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COLLEGE NEWS
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FORUM TUESDAY SEEKS COMMENTS ON COLLEGE STRATEGIC PLAN
Please plan to attend College of Agriculture forum Tuesday, April 15, to discussion the draft of the College's strategic plan. The forum will begin at 4 p.m. in the CCUR Theatre (1951 Food Sciences). Refreshments will be available. College administrators welcome your comments and thoughts on the draft at the forum. The College's draft strategic plan is posted on the Web in PDF form at: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/news/StrategicPlan.pdf.
SOCIOLOGY AND ECONOMICS SUBJECT OF WASHINGTON TRIP
Social science research and education will be the focus of a visit college administrators are making this week to Washington, D.C. Paul Lasley and Arne Hallam, chairs of the sociology and economics departments, respectively; David Acker, assistant dean, national and global programs; and Elena Polush, external grants, are making the trip. They will be meeting with representatives of organizations including USDA’s NASS, ERS, CSREES units and the National Science Foundation. The purpose of the trip is to learn about funding opportunities available from federal sources and about national programs related to research and education in sociology and economics.
COLLEGE PRESENTERS INCLUDED IN RIVERS OF LIFE SYMPOSIUM
The inaugural international symposium “Rivers of Life: Water, People and Global Development” kicks off at noon April 21 with a panel presentations titled “Water Crises and the Human Condition.” Gene Takle, agronomy/geological and atmospheric science, will discuss "Water, Global Population, and Climate Change;" Robert Mazur, sociology, will present "Water and the Human Right to Development;" and Steffen Schmidt, political science, will present "Water, Politics and War." It will take place in the Pioneer Room, Memorial Union. No registration is necessary for any of the sessions, which are free and open to the public. From 4 to 5 p.m., Heidi Asbjornsen, natural resource ecology and management, will present "Water, Fire and Community-Based Natural Resource" in 302 Catt Hall. From 7 to 9:30 p.m., Stephen Gasteyer, director of community development programs at the Rural Community Assistance program in Washington, D.C., will deliver the speech "Commons or Commodity: Differing Approaches to a Global Water Crisis" at the Pioneer Room, Memorial Union. For information: 4-4729.
ANIMAL SCIENTISTS HELP WITH BANTENG CLONING
Two College of Agriculture researchers collaborated in the research project that resulted in last week's announcement of the birth of banteng calves cloned from cells frozen in 1980. Howard Tyler, associate professor of animal science, and Carolyn Hammer, Ph.D. candidate, consulted on maintaining the pregnancies as well as delivering and caring for the newborn bantengs, an endangered species of wild cattle found in Asia. The calves were born at Trans Ova Genetics near Sioux Center. Tyler and Hammer were present for the deliveries and provided assistance as necessary. The collaboration also involved Advanced Cell Technologies and the San Diego Zoo.
THINK TANK ON ANIMAL AGRICULTURE TO DISCUSS MEAT CONSUMPTION
The dietary role of meat consumption will be the topic of the April 28 Think Tank on Animal Agriculture. Diane Birt, chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, will present "Diet and Cancer Prevention, the Role of Meat Consumption." Birt will give an overview of data on dietary factors and cancer risk and discuss studies that have assessed meat consumption. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with social time, dinner at 6:30 p.m. and discussion at 7 p.m. in the Campanile Room, Memorial Union. RSVP by April 25 to Julie Roberts at jrober@iastate.edu. Cost of the buffet dinner will be $12, which is payable at the door.
AUCTION TO RAISE FUNDS FOR AG ENGINEERING CLUB
The ISU student chapter of American Society of Agriculture Engineers is holding a labor auction from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. April 27 in the courtyard behind Davidson Hall. Lunch will be available. Bidders will have the opportunity to buy four hours of work to be done by about 30 agricultural engineering majors. Proceeds will go to the club. The four hours of work is to be done by March 1, 2004. Contacts: Jeni Krebill at 233-9179 or Mark Mommsen at 268-4827.
