COLLEGE NEWS
- Seniors to be recognized at Ag Convocation
- Ag Foundation offers new scholarships
- Spanish courses for ag faculty-staff begin in January
- ISU efforts help dairy producers clean grain
- Undergrads star in research seminar
- ISU helps coordinate state FFA soil judging event
- Elementary students get most out of visits to ISU
farm
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Campus map on college's Web site
INFOGRAZING
- Copyright law: Fair use pamphlet available
- Copyright law: Archive of current information
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Out of our labs and into our communities
MARGINALIA
- "Mr. Rueber planted some big pumpkin seeds"
- A toast to the New Yee-hee-hee-hee-r
C O L L E G E N E W S
SENIORS TO BE RECOGNIZED AT AG CONVOCATION
Faculty and staff are welcome to join graduating seniors and their
families and friends at the College of Agriculture Convocation
on Saturday, Dec. 21. It will begin at 8:45 a.m. in C.Y. Stephens
Auditorium. The 9:30 a.m. program will include individual recognition
of each graduate. The Ag Council will present senior awards will
be presented to Laura Kingdon, animal science, academic achievement;
Brian Feldpausch, ag education, leadership excellence; Shane Delaney,
forestry, distinguished service; and Pauley Bradley, agronomy,
outstanding senior. About 200 agriculture seniors are scheduled
to receive degrees at the university commencement that begins
at 1:30 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum.
AG FOUNDATION OFFERS NEW SCHOLARSHIPS
The ISU Agricultural Foundation is offering $26,000 in new scholarships
for ISU students: $10,000 in scholarships will help students participate
in study-abroad programs or international ag travel courses; $10,000
in tuition grants will go to students enrolled in the Professional
Agriculture Off-Campus Degree Program; and $6,000 will be awarded
to student teams that submit winning designs for swine production
systems intended for use by beginning farmers. Earlier this year,
the foundation awarded $20,000 in freshman scholarships. The Agricultural
Foundation is an endowment that, as part of its mission, seeks
to help young people start in farming and ensure their long-term
stability. For more information: Mark Gannon, 4-3854.
SPANISH COURSES FOR AG FACULTY-STAFF BEGIN IN JANUARY
Two eight-week Spanish grammar/conversation courses will be offered
for ISU agriculture and veterinary medicine faculty and staff
during spring semester. The courses, to be held Jan. 28-March
28, will meet 4:30-6 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
A beginning-level course will meet in Curtiss Hall and an intermediate-level
course will meet at the vet med college. For more information:
Eduarda Becerra, 4-3972 or ebecerra@iastate.edu.
ISU EFFORTS HELP DAIRY PRODUCERS CLEAN GRAIN
Northeast Iowa dairy producers had more than 9,200 bushels of
contaminated barley cleaned during October and November, thanks
to the efforts of ISU Extension specialists and researchers in
agriculture and veterinary medicine. Cows had become sick from
eating barley contaminated with ergot, a fungus. When the problem
was discovered, ISU spread the word to producers, determined a
cost-effective way to clean the grain and, working with local
agribusinesses, arranged for the use of a grain-cleaning system
from Canada. Allamakee County extension education director Lee
Gruenhaupt said producers have told him that ISU's efforts prevented
the problem from becoming more serious.
UNDERGRADS STAR IN RESEARCH SEMINAR
At a Dec. 13 seminar, 11 students from eight departments and three
colleges participated in an undergraduate research seminar. Funded
by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Education Initiative, the
program (Research Assistants in Biological Sciences, or RABS)
gives undergraduates the opportunity for hands-on involvement
in research for one semester. For more information: Bernie White,
director, or Kathie Oulman, coordinator, 4-0022.
ISU HELPS COORDINATE STATE FFA SOIL JUDGING EVENT
This fall, 30 Iowa high school teams participated in the 15th
annual Iowa FFA Soil Career Development Event. Sponsors for the
soil judging contest included the ISU agronomy department and
ISU Extension. Agronomist Gerald Miller and extension field specialist
Virgil Schmitt helped coordinate contest activities. The top five
teams -- Montezuma, Algona, Emmetsburg, Orient and Pella -- qualified
for the International Land Judging Career Development Event in
Oklahoma next May.
ELEMENTARY STUDENTS GET MOST OUT OF VISITS TO ISU FARM
David Rueber, superintendent of ISU's Northern Research and Demonstration
Farm near Kanawha, is a featured character in two new books, "Peter
Peter Pumpkin Eater Eats Apple Pie for a Change" and "JC
Bear and Staff Do Research with Mr. Rueber." The books were
created by Mrs. Kobes and her first- and second-grade students
at Kanawha Elementary School as part of a unit on food and agriculture.
