College News
Faculty Group in Washington to Talk About Bioenergy
A group of research faculty who are involved in the College's Agricultural Systems Initiative are in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with government agencies involved with bioenergy resources. The initiative coordinates and promotes agricultural systems research to enhance environmental and economical viability in Iowa. The team consists of: Steve Fales, chair, Department of Agronomy and College of Agriculture Bioeconomy Initiative Coordinator; Rick Cruse, agronomy and leader of the Agricultural Systems Initiative; Carl Herndl, English department; Robert Brown, Center for Sustainable Environmental Technology and director of Iowa State's Bioeconomy Initiative; and Gene Takle, agronomy. The members will visit the USDA, Department of Energy, EPA, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and National Council of Science and the Environment. While visiting each agency, the members will share their views on the issues and assumptions critical to maximizing and sustaining biorenewal production.
"Connect with Iowa" Visit Tuesday in Dallas County
Interim Dean Wendy Wintersteen will lead a daylong "Connect with Iowa" community visit to Dallas County Tuesday, Sept. 20. The 11-member group includes Associate Dean David Acker and Interim Senior Associate Dean Joe Colleti as well as faculty and extension staff who've recently joined the College in the departments of food science and human nutrition, agronomy, agricultural and biosystems engineering, economics, natural resource ecology and management, animal science. They will visit the Picket Fence Creamery near Woodward, Van Wall Equipment at Perry and Stine Seed near Adel. They'll meet with freshmen students attending the Des Moines Area Community College and have lunch and a listening session with area agriculture, business and government leaders. The College's "Connect with Iowa" events are held twice each year. This is the fifth such event, designed to give College faculty the chance to learn more about Iowa and its people, agriculture, businesses and communities.
Forestry Alum to Head International Research Group
An ISU forestry alumnus has been elected to a five-year term as president of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), an organization with nearly 700 member institutions in 110 countries. Don Lee, a professor of silviculture and restoration ecology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, will serve from 2006 to 2010. He was elected at the 22nd World Congress of the IUFRO held in Australia in August. Lee earned master's and doctorate degrees in forestry in 1975 and 1978 from ISU. Lee has been serving as vice president of policy for IUFRO and also is president of the Korean Forest Society. IUFRO is a nonprofit, nongovernmental international network of forest scientists that promotes international cooperation in forestry and forest products.
Colleges Establishes New Carver Distinguished Service Award
The College of Agriculture George Washington Carver Distinguished Service Award has been established to honor distinguished alumni and/or friends who have demonstrated outstanding achievement. To be considered, alumni and/or friends may have accomplishments in writing, teaching, research or leadership in one or more areas included in the College's broad portfolio of programs in agricultural, food, environmental, social and life sciences. Emphasis is placed on prestigious and influential contributions to society; these contributions may or may not be within the state of Iowa. It will be presented annually during Iowa State's Homecoming Weekend. Multiple awards may be given. Submit nominations to the dean, College of Agriculture, 138 Curtiss Hall by the third Tuesday in November.
Two Injured Students Return to Classes
Doug Puffett, sophomore in agricultural studies, and Thomas Schroeder, sophomore in agricultural business, have returned to classes after being injured in a car accident outside Boone last Tuesday, said Kyle Staley, Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity vice president. The accident killed Andrew Albright, sophomore in agricultural studies. Funeral services for Albright were held Saturday in Lytton. Another passenger in the car, Justin Sovereign, a sophomore in agricultural business, was released from Methodist Hospital in Des Moines over the weekend and has returned to his home in Cresco. Sovereign suffered a broken pelvis and broken jaw and will be recovering for several weeks, Staley said. The 22 men in Albright's Alpha Gamma Rho pledge class are working with his family to establish a memorial. "Thank you for everyone's thoughts and prayers and flowers and cards," Staley said. He also thanked the faculty and staff for their continued support as the recovery process continues.
Penn State President, and Alum, to Chair FBI Advisory Board
ISU agriculture alumnus Graham Spanier, president of Pennsylvania State University, will chair a newly created National Security Higher Education Advisory Board. ISU President Gregory Geoffroy also will serve on the board, which consists of the presidents and chancellors of prominent U.S. universities. The board will foster outreach and to promote understanding between higher education and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The board will provide advice on the culture of higher education, including the traditions of openness, academic freedom, and international collaboration. Spanier earned bachelor's and master's degrees in sociology in 1969 and 1971, respectively.
