COLLEGE NEWS
- USDA to dedicate George Washington Carver facility
- Inaugural Plant Sciences Colloquium on Oct. 16
- 1999 World Food Prize goes to British veterinarian
- Come to the World Food Prize ceremony on Oct. 14
- World Food Prize winner will speak at ISU on Oct. 18
- Watch World Food Day teleconference at ISU site
- College has 108 minority students enrolled this fall
- Fewer international students enrolled in agriculture
- Breakfast of champions: Support 4-H on Oct. 5
- First Wallace Chair for Sustainable Ag named
- Sign up for alumni bus trip to Missouri football game
- ISU to partner with 1890 schools on grants workshop
- ISU hosts North Central microbiologists Oct. 15-16
- Eight faculty receive support for distance ed courses
- Deadline Oct. 15 for Dean of Agriculture research grants
- Learn more about ag study-abroad plans for 1999-2000
- Meetings set on England, Panama travel courses
- Hort Club selling apples and cider in October
- Rodeo Club’s stampede and rodeo planned Oct. 8-9
- Block and Bridle Club to hold 4-H, FFA judging event
- AST Club honored in national report contest
- Regional meat-judging contest on Oct. 9
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Halloween’s coming, but don’t be scared by reporters
INFOGRAZING
- ISU Graduate/Professional Career Day on Oct. 13
INTERNAL VOICES
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- Erin (and agriculture) go bragh
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Creativity likened to surfing the Web
MARGINALIA
- Autumn, and leaves and pins are falling
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C O L L E G E N E W S
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USDA TO DEDICATE GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER FACILITY
Several events are scheduled during an Oct. 6 dedication of a new USDA office facility in Beltsville, Md., that will be named for George Washington Carver. Dean Topel and Charles Stewart, a senior in ag biochemistry, will speak at the ceremony. Stewart is national president of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. Sande McNabb, plant pathology/forestry, will speak at a symposium on Carver’s life. A reception will be held for alumni from ISU, Simpson College and Tuskegee University, institutions where Carver learned and taught. Murals painted by ISU George Washington Carver artist-in-residence Youssef Asar will be displayed.
INAUGURAL PLANT SCIENCES COLLOQUIUM ON OCT. 16
The Plant Sciences Institute will hold its inaugural colloquium, "Celebrating Plant Sciences at Iowa State University," on Saturday, Oct. 16, in Lush Auditorium, Kildee Hall. The institute, which received approval by the Board of Regents in September, is the umbrella organization for a group of centers, each focused on a specific area of plant science. Colin Scanes, interim director of the institute, and the leaders of the centers will give presentations. The program, which runs from 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., is open to the public. For more information: Cathy Good, 4-4544.
1999 WORLD FOOD PRIZE GOES TO BRITISH VETERINARIAN
Walter Plowright, a British veterinarian, is this year’s winner of the World Food Prize. The award was announced last week at the Royal Society of London. Plowright was honored for his development of a vaccine for rinderpest, a disease that at one time killed up to 50 percent of the cattle in parts of Africa. Plowright will be recognized at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 12, and at the World Food Prize award ceremony in Des Moines on Oct. 14 (see next item).
COME TO THE WORLD FOOD PRIZE CEREMONY ON OCT. 14
Vans are reserved for ISU faculty, staff and students who want to attend the World Food Prize award ceremony at 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 14, in Des Moines. To reserve a seat, contact Brian Meyer, Ag Information, 4-0706 or bmeyer@iastate.edu, by Friday, Oct. 8. The hour-long ceremony will be held at Hoyt Sherman Place. Admission is free -- tickets are available by contacting Meyer. The program will include remarks by 1999 laureate Walter Plowright; 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug; and Elizabeth Dole, a member of the prize’s Council of Advisors. There also will be a performance by Davis Gaines, who has played the title role of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s "The Phantom of the Opera" more than 2,000 times during a five-year run on Broadway and on the West Coast.
WORLD FOOD PRIZE WINNER WILL SPEAK AT ISU ON OCT. 18
Walter Plowright will give the 1999 Frank K. Ramsey Lecture at ISU’s College of Veterinary Medicine at 10 a.m., Monday, Oct. 18, in 1226-1228 Vet Med. He will speak on his experiences as a veterinary research worker in Africa.
WATCH WORLD FOOD DAY TELECONFERENCE AT ISU SITE
ISU will host a downlink site for "Tomorrow’s Farmers: An Uncertain Future," the 16th annual World Food Day satellite teleconference on Oct. 15, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1155 Administrative Services Building. The program will look at the challenges and prospects in the next century for farmers, especially young farmers in the developing world. Domestic food security issues also will be addressed. Seating is limited; register by Oct. 8 by e-mailing Kimberly Greder, x1greder@exnet.iastate.edu. The program will be videotaped and available for check-out -- contact Nancy Johnson, x1nancyj@exnet.iatstate.edu.
COLLEGE HAS 108 MINORITY STUDENTS ENROLLED THIS FALL
The number of minority students in the College of Agriculture increased slightly this fall from a year ago. According to the Office of the Registrar, there are 108 minority students -- 83 undergraduate and 25 graduate. Last fall there were 104 students -- 81 undergraduate and 23 graduate. Total minority students, undergraduate and graduate, at ISU this fall is 1,726, an increase of 39 from last fall.
