The College of Agriculture Newsletter
Iowa State University
April 14, 1995 No. 16

C O N T E N T S

COLLEGE NEWS
- $1.7 million for livestock issues research
- Experiment Station archives
- Ukrainian faculty on campus
- Assessing Extension programs
- Students in Service: Landscaping
- Deadlines & Reminders

COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK

- Express yourself

INFOGRAZING

- College of Agriculture Home Page
- National Rural Conference Home Page

EXTERNAL VOICES

- Flickers of moral sense

MARGINALIA

- You can run but you can't hide #1
- You can run but you can't hide #2


C O L L E G E N E W S

$1.7 MILLION FOR LIVESTOCK ISSUES RESEARCH
Iowa's corn, soybean and pork commodity groups will invest $1.7 million in checkoff dollars over three years for research on livestock odor and waste management issues. Interested researchers should submit 1-2 page preproposals by Friday, May 12 to Bruce Babcock, 568 Heady Hall. DEOs have more information, or contact Babcock, 4-5764.

EXPERIMENT STATION ARCHIVES
The University Archives has compiled a list of historical materials it holds related to the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. The list is available in departmental offices. The archives welcomes suggestions on making the Experiment Station collection more complete.

UKRAINIAN FACULTY ON CAMPUS
For most of April, faculty members from the National Agricultural University of Ukraine are on campus working with ISU professors as part of an exchange sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency. The Ukrainians are working on curriculum revitalization and materials development. The Ukrainian visitors will present several seminars in the next week, including ones on engineering education, veterinary medicine, waste management and agricultural consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. For more details: International Agriculture Programs, 4-1851.

ASSESSING EXTENSION PROGRAMS
ISU Extension is one of seven state Extension programs conducting pilot studies on implementing the Government Performance Review Act. The act requires federally funded programs to document their accomplishments. Fifty-seven government agencies around the country are doing pilot assessments. The seven Extension pilot programs will try to show social, economic and environment impacts of five programs: decisions for health; integrated pest management; communities in economic transition; nutrition, diet and health; and the plight of the young child. For more information: Lynn Jones, 294-0898.

STUDENTS IN SERVICE: LANDSCAPING
Students in ISU's Horticulture Club have landscaped the grounds at the Grand Avenue Care Center, including installation of handicapped-accessible planting beds. The club also has donated plants to a local women's shelter. (Are there other recent examples of ISU ag students making a difference for people or communities? E-mail them to bmeyer@iastate.edu.)

DEADLINES & REMINDERS
APRIL 28 -- Names of departmental representatives for commencement to Dorothy Blair, 4-8497
MAY 12 -- Preproposals on livestock odor and waste research to Bruce Babcock, 568 Heady

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K

EXPRESS YOURSELF
Newspapers, magazines and other publications welcome thoughtful, well-written opinion pieces. One example: The Scientist, a biweekly newspaper for researchers that reaches 50,000 readers, seeks "perceptive" long and short essays from scientists. Examples of issues of interest to the paper: science education, science ignorance or misunderstanding, government science policies, representation of women and minorities in science, and censorship. Ag Information, 294-5616, can offer advice on submitting opinion pieces and how to best present your views.

I N F O G R A Z I N G

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE HOME PAGE
The College of Agriculture has a home page on the World Wide Web (WWW), located at http://www.ag.iastate.edu. Several departments, centers and programs have placed information on the ag home page. Also to be found, under "Newsletters from Various Ag College Departments," is all the past issues of Ag Online. For more information about the college's home page, contact Tom Hillson, 294-1543 or thillson@agcollege.ag.iastate.edu.

NATIONAL RURAL CONFERENCE HOME PAGE
Six regional forums on rural issues will precede the National Rural Conference, April 25 at ISU, which will feature President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman. The USDA has set up a World Wide Web site for information about the forums and other information about rural issues, at: http://eos.esusda.gov:80/ruralconf/conf.htm. ISU also has a Web site devoted to the conference, at: http://www.iastate.edu/clinton.html.

E X T E R N A L V O I C E S

FLICKERS OF MORAL SENSE
"Mankind's moral sense is not a strong beacon light, radiating outward to illuminate in sharp outline all that it touches. It is, rather, a small candle flame, casting vague and multiple shadows, flickering and sputtering in the strong winds of power and passion, greed and ideology. But brought close to the heart and cupped in one's hands, it dispels the darkness and warms the soul." From a piece in a June 1993 Commentary magazine written by James Q. Wilson, professor of management and public policy at UCLA, and author of The Moral Sense.

M A R G I N A L I A

YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE #1
Schering-Plough Corp. and Destron Fearing Corp. plan to offer coded, electronic implants that can be read by a scanner when your pet goes astray. The Home-Again microchip ID system uses implants the size of a grain of rice that can be injected by a veterinarian for between $25 and $50, and a registration system maintained by the American Kennel Club, to reunite furry friend and owner. (Wall Street Journal, March 15)

YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE #2
Worried when your teenager uses the family car? A new microprocessor called DriveRight Responsible Vehicle Monitor records how the car has been driven over a period of up to 10 days. It monitors whether limits are exceeded for predetermined speed, acceleration and deceleration. The device notes each infraction and an alarm sounds in the car when limits are exceeded. Information can be downloaded into your home PC for further analysis. Its record is password-protected, and it operates off the car's 12-volt battery or a secondary 260-hour battery pack. (Tampa Tribune, March 14)

AG ONLINE

Ag Online is a bimonthly electronic newsletter for ISU College of Agriculture faculty and staff. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag Online subscribe" to bmeyer@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe: Send "Ag Online unsubscribe" to same address. Comments? Call, write, e-mail or fax editors Brian Meyer (bmeyer@iastate.edu) and Ed Adcock (edadcock@iastate.edu), Agriculture Information Services, 304 Curtiss Hall, Ames, IA 50011. Phone: 515-294-5616. Fax: 515-294-8662.

Next issue: April 28. Deadline: April 24.
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