College News
College Convocation Set for Wednesday
The College will hold its fall convocation Wednesday, Sept. 12, beginning at 4:15 p.m. The event will include a ceremony to honor new endowed chairs by President Geoffroy, remarks by Dean Wendy Wintersteen and the introduction of new faculty and staff. It will be in 127 Curtiss Hall (Curtiss Auditorium).
Open Forum with President and Provost Friday
An open forum with President Geoffroy and Vice President and Provost Hoffman will conclude their visit to the College Sept. 14. The question-and-answer session will begin at 4:10 p.m. in 127 Curtiss Hall (Curtiss Auditorium).
College Student Numbers Up for Fall Semester
The College added 158 undergraduate students this semester for a total of 2,697 compared with 2,539 for last fall. The increase in undergraduate students is a combination of several factors, said Tom Polito, student services, including a boost in new students, graduating smaller classes and a continued positive balance in the number of students who change majors into the College. Graduate student numbers also were up to 677, from 646. There are 1,520 male undergraduate students this fall and 1,177 female.
Facebook Introduction Offered Sept. 24
FACEBOOK 101 for Faculty will be offered Sept. 24 by Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Services. The session will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in 142 Curtiss Hall. It is designed for faculty members who are baffled by the latest social networking trends used by students and wonder what the implications these sites may have on employment opportunities. Facebook-savvy College of Agriculture and Life Science students will walk participants through this popular website. Lunch will be provided and space is limited to 30. RSVP by Sept. 19 to Mike Gaul, career services, at mikegaul@iastate.edu.
Leopold Center Publishes Volume of Research Results
The findings from 20 Leopold Center competitive grants projects appear in the new 2007 Center Progress Report available in print and on-line. Summaries are condensed from final reports submitted by principal investigators. Paper copies of the report are available from the Center by calling (515) 294-3711 or sending an e-mail to leocenter@iastate.edu. Individual research summaries are found on the Center's website.
U.S. Pork Center Announces New Web Feature - Pig Opportunities
The U.S. Pork Center of Excellence has launched a new program, PIG Opportunities, within the Pork Information Gateway (PIG) Web site. The new program provides one location for information about community colleges and universities that offer swine science courses, careers in the pork industry and available internships.
College's 150 Points of Pride Posting Features Card
As part of Iowa State's sesquicentennial celebration, 150 points of pride related to the College are being posted online to coincide with 150 days of the 2007-2008 academic year. Five new items are posted each Monday. This week, the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, known as CARD, is in the spotlight.
Biotech, Genomics Interns Complete Successful Summer
Eleven students participated in research projects this summer involving molecular techniques such as generation of recombinant DNAs; genome analysis in plants and animals; molecular genetics, and bioinformatics through the Research Experience in Molecular Biotechnology and Genomics program. The program through the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Liberal Arts and Science links visiting undergraduate students from across the country with ISU researchers in molecular biotechnology and genomics. In addition to their research experience, the students interacted through discussions, tours and social functions. These internships are funded by the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station, the Center for Integrated Animal Genomics and by a significant grant from the National Science Foundation. Many participants commented that the program gave them insight into graduate school. Manuel Ortega, from the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Campus, said, "The most interesting part of my experience in Iowa State University was to work as a researcher. Even though the experiment belonged to the lab they allowed me to bring new ideas, in other words they considered me as part of the team without any restrictions for being from another place." The program is directed by Max Rothschild and David Oliver.
Five Grad Programs Ranked For Faculty Productivity
The Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index ranks five graduate programs in College departments among the top 10 in the nation. The Chronicle of Higher Education earlier this year reported on the index that was created by Academic Analytics, a company owned partially by the State University of New York at Stony Brook. It ranked 7,294 individual doctoral programs in 104 disciplines at 354 institutions. The productivity of each named faculty member is measured, although the data are aggregated before being published. Faculty members can be judged on as many as three factors, depending on the most important variables in the given discipline: publications; federal-grant dollars awarded; and honors and awards. Iowa State's agricultural economics program was ranked second; plant pathology, third; horticulture, fourth; entomology and statistics, ninth.
