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C O N T E N T S
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COLLEGE NEWS
- Klonglan to retire June 30
- New Ag Council officers plan for March conference
- Call for proposals for innovative computer projects
- Find out more about global seminar on sustainability
- Say it with bulbs: Spring sale by Hort Club Feb. 12-14
- Open house Feb. 12 at the NASA Food Technology Center
- Leopold Center a sponsor of Rachel Carson play
- Come to the FFA breakfast on Feb. 16
- Ag participants in shared leadership program
- Will online buffalo course cause Internet stampede?
- Animal ecology student named National Honey Princess
- Keeping up with the Calmar cows
- Taking agriculture to the extreme: the 2001 Ag Forum
- Pesek Forum March 1-2 to be held in Ames and Decorah
- Annual ISU water quality conference set March 5-7
- Wanted: visionary community leaders for Iowa
- College contributes more than $35,000 to United Way
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- In order to make words count at this period of time, read this
INFOGRAZING
- Survey: Grad students and real world often mismatched
- New form required for some Isu internal grants
INTERNAL VOICES
- In touch with nature and 270,000 honey bees
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Biotech blowup
MARGINALIA
- A correction on cornmeal and cutworms
- DNA: It’s diverse, it’s unique, it’s jiggy
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C O L L E G E N E W S
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KLONGLAN TO RETIRE JUNE 30
Jerry Klonglan announced today (Feb. 2) that he will retire on June 30. Klonglan is associate dean in the College of Agriculture and an assistant director of the experiment station. He joined ag administration in 1990 as an assistant director of the Station. He was chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 1976-90. His current responsibilities include federal relations, diversity programs for the college and grant-writing training programs.
NEW AG COUNCIL OFFICERS PLAN FOR MARCH CONFERENCE
The Ag Student Council starts 2001 with new officers and plans for hosting a conference in March. Officers are: Dale Friedrichsen, president, junior in ag systems technology; Danielle Brimeyer, vice president, junior in dairy science; Kara Ladlie, secretary, junior in agricultural education; and Dana Morgan, treasurer, junior in agricultural education and studies. The council will host the World Association of Agricultural Councils conference March 28-31. The council has been planning the conference for four years.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR INNOVATIVE COMPUTER PROJECTS
Approximately $600,000 in student computer fees will be awarded this year by ISU’s Computation Advisory Committee (CAC). Projects that emphasize innovative uses of computers for students will be given top priority. Last year the College of Agriculture received nearly $69,000 in funding from this call. Proposals are due March 1 in Eric Hoiberg’s office. The call for proposals can be found on the Web: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cac_info/proposals/call_2001_2002.html. For more information: Philip Spike, chair, College of Agriculture Technology Advancement Committee, 4-6030 or plspike@iastate.edu.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GLOBAL SEMINAR ON SUSTAINABILITY
Are you interested in becoming part of a global discussion on sustainability of the environment and food systems or incorporating the discussion into your classes? Come to a brown-bag informational meeting at noon, Tuesday, Feb. 6, in the Quaker Oats Conference Room in the Brenton Center, 8 Curtiss. "Global Seminar on the Environment and Sustainable Food Systems" offers a distance-education course to undergraduate and graduate students around the world. Faculty members from several universities team-teach the seminar. Students work in international problem-solving teams. Cornell University coordinates the project. For more information: Deb Muenchrath, mnchrath@iastate.edu, or visit the course Web site: http://www.cals.cornell.edu/global/.
SAY IT WITH BULBS: SPRING SALE BY HORT CLUB FEB. 12-14
The Horticulture Club will hold its annual spring bulb sale Feb. 12-14 at two locations: the ground-floor rotunda of Curtiss Hall and near the east staircase in the Memorial Union. The sale will include tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, iris, squill and crocus. Club members also will be selling cyclamen and primula. For more information: Aaron Steil, 572-0937.
