COLLEGE NEWS
- Major gift to be announced on Sept. 9 on campus
- Jischke and Richmond to visit college on Sept. 29
- College plays role in recent governors’ ag summit
- USDA to honor Carver in building dedication next month
- Research farm visitors learn about Carver’s legacy
- Artist-in-residence’s work shown around Iowa
- Grove of trees dedicated in memory of John Webb
- Ag Business Club tops in the nation again
- Weed science team third in north central contest
- Reception for Zhejiang delegation on Sept. 7
- ‘A Bug’s Life’ featured at Insect Horror Film Fest
- Mini-symposium on conjugated linoleic acid on Sept. 20
- More than 400 attend tiling field day
- Final Reiman Gardens brown-bag programs of the season
- Fairgoers learn about rich history of College of Ag
- Martha Stewart show to feature ISU staff member
- Make plans to attend 1999 World Food Prize ceremony
- Former Cambodia ambassador to head World Food Prize
- Brenton Center sets professional development series
- New college listserv for instructors of web courses
- Proposals for distance education materials due Sept. 6
- ISU students organize farm safety day camp Sept. 18
- Proposals due Oct. 15 for Dean’s International Grants
- Sign up by Oct. 1 for sixth annual BBMB symposium
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Updated college directory now on the Web
- Reminder of awards news release form on the Web
INFOGRAZING
- Two of three professors stressed by computers
INTERNAL VOICES
- Adequate public funding of research will benefit all
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Destroyed experiment hinders search for answers
MARGINALIA
- . . . And on this farm he had an ape, E-I-E-I-O
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C O L L E G E N E W S
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MAJOR GIFT TO BE ANNOUNCED ON SEPT. 9 ON CAMPUS
Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend President Jischke’s announcement of a major gift to ISU at noon, Thursday, Sept. 9, in front of the campanile. Lunch will be served. It will be the largest gift ever given to an Iowa university and the largest gift ever given to any college of agriculture in the country. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by Sept. 7 to the ISU Foundation, 4-0909.
JISCHKE AND RICHMOND TO VISIT COLLEGE ON SEPT. 29
President Jischke and Provost Rollin Richmond will visit the College of Agriculture on Wednesday, Sept. 29. Part of their schedule will be to meet with members of the animal ecology department. More details in the next Ag Online.
COLLEGE PLAYS ROLE IN RECENT GOVERNORS’ AG SUMMIT
Organized by Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and North Dakota Gov. Edward Schafer, the National Governors’ Association held an agriculture summit in the Scheman Building on Aug. 26. About 50 state agricultural administrators and staff attended. Colin Scanes, executive associate dean, moderated the meeting. John Miranowski, chair of economics, and Pat Schnable, professor of agronomy, participated in panel discussions on value-added agriculture and biotechnology, respectively. The participants toured utilization and molecular-biology facilities on campus.
USDA TO HONOR CARVER IN BUILDING DEDICATION NEXT MONTH
ISU ag administrators and alumni will help honor George Washington Carver at U.S. Department of Agriculture events Oct. 4-8. The USDA is dedicating a new Beltsville, Md., research facility in Carver's name. ISU, Simpson College and Tuskegee University will have displays at some of the events. Alumni from all three institutions will be invited for a reception Oct. 7 at the USDA's Whitten Building.
RESEARCH FARM VISITORS LEARN ABOUT CARVER’S LEGACY
George Washington Carver's contributions as an educator and researcher have been an important part of the ISU Research and Demonstration Farm field days this summer. At Thursday’s field day at the Northern Farm at Kanawha, Dean Topel spoke of the ISU alum's achievements. Also, Youssef Asar displayed landscapes he has painted during his tenure as ISU’s George Washington Carver artist-in-residence. At other field days this summer, Stan Johnson, vice provost for extension; Wendy Wintersteen, director of extension agriculture and natural resources; Colin Scanes, executive associate dean; and Gerald Klonglan and Gerald Miller, associate deans, have talked about Carver. Associate dean Eric Hoiberg will speak Sept. 9 at the Southeast Farm field day. Field day participants also have viewed plantings of peanuts and sweet potatoes, crops Carver researched extensively.
