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COLLEGE NEWS
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WELCOME NEW STUDENTS AT BARBECUE THURSDAY
Agriculture faculty and staff are invited to attend a barbecue to welcome new freshmen and transfer students on Thursday, Aug. 29. The barbecue, sponsored by the College of Agriculture Student Council, will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Agronomy Courtyard. In case of rain, the event will move to the Farm Bureau Livestock Pavilion, Kildee Hall.
PIG GENETIC TEST RESULTS IN R&D 100 AWARD
Max Rothschild, distinguished professor of animal science, and graduate student Kwan Suk Kim, have earned an R&D 100 Award for their work on a gene test for pig appetite regulation. The simple laboratory test developed at Iowa State results in leaner pork for consumers, higher profits for producers and a positive impact on the environment. The R&D 100 Awards program honors the top 100 products of technological significance that were marketed or licensed during the previous calendar year. This is the second R&D 100 Award for Rothschild.
SEMINAR SERIES FEATURES FIRM-FOUNDING FACULTY
The Department of Zoology and Genetics and the Office of Biotechnology are sponsoring a technology transfer seminar series. The series, "From Discovery to Corporate Structure,” will feature faculty members who have created companies based on their discoveries. The seminars begin Oct. 4, with Eric Henderson, founder of Bioforce. On Oct. 11, Charles Link, founder of NewLink Genetics, will be the presenter. On Oct. 25, Dan Voytas, co-founder of Phytodyne, will conclude the series. The seminars will be held at 4 p.m., 1414 MBB, with receptions to follow. For more information: Lisa Lorenzen, 4-0926 or llorenze@iastate.edu.
P&S GRANTS WILL AID COLLEGE RECRUITMENT, RETENTION
Two college recruitment and retention programs are among 13 proposals that will share $30,000 in Professional and Scientific Council grant funding. The grant program, now in its ninth year, is funded by the President's Office and administered the P&S Council. A grant of $675 will help develop a support network for female undergraduate students in agronomy, including high school visits to help recruit girls into the major. A grant of $1,640 will enhance recruiting efforts in economics and agricultural business, including recruitment letters and an invitation to "breakfast with a professor" for prospective students.
DEAN WOTEKI TO PARTICIPATE IN SOUTHEAST IOWA FIELD DAY
Dean Cathie Woteki is scheduled to speak at the Sept. 4 field day at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Crawfordsville. The title of her remarks is “Helping you prosper in the 21st century.” The field day will begin with a farm tour at 1 p.m. and will include sessions on the farm bill, the phosphorus index, value-added processing and biodiesel.
DEAN TO APPEAR ON 9/11 EDITION OF ‘LIVING IN IOWA’
In September, Dean Cathie Woteki will appear in a special edition of the "Living in Iowa" program on Iowa Public Television. The program takes a look back at the year following the 9/11 tragedy. Dean Woteki was interviewed on food security issues earlier this summer for the program. Dates and times of the program are: Sept. 5, 6:30 p.m.; Sept. 6, 8:30 p.m.; Sept. 8, 5 and 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m.; and Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m.
CROP ADVISER INSTITUTE FIRST TO USE E-COMMERCE
The Crop Adviser Institute opened its virtual doors last week, providing users with the ability to pay for its continuing education courses online. The institute was the first distant education provider at Iowa State to offer the option. Brent Brueland, program coordinator, said the transactions allow students to purchase continuing education modules online from anywhere in the world. The institute provides classes for crop advisers and other agricultural professionals. The classes are certified by the American Society of Agronomy.
DEADLINE FOR MANY COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY AWARDS OCT. 25
College and university award season is approaching. Many awards have an Oct. 25 deadline. Deadline dates for university awards are moved ahead to allow for a college review. The college’s awards web page lists college and university awards and those presented by the Alumni Association and Gamma Sigma Delta.
SOY AND CANCER: A COMPLEX FOOD, A COMPLEX DISEASE
Soyfoods was the focus of a two-day conference held Aug. 13-14 at Iowa State. The conference brought together retailers, manufacturers, growers, dietitians, university researchers and reporters to discuss soybean breeding and processing, new product development and marketing trends. Several speakers talked about ongoing research that indicates eating soy products can have a positive effect on human health. Learn more in Agriculture in Action.
CENTER FOR FOOD SECURITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH ESTABLISHED
A $1 million federal grant to the College of Veterinary Medicine has established a center to increase national preparedness for accidental or intentional introductions of disease agents that threaten public health or food production. The Center for Food Security and Public Health will integrate animal health activities with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's ongoing veterinary medicine and zoonotic disease activities. Also, the center will conduct a comprehensive study of the potential for plant diseases to impact public health. That effort will be led by Manjit Misra, agricultural and biosystems engineering and director of the Seed Science Center. Bioweapons that target crop production could have an impact on human health by altering the safety of plant and animal foods.
