COLLEGE NEWS
- New effort to work with Native American colleges
- College hires new minority liaison officer
- Sign up to work at state fair exhibit on Carver
- ISU buffer-strip site to be given national designation
- International conference on livestock issues in July
- ISU to help Asia-Pacific region deal with animal wastes
- Teaching teachers to incorporate ag into classroom
- ISU students’ tractor outpulls the competition
- Ag alumni gathering set for September
- Animal Science Roundup has it all for 4-H’ers
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Tools for your next writing project
INFOGRAZING
- 1998 marks anniversaries of several centers, programs
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Add public communication to science policy
MARGINALIA
- Compost fluffer a hit in Texas . . . and maybe Hollywood?
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C O L L E G E N E W S
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NEW EFFORT TO WORK WITH NATIVE AMERICAN COLLEGES
The College of Agriculture is exploring opportunities for closer ties with Native American tribal colleges (1994 Land Grants). A new college task force headed by Harold Crawford, ag education and studies, will help interested faculty and staff develop new relationships with the 1994 institutions. Each department has been sent a publication with background information. The task force will collaborate with the college’s diversity committee. Interest in the new effort was sparked during the national MANRRS conference hosted by ISU in April. For more information, or to become a task-force member, contact Crawford, 4-7725 or hrc@iastate.edu.
COLLEGE HIRES NEW MINORITY LIAISON OFFICER
Nina Neubert is the College of Agriculture’s new minority liaison officer. She was previously the academic counselor for the office of multicultural affairs at the University of Nebraska. She also earned her bachelor and master’s degrees at Nebraska. Neubert will coordinate the college’s minority affairs program, including working with faculty, staff and students on recruitment and retention activities. She fills the position held previously by Charanne Parks, who left the university last year. Neubert, who officially begins July 1, can be contacted in 23 Curtiss, 4-1701.
SIGN UP TO WORK AT STATE FAIR EXHIBIT ON CARVER
Faculty and staff volunteers are needed to staff the college's exhibit at the 1998 Iowa State Fair, Aug. 13-23. In keeping with ISU's year-long celebration of George Washington Carver’s legacy, the exhibit will focus on his legacy in agriculture. Six people are needed for each day -- two people for each four-hour shift. Volunteers receive free admission and parking tickets. Sign-up sheets have been sent to each department and to the college’s communications advisors, and should be returned to Ag Information by July 22. For more information: Susan Thompson, 4-0705 or sander@iastate.edu, or Marty Behrens, 4-5616 or behrens@iastate.edu.
ISU BUFFER-STRIP SITE TO BE GIVEN NATIONAL DESIGNATION
Since 1989 ISU researchers have shown streamside buffer strips are invaluable at stopping runoff from farm fields. Much of the work has been done on private farms along Bear Creek in Story County. Each year the site hosts hundreds of visitors, and on June 16 the USDA will designate it as a National Demonstration Site. A ceremony is scheduled that morning with representatives from ISU, Trees Forever and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LIVESTOCK ISSUES IN JULY
The college is organizing "Animal Production Systems and the Environment," an international conference on current issues in the livestock industry. The conference, sponsored by several universities, commodity groups and government agencies, is set for July 19-22 in Des Moines. For registration information: Deb Schmidt, 4-5961 or x1schmid@exnet.iastate.edu. Check the website.
ISU TO HELP ASIA-PACIFIC REGION DEAL WITH ANIMAL WASTES
ISU will help the Asia-Pacific region manage wastes from a rapidly growing livestock industry. In late May, Stewart Melvin, head of the ag & biosystems engineering department, was in Taiwan for the groundbreaking of a new center for livestock waste management at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology. A consortium that includes ISU and four other U.S. universities will collaborate with the center on training, evaluation of waste systems, and faculty and student exchanges. Results of the center's work will affect livestock operations in Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and other countries.
TEACHING TEACHERS TO INCORPORATE AG INTO CLASSROOM
Thirty-five elementary and middle-school teachers will attend the seventh annual Teacher’s Academy on Agricultural Awareness, June 15-17 and June 17-19, at the Iowa Cattlemen's Association headquarters in Ames. ISU teams up with the state's farm and commodity groups to teach the teachers ways to incorporate agricultural information into their classrooms. The teachers will receive hands-on demonstrations of curriculum materials, tour a farm, visit the Meats Lab and develop classroom activities. Nearly 500 teachers have participated in the academy since its inception.
