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COLLEGE NEWS
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SALARIES HOLD STEADY FOR RECENT GRADS
The College's Career Services office has released its salary survey of recent graduates. Twelve universities from across the country contributed data to the survey, which was coordinated by Career Services. Salaries are from December 2008 and May 2009 undergraduates. Mike Gaul, career services director, said despite the economy, salaries remained impressive, especially in the food science, agronomy, technology and agribusiness sectors.
HARLS' GIFT TO BENEFIT CURTISS HALL
Neil Harl, a long-time faculty member in the economics department, and his wife Darlene are giving back to Iowa State. The Ames couple has pledged $1.5 million towards renovations of Curtiss Hall.
BIOCENTURY RESEARCH FARM DEDICATION SEPT. 22
The public is invited to help dedicate the BioCentury Research Farm on Sept. 22. A dedication program will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the farm, which is located at 1327 U Ave., a quarter of a mile south of Highway 30, about 5 miles east of Boone. The program is scheduled to conclude at 2:15 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting and tours of the facility.
FEEDING THE WORLD SEMINAR SERIES BEGINS SEPT. 22
The international seminar series, “Feeding the World: Are We Making Progress,” will have its first session Sept. 22, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Ensminger Room, 1204 Kildee Hall. The seminar will feature Greg BeVier from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His seminar topic is, “Agriculture Development and Livestock: What We Do at the BMGF.” The seminar series is in its third year and is sponsored by the M.E. Ensminger International Chair in Animal Science, Raymond and Mary Baker Chair in Global Agriculture and the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods.
PRECISION AG EXPO SEPT. 17 AT SOUTHEAST RESEARCH FARM
Developments in precision agriculture will be the subject of a field day Sept. 17 at Iowa State's Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm. The Advances in Precision Ag Expo will include field demonstrations of technology.
RESEARCH LOOKS AT EXTENDING CROP ROTATION
Matt Liebman, Iowa State's Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture, leads a research program that promises to improve the economic performance of cropping systems. His team is comparing different crop rotation systems over time. More: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2009/090309_systems.ht…
FACULTY FORUMS TO ADDRESS NATION'S CRITICAL ISSUES
A series of faculty forums on campus this fall will highlight the research of several Iowa State faculty members, as well as some outside experts, on timely topics. Several College faculty are involved. Learn more:
http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2009/sep/forums
COLLEGE SOPHOMORE PART OF EXHIBIT OF FRESHMAN PHOTOGRAPHS
Jennifer Cunningham, a sophomore majoring in ag business, political science and economics, contributed to the exhibit, "Fresh Fotos: My First Year Experience." It contains 55 photographs from 11 Iowa State freshmen, and will be display from Friday, Sept. 11, through Oct. 11 in the Gallery of the Memorial Union. A reception at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17 will celebrate last year's participants and serve as the kickoff for a new group. More: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2009/sep/FreshFotos
LEOPOLD CENTER POSTS ECOLOGY INITIATIVE VIDEOS
The Leopold Center website has posted six research videos called On the Ground with the Leopold Center. Each video highlights current projects supported by the center's Ecology Initiative.
ALUM, FORMER FACULTY MEMBER, DIES IN FARM ACCIDENT
College alumnus Ron Raikes died Saturday in an accident on his farm near Ashland, Neb. Raikes was 66. He earned an ISU bachelor's degree in farm operations in 1965 and was an ISU faculty member in economics after earning a doctorate in agricultural economics at the University of California-Davis in 1970. Raikes returned to run the farm in 1978 for his ailing father, Ralph. He also served as a Nebraska state senator for 11 years. More: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ne-obit-raikes,0,6561690.story
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
Sept. 16: College Fall Convocation, 4:15 p.m., Curtiss Auditorium, 127 Curtiss Hall
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EXTERNAL FUNDING
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FUNDING INFORMATION, OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINE REMINDERS
Dates listed are application deadlines. Contact: Roxanne Clemens, rclemens@iastate.edu
Sept. 30 (proposal abstract): DARPA Antibody Technology Program; multiple awards, two-phase projects. More: http://www.darpa.mil/dso/solicitations/baa09-69.htm
Nov. 2: Neomigratory Bird Conservation Account (NMBCA) Grants; 40 awards, up to $250,000, $5 million anticipated total funding.
