College News
ICM Website Gives Advice to Producers Coping with Storms
In the past few days, ISU's Integrated Crop Management news web site has put up six articles with information and advice related to floodwaters and crop fields. More: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/
Swine Nutritionist Joins Iowa State Faculty
An expert in swine nutrition will join the Iowa State Department of Animal Science Sept. 1. John Patience will focus on current nutritional issues for the swine and feed industry. The Iowa Pork Producers Association is providing $100,000 in funds to support the position.
Faculty Member Name Corrected from Memorial Day Ceremony Item
The name of Tim Stahly, animal science, was misspelled in last week's item about the annual Iowa State Memorial Day observance in memory of employees, retirees and spouses who died in the past year.
GDCB Research to Examine Cancer Metastasis
Clark Coffman, genetics, development and cell biology, will explore the mechanisms of cancer metastasis with a grant from The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, based in Muscatine. More: http://www.foundation.iastate.edu/site/News2?JServSessionIdr007=c0hf1tcvl2.app5b&page=NewsArticle&id=7305&news_iv_ctrl=1201
Crop Biotech Newsletter Notes Iowa State Research
Iowa State research had three mentions in Crop Biotech Update, a weekly newsletter summarizing world developments in agricultural biotechnology for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications. Research projects featured included the genetic decoding work involving Allen Miller's lab in plant pathology; the plant genome evolution paper published by Jennifer Hawkins, Corrinne Grover and Jonathan Wendel in ecology, evolution and organismal biology; and the work involving Tony Pometto, food science and human nutrition, and engineering faculty on a fungus to clean up the waste residue from dry-milling corn ethanol plants. More: http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/30/2008
Deadlines and Reminders
June 19: Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 1:30 p.m., near Nashua, https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings
June 25: Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 9 a.m., near Sutherland, https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings
June 26: Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 1 p.m., controlled drainage field day at 10:30 a.m., near Crawfordsville, https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings
June 27: Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 9:30 a.m., near Lewis, https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings
July 15: Lauren Christian Pork Chop Open, Veenker Golf Course, registration deadline July 8
Communications Kiosk
Start Your Next Project With a Dark Screen
After you've developed an outline for your project, turn your monitor off so you can't see what you write. According to John Sturtevant, a blank monitor helps you focus on ideas, not words. "Get your ideas down, even for a few minutes,"he advises. "If you can't think of a word, just input 'xxx' and fill it in later." You may edit yourself too much when your monitor is on. And it doesn't help that Microsoft Word inserts distracting squiggly green lines under certain words, making you doubt your word choices. Just seeing the blinking cursor can jangle your nerves if you're under deadline pressure. (Writing That Works, September 2007, interview with John Sturtevant, owner of The Writing Workshop)
Infograzing
NASULGC Reaffirms Use of Animals in Research
NASULGC (National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges) has reaffirmed support for the use of animals to advance medicine and science when implemented in a legal and ethical way. "As an association of public universities engaged in a wide array of research activities, NASULGC has long supported the responsible and appropriate use of animals in academic research programs," said NASULGC President Peter McPherson. "An outbreak of incidents involving attacks on academic researchers earlier this year, led to this review and restatement of our position." The reaffirmation statement was drafted and approved by several groups within NASULGC, including: the Experiment Station Section of the Board on Agriculture Assembly and the Council on Research Policy and Graduate Education. The NASULGC statement reaffirms the basis for the use of animals: "The use of animals in scientific research continues to provide the basis for critical innovations that have benefited our country and the global community. Through research involving animals, scientists at NASULGC institutions have advanced biomedicine, human nutrition and health, food production, food safety, biodefense, and animal health and welfare. Scientific research also has provided the basis for federal guidelines for the welfare, feeding and housing of animals."
CAST Issue Papers Available for Free
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology has begun offering a large selection of its publications without charge. Beginning today, June 2, all CAST Issue Papers, which were $5 each, will be available free. More: http://www.cast-science.org
External Voices
IRRI's Ziegler: Ag Research Cutbacks "Pure Folly"
"We must stay ahead of rapidly evolving pests - and increasingly, a changing climate - to assure global food security. Cutting back on agricultural research today is pure folly." --Robert Zeigler, International Rice Research Institute director (World's Poor Pay Price as Crop Research Is Cut, New York Times, May 18, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/business/worldbusiness/18focus.html)
Marginalia
Journals Ask for Unadulterated Digital Images
More journals are hiring computer specialists to examine digital images that are submitted with papers, according to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Software tools can automatically check for evidence of manipulation of the images by looking for patterns in the digital code. All papers accepted by The Journal of Cell Biology now go through an image check by production editors. If anything seems amiss, the authors are asked to send an original copy of the data without any enhancements. Linda Miller executive editor of Nature believes that scientists should present their images without alterations, rather than thinking polished images will help them get published. (Chronicle of Higher Education, May 29)
Ag and Life Sciences Online
Editor
Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616
Website: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
Subscribe
Ag and Life Sciences Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is e-mailed every Monday. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag and Life Sciences Online subscribe" to edadcock@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe, send "Ag and Life Sciences Online unsubscribe."