College News
Hands-On Training Helps Admissions Staff Understand College's Majors
Monitoring flood waters with a geographic information system (GIS) map or mapping the careers involved in producing a piece of candy are just two activities 16 Iowa State admissions officers participated in on Wednesday. The goal: introduce admissions officers, who travel nationwide to recruit students, to two new majors, culinary science and global resource system's majors, and increase awareness about the opportunities within the College. Information about the new majors was presented by David Acker, who shared information about the global resource systems major, and Erica Beirman, culinary science program coordinator, who discussed the culinary science major. Lacy Johnson, student services specialist in the natural resource ecology and management department, took staff on a global positioning systems scavenger hunt at the Horticulture Research Station. Brad Miller, program coordinator in agronomy and environmental science, used GIS tools to track how rainfall events in June led to the flooding in Cedar Rapids.
Hart Name New Grain Marketing Economist at Iowa State
When it comes to information about the grain markets, there's a new kid on the block. Beginning Aug. 1, Chad Hart will pick up many of the responsibilities of Robert Wisner, who provided grain marketing information and advice to Iowa producers for more than 40 years before his retirement in December 2007. Hart has been an agricultural economist with Iowa State's Center for Agricultural and Rural Development.
Ethanol Project Earns R&D 100 Award
Iowa State and University of Hawaii researchers have won national recognition for their work to grow microscopic fungus in leftovers from ethanol production in an effort to improve the efficiency of the corn-to-ethanol conversion process. The project was named a winner of a 2008 R&D 100 Award.
New Website Highlights Science of Organic Agriculture
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture has developed a Web site that summarizes findings from more than 70 peer-reviewed, scientific articles about organic agriculture. The site organizes the research findings by topic, from animal health and welfare issues to information about poultry, meat, grains and fruit and vegetables. More: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2008/071008_organic.html
Crosbie to Plant Sciences Institute Board
Theodore Crosbie, vice president of global plant breeding for Monsanto Co., has been named to the board of the Plant Sciences Institute at Iowa State. Crosbie joins a group of university and corporate advisers that help shape and direct institute goals. Crosbie is an Iowa State agronomy alum.
College to Recognize Rich Bundy's Development Promotion
A College reception recognizing Rich Bundy's promotion to vice president for development with the ISU Foundation will take place Friday, July 18, from 9 to 10 a.m. in 142 Curtiss. He joined Iowa State in 2000 working with College development and most recently served as associate vice president for development.
Researchers Study Ground Cover to Reduce Impact of Biomass Harvest
Iowa State researchers are looking at ways to use ground cover, a living grass planted between the rows of corn, in production farming. DEADLINES AND REMINDERS July 15: Lauren Christian Pork Chop Open, Veenker Golf Course, registration deadline July 8 July 21: A Life Cycle Perspective on Food System Sustainability: Lessons from the Field, Leopold Center seminar, 3 p.m. in 2019 Morrill Hall
Communications Kiosk
Keep Your Web Writing Simple
If you want visitors to your Web site to stick around, the copy on your home page should be at a sixth grade comprehension level. This isn't a reflection of your audience's intelligence. It's a response to studies that have shown people tend to more quickly absorb information on Web sites if the copy is written at lower comprehension levels. Even if your site features articles about scientific research or other complex topics for an audience that you know can read at much higher levels, keep your information simple. For example, offer the highlights of a research paper in an easy-to-read article on your home page, and include a link to the actual paper. (Nielsen Norman Group. WRITER'S WEB WATCH, Issue No. 88, July 7)
Infograzing
Cast Releases Swine Carcass Disposal Issue Paper
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has released a new issue paper, Swine Carcass Disposal Options for Routine and Catastrophic Mortality. As part of CAST's new policy of offering its Issue Papers without charge, the paper may be downloaded free from the CAST website. More: http://www.cast-science.org/displayProductDetails.asp?idProduct=155
Nominations Sought for CAST's Black Award
Nominations for CAST's 2009 Charles A. Black Award are due Aug. 1. The award is presented annually to a food or agricultural scientist engaged in research who has made significant scientific contributions to his or her scientific field, and who communicated the importance of this work and of food and agricultural science to the public, policymakers and the news media. Application forms are available on the CAST website. More: http://www.cast-science.org/charlesablack.asp
National Research Council Urges Professional Master's Degrees in Sciences
The National Research Council Friday recommended professional master's degrees in the sciences as a way to maintain America's economic competitiveness, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The council, an arm of the National Academies, urged federal policy makers, universities, foundations and employers to support the creation and expansion of programs to award such degrees. The degrees would prepare students for industry positions rather than academic research.
Internal Voices
Intern Learns Lessons from Brazil
"Labor is cheaper and more readily available compared to the U.S. In the U.S., we like to replace labor with machinery or technology. Like one of my professors at Iowa State said, when he went away to college his dad just replaced him with a larger tractor. In Brazil they don't have to replace labor for larger equipment." --Matthew Dirksen, intern at Brazil Iowa Farms and senior in agricultural business, writing a journal of his experiences for Wallace's Farmer (http://wallacesfarmer.com/index.aspx?ascxid=fpStory&fpsid=34762&fpstid=…)
Ag and Life Sciences Online
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