CROPS TEAM FINISHES THIRD IN NACTA CONTEST
The Iowa State crops team placed third April 4 at the National Association of College and Teachers of Agriculture crops contest in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The team of agronomy undergraduates was first in the agronomic exam, second in the math exam and second in the lab practical. Joe Olson of Humboldt placed first in the agronomic exam. Other team members were Nathan Brandt, Postville; Jeff DeWall, Pocahontas; James Steuk, Schleswig; and Lindsay Werth, Wellington, Colo. Lance Gibson, assistant professor of agronomy, coached the team. The crops contest consists of a series of written, problem-solving and identification exams.
STUDENT CREATES A PAPER BUG'S LIFE
Yong-Lak Park, a graduate assistant in entomology, will be displaying his insect origami work at the Conservatory Complex at Reiman Gardens from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 22 to 30. Park, who is from Seoul, Korea, has created 33 original origami insects since he arrived in Ames four years ago. He said he began folding insects because he is an entomologist and folding insects is a difficult challenge for origami artists. The Entomology Graduate Student Organization helped Park prepare for the exhibit by creating thousands of origami butterflies and dragonflies.
IOWA STATE MBA PROGRAM TO OFFER MINOR IN SUSTAINABLE AG
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in Iowa State University's College of Business will incorporate a sustainable agriculture minor and two new graduate assistantships next fall. The new MBA minor combines some of the coursework from ISU's Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture in the College of Agriculture.
EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT INSECTS
More than 70 percent of all known species on Earth are insects. Three members of the Iowa State University entomology department played a role in the development of a new book, which must come close to including everything a person would ever want to know about insects, and then some. The 1,265-page Encyclopedia of Insects includes 270 articles, plus 1,000 images and tables. Learn more in "Agriculture in Action."
IOWA 4-H YOUTH CONFERENCE AT IOWA STATE IN JUNE
The 2003 Iowa 4-H Youth Conference will be held on the Iowa State University campus June 24-26. It offers a full slate of workshops, activities and entertainment for high school students and is sponsored by ISU Extension 4-H Youth Development. Called "Creating a Masterpiece," this year's conference offers new opportunities and workshops, including diversity awareness, art, leadership development and crop production. Details: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/newsrel/2003/apr03/apr0308.html
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
April 15: “West Nile Virus: Poultry, Humans and Horses” seminar, 12:10 p.m., 1226 Vet Med
April 15: “Nanobiotechnology, Bioproducts and Sustainability: Where is Agriculture Going” seminar, 2 p.m., 1140 Howe Hall
April 15: Forum to offer comments on College Strategic Plan draft, 4 p.m., CCUR Theatre (1951 Food Sciences), refreshments
April 16: Lecture, "Inside Hollywood: A Bug’s Perspective," Steven Kutcher, entomology instructor at Long Beach State University, 8 p.m., Sun Room, Memorial Union, 4-9934
April 17: Block and Bridle Club pig sale, consigners will bring pigs to sell to 4-H and FFA members, 3 p.m., Farm Bureau Pavilion. Contact: 233-3623
April 21: International Symposium, Rivers of Life: Water, People and Global Development
April 22: Science in Agriculture Day
April 24: Overweight Issues in Childhood videoconference, http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/403/nutrition.htm
May 12: Iowa State registration deadline, Plant Sciences Institute Symposium on Transposition, Recombination and Application to Plant Genomics to be held June 5-8
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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EVALUATE THIS NEW PERFORMANCE REVIEW
Short of firing, what is the responsibility managers hate the most? If you're thinking "performance appraisal," then you may have something to learn from “The Performance Appraisal Question and Answer Book: A Survival Guide for Managers,” by Dick Grote, a former manager at General Electric and PepsiCo. He said performance appraisals, if done correctly, can become the most valuable instrument in the manager's toolbox. On the practical level, the few hours a manager invests in a careful appraisal process can help improve an employee's performance for an entire year. A successful performance appraisal process rests on a few key fundamentals: timing, clarity and consistency. (Harvard Business School, Working Knowledge Newsletter, reprint of Peter Allen's "Performance Appraisals with More Gain, Less Pain," Harvard Management Communication Letter, March 2003)
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INFOGRAZING
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ADDITIONAL FUNDS GO TO NRI
A supplemental Request for Applications (RFA) for the National Research Initiative (NRI) is expected soon that will include about $46 million above the FY 2002 level to the NRI that Congress added recently. Expanded authority also allows the USDA through the competitive process managed by CSREES to use as much as 20 percent of the program resources, about $33 million, for integrated activities. It is expected that a significant part of it will be specified in the supplemental grant program. The areas of genomics, behavioral nutrition and obesity, air quality and biosecurity will be covered in the supplemental RFA. Some of these program areas may allow larger grants of extended duration.