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE’S WORK SHOWN AROUND IOWA
Youssef Asar, George Washington Carver artist-in-residence, displayed paintings of Iowa and ISU landscapes at the Northern Research and Demonstration Farm field day on Thursday. The paintings will stay in the area over the Labor Day weekend for a showing during Kanawha’s centennial celebration. The paintings were on display in Kildee Hall earlier this year. Earlier this summer Asar displayed his paintings at a field day on the Armstrong Farm in southwest Iowa. Asar donated his portrait of Lauren Christian, the distinguished animal scientist who died last year, to the Wallace Foundation for Rural Research and Development. The foundation owns the Lauren Christian Swine Research and Demonstration Farm, which is part of the Armstrong Farm. The painting was hung in the Learning Center that serves as the Armstrong Farm's headquarters. The mural that Asar painted depicting Carver's life (two panels of which are now on display in the Food Sciences Building foyer) will be shown next month in Beltsville, Md., at a USDA dedication of a new research facility named for Carver.
GROVE OF TREES DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF JOHN WEBB
A grove of oak trees was dedicated Thursday at the Northern Research and Demonstration Farm at Kanawha in memory of John Webb, a retired agronomy faculty member who died in 1997. The soil scientist had established long-term fertility and crop-rotation projects, many of which are still in progress, at several research farms across Iowa. The oak grove is located near the entrance to the south farm and is marked by a plaque on a boulder. Webb was a faculty member from 1952 to 1990. The basis for ISU's recommendations on phosphorus, potassium, zinc and lime in soil are primarily from research begun by Webb, according to colleague Regis Voss.
AG BUSINESS CLUB TOPS IN THE NATION AGAIN
For the second year in a row and the fourth time this decade, the Agricultural Business Club has been named the outstanding chapter in the nation by the American Agricultural Economics Association. The award, sponsored by the association’s student section, was presented at the association’s annual meeting in August in Nashville. Ron Deiter, economics, is the club’s advisor. Also, Garrett Toay, senior in ag business, was elected to the six-member national officer team. Toay is vice president of the north-central region.
WEED SCIENCE TEAM THIRD IN NORTH CENTRAL CONTEST
An agronomy undergraduate team placed third in the North Central Weed Science Society’s weed science contest July 22 in Hollandale, Minn. The contest included undergraduate and graduate teams from a 12-state region and Canada. The ISU team placed first in the sprayer calibration competition -- beating all teams, including the graduate students -- and had the highest combined individual scores of any team in the problem-solving competition. The team was coached by Brent Pringnitz and Lance Gibson, agronomy.
RECEPTION FOR ZHEJIANG DELEGATION ON SEPT. 7
Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend a reception for Professor Huang, former president of Zhejiang University in China, and Dr. Wei, an ag economist at Zhejiang, at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 7, in 8 Curtiss. An ISU delegation met the two Chinese officials during a trip to China in May as part of a U.S. Information Agency-funded project to strengthen extension and rural programs in that country. The two Chinese faculty members have spent the last month at ISU gathering information on extension and agricultural education. They depart for China on Sept. 10.
‘A BUG’S LIFE’ FEATURED AT INSECT HORROR FILM FEST
The Entomology Club’s annual Insect Horror Film Festival will be held 6 to 10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 10, in the South Ballroom, Memorial Union. "A Bug’s Life" will be shown at 7:15 p.m. Come at 6 p.m. for the insect petting zoo and to sample caramel apple bug crunch, napoleons with mealworm and popcorn mealworm munchies.
MINI-SYMPOSIUM ON CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID ON SEPT. 20
The second annual mini-symposium on conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) will be held Sept. 20 in the Ensminger Room, Kildee Hall. Researchers from ISU, Purdue, Utah State, University of Massachusetts and the Institute of National Agriculture Research in Dijon, France, will report on their work on the effects of increased CLA in meat, eggs, milk and other animal products. CLA, a fatty acid, is thought to have human health benefits as well as improving the quality of animal products. The meeting begins at 8 a.m. and will conclude about 3:30 p.m. For more information: F.C. Parrish, 4-3280.
MORE THAN 400 ATTEND TILING FIELD DAY
The latest in tiling techniques and equipment were demonstrated at a field day Aug. 25-26 at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Crawfordsville. Researchers were installing a tile drainage research project and scheduled the field day to give producers a chance to view the tiling work. Six tile contractors, seven tile companies and several equipment dealers donated time and tile to the demonstration. Greg Brenneman, ag engineering extension field specialist, said 75 acres were tiled, 45 of which will be part of the research project. The project will study crop yields and water quality under different tile spacings and compare them to untiled farmland.
