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COLLEGE NEWS
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CONVOCATION SATURDAY TO RECOGNIZE GRADUATES
Faculty and staff are invited to share in the achievements of College of Agriculture spring and summer graduates at the College Convocation Saturday, May 8, at C.Y. Stephens Auditorium. A reception begins at 8:15 a.m. with the ceremony at 9 a.m. About 380 graduates will be receiving degrees. The student speaker will be Emma Mallarino of Ames, majoring in microbiology. Winners of the Agricultural Student Council awards will be: Amanda Kreuder of Mt. Carroll, Ill., dairy science, for academic achievement; Amber Borcherding of St. Ansgar, animal science, for distinguished service; Elizabeth Mowrer of Guthrie Center, agricultural education, for leadership excellence; and Angela Boeckmann of Waverly, agricultural business and international agriculture, for outstanding senior.
“CONNECT WITH IOWA” TRIP TO MANNING SUCCESSFUL
Last Thursday, Dean Catherine Woteki led a group of 13 faculty members from the college on a community visit to Manning. This was the second “Connect with Iowa” community visit, designed to give faculty the opportunity to learn more about Iowa and its people, agriculture, businesses and communities. During the day-long visit, the group visited a cattle operation, an aquaculture cooperative, a new technology center, an ethanol plant and a 350-year-old restored German "hausbarn." Following lunch with community leaders, Woteki provided an update on college activities and answered questions. The next community visit is tentatively planned for September to Indianola, and new faculty in the college will be invited to join the dean.
THIRD AGRICULTURAL LAW CANDIDATE ON CAMPUS
Terence Centner, professor of agricultural and applied economics at University of Georgia, is the third candidate to visit campus in the search to fill a faculty position in agricultural law. Centner will present a seminar at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 4, in 1951 Food Sciences Building. There will be an open faculty meeting for Centner from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 4, in 229 Curtiss.
ANIMAL SCIENTIST HEADING TO MISSISSIPPI STATE
Colin Scanes, animal science, has been named vice president for research and graduate studies at Mississippi State University. He joined Iowa State in 1995 as executive associate director of the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station and also served as interim director of the Center for Designing Food for Human Nutrition and interim director of the Plant Sciences Institute. More at: http://www.ur.msstate.edu/news/stories/2004/scanesresearchvp.asp
BIOTECH RISKS ANALYZED AT IOWA STATE SYMPOSIUM
Someday some of the corn Iowa farmers plant each spring may be genetically modified to produce pharmaceuticals or industrial products. But first, ways to isolate such crops from corn being grown for feed or food purposes must be developed. Learn more about BIGMAP's efforts in "Agriculture in Action."
HOSTS SOUGHT FOR VISITING DANISH STUDENTS
The Iowa Pork Industry Center is looking for host families for a group of Danish college students this summer. Four students will arrive June 28 for one week on campus. The group would like to visit Iowa farms from July 5 to 17. The students are working toward their agricultural technologist degrees from Dalum Agriculture College in Odense, Denmark, and would like to take part in daily farm life with host families. They also would like to “job-shadow” people in the agribusiness areas of marketing, international trade or industry consultation. Those interested in providing a host experience should contact Colin Johnson, 4-2340 or colinj@iastate.edu.
UPDATED PORK NICHE MARKET PUBLICATION AVAILABLE
An ISU publication on pork niche market groups in Iowa has been updated to reflect market, industry and organizational changes. The eight-page publication offers a comparison of five existing niche market groups in Iowa. The publication can be downloaded from the Iowa Pork Industry Center website. For more information: Mark Storlie, (563) 425-3331 or call the center, (800) 808-7675.
COLLEGE FACULTY, STAFF HONORED AT VEISHEA
Students nominated and voted to honor several faculty and staff in the College of Agriculture as part of Veishea’s events. A recognition reception April 15 cited Dermot Hayes, economics, as the college’s faculty member of the year. Also honored were: Craig Dilley and Barb Osborn, horticulture; Curtis Youngs and Ilene Carlson, animal science; Terry Alexander, James Kliebenstein, Deb Thornburg and Carol Elliott, economics; Cheryl Abrams, agricultural education and studies; Lee Burras, agronomy; and John Burnett, natural resource ecology and management.
AG ALUM TELLS CLASSES ABOUT SERVING IN IRAQ
College alumnus and Army specialist Leigh Downing recently talked to ISU students in an agricultural leadership class about his experiences serving in Iraq. Nancy Grudens-Schuck, agricultural education and studies, said she asked Downing, a 2002 agricultural studies graduate, to speak to two junior-level leadership classes because some of the students were planning service projects focused on helping students who had left school because they were called to duty.
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEER SHARES PORK BOARD INNOVATION AWARD
Jay Harmon, extension agricultural engineer, won a National Pork Board’s Innovation in Education/Extension Award for his efforts as part of a team of researchers who developed a swine-facility ventilation workshop series. With support from pork checkoff funds, faculty from four universities developed a one-day workshop using a mobile ventilation laboratory.
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE HONORS COLLEGE SCIENTISTS
Several College researchers were honored at the 116th annual meeting of the Iowa Academy of Science. Wendy Powers, animal science, received the Distinguished Iowa Scientist Award in recognition of her research accomplishments. Reid Palmer, agronomy, was named a distinguished fellow. Thomas Fenton, agronomy, was recognized as the outgoing president of the academy.
ISU TREE STEWARD CONFERENCE PLANNED JUNE 25
ISU Extension and the departments of horticulture and natural resource ecology and management are offering a one-day Tree Steward Conference June 25. The conference is for anyone who wants to learn more about trees and will include 14 workshops. Details: http://www.forestry.iastate.edu/one_steward/steward_one.htm
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
May 8: College convocation for new graduates, 9 a.m., C.Y. Stephens Auditorium
May 11-13: Science and policy workshop, Global Agricultural Science and Policy Initiative, contact: Clare Hinrichs, 4-5154 or hinrichs@iastate.edu
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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THOUGHTS FOR SUMMER TRIPS
"Travel is only glamorous in retrospect."
--Paul Theroux, travel writer
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MARGINALIA
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TREES FROM HORTICULTURE RESEARCH TO GRACE CAMPUS
Jeff Iles, chair of the horticulture department, recently completed a tree research project and faced a dilemma: what to do with the trees to make room for the next project at the Horticulture Research Station north of Ames. Mark Honeyman, coordinator of Research and Demonstration Farms, suggested calling ISU Facilities, Planning and Management before cutting them down. Although transplanting trees with two- to four-inch diameter trunks is a challenge, Chad Deike, an FP&M landscape designer, saw an opportunity in using mature trees, some of them unusual species, to improve the campus. Seven sugar maple and two paw paw trees will be moved next week using a tree spade to new locations near the Carver Co-Lab and the Gerdin Business Building.
CORRECTION ON DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORS
In last week's Marginalia item on distinguished professors in the College of Agriculture, Wallace Huffman's department was incorrectly listed. Huffman is a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture in economics.
Next issue: May 10
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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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