FEWER INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN AGRICULTURE
The college has fewer international students enrolled this fall than a year ago. There are 32 undergraduate students, compared to 36 last fall. The number of international graduate students is 190, down from 205 a year ago. Total international students, undergraduate and graduate, at ISU this fall is 2,441, a decrease of 18 from last fall.
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS: SUPPORT 4-H ON OCT. 5
Agriculture faculty and staff are invited to a continental breakfast celebrating National 4-H Week on Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 7:15 a.m. in the Campanile Room, Memorial Union. The event is sponsored by the Collegiate 4-H Club and the College of Agriculture. If you plan to attend, contact David Williams, agricultural education and studies, today (Friday) or as soon as possible, at dwilliam@iastate.edu or 4-4875.
FIRST WALLACE CHAIR FOR SUSTAINABLE AG NAMED
Lorna Michael Butler will begin her duties in February as the first Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture in the College of Agriculture. Butler is an extension anthropologist and professor of rural sociology at Washington State University. The Wallace Chair was established in 1997 with $1 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and a $500,000 gift from the Wallace Genetic Foundation. Butler will serve as chair for a term of three to five years.
SIGN UP FOR ALUMNI BUS TRIP TO MISSOURI FOOTBALL GAME
The College of Agriculture Alumni Society is planning a bus trip to Columbia, Mo., on Oct. 16 for the ISU-Missouri football game. The trip includes transportation, reception, game tickets, overnight lodging and a Sunday brunch with Tom Payne, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. Cost is $130 per person. The bus will stop in Des Moines and Ottumwa to pick up alumni. For more information, call 4-7677 or agalumni@iastate.edu.
ISU TO PARTNER WITH 1890 SCHOOLS ON GRANTS WORKSHOP
Three ISU agriculture faculty will participate in an environmental grantsmanship workshop for the 1890 (historically black) land-grant colleges, Oct. 7-8, at Fort Valley State University in Atlanta. Attending are Robert Andrews, microbiology; Kathleen Delate, horticulture; and Sunday Tim, agricultural and biosystems engineering. One of the workshop goals is to develop inter-institutional partnerships on environmental research and education. The workshop is sponsored by the 1890’s research directors, USDA and EPA.
ISU HOSTS NORTH CENTRAL MICROBIOLOGISTS OCT. 15-16
ISU is hosting the 1999 annual meeting of the North Central Branch of the American Society of Microbiology on Oct. 15-16, Scheman Building. Topics for the program include work in food safety, antibiotic resistance, infectious diseases, bacterial physiology, plant and soil microbiology, and microbial ecology and diversity. For more information: Dennis Bazylinski, secretary-treasurer of the North Central Branch, 4-2561 or dbazylin@iastate.edu.
EIGHT FACULTY RECEIVE SUPPORT FOR DISTANCE ED COURSES
Eight faculty who teach courses in botany, sociology, animal science, economics, plant pathology, agronomy and horticulture have been selected to receive support from the Brenton Center’s Instructor Assistance Program. The program helps instructors prepare or modify teaching materials for use in distance education courses. Gaylan Scofield, program manager, and student workers will help design Web pages, set up WebCT courses and digitize slides. In November there will be another call for proposals for the spring semester. For more information: Scofield, 4-0045 or ggs@iastate.edu.
DEADLINE OCT. 15 FOR DEAN OF AG RESEARCH GRANTS
A reminder that proposals are due Oct. 15 for the Dean of Agriculture’s International Research Grants Program. The RFP can be found on the Web at http://www.ag.iastate.edu/international/faculty/isu_funding.html, or call Elena Polouchkina, 4-8493 or elenap@iastate.edu.
LEARN MORE ABOUT AG STUDY-ABROAD PLANS FOR 1999-2000
Faculty, staff and students are invited to an Oct. 7 informational meeting on agriculture travel courses available for this academic year. Currently, about 10 travel courses are planned. Faculty and students who participated in travel courses last year will be on hand to comment on their experiences. The meeting, organized by the Ag Study Abroad Office, will be held at 5 p.m. in 8 Curtiss. For more information: Noah Wendt, 4-8447 or nwendt@iastate.edu.
