Ag and Life Sciences ONLINE

COLLEGE NEWS



- 140 attend college retreat



- What's next for professional development?



- Interim chair for FSHN



- Firsts for the Brenton Center



- Revised policy on Experiment Station projects



- Ag Council barbecue



- College convocation



- Deadlines & Reminders



COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK



- What reporters want in a story



- Top five uses of the Web



INFOGRAZING



- Work time



EXTERNAL VOICES



- Where are the heroes of science?



MARGINALIA



- Two nominations for science heroes







C O L L E G E N E W S







140 ATTEND RETREAT



About 140 faculty and staff members attended Thursday's "Breaking

Communications Barriers" college retreat. The professional

development committee will publish a proceedings that includes

ideas generated at the retreat on improving internal and external

communications. Ag Information will have videotapes of the retreat's

main sessions for check-out. If you want a copy of "Media

Guide for Academics," a booklet passed out at the retreat,

contact Robert Martin, 294-0896. "When a Reporter Calls,"

a brochure of tips on working with reporters, is available from

Ag Information.



WHAT'S NEXT FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?



The professional development committee is planning a hands-on

workshop this fall to demonstrate technology in the Brenton Center.

Next spring, a forum with a teaching emphasis is planned. Ag Online

will have more details as plans progress.



INTERIM CHAIR FOR FSHN



Pamela White has been named interim chair of the Department of

Food Science and Human Nutrition. Wayne Bidlack, the chair since

1992, will start a new job in September as dean of the College

of Agriculture at California State Polytechnic University. White

has been an ISU faculty member since 1975.



FIRSTS FOR THE BRENTON CENTER



At 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 21, Chris Minion will teach MIPM 502, a

bacterial genetics course, in the Brenton Center for Agricultural

Instruction and Technology Transfer -- the first instructor to

use the center's state-of-the-art teaching facilities. At 7 p.m.

Monday, Jan Flora and Cornelia Flora will teach Sociology 533,

on models of community -- the first class to be sent out on the

Iowa Communications Network from the center. So far 11 courses

and one ISU Extension workshop have been scheduled in the center.





REVISED POLICY ON EXPERIMENT STATION PROJECTS



Policies regarding Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment

Station projects have been revised and distributed to DEOs. They

take effect Sept. 1. It is hoped that these revisions will reduce

paperwork, provide for greater flexibility and not impede the

development of research teams. For more information: Susan Lamont,

294-3629.



AG COUNCIL BARBECUE



Faculty are urged to meet and greet new and returning students

at the Freshmen/Transfer Barbecue, 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 21, between

Kildee Hall and the Judging Pavilion. There will be a meal fee.

The barbecue is sponsored by the Ag Council and the College of

Agriculture.



COLLEGE CONVOCATION



The college convocation, 4 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 24, will include

introduction of new administrators and faculty members. It will

be held in Lush Auditorium, Kildee Hall.



DEADLINES & REMINDERS



Aug. 21 -- Classes begin / Ag Council barbecue, 5 p.m.



Aug. 24 -- College convocation, Lush Auditorium, 4 p.m.



Sept. 5 -- Foreign travel grant applications due, 122 Curtiss



Sept. 6 -- Leopold Center preproposals due, 126 Soil Tilth



Sept. 8 -- Faculty improvement leave applications due, 122 Curtiss









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









WHAT REPORTERS WANT IN A STORY



What do journalists look for in a story? At Thursday's college

retreat, communications consultant Ian Pearson said they look

for: surprise (the gee-whiz factor); newness (Christopher Columbus,

yes; second explorer to America, ho-hum); hot buttons (subjects

that hit home for many, like food, health, money); action (not

process); visuals; the human angle; conflict; the 5 W's (who,

what, when, where, why); great bites (memorable quotes); the local

angle; simplicity; impact; urgency; emotion; and certainty (is

this really going to happen?).



TOP FIVE USES OF THE WEB



Georgia Tech's Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center has

done its third World Wide Web user survey. The mean age of Web

browsers is 35 years, 80 percent are male and the top five uses

of the Web are browsing, entertainment, work, educational research

and business research. For more survey details, the WWW address

is: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys







I N F O G R A Z I N G







WORK TIME



A study, based on minute-by-minute time diaries kept over a two-day

period, says that the number of hours people recall working is

much higher than the number they actually worked. The authors

of the study suggest that the gap is explained partly by "the

increase in service jobs with no fixed hourly schedule, the rise

in flexible work schedules in general . . . and the increased

blending of work and nonwork time." Because of this blending,

people are never sure whether they're working or not-working,

and therefore feel under constant pressure. (American Demographics,

March)







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







WHERE ARE THE HEROES OF SCIENCE?



"In academic research, today's wizards are just as likely

to be urging their Congressmen to keep the money coming as they

are to be probing the secrets of nature -- except when they're

pondering initial public offerings of the stock of their biotechnology

sidelines. The bubbling masses of money, politics, teams and litigation

are not conducive to the creation of the old-style heroes of science.

Important findings keep pouring out of the laboratories. But the

best-known doctor today is Jack Kevorkian." Daniel S. Greenberg,

publisher of the Science & Government Report newsletter. (New

York Times, July 4)







M A R G I N A L I A







TWO NOMINATIONS FOR SCIENCE HEROES



Researchers in Australia and Canada have applied for a patent

on a synthetic version of a plant hormone that can slow the growth

of grass without affecting its color or texture. Which means you

could end up mowing your yard only once every 30 days or so with

regular use, plus the treated grass requires much less water and

fertilizer. And in Arthur D. Little Inc.'s food-development labs,

scientists are trying to make broccoli more palatable. They are

experimenting with broccoli "leather" (sort of like

fruit roll-ups), mint-and-lemon-flavored and chocolate-flavored

powdered broccoli juice mixes, and broccoli-flavored salsa. One

nixed idea -- broccoli cereal. (Business Week, July 17, and Wall

Street Journal, July 17)