C O N T E N T S
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COLLEGE NEWS
- Volunteers needed for FFA leadership event next week
- Meeting to discuss college finances on April 17
- Faculty approves sustainable ag graduate major
- Proposal to add minor on emerging disease
- College’s engaged institution program on April 24
- World Bank group coming to ISU for ag workshop
- CSREES grantsmanship workshop rescheduled
- Students from 49 schools plan to attend Science in Ag Day
- Ice cream social April 7 for former dean Topel
- Sebranek elected to Athletic Council
- Bacon Lecture: Sustainable candles and commerce
- Wallace biographer to speak at Big Table Books
- Block and Bridle hosts cattle and pig shows
- Lawn mower tune-ups and mulch sales
- Skaar to present CTE workshop on student feedback
- Summer abroad internships still available
- Welcome the new Wallace chair on May 1
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Peel away banana hoax and find e-mail slip-up
INFOGRAZING
- Seminar, public hearing on plant-derived vaccines
- Learning Communities Institute in May
- Deadline April 28 for Plant Sciences Symposium abstracts
INTERNAL VOICES
- A definition of engagement
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Stating the problem
- Doing the work
MARGINALIA
- Joel Stein on daylight-saving time (Why not spring back?)
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C O L L E G E N E W S
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR FFA LEADERSHIP EVENT NEXT WEEK
Faculty and staff volunteers are needed to help staff the College of Agriculture exhibit at next week’s Iowa FFA Leadership Conference in Veteran’s Auditorium, Des Moines. The event will draw more than 4,000 young people. Volunteers are needed for a minimum of two hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, April 7. Travel and parking expenses will be covered by the college. To sign up: Karen Bolluyt, 4-5616 or kbolluyt@iastate.edu.
MEETING TO DISCUSS COLLEGE FINANCES ON APRIL 17
An open meeting for agriculture faculty and staff will be held at 9 a.m., April 17, to discuss financial matters in the College of Agriculture. A committee made up of Dean Ross, the college’s associate deans and DEOs Diane Birt, Mike Chaplin, Del Koch, Dennis Marple and John Miranowski has formed to suggest alternatives to ensure a strong financial situation for the college. The meeting will be held in the Pioneer Room, Memorial Union.
FACULTY APPROVES SUSTAINABLE AG GRADUATE MAJOR
College of Agriculture faculty members have approved the sustainable agriculture graduate program. Eighty-two percent of faculty who voted were in favor of the new major. The program must now be considered by the graduate curriculum and catalog committees, the Faculty Senate and the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. If all approvals are received by August, then the program could begin this fall.
PROPOSAL TO ADD MINOR ON EMERGING DISEASE
The College of Agriculture curriculum committee has approved a proposal to establish an undergraduate minor in emerging disease. College faculty will vote on the proposal by April 4. The minor is designed for students interested in new infectious diseases and the international control of human and animal parasitic disease. The minor also would require Faculty Senate and Regents approval. Participating departments would include entomology, zoology/genetics, microbiology, anthropology, veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine, and veterinary pathology. For more information: Jeff Beetham, 4-0873 or jbeetham@iastate.edu, or Joe Colletti, 4-4912 or colletti@iastate.edu.
COLLEGE’S ENGAGED INSTITUTION PROGRAM ON APRIL 24
What does it mean to be an engaged college? That question will be addressed at "The Engaged Institution," the College of Agriculture’s professional development program on April 24 at the Holiday Inn Gateway Center. Keynote speakers will be Graham Spanier, president of Penn State and chair of the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, and President Jischke, who chaired the Kellogg project, "Returning to Our Roots: The Engaged Institution." The program, which includes dinner, begins at 3:30 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m. Make a reservation by contacting Norma Hensley, 4-6614 or nhensley@iastate.edu.
WORLD BANK GROUP COMING TO ISU FOR AG WORKSHOP
In April a group of World Bank personnel will travel to Ames to participate in "Sustaining Agriculture in Industrial and Developing Economies," a workshop developed by ISU. The April 9-14 meeting focuses on policy, food systems, agricultural research, and modern technologies and sustainability. The visitors will attend seminars and tour ISU sites and private farms and businesses. Experiment Station assistant director Ramesh Kanwar is coordinating the event. In 1998 ISU hosted a similar group of World Bank specialists for a workshop.