ISU Students to Ship Beef Sticks to Katrina's Victims
Two meat science graduate students in the Department of Animal Science are heading a project to send shelf-stable meat to universities in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi. Sherry Olsen and Angela Laury are working with meat and animal science faculty and staff to process and ship more than 1,500 packages of beef sticks to Louisiana State University and Mississippi State University. The beef sticks will be sent to meat and food science professors who will distribute them to students, staff and evacuees. Joe Sebranek, University Professor in animal science, is overseeing the project. The project is funded by the Meat Science Processed Meats Shortcourse. Volunteers will process and package products on Wednesday, Sept. 21, and Friday, Sept. 23, in the Meats Lab. The Meat Science Club also is collecting cash donations for hurricane victims to be sent to the American Red Cross. Contacts: Olsen, ssolsen@iastate.edu or Laury, angelail@iastate.edu or 4-1548.
Kanwar to Offer Workshop at World Bank Conference
Ramesh Kanwar, chair of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, will lead a mini-workshop at the World Bank Regional Conference on Agricultural Nutrient Management in the Danube, Black Sea and Baltic Sea Riparian Countries, Oct. 4-6, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The conference is sponsored by the World Bank and the Black Sea Riparian Countries. Kanwar was one of only two university professors who were invited to develop workshops for the conference. His workshop will address soil and water quality monitoring and assessing impact on nutrient reduction, with emphasis on European Union requirements.
ISU Student Receives National Alpha Zeta Scholarship
Jason Haegele, a senior majoring in agricultural engineering and agronomy, is one of five college students nationwide to receive a National Alpha Zeta Scholarship. The scholarships are awarded to "the best of the best" Alpha Zeta students based on scholastic achievement, leadership, character, community service and financial need. Haegele, the chancellor of ISU's Wilson Chapter of Alpha Zeta, was cited for his leadership in bringing the National Agricultural Leadership Conference and 49th annual Alpha Zeta Conclave to Iowa State in April of this year, the chapter' centennial. Haegele will receive a monetary award, an honor stole, plaque and reduced registration to attend the 2006 National Agricultural Leadership Conference. Alpha Zeta is a professional organization of men and women whose educational and career objectives fall within the broadly defined field of agriculture and natural resources. Allen Trenkle, animal science, is faculty advisor to the Wilson Chapter.
College Shirts Available Through Student Services
Agriculture Student Services is ordering shirts for faculty and staff with the Iowa State University College of Agriculture wordmark. The deadline for ordering is Sept. 26. A catalog with shirt styles, colors and sized is available in 23 Curtiss. Contact: Leah Hansen, 4-8653.
Burlington Group Sets Events to Honor Aldo Leopold
Members of a newly formed heritage group in Burlington, Aldo Leopold's hometown, are bringing two noted Leopold scholars to the community. Author Marybeth Lorbiecki will speak about the life and legacy of Leopold Sept. 23-24. On Oct. 18, Leopold biographer Curt Meine will speak at a town meeting hosted by the Des Moines County Historical Society. Both events are part of a series of community activities scheduled through November designed to raise awareness of Leopold's impact on environmental philosophy and his Burlington roots. More: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2005/burlington_091905.htm
First Year of Cooperative Swine Program Successful
Extension swine specialists from Iowa State and the University of Nebraska have a good report on the first year of a cooperative program to offer information and educational opportunities to producers in both states. Locke Karriker of ISU's College of Veterinary Medicine and Mike Brumm of Nebraska are key players in making the joint programming effort successful.
Pork Center Scanning Program Didn't Take Summer Off
Over the summer, Iowa Pork Industry Center program coordinator Colin Johnson and four ISU animal science graduate students traveled 6,564 miles to scan 1,743 pigs for 36 shows in 27 counties for the center's county fair ultrasound scanning program. Grad students Jeremy Burkett, Mark Knauer, Clint Schwab and Matt Wolfe participated. The scanning is offered annually on a cost basis to all county fairs in the state. It helps determine carcass placings in the contests, aids in operations' genetics decisions and is used by extension staff who hold post-fair evaluation programs for entrants to learn more about the pigs they showed.
Workshop on Statistical Issues in Risk Assessment in October
An Affiliates Workshop on Overarching Issues in Risk Analysis will be co-sponsored by the Department of Statistics on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28 and 29. It will be preceded, on the evening of October 27, by a public forum focused on nontechnical issues of the legal and political contexts of risk and its perception. A program is being finalized.
USDA September Crop Forecast Surprises Grain Trade
The USDA's Sept. 12 crop forecast showed increases in corn yield potential in all major corn producing states except South Dakota. Robert Wisner, Iowa State Extension economist, said the yield forecast was better than many had expected.
