College News
Ensminger School in Costa Rica Exceeds Expectations
The first international animal industry conference of its kind in Latin America, organized by Iowa State University and the University of Costa Rica last month, attracted more than 100 participants.
Hills Bank President Named Ag Business Club's Outstanding Alum
The Agricultural Business Club has honored Dwight Seegmiller, president and CEO of Hills Bank and Trust Company, as its 2008 Agricultural Business
Outstanding Alumni Award recipient. He was honored at the club's banquet March 7. Seegmiller was born and raised on a dairy farm near Decorah, served as Iowa FFA president in high school and graduated from Iowa State in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural business.
College to Provide IT Funds for Instruction
The College will provide up to $60,000 for information technology projects to support instructional programs within the College. Proposals must
identify the College-wide nature of the proposal and/or that the project could not be reasonably supported from student computer fees already allocated to departments. Proposals should include evidence of student interest and support for the project and are due April 20.
Fire Burns Two Wooden Units on Swine Teaching Farm
A fire this morning (Monday) burned two wooden farrowing units on the ISU Swine Teaching Farm south of Ames. A sow and its litter died in one of the
units, which are eight-foot-by-four-foot structures. Also damaged was a wall of a nearby barn. The fire was discovered by a student employee, who called the Ames Fire Department. The cause may have been a heat lamp used in the farrowing unit.
CIAG Faculty Spring Symposium April 2
The Center for Integrated Animal Genomics (CIAG) will host a Faculty Spring Symposium April 2 from 11:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, Kildee Hall. A presentation by keynote speaker Andrew Whitehead will be open to all members of CIAG labs and the ISU community. Whitehead of Louisiana State University, will present, "Evolution of Transcriptome Variation: Studying Genotype-by-Environment Interactions." Max Rothschild, center director, will address the luncheon for CIAG faculty and there will be a poster session.
CIAG Seeks Genomic Grant Proposals
The Center for Integrated Animal Genomics is accepting proposals for six research grant opportunities with deadlines beginning May 15. The grant
programs continue CIAG's efforts to encourage collaboration among faculty and to enhance research competitiveness in integrated animal genomics. All
programs are expected to be funded, but some adjustments due to budget constraints may be made. Questions may be directed to ciag@iastate.edu.
Save the Date: Snedecor Rededication and Statistics Conference
A conference will mark the rededication of Snedecor Hall June 3 along with honoring the 75th anniversary of the Statistical Laboratory and former department chair Dean Isaacson's contributions to statistics. Conference sessions will run June 3 to 5.
Deadlines and Reminders
March 16: Gamma Sigma Delta award and membership nominations due, contacts: Steve Padgitt, scpadgit@iastate.edu or 292-7870 (on award nominations), and Barb Osborn, baosborn@iastate.edu or 4-5624 (on membership)
March 27: Agriculture Weekend Experience applications deadline, contact: Laura Rosenbohm, 4-4319 or laurar@iastate.edu
Communications Kiosk
Use Regardless, Not Irregardless
"Irregardless" originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of
usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that "there is no such word." There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead. (Merriam-Webster's OnLine Dictionary) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless
Infograzing
Complete Conflict of Interest Form on AccessPlus
Full-time faculty and P&S staff members should complete the Conflict of Interest disclosure form during March, and in the future on an annual basis in January or whenever their individual situation changes. An online form on AccessPlus replaces the paper form. Contact: Brenda Behling, 4-8236 or bkbehli@iastate.edu.
Dates Sought for University Alumni Calendar
If you have events you'd like to have considered for inclusion in the university calendar, e-mail them to Carol Thorson, cthorson@alumni.iastate.edu, by April 3. The inclusive dates are Aug. 1, 2009 to Aug. 31, 2010. Due to space limitations, not all events can be included, but every attempt will be made to cover a wide range of campus activities.
Internal Voices
Koziel Hunts "Bad Guys" of Odor
"... In my opinion, there is no need to mitigate the hundreds of compounds in pig odor, because not all of them are responsible for that odor. There are
only a handful that we need to go after: I call them the 'bad guys.'" --Jacek Koziel, agricultural and biosystems engineering, in a question-and-answer session in Scientific American (March 5, Scientific American)
Marginalia
Technologies Have Few Age Barriers
The age groups of 50-somethings, 60-somethings and 70-somethings use many technologies at or near comparable rates as younger groups. Consumers in their 50s are as likely to own, or plan on buying, an HDTV as those under 50. Eighty percent of 60-somethings used a cell phone in the past week, nearly equal the usage rates of 18-to-34 year olds. Also, 71 percent of 60-somethings and 52 percent of 70-somethings used a search engine in the past week, compared to 77 percent of 18-to-34 year olds. The results were reported in a TNS Compete and the Consumer Electronics Association joint study, "Greying Gadgets: How Older Americans Shop for and Use Consumer Electronics."
Ag and Life Sciences Online
Editor
Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616
Website: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
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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."