AG ONLINE
The College of Agriculture Newsletter
Iowa State University
April 19, 1996 No. 42
C O N T E N T S
COLLEGE NEWS
- Veishea open houses today and Saturday
- Veishea: Frozen yogurt in LeBaron
- High school students learn about ag science at ISU
- Openings remain for Brenton Center seminar April 23
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- College home page exceeds 100,000 hits in March
- Web hits more than doubled since last fall
- You can check activity for your Web site
- Debate over number of Internet users worldwide
INFOGRAZING
- Iowa students near top in repaying loans
- Explosion in GPS industry predicted
- Wiring Russian universities to the Internet
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Keeping an eye on the old bull
MARGINALIA
- Getting creamed for a good cause
- April's green traffic light
C O L L E G E N E W S
VEISHEA OPEN HOUSES TODAY AND SATURDAY
Among the Veishea displays and open houses today (Friday) and Saturday are these: Ag Systems Technology, south of Davidson; Ag Business, central campus; Alpha Zeta, ground floor Curtiss; Biology/Zoology/Genetics, 156 Bessey; Block and Bridle, Livestock Judging Pavilion; Botany, 112 Bessey; Collegiate 4-H, ground floor Curtiss; Dairy Science, west of Kildee; Entomology, Science II commons; Farm Bureau, central campus; Farm Operations, ground floor Curtiss; Fisheries and Wildlife Biology, 132 Science II; Food Science & Human Nutrition, LeBaron lounge (Room 1009); Forestry, northwest of Curtiss; Horticulture, Horticulture Hall; MANRS, central campus; Vet Med, Laboratorium Anatomy.
VEISHEA: FROZEN YOGURT IN LEBARON
The Food Science & Human Nutrition Club will be selling frozen yogurt in the lobby outside the LeBaron Hall lounge (Room 1009), starting at noon today (Friday) and all day Saturday.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT AG SCIENCE AT ISU
Eighty-six Iowa high school students got hands-on experience with agricultural science Thursday at the college's annual Science in Agriculture Day. The day lets students explore scientific topics in agriculture while getting a feel for life at ISU. Sixteen college faculty and staff gave presentations throughout the day on soil erosion, water quality, electron microscopy, DNA analysis, food science and other topics. Richard Carlson, agronomy, organized the day's activities.
OPENINGS REMAIN FOR BRENTON CENTER SEMINAR APRIL 23
There are a few openings left for the Teaching with Technology Seminar presented by Brenton Center faculty and staff, 1-3 p.m., Tuesday, April 23 in Room 9, Curtiss Hall. To register, contact Jeanette Drewry, 4-1862 or drewry@iastate.edu. The seminar will explain available educational technology, how to use it and how to reserve teaching space in the center.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
April 23: Teaching With Technology seminar, Brenton Center, 1-3 p.m.
April 27: Ethics and Animals in Agriculture, ISU Bioethics Symposium, Molecular Biology Bldg.
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
COLLEGE HOME PAGE EXCEEDS 100,000 HITS IN MARCH
The College of Agriculture's World Wide Web server exceeded 100,000 "hits" last month. By clicking on an estimated 3,000 links in the server, virtual visitors in March called up 105,463 pages of information on college, department, center or other ag programs. During the first quarter of the year, hits totaled 284,719. In March, 32 percent of the visitors were from within ISU. Another 14 percent were from other U.S. educational institutions. About 13 percent visited from commercial sites on the Web, 8 percent had network addresses and 20 percent were "unresolved addresses." Those visiting from Canada were the most from international locations -- 2.5 percent -- followed by Australia, the United Kingdom and Japan. The college's home page can be found at http://www.ag.iastate.edu/.
WEB HITS MORE THAN DOUBLED SINCE LAST FALL
How have hits (also known as "requests for information") to the College of Agriculture Web server increased in the last six months? A few statistics:
October - 43,722
November - 45,044
December - 54,652
January - 82,845
February - 96,401
March - 105,463
YOU CAN CHECK ACTIVITY FOR YOUR WEB SITE
If your department, center or program has a link on the College of Agriculture's Web server, you can find out details about activity at your Web site by pointing your Web browser to: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/stats/
DEBATE OVER NUMBER OF INTERNET USERS WORLDWIDE
Estimates of the number of Internet users worldwide go up and down as arguments rage over statistical methods. Nielsen Media Research, based on an August 1995 survey, says 19.4 million people have accessed the Internet "in the last three months." Vanderbilt University professors say the correct number is closer to 16.4 million. Mark Resch of Xerox shrugs off the controversy: "Yeah, we're in a hurricane, and they're arguing about whether wind is blowing 150 miles an hour or 120 miles an hour. The argument is intellectually interesting, and it totally misses the point. Activity on our Web site is up 10 percent a month, steadily." (New York Times, April 17)
I N F O G R A Z I N G
IOWA STUDENTS NEAR TOP IN REPAYING LOANS
Iowa students rank third nationally in paying back educational loans. The state's default rate for federally backed student loans in 1993 was 6.3 percent. At ISU the default rate was 2.5 percent. At both UI and UNI: 2.9 percent. Highest default rate in Iowa: 28.6 percent at Iowa School of Beauty. Four schools with no defaults: Allen College of Nursing, Covenant School of Radiologic Technology, St. Luke's School of Radiologic Technology, Wartburg Theological Seminary. (Cedar Rapids Gazette, March 23)
EXPLOSION IN GPS INDUSTRY PREDICTED
By pledging that the Pentagon's Global Positioning System (GPS) will continue to be publicly available at no cost for years to come, the White House has given a booster shot to the rapidly growing $1.25 billion industry for GPS navigational equipment. GPS is used by everyone from farmers and surveyors to car drivers and hikers. In light of the government's commitment, industry analysts predicted sales of GPS-related equipment would increase seven-fold to $8.5 billion in the next four years. This promises new products for consumers, jobs for high-tech workers and opportunities for investors. (From the April 2 Money Daily, an on-line newsletter published by Money magazine.)
WIRING RUSSIAN UNIVERSITIES TO THE INTERNET
Philanthropist/financier George Soros has pledged $100 million over five years to link regional universities in Russia to the Internet. The program will establish "Internet centers" at each of the universities, and will provide equipment, software and training. The Russian government will fund the satellite or fiber optic hookups. Soros notes that scholars in the provinces are eager to participate in information exchanges with their colleagues throughout Russia and the world. (Chronicle of Higher Education, March 29)
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
KEEPING AN EYE ON THE OLD BULL
Matt Heitz of Farley, Iowa, was a runner-up in Farm Journal's Farm Spokespersons of the Year, which salutes those doing an outstanding job of telling nonfarmers about agriculture. As a member of Iowa Farm Bureau's Speaker Corps, Heitz does public speaking, writes newspaper columns and answers reporters' questions about farming. "Most reporters don't know much more about farming than any other nonfarming citizen," he says. "You have to spend time with them and build up some trust." Until you reach that point, he adds, "it's a little like having the old bull around. You need to keep a watchful eye on them." (Farm Journal, April)
M A R G I N A L I A
GETTING CREAMED FOR A GOOD CAUSE
A few hours of whipped-cream facials for selected faculty, staff and administrators earned Alpha Zeta, the honorary for College of Agriculture students, more than $100 at its Veishea pie-throwing booth Tuesday. The proceeds will benefit the Just for Kids Program, a farm safety program for children.
APRIL'S GREEN TRAFFIC LIGHT
April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go. -- Chistopher Morley
AG ONLINE
Ag Online is a biweekly 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? Contact 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: May 3. Deadline: April 29.