Deadlines and Reminders
Sept. 19: Department of Entomology seminar in observance of 125 years of insect science instruction, Tom Turpin, professor of entomology at Purdue University, "The Pedagogy of Hexapodology: Teaching about Insects," 4:10 p.m., E-164 Lagomarcino
Sept. 20: AgComm workshop, noon to 1:15 p.m., 8 Curtiss, RSVP to Cheryl Abrams, 4-5872 or cabrams@iastate.edu
Sept. 22: 22nd annual Iowa Real Estate and Insurance Seminar
Sept. 26: Think Tank on Animal Agriculture meeting, 6 p.m., Cardinal Room, Memorial Union, register by contacting Julie Roberts at jrober@iastate.edu by noon Sept. 23
Sept. 26-28: Workshop on hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and other water quality issues, campus
Sept. 30: Norman Borlaug Lectureship Poster Competition entry deadline, contact: Patricia Murphy, pmurphy@iastate.edu
Oct. 7: Center for Integrated Animal Genomics grant proposal deadline
Oct. 8: Centennial celebration for the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Oct. 11: World Food Prize Laureate Modadugu Vijay Gupta lecture, 2 p.m., Lebaron Auditorium 1210
Oct. 13-15: Breaking The Creative Barriers: The Arts and Sciences in Collaboration, Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities symposium, Memorial Union
Oct. 15: Deadline for submitting applications to the College's Grants for Distance Education: Expanding Quality Asynchronous Distance Education Offerings program
Communications Kiosk
Adduce, Deduce and Induce
To "adduce" is to give as a reason, offer as a proof or cite as an example, as in: As evidence of reliability, she adduced her four years of steady volunteer work as a nurse's aide. "Deduce" and "induce" are opposite processes. To deduce is to reason from general principles to specific conclusions or to draw a specific conclusion from general information, for example: From these clues, one deduces that the butler did it. To induce is to form a general principle based on specific observations, as in: After years of studying ravens, the researchers induced a few of their social habits. (Chicago Manual of Style)
Infograzing
Ames Lab Gets Funding to Study Plant Cell Chemistry
A group of researchers at Ames Laboratory will use $1.02 million in energy department start-up funding to begin understanding the chemical processes that take place within the cells of plants. For details: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050915004934.htm
Meeting to Discuss CAFTA Business Opportunities
An export roundtable discussion will take place Tuesday, Sept. 20, regarding the recently approved Central American Free Trade Agreement with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and what it will mean for American business opportunities. Daryl Bouwkamp, director of International Sales and International Government Affairs manager at Vermeer Manufacturing Co. will be the featured speaker. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. in the second floor boardroom of The Partnership Building, 700 Locust St., Suite 100, Des Moines. Refreshments will be served. Contact: A.J. Anderson, Department of Commerce, (515) 288-8614. The meeting is sponsored by the Iowa Export Assistance Center.
Group to Discuss Iowa's Part in Global Affairs
"U.S. International Affairs Budget: Making A Difference in Iowa" is the title of a briefing Saturday, Sept. 24, by Damian Murphy, national field director of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign (USGLC). The USGLC is a nationwide business-humanitarian coalition that advocates for greater resources for the nation's international diplomatic, economic and humanitarian programs. Its Iowa-based members include Pioneer Hi-Bred, CARE, Rockwell Collins and Bread for the World. The meeting will be 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Iowa Events Center, Hy-Vee Hall, Des Moines. There is no cost to attend. Refreshments will be provided.
Grant-Writing Workshop Set for Sept. 30
Karen Piconi, of Persuade and Publish, will be offering a grant-writing workshop Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2005. Piconi is one of the three external grant writing consulting groups that work with the university to improve the quality of grant proposals and enhance extramural funding. Interested faculty and staff should register by Sept. 23 by contacting Karen Piconi at 232-2195 or kpiconi@msn.com. The cost per participant is $275 and partial funding may be available from the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
Cast Releases Annual Report
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology has published its 2004 annual report. Contact the CAST office (cast@cast-science.org) for a hard copy or view it as a PDF on the CAST website: http://www.cast-science.org/cast/news/2004%20Annual%20Report%20FINAL.pdf.
External Voices
ISU Student 'Solid' in Meeting Challenges
Jason Haegele of ISU was one of five national Alpha Zeta scholarship winners (see item in College News). Haegele was an intern at Pioneer Hi-Bred International and in the Alpha Zeta announcement, the following quote was included: "His attitude, work ethic and detail orientation ... would bring great value to Pioneer. I have always challenged my interns and Jason was solid in meeting those challenges," said Barry Nelson, Pioneer Hi-Bred senior research associate.
Next issue: Sept. 26
Ag Online
Editor: Ed Adcock, edadcock@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."
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3680 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.