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COLLEGE NEWS
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FORUMS ON PROPOSED NUTRITION/WELLNESS CENTER
Anyone interested in learning about the proposed Nutrition and Wellness Research Center is invited to participate in open discussions today, Jan. 23, and Jan. 30. The session today will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Pioneer Room, Memorial Union. The Jan. 30 meeting will be held 4 to 5 p.m. in the Cardinal Room, Memorial Union. The center has been proposed to research human wellness across disciplines. Contact: Ruth MacDonald, 4-5991 or ruthmacd@iastate.edu.
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE CURRICULUM FORUM SET FEB. 15
The College of Agriculture Curriculum and Outcomes Assessment Committees are sponsoring an Ag College forum from 4:10 to 6:15 p.m. Feb. 15 in 142 Curtiss. The forum will provide an opportunity to take a look at the curriculum, particularly the college-level learning outcomes. A panel will begin the forum with brief comments on megatrends (globalization, the biosciences revolution, demographic shifts, etc.) and will challenge participants to question what curricular changes are needed to prepare graduates for the future. Panelists will be alumnus Roger Underwood, co-founder of Becker-Underwood; Paul Lasley, sociology; and Jim Colbert, ecology, evolution and organismal biology. Panelists will speak from 4:10 to 4:45 p.m., followed by faculty discussion from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. The forum will be followed by a short reception with refreshments from 5:45 to 6:15 p.m. A second forum is planned 4 to 6 p.m. April 13 to follow-up on the ideas generated at the first forum. Contact: Wade Miller, 4-0895 or wwmiller@iastate.edu.
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE PRESENTS AWARDS TO FACULTY, STAFF
The College of Agriculture presented annual awards to faculty and staff at its spring semester convocation last Wednesday. Learn more about the award winners and download a copy of Dean Wintersteen’s presentation: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/news/2006releases/convo.html
NASA CENTER CLOSES AFTER SIX YEARS OF SUCCESS
The NASA Food Technology Commercial Space Center at Iowa State closed Dec. 30 with several successes in its six years of work. Learn more: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/news/2006releases/nasa.html
ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE
Local food advocates Johanna Divine and Wil Bullock, who have witnessed the infusion of young people into agriculture in other parts of the country, will share their experiences Feb. 1 at the Sustainable Agriculture Colloquium. Their presentation is sponsored by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the ISU Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture. The program is scheduled for 3:10 to 5 p.m. in 1204 Kildee Hall. Learn more: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2006/011806_colloquium.htm
WORKSHOPS TO OFFER AIR QUALITY OPTIONS FOR SWINE PRODUCERS
Swine producers interested in evaluating alternatives to control odors, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and dust transmissions from their operations can learn more at two Iowa State University workshops in March. Details: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/news/2006releases/swineair.html
EXTENSION SEEKS FORMER 4-H’ERS TO SHARE STORIES, BE MENTORS
Iowa State University Extension is seeking former 4-H’ers who have a story to tell. Through a grant from the Professional and Scientific Council, extension will create an interactive display highlighting the connection between 4-H programs and ISU careers and fields of study. The display will premiere at the 2006 State 4-H Conference June 27-29. Learn more: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2006/jan/331801.htm
GRANT PROPOSAL WORKSHOP SERIES BEGINS FEB. 9
College of Agriculture faculty Basil Nikolau, biochemistry, biophysics & molecular biology, and Patrick Schnable, agronomy, are on a panel in a grant-proposal workshop on Feb. 9 sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. The workshop is a first in a series dealing with strategies for developing research grant proposals. The Feb. 9 session will focus on the National Science Foundation. It will begin at 3 p.m. in 1213 Hoover.
CARRIQUIRY NAMED TO NIH STUDY SECTION
Alicia Carriquiry, statistics, will serve on the Kidney, Nutrition, Obesity and Diabetes Study Section for the Center for Scientific Review in the National Institutes of Health. Her term begins immediately and ends June 30, 2008. Section members review grant applications, make recommendations on applications and survey research status in their fields.