FINAL REIMAN GARDENS BROWN-BAG PROGRAMS OF THE SEASON
Topics for this year’s final two brown-bag lunch programs at the Reiman Gardens are "Restoring Iowa Prairies" by Shirley Shirley, author of "Restoring the Tall Grass Prairie," on Sept. 9, and "Restoring Iowa State Parks" by Angela Corio of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on Sept. 16. Both are held in the Mahlstede Building.
FAIRGOERS LEARN ABOUT RICH HISTORY OF COLLEGE OF AG
Thanks to the 63 persons from 15 departments and college offices who volunteered to staff the College of Agriculture exhibit during the Iowa State Fair. The display touched on ISU’s past and present contributions to the agriculture industry. More than 5,000 visitors used the rubber stamps provided to create their own farm scenes (see "Marginalia" below). About 2,500 maze and college quiz sheets were distributed. Four hundred requested more information about ISU and the college. More than 3,400 people signed up for daily prize drawings. The grand prize winner was Alberta Gates of Independence, who won a family membership to Living History Farms.
MARTHA STEWART SHOW TO FEATURE ISU STAFF MEMBER
An ISU staff member’s love of flowers has blossomed into a spot on the "Martha Stewart Living" television show. James Romer, extension program specialist in horticulture and coordinator of the Master Gardener program, was interviewed by the show’s producers at the Iowa State Fair last month. Romer and his family have raised dahlias for 35 years and were recently featured in "Sky," the Delta Airlines magazine. The Romers grow dahlias mainly for pleasure but also enter them in fairs and shows around the Midwest. During the interview, Romer talked about what growers should look for in dahlias. The program featuring Romer is scheduled to run in mid-September.
MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND 1999 WORLD FOOD PRIZE CEREMONY
This year’s laureate of the 1999 World Food Prize will be honored at a 4 p.m. award ceremony on Oct. 14 in Hoyt Sherman Place (15th and Woodland) in Des Moines. The announcement of the laureate will be made in Washington, D.C., two days earlier. The Des Moines award ceremony is open to the public. Admission is free -- tickets are available by contacting Brian Meyer, Ag Information, 4-0706 or bmeyer@iastate.edu.
FORMER CAMBODIA AMBASSADOR TO HEAD WORLD FOOD PRIZE
Kenneth Quinn, former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia, will become the executive director of the World Food Prize Foundation, effective in January. He will replace Herman Kilpper, who is retiring. Quinn, who was raised in Dubuque, has more than 30 years of experience in foreign service. The College of Agriculture is the secretariat of the World Food Prize.
BRENTON CENTER SETS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES
The Brenton Center for Agricultural Instruction and Technology Transfer has scheduled four fall-semester seminars in its professional development series. All begin at noon on the second Wednesday of the month in 8 Curtiss. The topics are "Digital Whiteboards" on Sept. 8; "WebCT: A Course Management Tool," Oct. 13; "File Format Fundamentals," Nov. 10; and "Director 7 Shockwave Software," Dec. 8. For more information: Richard Carter, Brenton Center, 4-6950 or ricarter@iastate.edu. Also, training on using the ICN and other features of the center is available. Contact Ann Bugler, 4-9732 or bugler@iastate.edu.
NEW COLLEGE LISTSERV FOR INSTRUCTORS OF WEB COURSES
The College of Agriculture is organizing a listserv for instructors teaching web-based courses. The listserv will provide a forum for sharing experiences with others who are teaching or planning to teach web courses. For more information: Richard Carter, Brenton Center, 4-6950 or ricarter@iastate.edu.
PROPOSALS FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION MATERIALS DUE SEPT. 6
Proposals are due Sept. 6 for the Brenton Center’s instructor assistance program, which helps agriculture faculty enhance or develop materials for multimedia and Web courses. Ten proposals will be selected. In the program, the center supervises students to complete needed materials. Last year students worked on materials for 15 courses, including converting more than 2,300 slides and photos to digital format; creating charts; and designing Web pages. Ten proposals will be selected. For more information: Gaylan Scofield, 4-0045 or ggs@iastate.edu.
