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COLLEGE NEWS
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BIRT LEADS COMMITTEE SEARCHING FOR ANIMAL SCIENCE CHAIR
The search committee for a new animal science department chair hopes to bring in candidates for interviews this spring, said committee chair Diane Birt, chair of the food science and human nutrition department. A national search will look within industry and academia for a diverse pool of candidates, she said. Susan Lamont has been the chair of the animal science department since October 2001, sharing administrative duties with Doug Kenealy and John Mabry in an arrangement that is set to end July 2003. Besides Birt, the committee consists of: Don Reynolds, associate dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine; animal science faculty Elisabeth Lonergan, Peggy Miller-Auwerda, Max Rothschild, Jim Russell, Leo Timms, Chris Tuggle; animal science staff member Marshall Ruble; and Rich Degner, executive director of the Iowa Pork Producers Association.
KOEHLER NAMED INTERIM CHAIR OF STATISTICS DEPARTMENT
Kenneth Koehler, university professor of statistics, has been named interim chair of the Department of Statistics and interim director of Statistical Laboratory at Iowa State University. Koehler's appointment will run through June 30, 2003. He replaces Dean Isaacson, professor of statistics, who led the department for the last 18 years. Isaacson remains a member of the department's faculty. Koehler is a fellow of the American Statistical Association who has been an Iowa State faculty member since 1977. He earned a doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
GRADUATING SENIOR OWNS TOP-RANKED APPALOOSA
Megan Angell will graduate this semester with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural systems technology. Angell’s horse, Skips Coktail Bar, will compete for a world title at the Appaloosa World Show in Fort Worth tomorrow (Nov.5). The competition will be shown on a live Web cam at http://www.appaloosa.com/. Angell and her four-year-old gelding started participating in hackamore/snafflebit reining competitions this year. The pair travels almost every weekend to competitions throughout the country. At each event, riders guide their mounts through a set pattern of special maneuvers. Angell’s horse currently is ranked first in the nation in hackamore/snafflebit reining by the Appaloosa Horse Club.
WOTEKI TO SPEAK AT AG SAFETY AND HEALTH CONFERENCE
Dean Woteki is scheduled to participate in a session on the impact of public policy on health and safety at the Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Forum Nov. 13 and 14. The meeting is sponsored by the Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, a joint venture of Iowa State, the University of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Public Health. The forum is being held at the Holiday Inn in Little Amana.
VIDEOCONFERENCING DEMONSTRATION AT BRENTON CENTER OPEN HOUSE FRIDAY
The Brenton Center will have an open house Friday, Nov. 8, to demonstrate its new videoconferencing capabilities. Cake and refreshments will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a "live" demonstration of the videoconferencing equipment at 12:15 p.m. in Room 9, Curtiss Hall.
ALUM RETURNS TO SPEAK AT ERRINGTON MEMORIAL LECTURE
College alum Michael Dombeck will speak Nov. 11 at the 2002 Paul L. Errington Memorial Lecture. The former chief of the U.S. Forest Service will deliver a speech titled, "Conservation Challenges for A New Century: Where do we go from here?" Dombeck, who earned a doctorate in fisheries biology at Iowa State, is professor of global environmental management at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The 39th annual lecture is free and begins at 8 p.m. in 1414 Molecular Biology. Call 4-3057 for more information.
AG COMM WORKSHOP LOOKS AT COMMUNICATION EXAMPLES
Faculty members in the college will share examples of communication activities Nov. 12 at the next Ag Comm workshop. Learn how faculty have incorporated communication activities in classes and how they evaluated them at noon in Room 8, Curtiss Hall. A light lunch is available. RSVP by contacting Cheryl Abrams, 4-5872 or cabrams@iastate.edu.
SUMMER INTERNSHIP MEETING SET
College students interested in participating in an internship program abroad this summer are encouraged to attend an informational meeting Nov. 18. The meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. in Room 9 Curtiss Hall. Opportunities are available for students to work in Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Panama, Spain and the Netherlands. Contact: Eduarda Becerra, 4-3972 or ebecerra@iastate.edu.
ANNUAL IOWA ORGANIC CONFERENCE NOV. 20
The annual Iowa Organic Conference will be held Wednesday, Nov. 20 at the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Ankeny Conference Center. Eliot Coleman, an organic farmer and author from Maine who specializes in growing crops year-round, will deliver the keynote address. The conference runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m and includes an organic lunch. The cost is $60 for registrations paid and postmarked by Nov. 15 and $70 for on-site registrations or those postmarked after Nov. 15. To register, call DMACC at (800) 342-0033 or (515) 964-6800. The conference is sponsored by Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension, DMACC, Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. More information: http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/organicag
NEW ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP PROGRAM HAS NOV. 15 DEADLINE
Iowa State and Monterrey Tec (ITESM) in Mexico are initiating a two-year internship program sponsored by the USDA. This summer five ISU students will travel to Mexico and five ITESM students will come to Iowa. Students will be selected from the departments of agronomy, food science and agricultural education and studies. Funds to cover travel and room and board will be available. Deadline to apply to this program is Nov. 15. Contact: Eduarda Becerra, 4-3972 or ebecerra@iastate.edu.