UNIVERSITY SEEKS INTEREST IN NSF PREPROPOSALS
The NSF is soliciting pre-proposals for the Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships program, which supports innovative research and education projects of national importance and encourages partnerships among academic institutions, national laboratories, industrial organizations, and/or other public/private entities. Institutions are limited to submitting five pre-proposals. Those at Iowa State who are interested in submitting a pre-proposal to the program are asked to submit a brief description (about a paragraph) of their proposed project by fax or campus mail to the Vice Provost for Research Office (Attn: Sreeparna Mitra), 2810 Beardshear Hall, by April 23. Any project invited by NSF to submit a full proposal will be eligible for grant preparation support from the Vice Provost for Research office. Further details and guidelines: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03550/nsf03550.htm
CSREES’ KNAPP LECTURER SOUGHT
CSREES is seeking nominations from within and outside the land-grant system to present this year's Seaman A. Knapp Lecture. The lecture, honoring the memory of Knapp, former Iowa State agriculture administrator who is known as the "father of the Cooperative Extension concept," will be presented Nov. 16 to 18 during the 116th annual meeting of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges in New Orleans. Potential topics and/or presenters are due on or before June 23. The name, title, address, telephone number and e-mail address of nominees and a possible topic can be sent electronically to Jim Spurling, CSREES assistant administrator for public liaison, at jspurling@csrees.usda.gov.
DEADLINES PENDING FOR CSREES PROGRAMS
These CSREES grant programs have deadlines approaching:
--Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grant Program - Water Quality, April 21
--Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Programs - Special Experiential Learning Grants, Sept. 30
--Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowships Grants Program - Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances, Sept. 30
EXAMPLES SOUGHT OF VISUAL WAYS TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
The National Science Foundation and the journal Science seek entries for the inaugural 2003 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. The international contest will recognize scientists, engineers and visual information practitioners who use visual media to promote understanding of research results. The contest is open to individuals and teams of scientists, engineers and visual information practitioners who produce or commission photographs, illustrations, animations, interactive media, video sequences or computer graphics for research produced since January 2000. The contest deadline is May 31. More: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/events/sevc.
NABC CONFERENCE IN JUNE
This year’s National Agricultural Biotechnology Council conference is titled "Biotechnology: Science and Society at a Crossroad." It is being co-sponsored by Washington State University and Oregon State University, June 1-3 at the Westin Seattle Hotel. Biotechnology advances and their positive and negative effects on society will be the theme of the meeting.
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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REASONING WHY WE DO THINGS
"Reason is a biological product -- a tool whose power is inherently and substantially restricted. It has improved how we do things; it has not changed why we do things. … the more fundamental 'why' element … is driven by instinctive self-preservation, emotional needs and cultural attitudes. We are usually reluctant to admit the extent to which these forces govern our behavior, and accordingly we often recruit reason to explain and justify our actions." Neurology researcher Donald B. Calne, ("Within Reason: Rationality and Human Behavior,” 1999, Pantheon Books)
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MARGINALIA
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PESTICIDES THOUGHT TO REDUCE ANTIOXIDANT CONTENT
University of California-Davis researchers have found higher levels of antioxidants in corn that had been grown without the use of pesticides compared with corn grown with the use of such chemicals. They reported the corn grown without pesticides had nearly 60 percent more flavonoids. Flavonoids are a type of antioxidant nutrient associated with reduced cancer risk. Researchers speculated that organic produce may have more flavonoids because plants use flavonoids to defend themselves against pests and diseases. The researchers found similar differences in tests on marionberries and strawberries. More at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&li… (Comparison of the total phenolic and ascorbic acid content of freeze-dried and air-dried marionberry, strawberry, and corn grown using conventional, organic, and sustainable agricultural practices. Asami, D. K., Hong, Y. J., Barrett, D. M., Mitchell, A. E., Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 2003 Feb 26;51(5):1237-1241)
Next issue: April 21 Deadline: April 18
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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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