OPEN HOUSE FEB. 12 AT THE NASA FOOD TECHNOLOGY CENTER
The NASA Food Technology Commercial Space Center will host an open house Monday, Feb. 12, at its offices at the ISU Research Park, 2901 South Loop, Suite 3700. It will be be held from 3 to 5 p.m.
LEOPOLD CENTER A SPONSOR OF RACHEL CARSON PLAY
The Leopold Center is one of the sponsors for "A Sense of Wonder," a one-person play based on the life and works of environmentalist Rachel Carson. The play will be performed by Broadway actress Kaiulani Lee at the University of Northern Iowa’s Strayer-Wood Theatre Building, 7 p.m., Feb. 8. For more information: 4-3711.
COME TO THE FFA BREAKFAST ON FEB. 16
Agriculture faculty and staff are invited to the annual FFA Week proclamation signing and breakfast, 7 a.m., Feb. 16, in the Gallery, Memorial Union. Ames Mayor Ted Tedesco, ISU Interim President Richard Seagrave and College of Agriculture Associate Dean Eric Hoiberg will attend. The event is sponsored by the Collegiate FFA Chapter and the College of Agriculture. If you plan to be there, RSVP by Feb. 8 to to Peter Sorensen, 572-2572 or petes@iastate.edu.
AG PARTICIPANTS IN SHARED LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Thirty-two ISU faculty and staff have been selected for the three-year Shared Leadership for Institutional Change program. The program, funded by the Kellogg Foundation and the ISU Provost Office, prepares women and minorities for leadership roles in higher education. Six participants were chosen from the College of Agriculture: Charlotte Bronson, plant pathology; Diane Debinski, animal ecology; Ramesh Kanwar, agricultural and biosystems engineering; Danette Kenne, economics; Elena Polouchkina, international agriculture programs; and Lita Rule, forestry.
WILL ONLINE BUFFALO COURSE CAUSE INTERNET STAMPEDE?
Next fall Native American students will be able to go online to learn more about buffalo and elk herd management. Those are two Internet courses under development at tribal colleges, with help from ISU faculty. ISU and four tribal colleges received a $220,000 USDA grant for the project, which also includes distance-learning courses in ethnobotany and environmental science. Project directors Harold Crawford, agriculture education and studies, and Tom Ingebritsen, zoology and genetics, say ISU is providing technical assistance for course development and education for student interns. The tribal colleges are located in New Mexico, Kansas, Wisconsin and South Dakota.
ANIMAL ECOLOGY STUDENT NAMED NATIONAL HONEY PRINCESS
A freshman in animal ecology was named the American Honey Princess at the American Beekeeping Federation’s annual convention Jan. 11-15 in San Diego. Regina Jager of Eddyville, who also is the Iowa Honey Queen, will spend the year traveling around the country promoting honey and educating the public about the beekeeping industry. (There also was an American Honey Queen named at the meeting: Renee Blatt of Pennsylvania.) Jager’s great-great-grandfather was a beekeeper and her father kept bees when he was a boy. She got interested in beekeeping as a 4-H member. See related item in "Internal Voices."
KEEPING UP WITH THE CALMAR COWS
DairyCam is a new Web site venture of Iowa Farmer Today and the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC). The site will feature live shots of the dairy herd at the new $4.2-million Dairy Center in Calmar. The center is supported by NICC, Iowa State and the Northeast Iowa Community-Based Dairy Foundation. Three cameras have been installed. One is in the milking parlor, where cows are milked at 4:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. (a third daily milking is planned this summer). A second camera is in the "special needs area," where cows will calve and then be conditioned to return to the milking herd. A third camera will show the free-stall barn. Check it out: http://www.DairyCam.com.