PUBLIC INVITED TO HELP GUIDE IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION
Iowa State University Extension is hosting public forums at five Iowa locations during November. Those attending will be asked how ISU Extension can better serve Iowans. Current extension clientele and those who see opportunity and need for extension education are invited to participate. Participants' opinions will be used in a long-term “strategic positioning” plan to help guide changes to extension's organization and service offerings. Learn more: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/newsrel/2002/oct02/oct0223.html
ISU AG MAJORS/FOOTBALL PLAYERS WELCOME CHALLENGES
"Being on the football team is like having a 30-hour per week job," says Sam Holden, a defensive back on the Iowa State University football team. "It requires good time-management skills to play football and get everything else done that needs to be done." Holden and three other members of the football team are enrolled in the ISU College of Agriculture. Read about them in "Agriculture in Action."
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
Nov. 8-9: Herbaceous Perennial conference, Davenport and Ames
Nov. 15: Promotion and tenure materials due in 138 Curtiss
Nov. 18: Deadline for college and university award submissions
Nov. 20: Competitive grants funding session, by Mark Bailey, national program leader of USDA’s CSREES economic and community systems unit, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in room 179 Scheman, RSVP Elena Polush, 4-8493 or elenap@iastate.edu by Nov. 11
Nov. 21: Public forum, "Guidance for Industry: Drugs, Biologics and Medical Devices Derived from Bioengineered Plants for Use in Humans and Animals," Dr. Keith Webber, FDA, and Patricia Foley, USDA, 12:10 p.m., Pioneer Room, Memorial Union, 4-9818
Nov. 29: Wallace and Andre Awards nominations due in 134 Curtiss
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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THINK VALUE WHEN DESIGNING DISPLAYS
Dave Pavlik, ISU Extension graphic designer, outlined tips for designing displays at the 2002 Extension Annual Conference last week. Pavlik said it's important to remember VALUE when designing displays:
V for Visible Graphics - graphics must be concise and large enough to send the message. Displays at trade shows have 9 seconds to grab attendees’ attention.
A for Audience - know who will be viewing the display.
L for Legible Text - remember font color and type when setting up a display. The best fonts have an even-width lettering, which is easier to read. Go for contrast to separate text from the background when using color in your text.
U for Understandable - present a clear, concise visual message.
E for Effective - Does the display achieve your goal? Have someone from outside the project look at the display and ask for feedback.
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INFOGRAZING
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ISU EXTENSION HAS HACCP INFORMATION CENTER
The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Information Center is doing HACCP research and education at Iowa State. Its website provides sample plans and resources for the development of various HACCP programs, and includes a separate section for food safety issues for consumers.
JUST THE FACTS, BY STATE
Looking for farm income and commodity data for 2001 for Iowa? The USDA Economic Research Service’s State Fact Sheets (http://www.ers.usda.gov/statefacts/) also link to a population change page with state and county maps. Just click on the state you need and the web site will appear with the data. Data can also be downloaded for charts and maps.
USDA LAUNCHES ORGANIC SEAL
National organic standards for agricultural products went into effect Oct. 21. Any organic agricultural product must meet the USDA standards to be sold as "organic". The organic seal on a product means the product is at least 95 percent organic. More information: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop
NATIONAL ACADEMIES ISSUES STATEMENT ON SCIENCE AND SECURITY
The presidents of the National Academies last month released a statement that calls on the scientific community to work with the government on issues related to security. "Science and Security in an Age of Terrorism" challenges both scientists and policymakers to consider ways to identify research that should be classified, without adversely impacting the conduct of the research or the free flow of other scientific information and ways the scientific community can be enlisted to contribute to the detection of, and countermeasures against, terrorist threats.
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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AHH, PIGS
"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."
--Winston Churchill
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MARGINALIA
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AND MORE PIGS
Percentage change since 1965 in the number of hog and pig farms in the United States: -92
Percentage change since then in the number of hogs and pigs on U.S. farms: +18
Average number of tons of manure produced by U.S. cattle, pig, and chicken feedlots each minute: 100,000
Average number of tons of meat recalled by U.S. producers each year since 1994: 8,500
(Harper's Index, November 2002)
Next issue: Nov. 11 Deadline: Nov. 15
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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/
SUBSCRIBE
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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