CSREES GRANTSMANSHIP WORKSHOP RESCHEDULED
The Grantsmanship Workshop on Section 401, Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems, and Section 406, Integrated Research, Education and Extension Competitive Grants Program has been scheduled for April 10, noon to 3 p.m. The workshop will be delivered live over the web. The ISU locations are: Brenton Center, 8 Curtiss; Meat Lab Pavilion Auditorium, 2310 Kildee; and Alumni Room, College of Veterinary Medicine. If you plan to attend, notify Carla Persaud, 4-1823 or cpersaud@iastate.edu.
STUDENTS FROM 49 SCHOOLS PLAN TO ATTEND SCIENCE IN AG DAY
More than 140 students and 25 teachers from 49 schools across Iowa have registered for ISU’s Science in Agriculture Day on April 12. Sessions to be presented by agriculture faculty and staff include: The Use of Natural Products for Weed Control; Climate Change and You; Cloning Is a Natural for Populus; Microorganisms in Food: Friends or Foes?; Adding Value with Steel: The U.S. Farm Equipment Industry; Imagine You Were an African Farmer; Making Building Materials from Crop Residues; Urban Forestry; Dissecting Insect Diversity; and Are GMOs Ethical? For more information: Sherry Pogranichniy, 4-3273 or sherrypo@iastate.edu.
ICE CREAM SOCIAL APRIL 7 FOR FORMER DEAN TOPEL
On April 7 faculty, staff and friends are invited to an ice cream social to honor former dean David Topel. A program begins at 3:15 p.m. in the Food Sciences Building Courtyard, and will include remarks by Charles Laughlin, ISU alum and administrator of the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service. Ice cream will follow. Letters may be sent to Joyce Shiers, 138 Curtiss. Rain location is Room 1951, Center for Crops Utilization Research.
SEBRANEK ELECTED TO ATHLETIC COUNCIL
Joe Sebranek, animal science, has been elected to represent the College of Agriculture on the ISU Athletic Council. His three-year term begins in April.
BACON LECTURE: SUSTAINABLE CANDLES AND COMMERCE
Michael Richards, owner of Candleworks in Iowa City, is the featured speaker for the Bacon Lecture Series, 3:30 p.m., Thursday, April 6, Ensminger Conference Room, 1204 Kildee. His topic is sustainable commerce. Richards’ firm makes candles from soy wax instead of traditional paraffin wax. Sponsors are the Murray Bacon Center for Business Ethics, ISU Extension Value-Added Agriculture and the Leopold Center.
WALLACE BIOGRAPHER TO SPEAK AT BIG TABLE BOOKS
John C. Culver, author of "American Dreamer: The Life of Henry A. Wallace," a new biography, will give a reading at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 5, at Big Table Books. Culver also will visit Agronomy Hall on April 6 to talk about Wallace’s work with department faculty and staff.
BLOCK AND BRIDLE HOSTS CATTLE AND PIG SHOWS
On March 25 the Block and Bridle Club held its Cyclone Classic Steer and Heifer Show in Fort Dodge. The annual event is the largest open cattle show held in Iowa. Exhibitors from five states showed more than 380 cattle. Block and Bridle also recently held its annual Spring Barrow and Gilt Show in Marshalltown. Exhibitors from around Iowa showed more than 100 pigs.
LAWN MOWER TUNE-UPS AND MULCH SALES
The Agricultural Systems Technology Club’s will tune up lawn mowers from 1 to 6 p.m. today (March 31) and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 1, in the Davidson Hall Courtyard. For more information: 4-2311. The Rodeo Club is still selling mulch and will deliver bags April 7-8. For more information: Lesa Call, 292-9332.
SKAAR TO PRESENT CTE WORKSHOP ON STUDENT FEEDBACK
Brad Skaar, animal science, and Mary Huba, educational leadership, will present a Center for Teaching Excellence workshop on gathering feedback from students to improve learning. Skaar is developing a case study of curricular reform that incorporates learner outcomes assessment that can be used as a model by other departments. The workshop will be held on two dates, April 17 and April 19. For more information: http://129.186.60.102:591/events/FMPro.
SUMMER ABROAD INTERNSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE
Agriculture faculty and staff are encouraged to let their students know that summer internships are still available in Panama, Thailand and Ghana. For more information:
Shelley Taylor, Agriculture Study Abroad, 4-5393 or sztaylor@iastate.edu.