TAKING AGRICULTURE TO THE EXTREME: THE 2001 AG FORUM
"Extreme Demands, Extraordinary Products: A New Agriculture for a New
Marketplace?" is the theme for CARD’s 2001 Agricultural Forum on March 2. As consumers demand more choices and more information about food, enterprising producers, processors and retailers are seeing opportunities to provide unique services and products. The forum will explore current and future food trends; what’s driving change in the food industry; risks and rewards in pursuing segmented markets; the role of technology in disseminating information and meeting new demands; and public-policy implications for producers. For the latest program and registration information, visit http://www.agforum.org.
PESEK FORUM MARCH 1-2 TO BE HELD IN AMES AND DECORAH
The John Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture will be held March 1-2. Pesek, a retired distinguished professor of agronomy, will speak on March 1 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Benton Auditorium, Scheman Building. A reception will follow. The second day will be held at the Hotel Winneshiek in Decorah, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Pesek will outline the main points from his lecture, then open the floor for discussion. Both events are free and open to the public.
ISU WATER-QUALITY CONFERENCE SET MARCH 5-7
"Agriculture and the Environment: State and Federal Water Initiatives" is the title of the annual water quality conference, March 5-7 at the Scheman Building. Speakers will describe programs and practices they have developed and implemented, and will discuss future initiatives. Poster presentations and concurrent sessions are scheduled. Sponsors are the College of Agriculture, ISU Extension, Leopold Center, Iowa State Water Resources Research Institute and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Program information and a registration form can be found at: http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/aged/water_quality/MainWQ/wqm.htm.
WANTED: VISIONARY COMMUNITY LEADERS FOR IOWA
Sharing ideas to strengthen community leadership will be central to the "Leaders of a Visionary Future for Iowa Summit," March 7 in West Des Moines. "We want to put leadership back on the map and help Iowans become aware of resources available to build skills for personal, professional and community leadership," said Beverlyn Lundy Allen, sociology. The summit, organized by several Iowa organizations, will include speakers Christie Vilsack, wife of Governor Tom Vilsack; James Autry, who will speak on leadership; Michael Gartner, chair of Vision Iowa; and Joe Tye, a motivational speaker. Meeting coordinators are Susan Judkins, Iowa Department of Economic Development, and Cory Peterson, ISU Extension.
COLLEGE CONTRIBUTES MORE THAN $35,000 TO UNITED WAY
College of Agriculture faculty and staff contributed $35,310 to the recently completed United Way campaign. The amount was 84 percent of the college’s goal of $42,000. Total Iowa State contributions to United Way were $218,292, surpassing the goal of $215,000.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Feb. 6: "Global Seminar on the Environment and Sustainable Food Systems" brown-bag informational meeting at noon, Quaker Oats Conference Room, Brenton Center, 8 Curtiss.
Feb. 12-14: Hort Club bulb sale, Memorial Union and Curtiss Hall.
Feb. 12: NASA Food Technology Commercial Space Center open house, 3-5 p.m., ISU Research Park, 2901 South Loop, Suite 3700.
Feb. 12: James Bloedel, "Academic Ethics and the Privatization of Iowa State University Funding" seminar, 3:20 p.m., 3140 Agronomy.
Feb. 16: FFA Week proclamation signing and breakfast, 7 a.m., Gallery, Memorial Union.
Feb. 28: Deadline, World Food Prize nominations, http://www.worldfoodprize.org.
March 2: CARD’s 2001 Agricultural Forum, Scheman Building.
March 1: Proposal deadline for Computation Advisory Committee projects, 4-6614.
March 1-2: John Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture, 3 p.m. on March 1, Benton Auditorium, Scheman Building; March 2 session at Luther College, Decorah.
March 5-7: "Agriculture and the Environment: State and Federal Water Initiatives" water quality conference, Scheman Building.
March 7: "Leaders of a Visionary Future for Iowa Summit," West Des Moines.
March 26: Deadline, Leopold Center-supported conference/workshop proposals, 4-3711.