Nov. 8: Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship (sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. and Grains Research and Development Corporation, Australia); two fellowships, $20,000 each. More: http://www.bioversityinternational.org/About_Us/Fellowships/Vavilov-Fra…
Nov. 23 (letter of intent): Exploring Epigenomic Processes and Non-Coding RNAs in HIV/AIDS (R01); two to four projects, up to $750,000 (direct costs) per year for up to five years. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-10-010.html
Nov. 23 (letter of intent): Exploring Epigenomic Processes and Non-Coding RNAs in HIV/AIDS (R21); four to six projects, up $200,000 (direct costs) per year for up to three years. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-10-011.html
Oct. 1: EPA Development and Maintenance of the Compliance Assistance Center Platform; one cooperative agreement, $1.25 million estimated total funding.
Feb. 5: Health Disparities in NIDDK Diseases (R01); size and duration of each award will vary. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-09-262.html
April 5 (letter of intent): Specialized Cooperative Centers Program in Reproduction and Infertility Research (U54); up to three new or renewal applications, $1.4 million (direct costs) first year, $5.5 million total anticipated funding in FY 2010. More: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-09-032.html
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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LET THE WORD WHETHER STAND ALONE
Generally, use “whether” alone -- not with the words "or not" tacked on, as in "they didn't know whether to go." The "or not" is necessary only when you mean to convey the idea of "regardless of whether." For example: "We'll finish on time whether or not it rains." Whether is sometimes replaced by "if" in informal usage, "we didn't know if we would finish," in more formal usage whether is preferred. (The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003)
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INFOGRAZING
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FARMSCAPE TO BE PERFORMED SUNDAY IN AMES
A celebrity cast will perform “Farmscape: Documenting the Changing Rural Environment” on Sunday, Sept.13, at 3 p.m. in the Ames City Auditorium. The docudrama was written by Mary Swander, Iowa poet laureate and Iowa State English professor, and her fall 2007 English class based on research and interviews with Iowa farmers. The performance is appropriate for teens and adults, and will be followed by a discussion with the cast and original interviewees. Donations will be accepted at the door. The play is part of 11 Days of Global Unity, an annual world-wide promotion of peace, sustainability and transformation started by We the World in 2004. More: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/events/091309.pdf
CSREES TO CHANGE NAME ON SEPT. 30
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture will become the new name of the U.S. Department of Agricutlure's Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES), effective Sept. 30. CSREES' email and Internet site names will change to reflect the agency's new name, NIFA. The new Internet site URL http://www.nifa.usda.gov, however you will still be able to use the old Internet site URL. CSREES' name changes to National Institute of Food and Agriculture as required in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, also known as the 2008 U.S. Farm Bill.
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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STRONG ECONOMY DEPENDS ON ENVIRONMENT
“It is widely assumed that a healthy, clean environment is affordable only when a country's economy is strong. The reality is precisely the opposite: A strong economy is possible only when the environment on which it depends is healthy and strong. A related reality is that endless growth is literally impossible, for economies no less than for organisms, just as Ponzi schemes that depend on an endless supply of new subscribers are certain to be unsustainable.”
--David Barash, professor of psychology, University of Washington (Chronicle of Higher Education, Aug. 31)
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MARGINALIA
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MILLIONS OF VIRTUAL FARMERS PLAY FARMVILLE DAILY
Zynga, the largest developer of social games, reported that its FarmVille game is the largest and fasting growing social game in history, with more than 11 million daily active users. Since its launch on June 19, FarmVille has attracted more than 1 million new daily active users a week, on average. FarmVille is a game in which players create and manage their own virtual farm. Play involves plowing, growing and harvesting a variety of crops for money and game points. Players also have options to invest in their farms by purchasing fruit trees and farm animals such as pigs and cows, and compliment their crops with other farm assets such as barns, windmills and greenhouses. (Ag Professional, Aug. 28)
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AG AND LIFE SCIENCES ONLINE
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EDITOR
Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: 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."
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