ALUM NOMINATED TO BE EPA ADMINISTRATOR
James Gulliford has been nominated to be assistant administrator for toxic substances at the Environmental Protection Agency. Gulliford serves as regional administrator for Region 7 at the Environmental Protection Agency. Prior to this, he served as director for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Division of Soil Conservation. Gulliford received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry in 1973 and 1975 from Iowa State.
YUE APPOINTED GRADUATE FELLOW
Chengyan Yue, a graduate student in the Department of Economics and in the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, has been appointed a graduate fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. The program recognizes graduate students for their achievements in analyzing social problems and for their promise of becoming outstanding social scientists. Yue has worked with professor Helen Jensen on food-policy research.
LIVESTOCK MAGAZINE FEATURES ANIMAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
This month’s issue of Purple Circle, America’s Youth Livestock Magazine, features Iowa State and the animal science department in a four-and-a-half page story. It covered student educational programs, extracurricular activities and job opportunities. The magazine is based in Canyon, Texas.
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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GIVE ‘DUE TO’ ITS DUE
You may have been taught that "due to" should always be changed to "because of." But "due to" has its place. If "attributable to" could be substituted, "due to" is fine. They starved "due to" the drought. That’s wrong. They starved "attributable to" the drought? No. They starved "because of" the drought. A correct usage: The famine was "due to" (attributable to) the drought. (The Elephants of Style, Bill Walsh, 2004.)
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INFOGRAZING
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PRINCIPLES COMMISSION SEEKS COMMENTS ON DOCUMENTS
The "Principles of Community” and "A Framework for Implementation" are being circulated around campus to seek input on ways to help promote a welcoming and inclusive climate for our campus community. The Government of the Student Body’s Principles Commission developed the documents and invite you to review each document and submit suggestions to strengthen them. These suggestions should include aspects of how your division within Iowa State could enhance the implementation of the Principles. Submit comments to principles@iastate.edu. The deadline for comments is Feb. 10. More: http://www.gsb.iastate.edu/aboutgsb/committees/principles.
NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD VISION FOR NSF RELEASED
The National Science Foundation has released its vision of the future. The “National Science Board 2020 Vision for the NSF” is available as a PDF: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsb05142.
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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WINE COUNTRY SPILLING OVER INTO UPPER MIDWEST
“At its best, drinking wine is a sensory experience, full of complex flavors and intoxicating bouquets. A fine wine can also transport your imagination to another place in time: an afternoon in Tuscany sipping Chianti; a sultry night of dancing in Barcelona dizzy on Roda II; the day you plan to pour up a glass of Frog Hollow Foch and propose to your beloved in a windswept Iowa cornfield. Iowa? Yes, Iowa. And Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The upper Mississippi River Valley may not be Bordeaux yet, but the region is beginning to hold its own in the world of wines. Dozens of wineries dot the Upper Mississippi, reports Big River Magazine, and together they are vying for federal designation as an American Viticulture area ‘based on the distinct topography, soils, bedrock and microclimates of the Upper Mississippi.’ “.
--Laine Bergeson, Utne, Jan./Feb. 2006
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MARGINALIA
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SOIL BACTERIA MAY BE MODEL FOR RESISTANCE
Many bacteria living in soil are resistant to antibiotics and may provide clues for developing new medicines, according to a study at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Researchers examined 480 types of soil-dwelling microbes and found every one to be resistant to at least six antibiotics such as penicillin and tetracycline. Two microbes resisted 15 of the 21 medicines tested. The researchers found that many soil bacteria produce enzymes that counter the effects of the drugs, rather than mutating to become resistant. Understanding the enzymes may help drug developers find means to overcome the resistance. (Dec. 20, Science)
Next issue: Jan. 30
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AG ONLINE
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EDITOR
Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
SUBSCRIBE
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