- More State Fair volunteers needed
- Ag communications proposal reviewed this fall
- Program to observe Western Farm's anniversary
- Need something for the grill? Try the Meat Lab
- Summer Students at Work: Basic training
- Summer Students at Work: Pork safety in Denmark
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Effective props . . . but beware the rubber chicken
INFOGRAZING
- For food supply, slow and steady wins the race
- New deadline policy for Nat'l Research Initiative
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Midwesterners not known for quotable quotes
MARGINALIA
- How about a bowl for world's largest sundae?
C O L L E G E N E W S
MORE STATE FAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We need your help! The Iowa State Fair is quickly approaching,
and several volunteer times for the college's exhibit are still
open. Most weekend times are available (Aug. 10-11, Aug. 17-18),
as well as several evening shifts (5 to 9 p.m.). We need to fill
these as soon as possible, so contact Marty Behrens, 4-5616, or
Jennifer Bensen, 4-3538. Volunteers get a free ticket and parking
pass. Thanks to those who've already volunteered -- we'll be sending
your tickets and information soon.
AG COMMUNICATIONS PROPOSAL REVIEWED THIS FALL
This fall the Faculty Senate will review a proposal for a new
undergraduate degree in agricultural communications in the Department
of Agricultural Education and Studies. If approved by the Senate
and the Board of Regents, the degree could be offered by next
summer, said Robert Martin. College of Agriculture faculty approved
the proposal in the spring of 1995. The degree program would be
made up of a combination of courses already offered on campus.
PROGRAM TO OBSERVE WESTERN FARM'S ANNIVERSARY
John Laflen, who is joining the National Soil Tilth Laboratory
in August, will be the keynote speaker at the 50th anniversary
observance of ISU's Western Research and Demonstration Farm near
Castana, Sept. 11. Laflen was most recently with the National
Soil Erosion Research Lab at Purdue. Also speaking will be Walt
Fehr, biotechnology director, and Tom Colvin, Tilth Lab. The day's
activities begin at 1:30 p.m. and will include farm tours, displays
and ultrasound demonstrations. For more information: Barbara Smith,
(712) 885-2802.
NEED SOMETHING FOR THE GRILL? TRY THE MEAT LAB
The ISU Meat Laboratory's retail sales outlet sells meats at reasonable
prices, including frozen cuts of beef, pork and lamb, plus sausage,
bacon, bratwurst and many fully cooked and processed meats. The
meat, which is inspected and approved by the USDA Food Safety
and Inspection Service, originates from courses and activities
conducted in the Meat Lab. During the 1995 fiscal year, the sales
outlet sold 40,000 pounds of meat for more than $76,000. Monies
are used to help offset costs of other departmental programs.
You can find the sales outlet at the southeast corner of the new
part of the Meat Lab, northeast of Kildee Hall and south of the
Horse Barns. Hours are Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information, call 4-4355 or visit the homepage at: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/centers/meatlab
SUMMER STUDENTS AT WORK: BASIC TRAINING
Casey Collins is hard at work for the Army this summer, but he's
not in fatigues. The microbiology graduate student is using irradiation
and other methods to increase the shelf life of the Army's ready-to-eat
meals, which are eaten by troops in the field. The project is
directed by Jim Dickson, associate professor in food science and
human nutrition.
SUMMER STUDENTS AT WORK: PORK SAFETY IN DENMARK
A trip across the Atlantic was part of the summer research program
for Chad McFadden, a senior in microbiology. He's working at the
Danish Veterinary Laboratory in Copenhagen, Denmark, studying
salmonella in living pigs and on pork carcasses. McFadden is learning
molecular and genetic research techniques that he'll put to use
as a lab assistant in the microbiology, immunology and preventive
medicine department.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Aug. 8-18: Iowa State Fair
Aug. 22: College of Agriculture faculty-staff retreat, Scheman
Building
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
EFFECTIVE PROPS . . . BUT BEWARE THE RUBBER CHICKEN
Props can be invaluable tools in presentations, driving home the
point in ways words alone cannot. (At a recent meeting attended
by ISU ag communicators, a speaker snapped a brittle stick to
demonstrate stubborn, inflexible thinking and bent another stick
to emphasize being open to new ideas and finding consensus.) In
a business meeting, a CEO juggled beanbags to point out how difficult
it is for executives to juggle all their responsibilities. The
use of props isn't without its pitfalls. A prop that doesn't really
relate to what's being said only makes the speaker look foolish.
One speaker, talking about lousy industry conditions, threw a
rubber chicken into the audience. Get it? Neither did the audience.
And if you don't rehearse, the best-conceived idea can go wrong.
But if you do make time for props, you'll likely find they're
an inexpensive, effective way to help the audience remember your
message. (Wall Street Journal, July 1)
I N F O G R A Z I N G
FOR FOOD SUPPLY, SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE
The world's farmers will be hard-pressed to duplicate during the
next 25 years the tripling of yields posted from 1965 to 1990.
"It's hard to see anything that will lead to quantum jumps,"
said Lester Brown, president, Worldwatch Institute. But in agriculture,
slow and steady usually wins the race. With productivity still
rising about 1.5 percent a year, many small improvements -- rather
than a single big fix -- will probably create the bumper harvests
needed to feed a world expected to be home to 9 billion people
by the year 2050. (Wall Street Journal, July 15)
NEW DEADLINE POLICY FOR NAT'L RESEARCH INITIATIVE
Beginning in FY 1997, the National Research Initiative (NRI) Competitive
Grants Program will implement fixed deadline dates for receipt
of proposals. The new fixed deadline policy is intended to remove
uncertainties for scientists and university officials about deadlines
and to assist the scientific community in planning for proposal
submission in future years. More information about the new policy
is available on the NRI Home Page -- http://www.reeusda.gov/new/nri/nricgp.htm
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
MIDWESTERNERS NOT KNOWN FOR COLORFUL QUOTES
At a writing conference in Des Moines this past spring, a reporter
with a national publication said, "We view quotes as gems.
But I find it hard to get good quotes from Midwesterners. Often
we have to go to other states for good quotes. The farther south
you go, the better the quotes."
M A R G I N A L I A
HOW ABOUT A BOWL FOR WORLD'S LARGEST SUNDAE?
Large satellite dishes used to be status symbols in rural areas,
and residents placed them prominently in front yards. People joked
that Vermont, where 30 percent of the population can't get cable,
should declare the satellite dish the official state flower. But
like outhouses and milk cans, the dishes are giving way to the
latest technology -- 18-inch models just as powerful as those
15 feet wide. Owners of big dishes have turned them into kiddie
pools, landscaping ponds or birdbaths. A rural Pennsylvania resident's
big dish is covered with bird droppings and her dogs sprawl in
its ample shade. "I have no idea what to do with it,"
she said. (From an AP story in Farm News, July 19)