MEETINGS SET ON ENGLAND, PANAMA TRAVEL COURSES
Next Tuesday, two informational meetings for students and faculty will review plans for upcoming study-abroad courses. The horticulture department will hold a meeting on next May’s trip to England at 5 p.m., Oct. 5, in 118 Horticulture. For more information: Bill Graves, 4-0034 or graves@iastate.edu. Faculty and students planning to participate in the Panama study-abroad program will meet on Oct. 5, at 5 p.m. in 2026 Agronomy. The Ag Study Abroad Office is still taking applications for this program. The group will leave on Dec. 28 and return on Jan. 7. ISU is the lead institution for the course, which is sponsored by the MidAmerica International Agriculture Consortium. For more information: Eduarda Becerra, 4-3972 or ebecerra@iastate.edu
HORT CLUB SELLING APPLES AND CIDER IN OCTOBER
This weekend the Horticulture Club will sell apples and cider at the Reiman Gardens. Many varieties of apples from the Horticulture Farm will be available. The sale will run every weekend in October. Hours are Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
RODEO CLUB’S STAMPEDE AND RODEO PLANNED OCT. 8-9
The Rodeo Club’s Stampede and Rodeo will be held Oct. 8 and 9 at the Animal Science Teaching Farm on State Avenue two miles south of Lincoln Way. Events will include barrel racing, team roping, calf roping, steer wrestling, goat tying, saddle-bronc riding, bareback riding and bull riding. The event will be held at 7 p.m. on Oct. 8 and at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Oct. 9. Cost is $5 for adults, $4 for students, $3 for those ages 8 to 18 and free to those under the age of 7. For more information: Jeffrey Waldstein, jstein@iastate.edu or (515) 572-1519.
BLOCK AND BRIDLE CLUB TO HOLD 4-H, FFA JUDGING EVENT
The Block and Bridle Club will hold the Junior Livestock Evaluation Clinic on Saturday, Oct. 2, in the Kildee Hall pavilion. The clinic is a livestock judging event for 4-H clubs and FFA chapters. Beef, sheep and swine are judged in beginner, intermediate and advanced divisions. A seminar will be held on how to present oral reasons, which is one part of student judging events. The event is chaired by animal science students Dawn Edler and Dale Vinsand.
AST CLUB HONORED IN NATIONAL REPORT CONTEST
The Agricultural Systems Technology Club received first place in a national report contest sponsored by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers during its annual meeting in Toronto in July. For the contest, sponsored by the Equipment Manufacturers Institute, the students submitted a report detailing the club’s activities and community service during the previous year.
REGIONAL MEAT-JUDGING CONTEST ON OCT. 9
The Block and Bridle Club will host a regional meat-judging contest on Oct. 9 for colleges around the Midwest. ISU’s meat-judging team, coached by graduate student Steve Larsen, will compete. On Oct. 10, the club will organize a contest for students in Animal Science 475, a course on evaluating meats.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Oct. 5: 4-H Breakfast, Campanile Room, Memorial Union, 7:15 a.m.
Oct. 7: Informational meeting, ag study-abroad programs, 8 Curtiss, 5 p.m.
Oct. 13: WebCT: A Course Management Tool, Brenton Center seminar, 8 Curtiss, 4-9732
Oct. 14: World Food Prize award ceremony, Des Moines, 4 p.m., 4-0706
Oct. 15: Deadline, proposals for Dean of Agriculture’s International Research Grants, 4-8493
Oct. 15: World Food Day teleconference, 1155 ASB, 11 a.m.
Oct. 16: Plant Sciences Colloquium, Lush Auditorium, Kildee Hall
Oct. 16: Ag Alumni Society bus trip to ISU-Missiouri game
Oct. 18: Frank K. Ramsey Lecture: World Food Prize Laureate Walter Plowright, 1226 Vet Med, 10 a.m.
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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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HALLOWEEN’S COMING, BUT DON’T BE SCARED BY REPORTERS
Getting a phone call from a news reporter doesn't have to be a frightening experience. Take a look at Ag Information's communication skills Web site for tips on being a more effective spokesperson: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/spokesindex.html. At that page, there is a link to a PDF version of a brochure that includes a reminder card for your rotary telephone file. If you’d like a printed version, call Ed Adcock, 4-2314. Keep in mind that the Ag Information staff (4-5616) can help with specific questions on working with news media.
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I N F O G R A Z I N G
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ISU GRADUATE/PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL DAY ON OCT. 13
ISU’s Graduate and Professional School Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Oct. 13, Great Hall, Memorial Union. More than 80 representatives from universities and colleges will be present. For more information: http://www.iastate.edu/~career_info/gpd99.html. A series of seminars on preparing for graduate work will be offered on Oct. 12, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Gallery Room, Memorial Union.
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I N T E R N A L V O I C E S
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ERIN (AND AGRICULTURE) GO BRAGH
"My trip to Ireland opened my eyes to a completely different culture and another world of agriculture. It also made me more observant of my own culture, and made me appreciate my own heritage even more than I did before. I also realized that even though there are differences between our two countries, similarities abound between our farm cultures, proving that it is indeed a small world." Melea Reicks, ISU senior in public service and administration in agriculture, writing about her College of Agriculture study-abroad trip in a July 23 column for Farm News in Fort Dodge, where she interned over the summer.
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E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
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CREATIVITY LIKENED TO SURFING THE WEB
"Creativity is a Web-like process. It’s non-linear but not random either. It requires ideas just floating -- that is the state in which the mind can jiggle them into an insight." Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web. (New York Times, Sept. 20)
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M A R G I N A L I A
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AUTUMN, AND THE LEAVES AND PINS ARE FALLING
Fifteen teams are participating in the ISU faculty/staff bowling league that began Sept. 13. The league includes teams from agricultural and biosystems engineering, agronomy, animal science, botany/plant pathology, economics, entomology and statistics.