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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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IN ORDER TO MAKE WORDS COUNT AT THIS PERIOD OF TIME, READ THIS
"If I could teach only one key to great writing, it would be this: Make every word count," says Stephen Wilbers in "Keys to Great Writing" (Writer's Digest Books, http://www.wilbers.com/titles.htm). Some of Wilbers’ tips: Avoid redundant modifiers (such as "past history"). Avoid redundant categories (like "heavy in weight" and "period of time"). Avoid wordy expressions (like "in order to" instead of "to"). Avoid "it", "there" and "what" constructions ("It is my suggestion" rather than "I suggest"). Avoid indirect negatives ("not significant" instead of "insignificant"). (Writing that Works newsletter, November 2000)
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I N F O G R A Z I N G
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SURVEY: GRAD STUDENTS AND REAL WORLD OFTEN MISMATCHED
A new survey, based on a survey of U.S. graduate students, finds a "three-way mismatch" with student goals, training and their actual careers. It recommends major changes to better prepare graduate students for today’s economic realities, including a greater emphasis on teaching, more information about the job market and support for those interested in nonacademic career paths. The survey also contains some good news: Only 3 percent of the students regret their decision to attend graduate school; 91 percent like their advisor; and 70 percent say their program prepared them well to become independent researchers. The study, funded by Pew Charitable Trusts, can be found at: http://phd-survey.org.
NEW FORM REQUIRED FOR SOME ISU INTERNAL GRANTS
A new form is required when applying for certain internal grants from ISU’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Advanced Studies. The form is required when requesting central matching equipment funds, cost-sharing grants, PROMAG grants, retention grants, safety-net grants and start-up grants. Descriptions of the these programs and the new form can be found at: http://grants-svr.admin.iastate.edu/vpr/internalgrants.html.
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I N T E R N A L V O I C E S
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IN TOUCH WITH NATURE AND 270,000 HONEY BEES
"When I come in from tending my 270,000 little bees on a hot Iowa summer afternoon, nothing is better than having a honey almond bar fresh from the oven, along with a glass of ice-cold honey lemonade . . . When I work with my bees, I know I am part of an industry that assures pollination for my father’s crops and a wholesome, natural food for our family and beyond. I am excited to be in touch with a world of nature that we so easily take for granted." An excerpt from the essay written by animal ecology freshman Regina Jager for the American Honey Queen competition. (See item in "College News.")
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E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
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BIOTECH BLOWUP
"Somewhere along the line, Monsanto specifically and the industry in general lost the recipe of how we presented our story," said Will Carpenter, the head of the company's biotechnology strategy group until 1991. "When you put together arrogance and incompetence, you've got an unbeatable combination. You can get blown up in any direction. And they were." Biotechnology Food: From the Lab to a Debacle, New York Times, Jan. 25
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M A R G I N A L I A
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A CORRECTION ON CORNMEAL AND CUTWORMS
In last issue’s "Marginalia" ("Cutworm Heaven, Where No One Cooks With Cornmeal"), an excerpt from a San Francisco Chronicle gardening column contained incorrect information about the work of horticulture professor Nick Christians. First, the weed inhibitor is not cornmeal. It’s corn gluten meal, the protein fraction of cornmeal. So you can’t just throw cornmeal on your lawn and expect results. Second, there’s no indication that cornmeal or corn gluten meal have any effect on cutworms.
DNA: IT’S DIVERSE, IT’S UNIQUE, IT’S JIGGY
Eric Henderson, a professor in zoology and genetics, arranged and performed the music for a friend’s rap song about DNA. The song, "Younique Rap," was written by retired biology professor Irwin Herskowitz of Lake Worth, Fla. Herskowitz wrote the ditty about how DNA information in a chromosome is translated to make proteins. It’s designed for "lay people between the ages of 8 and 80" who are interested in -- or forced to learn about -- genetics, Herskowitz said. For more information: http://hometown.aol.com/royajoel/myhomepage/business.html. Here’s a sample lyric from the song:
It turns out DNA’s the signal caller.
Its messages make you large or smaller.
Its bases contain all the information
To put amino acids in the right configuration.