WELCOME THE NEW WALLACE CHAIR ON MAY 1
A reception to welcome Lorna Michael Butler, the first Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture, will be held May 1, 4 to 5:30 p.m., in the Campanile Room, Memorial Union. Dean Ross, Provost Richmond and Foundation President Tom Mitchell will make brief remarks.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
March to June 5: "Warm, Soft & Fuzzy" art exhibit, 1204 Kildee.
April 6: "Cooperative Iowa Lakes Monitoring Project," Stephen Fisher, Lakeside Laboratory, forestry seminar, 210 Bessey, 4:10 p.m.
April 7: Dean Topel ice cream social, Food Sciences Courtyard, 3:15 p.m.
April 12: ISU Science in Agriculture Day.
April 14-16: Veishea.
April 24: College faculty/staff professional development program on engagement, Holiday Inn Gateway Center, 3:30 p.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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PEEL AWAY BANANA HOAX AND FIND RED-FACED UNIVERSITY STAFFER
A banana hoax may serve as a cautionary tale for university faculty and staff who forward unsubstantiated e-mail stories. In January an Internet rumor began circulating that imported bananas were infected with flesh-eating bacteria. A story in the Los Angeles Times noted that a University of California at Riverside employee was one of the early forwarders of the rumor. As happens more often than not, the university worker’s authoritative-sounding signature stuck on the e-mail, lending it unwarranted credibility. The university was deluged with inquiries. Some versions of the rumor now contain not only the employee’s signature, but the following preamble (added by persons unknown): "Warning from the UC Riverside College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences." The Centers for Disease Control also have received many calls about the hoax.
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I N F O G R A Z I N G
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SEMINAR, PUBLIC HEARING ON PLANT-DERIVED VACCINES
A scientific seminar and public hearing on plant-derived biologics will be held April 5—6, Scheman Building. The forum will review regulatory and policy issues related to the manufacture, distribution and use of plant-derived vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for use in humans and animals. An FDA/USDA public hearing will begin at 1 p.m., April 6. ISU’s Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics is coordinating the seminar. For more information: www.vetmed.iastate.edu/iicab/transpl.htm.
LEARNING COMMUNITIES INSTITUTE IN MAY
Faculty and staff are invited to attend the second annual Learning Communities Institute, May 8-9, Scheman Building. For more information: Larry Ebbers, lebbers@iastate.edu, or Sharon McGuire, mcguires@iastate.edu.
DEADLINE APRIL 28 FOR PLANT SCIENCES SYMPOSIUM ABSTRACTS
April 28 is the deadline for submitting abstracts for a June 29-July 2 Plant Sciences Institute symposium on biosynthesis of glucose polysaccharides. For more information: http://molebio.iastate.edu/%7Egfst/phomepg.htm.
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I N T E R N A L V O I C E S
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A DEFINITION OF ENGAGEMENT
The college’s professional development program on "The Engaged Institution" will be held on April 24 (see College News). Engagement has been defined as an evolution of outreach -- moving beyond simply providing society with programs and services, to developing new partnerships with constituents to accomplish land-grant missions. Engagement includes mutual agendas and resources, partnership and sharing -- more of a "two-way street" than the "one-way" of outreach. President Jischke has said, "The notion is if you're engaged, you're likely to have more supporters and they have more of a sense of ownership in the institution."
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E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
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STATING THE PROBLEM
"A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved."
- Charles F. Kettering, inventor and philanthropist
DOING THE WORK
"Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else."
- James M. Barrie, author
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M A R G I N A L I A
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JOEL STEIN ON DAYLIGHT-SAVING TIME (WHY NOT SPRING BACK?)
Daylight-saving time begins at 2 a.m., April 2. In the April 3 issue of Time magazine, columnist Joel Stein writes: "I have hated daylight-saving time since the 153rd time it was explained to me. (Why can’t you ‘spring back’ or ‘fall ahead’?) . . . Daylight-saving time costs this country $100 billion a year in missed meetings and wasted labor reprogramming VCRs. That figure, for those wondering, was calculated by taking the number $100 billion and inserting it in the sentence above . . . At first I heard that daylight saving was started by the barbecue lobby, trying to claim an extra hour of grilling time. But most people said it was the farmers . . . I called Susan Peery, managing editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. She told me that farmers actually protested daylight saving because it messed with nature and interrupted their milking schedule. So now I like farmers. I’m trying to do some coalition building here."
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AG ONLINE
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NEXT ISSUE: April 14 DEADLINE: April 12
EDITORS
Brian Meyer, bmeyer@iastate.edu, and Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
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."
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