2002 PIERRE LECTURE IN SOIL SCIENCE SEPT. 11
An internationally renowned soil scientist will visit Iowa State to talk about the water needs of production agriculture. The 2002 Pierre Lecture in Soil Science will be given by William Jury at 4:10 p.m., Sept. 11, in 2050 Agronomy Hall. Jury's speech is titled "The Emerging Global Water Crisis." He says that industrialization and the needs of urban populations increasingly compete with agriculture’s water needs.
FEHR NAMED TO NATIONAL CROP SCIENCE WORKING GROUP
The Crop Science Society of America has named Walt Fehr, agronomy, to a national working group that will prepare the CSSA’s response to a proposal by the Bush administration for safety reviews of genetically engineered crops. Fehr is a distinguished professor of agriculture and director of the Office of Biotechnology.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
Aug. 26: Registration deadline, 12th Annual Growth Factor and Signal Transduction Conference Sept. 19-22, Scheman Building
Aug. 28: Block & Bridle Club freshman/transfer student barbecue, 6:30 p.m., Farm Bureau Livestock Pavilion
Aug. 29: Open forum on new rules for federal review of genetically engineered crops, 4:10 p.m., 2050 Agronomy
Aug. 29: Ag Council freshman/transfer student barbecue, 5-7 p.m., Agronomy Courtyard or, if raining, Farm Bureau Livestock Pavilion
Aug. 30: Deadline for notifying vice provost for research of NSF nanoscale proposals, letters of interest must be hand-delivered to 2610 Beardshear Hall or faxed to 294-6100
Aug. 30: Proposal deadline, USDA Small Business Innovation Research program
Sept. 2: Preproposal deadline, North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education grant program, http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/cfp.htm
Sept. 4: Biobased Products and Bioenergy Symposium, Iowa State Center, http://www.ciras.iastate.edu/IOF/agriculture.html
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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FIND CRITICAL DATES FOR COLLEGE ONLINE
A new academic year starts today. You can help plan for it by consulting the college's critical dates calendar. The calendar will not be distributed on paper this year, so bookmark it or print it out.
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INFOGRAZING
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SPRIG PROGRAM FUNDS NEW RESEARCH, CREATIVE PROJECTS
Special Research Initiation Grants (SPRIGs) help ISU faculty and staff begin research or scholarship or creative projects or to fund new directions in existing research programs. Guidelines and an application form can be found online. Collaborative projects, especially those involving more than one discipline, are encouraged. Funding will be in the range of $1,000 to $16,000 per project. Applications are due in departmental offices on Oct. 1 and then to college offices by Oct. 7. Contact Dorothy Pimlott, 4-6344, with questions.
IOWA RANKS LOW IN HUNGRY HOUSEHOLDS
“Hunger and Food Insecurity in the Fifty States: 1998-2000” compares U.S. hunger and food insecurity rates and the numbers of adults and children in households experiencing food hardships. New Mexico, Texas, Oregon, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arizona, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana and Washington had the highest levels of food insecurity. Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, Idaho, Alaska, Florida, Oklahoma and Tennessee were the states with the highest hunger rates. Iowa ranked next to the lowest incidence of both measures, with 7.67 percent of households considered “food insecure” and 2 percent “food insecure with hunger.” The study was conducted by Brandeis University’s Center on Hunger and Poverty, http://www.centeronhunger.org/.
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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THOUGHTS ON THE MAINSTREAMING OF ORGANIC FOODS
“The mainstreaming of organic foods is a good thing . . . offering healthier foods with less chemical pollution to a greater number of people than had access to these foods before . . . However, none of this helps the family farmers who now have lost their niche in the marketplace. If organic no longer necessarily means grown on family farms, how is the small farmer going to survive in the marketplace? The answer is already building around the country. It goes by different names but the basic premise is this: Food grown and processed locally is more sustainable for the global environment, as well as the local land, the farmer and the community . . . Sustainable food is more than just the absence of pesticides. It has awakened us to the more complex relationship required if we are to pursue sustainable food production in our communities and around the world.” Ed Hunt, editor-in-chief of Tidepool.org, writing in the Aug. 19 Christian Science Monitor (http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0819/p09s01-coop.html).
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MARGINALIA
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ON THE HEALTH FRONT: SOIL BACTERIA
It’s been a productive summer for those who study soil bacteria. Scientists discovered a compound called tautomycetin in soil bacteria that acts as a specific inhibitor of the body's T cell-mediated immune response. The discovery promises a safer, more potent way to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients because it leaves other components of the immune system untouched, according to a Reuters report. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Wisconsin are working with a toxin produced by soil bacteria that may be among the most effective anti-cancer agents known. The class of toxins are more than a thousand times more potent than some drugs currently used, according to a BBC report.
Next issue: Sept. 3 Deadline: Aug. 30
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AG ONLINE
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EDITORS
Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu, and Brian Meyer, bmeyer@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 Monday. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag Online subscribe" to edadcock@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe, send "Ag Online unsubscribe."
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