Deadlines and Reminders
Sept. 11: Seminar on reading students' signals, 4 p.m., 142 Curtiss
Sept. 17-18: Agricultural Entrepreneurship Institute, Gateway Hotel & Convention Center, more: http://www.entrepreneurship.ag.iastate.edu/2007_Institute/index.html
Sept. 21: Deadline for entries to the Sixth Annual Norman Borlaug Lectureship Poster Competition, contact: Patricia Murphy, pmurphy@iastate.edu
Sept. 24: Think Tank on Animal Agriculture, 6 p.m., Pioneer Room, Memorial Union
Oct. 1: Deadline for submitting concept papers describing the next generation of undergraduate academic programs for the College, contact: David Acker, dacker@iastate.edu
Oct. 15: Borlaug Lecture, Monty Jones, executive secretary of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa and the 2004 World Food Prize winner, 8 p.m., Sun Room, Memorial Union
Communications Kiosk
To Forbear Isn't the Same As a Forebear
The terms "forbear" and "forebear" are unrelated, but the spellings are frequently confused. To forbear is to refrain, as in, "he wanted to speak, but decided to forbear." The conjugation is forbear, forbore or forborne. A forebear is an ancestor, as in "the house was built by Murray's distant forebears."
Infograzing
Corn Month Promotion Salutes State's Industry
This month marks Corn Month and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and the Iowa Corn Grower's Association will remind consumers about the economic importance of Iowa corn and the many products that use corn. Included will be a salute to the state's corn industry through a series of news releases distributed throughout the month. More: http://www.iowacorn.org/
Faculty Forum Sept. 18 on Student Innovation
A Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching faculty forum titled "Student Innovation: Inventing to Learn" will be Sept. 18 from 12:10 to 1:30 p.m. in the Gallery Room, Memorial Union. Educator Ed Sobey will discuss how faculty can engage students in learning, the psychology of innovation and how to manage open-ended classroom projects. Beverages and desserts are provided. Register on AccessPlus by going to the Employee tab, then to HRS Training > Continue > Courses.
Cholesterol Education Sessions Sept. 19
On Sept. 19 from 7:10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. the HeartReach Mobile lab will be on campus to help observe National Cholesterol Education Month. Cholesterol tests and vascular screenings will be available for a charge. The lab will be at the northwest corner of parking lot 12, west of the Communications Building. To schedule an appointment, call 1-866-935-5432. Also set for Sept. 19 is a brown bag session titled Cholesterol: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from noon to 1 p.m. in 0331 Palmer Building.
Nutrition Counseling Available at No Cost
Iowa State employees are eligible for three individual nutrition counseling sessions each calendar year at no cost as part of their employee benefits. Contact Sally Barclay, 4-9625 or barclay@iastate.edu.
Internal Voices
Iowa Agriculture Has Lots of Potential
"Iowa agriculture has lots of potential. The local support of the Borlaug Center is an example of that potential." Kendall Lamkey, chair, Department of Agronomy Chair, speaking at the ground breaking Sept. 6 for the Borlaug Learning Center at the Northern Research and Demonstration Farm near Nashua (Charles City Press, Sept. 7)
Marginalia
College Tailgate Draws Alumni, Friends, Faculty and Staff
About 300 alumni, retired and current faculty and friends attended the College tailgate Saturday afternoon before the Iowa State and University of Northern Iowa football game. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and alumnus Bill Northey and Dean Wendy Wintersteen spoke at the tailgate, which included a meal grilled by the Agricultural Systems Technology Club members and ice cream made by the Dairy Science Club. Those attending received T-shirts decorated with the College's new name and sesquicentennial observance. The College's Development Office coordinated the event.
Ag and Life Sciences Online
Editor: Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
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