COLLEGE NEWS
- Ag open forum with Seagrave and Richmond on Nov. 30
- Indirect costs the topic of next college brown-bag Nov. 16
- Lauren Christian mural dedication on Nov. 18
- Dean Ross to hold meetings in five communities
- Cargill to support college trip to Brazil
- Faculty approve 2001-03 curricula and courses
- Dec. 1 reception for Pioneer Chair Moschini
- College to explore collaborations in Peru, Jamaica
- Host an international student: Call study-abroad office
- ISU to host ICN site for free ag business workshop
- Women in agriculture: A Nov. 29 seminar
- Cheer the Cyclones at college-sponsored game Nov. 29
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Even on the opinion page, facts still important
INFOGRAZING
- Ag and art: University Museums offers classroom help
- SARE seeks professional development proposals
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Call me what you will, but don’t call me humorless
MARGINALIA
- Science & the white stuff: Get the drift
- Science & the white stuff: The little known igloo rule
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C O L L E G E N E W S
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AG OPEN FORUM WITH SEAGRAVE AND RICHMOND ON NOV. 30
ISU Interim President Richard Seagrave and Provost Rollin Richmond will visit the College of Agriculture on Thursday, Nov. 30. An open forum with agriculture faculty and staff will be held at 4:15 p.m., 1351 NSRIC (the auditorium in the National Swine Research & Information Center).
INDIRECT COSTS THE TOPIC OF NOV. 16 COLLEGE BROWN-BAG LUNCH
To discuss university policies on indirect costs, join ag administrators at a Nov. 16 brown-bag lunch in 1951 Food Sciences Building. The program will begin at noon. Beverages and cookies will be provided.
LAUREN CHRISTIAN MURAL DEDICATION ON NOV. 18
A mural depicting the life and work of Lauren Christian will be dedicated Saturday, Nov. 18, in Kildee Hall. The mural was painted by George Washington Carver Artist-in-Residence Youssef Asar. Christian, a distinguished animal science professor, died in 1998. The dedication will be held at 11 a.m. (the ISU football game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.; if game time changes, the dedication will be held two hours before that time). If you plan to attend, RSVP to Mike Telford, 4-4725 or mtelford@iastate.edu.
DEAN ROSS TO HOLD MEETINGS IN FIVE COMMUNITIES
The public is invited to dine with Dean Ross at five upcoming visits around the state. The dates and cities are: Nov. 21, Hartley, Nov. 28, Des Moines; Dec. 7, Clarinda; Dec. 14, Mount Pleasant; and Jan. 4, Elkader. The dutch-treat dinners begin at 6 p.m. For more information: Mike Telford, 4-3303 or mtelford@iastate.edu.
CARGILL TO SUPPORT COLLEGE TRIP TO BRAZIL
The College of Agriculture is planning a professional development program on Brazilian soybean production. The program, supported by a Cargill grant, will include a series of orientation meetings and a 12-day trip to Brazil leaving in March. The college delegation will be led by agronomist Keith Whigham. Faculty and P&S staff are invited to apply. Send an application letter by Dec. 1 to associate dean Eric Hoiberg indicating your international experience and how the visit would directly impact your teaching, research and/or extension programs. The Cargill funds cover airfare, hotels and local transportation. For more information: Keith Whigham, 4-1923 or soy@iastate.edu, or David Acker, 4-8454 or dacker@iastate.edu.
FACULTY APPROVE 2001-03 CURRICULA AND COURSES
College of Agriculture faculty have approved the college’s curricula and courses for the 2001-03 catalog. Curriculum committee chair Joe Colletti said the proposal included no changes in the college’s core curriculum and no adjustments in the number of credits required by degree programs.
DEC. 1 RECEPTION FOR PIONEER CHAIR MOSCHINI
Faculty and staff are invited to attend a Dec. 1 reception to recognize GianCarlo Moschini, who earlier this year was named the Pioneer Chair for Science and Technology Policy in CARD. The reception will be held from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Campanile Room, Memorial Union. Moschini, an agricultural economist at ISU since 1987, studies the impact of new technologies on agriculture, public versus private ownership of intellectual property rights, the economics of research and development, and other issues.
COLLEGE TO EXPLORE COLLABORATIONS IN PERU, JAMAICA
The College of Agriculture recently signed new cooperation agreements with institutions in Peru and Jamaica. The agreements, with the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina in Peru and the College of Agriculture, Science and Education in Jamaica, lay the foundation for increased student, staff and faculty exchanges.
HOST AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT: CALL STUDY-ABROAD
The Agriculture Study Abroad office is seeking families interested in hosting international exchange students beginning next May. Families would host the students in their homes for up to two months. The study-abroad office is looking for farm families who could offer hands-on farm experiences as well as local hosts for students who will be working on research projects on campus. For more information: Sara Aus, 4-8447 or saraaus@iastate.edu.