With stories, photos and drawings, the books tell of the classes'
fall visits to the ISU farm and related art, reading and math
lessons. The books -- one shaped like a pumpkin and the other
like a watermelon slice -- are limited editions: one copy of each.
They will be circulated to the students' parents. "JC Bear
and staff" is the pen name of Mrs. Kobe and her students.
For book excerpts, see "Marginalia."
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Dec. 21: College of Agriculture Convocation, C.Y. Stephens, 8:45
a.m.
Jan. 6: First-quarter deadline, Leopold Center conference and
workshop grant applications, 4-3711
Jan. 6: Foreign travel grant applications due, 138 Curtiss
Jan. 13: Spring semester begins
Feb. 3: Nominations deadline, Floyd Andre and Henry A. Wallace
awards, 134 Curtiss; and Excellence in International Agriculture
award, 104 Curtiss
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
CAMPUS MAP ON COLLEGE'S WEB SITE
The campus map for the College of Agriculture has been added to
the college's Web site. The link at http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
accesses an Acrobat PDF file of the map. To see the map, you need
Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded at no charge. Below
the map link are instructions on finding the Acrobat software.
With it you can open the map file on your computer and print it
for visitors. You also can let visitors know the map location
at the Web site or send them the map as an e-mail attachment.
The 8.5 x 11 inch map includes the south campus down to the research
park and a building list that highlights agriculture-related buildings.
I N F O G R A Z I N G
COPYRIGHT LAW: FAIR USE PAMPHLET AVAILABLE
A "Fair Use of Copyrighted Works" pamphlet is available
from CETUS, the Consortium for Educational Technology in University
Systems. The pamphlet states: "Copyright is at a critical
juncture, and universities have an extraordinary opportunity to
influence the development of the law and related practices as
they affect higher education. If universities fail to provide
initiative on copyright issues, other parties will exert their
influence to shape the law for purposes which do not necessarily
advance teaching, learning, and scholarship." An electronic
version of the pamphlet is available online.
and contains links to fair-use guidelines and other resources
that are intended to promote a fuller understanding and appreciation
of copyright laws.
COPYRIGHT LAW: ARCHIVE OF CURRENT INFORMATION
The Stanford University library is working with the Council on
Library Resources to compile an electronic archive of information
on copyright law in an effort to keep educators and others aware
of the ongoing debate over the "fair use" doctrine.
The Stanford site at http://fairuse.stanford.edu contains the
full text of court decisions, legislation and international copyright
agreements, as well as related articles on the topic. (Chronicle
of Higher Education, Sept. 6)
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
OUT OF OUR LABS AND INTO OUR COMMUNITIES
"All scientists should help to educate the public by talking
with citizens at least a few times a year in settings in which
scientists rarely are seen -- at meetings of service organizations
such as Rotary Clubs, the League of Women Voters, school boards,
chambers of commerce and city councils, particularly when complex
issues of a technical nature are discussed . . . We must step
out of our labs and into our communities, because doing so will
make us better scientists -- and better citizens." Neal Lane,
director, National Science Foundation. (Chronicle of Higher Education,
Dec. 6)
M A R G I N A L I A
"MR. RUEBER PLANTED SOME BIG PUMPKIN SEEDS"
The following excerpts are from a book project by Kanawha first
and second graders, featuring ISU's David Rueber (see "College
News"): Off we marched to the sample weed plots. Mr. Rueber
told us how seeds travel. We touched the many kinds . . . We smiled
at the wildflowers waving their blooms in the sunshine. Mr. Rueber
let us pick some. . . Mr. Rueber planted some big pumpkin seeds.
We got to choose a pumpkin for our room if we guessed the weight.
[One class guessed 200 pounds, one guessed 30.] "We will
see!" said David. "When Jack Frost comes we will pick
the pumpkins and bring them to school." And he did! . . .
Mr. Rueber told us that pumpkins are good to eat. WE LOVE PUMPKINS!
BUT SOMETIMES WE EAT APPLES! . . . October came and Mr. Rueber
began to harvest the Iowa corn. We went back to watch.
A TOAST TO THE NEW YEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-R
Researchers at the University of Hull in England said three separate
studies showed clearly that social drinkers laugh more than people
who drink very little or not at all. Psychologist Geoffrey Lowe
also cited reports showing laughing can stimulate the body's immune
system. "I wouldn't necessarily drink more as a basis of
this research," Lowe said. "I would laugh more."