ISU STUDENTS ORGANIZE FARM SAFETY DAY CAMP SEPT. 18
Sigma Alpha is organizing a Farm Safety Day Camp for young people, ages 9 to 15, that will be held 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 18, on campus. ISU faculty and staff and industry professionals will give presentations on safety issues related to animals, farm equipment, first aid, pesticides, small engines (chainsaws, ATVs, lawnmowers), grain bins and electricity. The event is sponsored by several ISU student clubs, the College of Agriculture, Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa REC and Dow. If any faculty or staff would like their children to participate, contact Angie Pithan, 268-1843 or apithan@iastate.edu.
PROPOSALS DUE OCT. 15 FOR DEAN’S INTERNATIONAL GRANTS
Deadline for proposals for the Dean of Agriculture’s International Research Grants Program is Oct. 15. The grants help expand and strengthen international research collaborations on problems of interest to Iowa and cooperating countries. For more information: Elena Polouchkina, 4-8493 or elenap@iastate.edu.
SIGN UP BY OCT. 1 FOR SIXTH ANNUAL BBMB SYMPOSIUM
Registration deadline is Oct. 1 for the sixth annual Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Symposium to be held Nov. 5-6 in the Molecular Biology Building. The program will feature Keith Yamamoto of the University of California at San Francisco, an alumnus who is studying glucocorticoid hormone receptor and its role in regulating gene expression. ISU faculty and students also will speak on their current work. Workshops and lab sessions will cover biochemical and molecular biology techniques. There also will be poster and oral sessions, and discussions on applying to graduate school and available postdoctoral opportunities. Registration is free. For more information: 4-6116 or check the web: http://molebio.iastate.edu/bbhtml/symp.html
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Sept. 3: Foreign travel grant applications due, 138 Curtiss
Sept. 7-9: ISU Extension Value-added Caravan, 4-0588.
Sept. 8: Digital Whiteboards, Brenton Center Professional Development Series, noon, 8 Curtiss.
Sept. 19-21: Heartland Environmental and Resource Economics Workshop, 4-6336, http://www.ag.iastate.edu/card/about/heartlandconf/klingconference.html
Sept. 24: Faculty improvement leave applications due, 138 Curtiss
Sept. 28-30: Farm Progress Show, Amanas
Sept. 29: President Jischke visits college
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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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UPDATED COLLEGE DIRECTORY NOW ON THE WEB
An updated directory of administrative offices, departments and centers in the college is now available on the Web as a PDF document at: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/directory.pdf.
REMINDER OF AWARDS NEWS RELEASE FORM ON THE WEB
College faculty, staff and students who receive awards and honors are encouraged to use a Web-based form to submit information on their recognition for news releases. Ag Information will use the information to write releases destined for your hometown newspapers or other media. Those submitting information review the releases before they are sent. For future reference, bookmark the form at: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/releaseform.html
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I N F O G R A Z I N G
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TWO OF THREE PROFESSORS STRESSED BY COMPUTERS
Results from a survey of 34,000 faculty members at 378 institutions of higher learning indicate that 67 percent of the survey respondents feel regular stress keeping up with information technology. Only 35 percent use the Internet to conduct research and 38 percent use information technology to create classroom presentations. Faculty stress contrasts sharply with student nonchalance. Noting that 80 percent of freshmen at UCLA arrived last year with their own computers, a spokesman from that university says, "We are seeing a generation that has practically grown up with computers as a part of everyday life." (San Jose Mercury News, Aug. 29)
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I N T E R N A L V O I C E S
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ADEQUATE PUBLIC FUNDING OF RESEARCH WILL BENEFIT ALL
"It is not enough to worry about whether industry funding will warp university research. Our most important worry should be about providing enough public funding (this means taxes) to properly balance the industry funds. If the public funds are adequate -- and only if they are adequate -- our public universities can cover the full gamut of research needed by the public at large. Part of the research will be funded by industry and part of it (probably the largest part) will be funded by all of us. And we all will benefit." Donald Duvick, affiliate professor in agronomy, in a letter to the editor that was published in the June 27 Des Moines Register.
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E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
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DESTROYED EXPERIMENT HINDERS SEARCH FOR ANSWERS
"Environmental extremists who destroy genetically altered crops, supposedly to save the world, are not only breaking the law, as they did last week at the University of Maine, but are stopping the very research that can tell people about the risks of growing such plants . . . There's nothing wrong with peaceful protest or with insisting that troubling eco-questions be answered. But slashing