ISU STUDENTS’ TRACTOR OUTPULLS THE COMPETITION
A tractor designed by four ISU students placed first in a tractor pull that was part of a national student design competition. Overall, the ISU team placed second in the competition, which also included reports and presentations. The American Society of Agricultural Engineers’ contest required students to design, build and test a quarter-scale tractor -- about the size of many lawn-and-garden tractors. Mort Boyd, ag & biosystems engineering, was the students’ advisor.
AG ALUMNI GATHERING SET FOR SEPTEMBER
The college will host ISU ag alumni Sept. 4-5 for a weekend that includes departmental open houses, campus tours and many opportunities to socialize. The weekend begins with a golf tournament at Veenker Golf Course, followed by a get-together at the Memorial Union. Open houses, tours, alumni awards and a brunch are among the activities that precede the football game on Sept. 5. A schedule and registration forms are online.
ANIMAL SCIENCE ROUNDUP HAS IT ALL FOR 4-H’ERS
More than 120 Iowa 4-H'ers will get hands-on experience with new technologies in livestock production, marketing, promotion and processing at the annual 4-H Animal Science Roundup, June 30-July 2. The Roundup programs, taught by ISU Extension staff and animal science faculty, focus on beef cattle, swine, sheep, dairy cattle, dairy goats and horses. The Roundup is held in conjunction with the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
June 15: Candidate seminar (Michelle Barclay), career services director, 142 Curtiss, 4 p.m.
June 18: Candidate seminar (Gaylan Scofield), career services director, 142 Curtiss, 4 p.m.
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C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
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TOOLS FOR YOUR NEXT WRITING PROJECT
Roy Peter Clark, a senior scholar at the Poynter Institute, presented 20 "writing tools" at a National Writers' Workshop earlier this year. Here are three: 1) Begin sentences with subjects and verbs, keeping subordinate elements for later. 2) Use verbs in their strongest form, the simple present or past tense. Strong verbs create action, save words and reveal the players. Beware of adverbs. They can dilute the meaning of the verb or repeat it: "The building was completely destroyed." 3) Place strong words at the beginning of sentences and paragraphs, and at the end. The period acts as a stop sign. For the complete list of Clark’s tools, send a note to Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu.
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I N F O G R A Z I N G
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1998 MARKS ANNIVERSARIES FOR SEVERAL CENTERS, PROGRAMS
The Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station turns 110 years old this year. The USDA-ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Center is observing its 50th year with special meetings in July. The Center for Agricultural and Rural Development is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The Center of International Agricultural Finance is observing the 25th anniversary of the founding of its Farm Income Tax Schools. This September will mark the 10th anniversary of the Social and Behavioral Research Center for Rural Health, now known as the Institute for Social and Behavioral Research.
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E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
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ADD PUBLIC COMMUNICATION TO SCIENCE POLICY
"Both (scientists and journalists) seemed to know, and the Congress intuitively understands as it develops a refined science policy, that the next century needs a better informed, highly skilled citizenry in order to maintain our world leadership. We think that journalists, scientists and engineers, industry, academe and the government, working together, can reach that goal . . . We feel there is the need for a strong public communications component in the development of a new national science policy." From testimony presented at a May 14 House Science Committee hearing by journalist Jim Hartz and Vanderbilt University Director of Science and Research Communications Charles Chappell, co-authors of a recent study of media coverage of science and technology.
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M A R G I N A L I A
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COMPOST FLUFFER A HIT IN TEXAS . . . AND MAYBE HOLLYWOOD?
The story of KBG Composters is a good example of rural entrepreneurship in a green business. KBG has introduced the Scarab, a towering, intimidating-looking piece of driveable farm machinery. The Scarab is used to "fluff" manure for this fertilizer business located in the northern Texas beef-belt. Perhaps the Scarab is someday destined for the big screen where Schwarzenegger will jump aboard and chomp apart both compact cars AND Russian mobsters between its rotating drums of long, interlocking studs. (Rural Update Newsletter, April 98)
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AG ONLINE
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