Ag and Life Sciences ONLINE

COLLEGE NEWS



- Shifts still available for Iowa State Fair exhibit



- Hail strikes fast; so does ISU Extension



- Freshman applications to the college



- New fax number for Ag Development Office



- Deadlines & Reminders



COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK



- Speak up for the ISU Speakers Bureau



INFOGRAZING



- Action in the House on ag appropriations for FY98



- Results from ISU entering freshman survey



EXTERNAL VOICES



- Use science to meet needs of the poor



MARGINALIA



- Summer storm approaching







C O L L E G E N E W S







SHIFTS STILL AVAILABLE FOR IOWA STATE FAIR EXHIBIT



Afternoon and evening shifts are still open for ag faculty and

staff who want to help out at the college's exhibit at the Iowa

State Fair, Aug. 7-17. The exhibit's theme is water quality. Two

volunteers are needed for each three-hour shift. Volunteers get

free admission and parking passes. For more information: Amy Litterer,

4-2957, or Marty Behrens, 4-5616.



HAIL STRIKES FAST; SO DOES ISU EXTENSION



Hail struck crop fields near Eagle Grove on Friday, June 20. The

next day, Wright County extension crops specialist John Holmes

and education director Don Untiedt surveyed the damage. Holmes

scheduled a crop re-planting meeting for affected farmers on Monday

morning, June 23, and contacted local media and producers. About

25 producers were expected; almost 80 attended.



FRESHMAN APPLICATIONS TO THE COLLEGE



According to ISU Admissions, as of July 1, the number of freshman

applications for fall '97 enrollment in the College of Agriculture

total 1,315. This compares to 1,300 applications last year.



NEW FAX NUMBER FOR AG DEVELOPMENT OFFICE



The College of Agriculture Development Office (Russ Wilson, Candi

Kelly and Donna Evans) has a new fax number: 4-6613.



DEADLINES & REMINDERS



July 8: Deadline, Leopold Center conference/workshop grants, 4-3711



July 30-31: Leopold Center Tenth Anniversary Conference, 4-3711



Aug. 7-17: Iowa State Fair



Aug. 21: College of Agriculture faculty-staff retreat on distance

learning







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









SPEAK UP FOR THE ISU SPEAKERS BUREAU



More than 40 College of Agriculture faculty and staff are active

in the university's new Speakers Bureau, in which ISU experts

speak to community groups around the state. Here are a few examples

of college speakers and their topics: Don

Beitz, cholesterol; Richard Carter, leadership; Joan Cunnick,

immunology; Willis Goudy, Iowa's population; Neil Harl, agriculture

in the 21st century; Dermot Hayes, future of Iowa's livestock

industry; Peggy Miller, equine nutrition; and Linda Naeve, Reiman

Gardens. Interested in serving as

a speaker? Contact Glenda McIntire, gfmcint@iastate.edu or 4-6136,

or Huang Tan, speakers@iastate.edu, 4-5992.









I N F O G R A Z I N G







ACTION IN THE HOUSE ON AG APPROPRIATIONS FOR FY98



In Washington DC, the House Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee

held its FY98 markup last week. The full Appropriations Committee

will meet on July 9. Although numbers haven't been finalized,

the tentative results of the subcommittee's work include: CSREES

research funding is nearly level ($420 million) compared to FY97;

CSREES extension funding ($415 million) is down $11 million from

last year; funding for the National Research Initiative increases

by $10 million to $105 million; special grant funding fares well;

and no money for buildings and facilities is appropriated.



RESULTS FROM ISU ENTERING FRESHMAN SURVEY



From a survey of freshmen entering ISU last fall:



Percent who said they attend college to get a better job: 81



Percent who attend college to learn more: 79



Percent who attend college to make more money: 75



Percent who selected ISU for its good academic reputation: 66



Percent who chose ISU because graduates get good jobs: 61



Percent who chose ISU because of low tuition: 24



Percent of freshmen in 1976 who chose ISU because of low tuition:

13



Percent whose first choice was ISU: 85



Percent who said they aspire to a master's degree: about 40



Percent who owned a computer: 35



Percent of freshmen in 1985 who owned a computer: 13



Percent of females interested in international experience: 59



Percent of males interested in international experience: 47







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







USE SCIENCE TO MEET NEEDS OF THE POOR



"I want science to do something to help the billions of poor

people all over the earth. Too much of science today is making

toys for the rich. So my mission is to help push science in a

new direction; away from toys for the rich, toward necessities

for the poor." From a commencement speech given by scientist

and writer Freeman Dyson last month at the University of Puget

Sound.







M A R G I N A L I A







SUMMER STORM APPROACHING



(From the 1993 book "Silent Passengers" by Larry Woiwode.)

What makes summer storms so pernicious is the resistance in our

nature to admit them. We acknowledge the naturalness of storms

in the spring, yes, when rain on the roof can assume the sound

of a waterfall; or in the winter, with a wind accompanying drifting

snow; or even in the fall, when heavy-bodied rain tears off the

last of the leaves and pastes them over spearing stubble. But

summer is the season we're to be let off, to be free of this,

as we expect to be freed from texts and tests and every onerous

chore . . . So summer storms set us outside our expectations and

isolate us physically, since we don't take the precautions we

do during other seasons, but expect to take the summer off as

recklessly as -- well, that storm on its way.