COLLEGE NEWS
- ISU Ag Week events, Nov. 7-11
- USDA-NRI grants workshop: Animal systems
- Tuition shortfall
- Report on college retreat
- Fall harvest of judging awards
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Assistors will listen
- Computer work area tips
INFOGRAZING
- Linear accelerator projects
- State appropriations rise 6 percent
EXTERNAL VOICES
- 'I happily teach this course'
- Improving regulatory policy for biotech
MARGINALIA
- Headlines of the future?
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO AG ONLINE
C O L L E G E N E W S
ISU AG WEEK EVENTS, NOV. 7-11
A chili supper will be held at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 7 in the
Judging Pavilion; it's $3 per person, sponsored by the Ag Ed Club.
Ag Career Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., in the
Memorial Union. On Thursday, Nov. 10, a symposium on Iowa's changing
swine industry will be held at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall, Memorial
Union; sponsored by the Ag Council, Collegiate Farm Bureau and
Alpha Zeta. For more information: Brian Meyer, (515) 294-0706;
e-mail: bmeyer@iastate.edu.
USDA-NRI GRANTS WORKSHOP: ANIMAL SYSTEMS
Forty seats are available at an interactive satellite workshop
on USDA National Research Initiative grantsmanship, focusing on
animal systems. The workshop is Thursday, Nov. 10, 1:00 to 2:30
p.m., Room 248, Engineering Annex. Peter Johnson, a program manager
in animal systems, will speak. Others who will answer questions
on the USDA-NRI competitive grants program are Sally Rocky, acting
adminstrator, USDA-NRI Competitive Grants; Peter Brayton, program
manager - virology, molecular genetics and growth and development;
Kathy Elwood, program manager - food safety and human nutrition;
and other program managers. To reserve a seat, contact Kathy Kuehl,
294-1242 (kkuehl@iastate.edu) or Shirley Riney at 4-4544 (sriney@iastate.edu).
Workshop sponsors: the College of Veterinary Medicine and the
Experiment Station.
TUITION SHORTFALL
Fewer students enrolled this fall has meant a $1.7 million decrease
in ISU tuition revenues. The College of Agriculture's share of
the tuition shortfall is $30,564. The college intends to address
the shortfall through salary savings, according to Detroy Green,
associate dean for academic programs.
REPORT ON COLLEGE RETREAT
More than 150 people attended the college retreat in August. Participants
brainstormed on what the world and agriculture would be like in
the future, and what issues will be important. A summary report
on the retreat, "Changing Course: Building a New Foundation
for Food Systems Education," was given to each DEO. For more
information: Robert Martin, chair, Professional Development Committee,
294-0896 (drmartin@iastate.edu).
FALL HARVEST OF JUDGING AWARDS
Student judging teams are doing well this fall. The soil judging
team placed first at the American Society of Agronomy's Midwest
Region Contest at Springfield, MO. The meat judging team placed
first at the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest hosted by ISU.
The dairy cattle judging team placed first at the Midwest contest,
Viroqua, WI; eighth at the All-American Judging Contest, Harrisburg,
PA; and 10th at the national contest at the World Dairy Expo,
Madison, WI. The livestock judging team placed first at the Mid-Continent
Livestock Exposition, Springfield, IL; fourth at the Mid-America
Classic, Wichita, KS; and fifth at the National Barrow Show, Austin,
MN.
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
ASSISTORS WILL LISTEN
Faculty, staff and students with questions about sexual harassment
can talk to an assistor. There are 47 assistors around campus
who have been trained to listen, ask questions and provide information
about ISU policies, and options and sources of help. They do not
provide legal advice or investigate alleged incidents. An important
point: If you take a complaint to a supervisor, he or she is required
to take action. If you are uncertain what to do and want to discuss
your situation first, an assistor is one place to start. A list
of ISU assistors was published in the Oct. 28 "Inside Iowa
State," page 6. The list also is available in the provost's
office and the personnel office, and will be put on Online ISU,
the university Gopher site.
COMPUTER WORK AREA TIPS
The December issue of Macworld features a special section on avoiding
computer-related disorders. It includes these tips for setting
up a computer work area: The equipment you use the most should
be in front of you and within 15 inches. The mouse should be close
to the keyboard and at the same height. The keyboard should be
at a height where you don't have to bend your wrists upward or
raise your forearms to type. The area of the monitor you look
at most should be slightly below eye level. The monitor should
be as far away as possible without straining to read -- 16 inches
at the minimum.
I N F O G R A Z I N G
LINEAR ACCELERATOR PROJECTS
From March 1993 through August 1994, almost 75 irradiation projects
were conducted at ISU's Linear Accelerator Facility. The research
involved scientists from more than a dozen federal, university
and private labs. Most projects have tested irradiation's ability
to control harmful microbes in beef, pork and poultry. But researchers
also have looked at controlling salmonella in eggs; reducing mold
in strawberries, corn and soybeans; reducing bacteria on roses;
improving the properties of plastics and plaster; and sterilizing
soil.
STATE APPROPRIATIONS RISE 6 PERCENT
For fiscal 1994-95, Iowa ranks 24th in the nation in amount of
state appropriations for higher education. The total is $641,207,000
-- a 6 percent increase from 1992-93. Appropriations to ISU are
$206,448,000 -- a 7 percent increase from two years ago. Appropriations
to UI are $211,304,000; UNI, $68,124,000; community colleges,
$114,388,000; and private colleges, $32,801,000. Appropriations
for student aid are $6,425,000 -- a 2 percent decline from 1992-93.
(From the Oct. 19 Chronicle of Higher Education.)
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
'I HAPPILY TEACH THIS COURSE'
Edward O. Wilson, naturalist and senior member of the faculty
at Harvard University, on teaching a course in evolutionary biology
for nonmajors: "I happily teach this course because I realize
that I am addressing the future news editors, senators, business
leaders and other members of society [who need to have a good
background in science]." (From an interview on National Public
Radio.)
IMPROVING REGULATORY POLICY FOR BIOTECH
From an article by Henry Miller in the September/October issue
of The American Enterprise, which calls for a "new intolerance"
by scientists and others toward "excessive, illogical"
biotechnology regulation: "Improvements in the regulatory
climate cannot even be hoped for unless three things occur: First,
scientists, as individuals, must learn to discuss complex scientific
and technological issues so clearly and logically that nonexperts
can understand the arguments and draw conclusions on their merits
. . . Second, professional and scientific associations, journals
and faculties must also join the debate . . . And third, those
who are not directly involved in science but who have a stake
in the ultimate applications of science and technology -- venture
capitalists, consumer groups, patients' groups and farmers' organizations
-- need to become conversant with the basic concepts that relate
to biotechnology regulation."
M A R G I N A L I A
HEADLINES OF THE FUTURE?
At the college retreat (see "College News"), participants
were asked to write news headlines they'd like to see in the year
2010. A few examples: "United Nations announces that ISU
is the first international land-grant university"; "Iowa
State University recognized: the world's people university";
"ISU develops sustainable agriculture system"; "ISU
teams accept Nobel Peace Prize for development of odorless hog";
and "ISU 50 - Iowa 10."
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