ISU TO HOST ICN SITE FOR FREE AG BUSINESS WORKSHOP
ISU will host an ICN site for a Dec. 5 workshop on "Success Strategies for Your Agricultural Business." The free workshop is coordinated by the Iowa Agricultural Development Authority and the Farm Service Agency. Entrepreneurs will share success stories and challenges they faced in changing their operations. The workshop is aimed at both beginning and established farmers, and agricultural students. The ISU site will be Room 9 of the Brenton Center, Curtiss Hall. The program will be offered twice, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The workshop’s sponsors include ISU’s Beginning Farmer Center, Leopold Center, ISU Extension and the departments of economics and agricultural education and studies. For more information: Nancy Hamilton, (515) 281-6444, or Bob Jolly, economics, 4-6267.
WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE: A NOV. 29 SEMINAR
"Women in Agriculture: Do We Really Need Them There?" is the title of a Nov. 29 seminar by Billye Foster, assistant professor of agricultural education, University of Arizona. The seminar will begin at 8 p.m. in the Gallery, Memorial Union. Foster conducts research on women in agricultural education. Seminar sponsors include the College of Agriculture, International Agriculture Programs, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, and the departments of agricultural education and studies and sociology.
CHEER THE CYCLONES AT COLLEGE-SPONSORED GAME NOV. 29
The College of Agriculture will sponsor the ISU women's basketball game versus Creighton on Wednesday, Nov. 29. Tickets are $1 for ag students and $3 for ag faculty/staff and their friends and family. Proceeds from student ticket sales will go to the Student Ag Council. Proceeds from faculty/staff ticket sales will benefit the college’s scholarship fund. Before the game, a 5 p.m. spirit rally with snacks and refreshments will be held in rooms 220-240, Scheman Building. The number of tickets is limited. To reserve tickets: Mike Telford, 4-7677 or agalumni@iastate.edu.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Nov. 15: Deadline, International Funding for Graduate Students and Postdocs Program, 4-8493.
Nov. 18: Lauren Christian mural dedication, Kildee Hall, 11 a.m.
Nov. 20: AgriTalk to air radio broadcast of ag policy forum taped at ISU. See Web for Iowa stations: http://www.agritalk.com/stations.php3
Nov. 29: ISU women’s basketball game sponsored by college, 4-7677.
Nov. 30: Open forum, Interim President Seagrave and Provost Richmond, 1351 NSRIC, 4:15 p.m.
Dec. 1: Reception, Pioneer Chair GianCarlo Moschini, Campanile Room, Memorial Union, 3 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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EVEN ON THE OPINION PAGE, FACTS STILL IMPORTANT
On a newspaper’s opinion page, an ounce of fact is worth a pound of opinion, according to Don Wycliffe, ombudsman for the Chicago Tribune and a former opinion-page editor. He said university experts are an excellent resource for the opinion pages because they are considered a neutral source of information. Editors appreciate op-ed articles or letters to the editor from university sources, but Wycliffe cautioned that a high premium is placed on good writing and plain language. Every day the Chicago Tribune gets more than 100 unsolicited op-ed pieces. Wycliffe made his remarks at a recent Agricultural Communicators in Education meeting in Chicago.
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I N F O G R A Z I N G
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AG AND ART: UNIVERSITY MUSEUMS OFFERS CLASSROOM HELP
University Museums has art objects related to many agricultural curricula and staff members eager to help enrich learning experiences for agriculture students. For more information: Matthew Delay, 4-4719.
SARE SEEKS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS
The USDA’s North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program requests proposals for professional development activities. About $350,000 is available for programs that target public- and private-sector educators. Two workshops will be held in December, in Chicago and Minneapolis, to help project coordinators develop applications. Proposals are due Feb. 2. For more information: (402) 472-7081 or check the Web, http://www.sare.org/ncrsare.
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E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
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CALL ME WHAT YOU WILL, BUT DON’T CALL ME HUMORLESS
"We will take almost any kind of criticism except the observation that we have no sense of humor. A man will admit to being a coward, a liar, a thief, an adulterer, a poor mechanic or a bad swimmer, but tell him that he has a dreadful sense of humor and you might as well have slandered his mother. Even if he is civilized enough to pretend to make light of your statement, he will still secretly believe that he has not only a good sense of humor, but one superior to most. This is all the more surprising when you consider that not one person in a million can give you any kind of intelligent answer as to what humor is or why he or she laughs." Comedian Steve Allen, who died Oct. 30, from his book, "How To Be Funny."
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M A R G I N A L I A
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SCIENCE & THE WHITE STUFF: GET THE DRIFT
This weekend’s weather forecast for Iowa includes the phrase, "Chance of rain or snow." For interesting views on the science and beauty of snowflakes, including how they’re created, visit Caltech physics professor Kenneth Libbrecht’s Web site, http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/.
SCIENCE & THE WHITE STUFF: THE LITTLE KNOWN IGLOO RULE
Speaking of chilly white objects and science, did you know that the ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter is known as Eskimo pi?
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AG ONLINE
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NEXT ISSUE: Dec. 1 DEADLINE: Nov. 29
EDITORS
Brian Meyer, bmeyer@iastate.edu, and Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
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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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