea of learning to your job or profession. Read not only in your specific area of work but in magazines or journals in allied fields . . . I know from my own research experiences that many of my best ideas came from disciplines other than my own. I might have easily dismissed them if I had failed to keep an open mind." From the address given by Max Rothschild, distinguished professor of animal science, at the May 7 graduate commencement ceremony in C.Y. Stephens. ................................................... E X T E R N A L V O I C E S ................................................... CHURCHILL'S RULES FOR MAKING A POINT "If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time with a tremendous knock." Winston Churchill. ................................................... M A R G I N A L I A ................................................... OUR BUSY GRADUATES, FROM CARGILL TO KOMODO DRAGONS Here's a sampling, from the May 8 convocation, of the post-graduation plans of College of Agriculture spring and summer graduating seniors: - assistant elevator manager, Cargill - dietetic internship, Mayo Medical Center - bank examiner, FDIC - pursue a veterinary degree, ISU College of Veterinary Medicine - researcher in reproductive biology, Pioneer - marketing reporter, USDA - researcher in isozyme lab, Garst Seed - farm manager and loan officer, Storm Lake bank - attending the College of Medicine, University of Iowa - seed production manager, Pioneer - return to family farm - work in family-owned crop insurance agency - market analyst, E-Markets - sales representative, Becker Underwood Inc. - crop production specialist, Cenex/Land O'Lakes - commodities trader, ADM - grain merchandiser, St. Paul, Minn., cooperative - continue education at ISU in medical entomology - continue education to get MBA, and be full-time mother - work with aspen regeneration, U.S. Forestry Service, Montana - wood technologist, Jeld-Wen Inc., Oregon - enter dental school, University of Iowa - enter Kent Law School, Chicago - join U.S. Coast Guard - join Peace Corps - buy small farm to develop into fruit and vegetable farm - golf course foreman, Augusta National Golf Course, Augusta, Ga. - started partnership in landscape business - study/work at Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Wisley, England - landscape designer, Drescher Landscapes, Chicago - biological lab technician, National Animal Disease Center - work with komodo dragons, Hoggle Zoo, Salt Lake City And one new graduate reports that he is "one step closer to discovering the key of life." Good luck to him, and to all our graduates. ........................................................ AG ONLINE ........................................................ SUBSCRIBE Ag Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture, is e-mailed every other Friday. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag Online subscribe" to bmeyer@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe, send "Ag Online unsubscribe." WEB SITE http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/ EDITORS Brian Meyer, bmeyer@iastate.edu Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu Phone: (515) 294-5616 NEXT ISSUE: May 28	DEADLINE: May 27 Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 318 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.