Ag and Life Sciences ONLINE

COLLEGE NEWS



- State legislators to hear from ISU on livestock topics



- Associate dean for extension candidates to speak



- Want feedback on teaching? Try this new program



- International impact of distance ed: a discussion



- Computers for students available to ag departments



- Vision 2020 student internship conference set Feb.

25



- New office for NCR Center for Rural Development



- College awards presented at convocation



- Deadlines & Reminders



COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK



- College organization chart, directory available



INFOGRAZING



- Professional Workers in Ag Directory on the Web



- Farm Bureau looks to change ag research bill



EXTERNAL VOICES



- Farmers will soon pinpoint markets



MARGINALIA



- Beef brouhaha a boon to news bureaus







C O L L E G E N E W S







STATE LEGISLATORS TO HEAR FROM ISU ON LIVESTOCK TOPICS



On Monday, Jan. 26, the college will conduct a mini-symposium

for state legislators on environmental topics related to hog production.

Dean David Topel will chair the meeting, which features presentations

from faculty in sociology, agronomy, ag & biosystems engineering

and economics, and from state officials in natural resources and

public health. The symposium will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15

p.m. in the Iowa Motor Truck Association headquarters, Des Moines.

After the meeting, more than 30 posters detailing ISU research

and education efforts will be displayed in the Iowa Capitol, with

ISU experts on hand to answer questions.



ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR EXTENSION CANDIDATES TO SPEAK



In February, two candidates will interview for the position of

associate dean for extension in the College of Agriculture: John

Lawrence, associate professor of economics, and Gerald Miller,

professor of agronomy. Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend

the candidates' presentations, which will be held in 1951 Food

Sciences. Lawrence's will begin at 3:30 p.m., Feb. 2, and Miller's

at 3:30 p.m., Feb. 4.



WANT FEEDBACK ON TEACHING? TRY THIS NEW PROGRAM



Are you teaching a new course or trying a new teaching method

this semester? The Department of Agricultural Education &

Studies is looking for 16 instructors in the College of Agriculture

to participate in a project that will provide unbiased feedback

on instruction. Teams of specially trained students will attend

two sessions of a course, then meet with the instructor to discuss

strategies that could enhance the learning experience. For more

information: graduate student Wendy Miskell, (515) 826-3403 or

wmiskell@iastate.edu, or professor Julia Gamon, 4-0897 or jgamon@iastate.edu.





INTERNATIONAL IMPACT OF DISTANCE ED: A DISCUSSION



"Directions for Distance Education: Implications

for International Education," a panel discussion, will be

held at 3:45 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 28, in 3140 Agronomy. Faculty

members Tom Ingebritsen, Bill Rudolph and Gene Takle will speak

on their Internet, ICN and other distance education experiences.

The panel is sponsored by Phi Beta Delta, honor society for international

scholars. For more information: Bill Rudolph, 4-8161 or wbrudolp@iastate.edu.







COMPUTERS FOR STUDENTS AVAILABLE TO AG DEPARTMENTS



Several computers are available for student use in the College

of Agriculture. There is no charge for the Mac SE and Apex computers

if departments document that the computers will be made available

only for students. The computers, purchased with support from

student computer funds, are available on a first-come, first-served

basis until Feb. 9. For more information: Steven Jungst, 4-1587

or sejungst@iastate.edu.



VISION 2020 STUDENT INTERNSHIP CONFERENCE

SET FEB. 25



Improving student internships in agricultural

and natural resource careers will be the focus of a conference

on Feb. 25 in the Campanile Room, Memorial Union. Sponsored by

Vision 2020, the meeting will bring together faculty, students

and administrators from the College of Agriculture and Iowa's

community colleges, as well as representatives from business and

industry, government agencies and other groups providing student

internships. For more information: Bill Silag, 4-2698 or bsilag@iastate.edu.







NEW OFFICE FOR NCR CENTER FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT



The offices of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development

have moved from East Hall to 107 Curtiss Hall. Phone numbers and

e-mail addresses remain the same. The fax number is 4-3180. The

center, one of four in the nation that coordinate rural development

research and education, marked its 25th anniversary in 1997.



COLLEGE AWARDS PRESENTED AT CONVOCATION



College of Agriculture awards for faculty and staff were presented

at the college's spring convocation on Thursday. For a list of

winners, see the "Latest News" link on the college's

Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/news/



DEADLINES & REMINDERS



Jan. 28: Directions for Distance Education: Implications for International

Education panel discussion, 3:45 p.m., 3140 Agronomy.



Jan. 30: Deadline, student study-abroad in China applications,

4-3972.



Jan. 31: Deadline, faculty development in China applications,

4-6614.



Feb. 2: Associate dean for extension presentation, 3:30 p.m.,

1951 Food Sciences.



Feb. 4: Associate dean for extension presentation, 3:30 p.m.,

1951 Food Sciences.







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









COLLEGE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, DIRECTORY AVAILABLE



A recently revised organizational chart for the college is available

from Ag Information. For a copy, contact Ed Adcock, 4-2314 or

edadcock@iastate.edu. Also, the latest edition of Ag Information's

College of Agriculture Desk Directory lists administrators and

support staff for central administration, departments, centers

and includes university administration, extension and more on

a one-page sheet. The listings include phone and fax numbers and

e-mail addresses. To get a copy, call or e-mail Marty Behrens,

4-5616 or behrens@iastate.edu.







I N F O G R A Z I N G







PROFESSIONAL WORKERS IN AG DIRECTORY ON THE WEB



The USDA-CSREES Professional Workers in Agriculture Directory

is now accessible on the Web. The resource is a guide to 35,000

agricultural professionals employed by state research stations,

extension offices and land-grant universities. The directory is

maintained by designated personnel at land-grant universities

and experiment stations (at ISU it's Shirley Riney, Experiment

Station office). The directory can be found at: http://www.pwd.reeusda.gov





FARM BUREAU LOOKS AT CHANGES IN AG RESEARCH BILL



Congress returns on Jan. 27 and will again discuss increasing

agricultural research funding. The Farm Bureau says it will continue

to work for the funding and to make the following changes in the

research title: improve the level of producer input in setting

research priorities; create a system to determine the relevance

of research to issues facing agriculture; enhance the merit and

peer review processes; require increased institutional collaboration;

ensure the output from research is monitored and demonstrated;

and review research funding and allocation mechanisms. (Iowa Farm

Bureau Spokesman, Jan. 17)







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







FARMERS WILL SOON PINPOINT MARKETS



"We believe sometime in the near future, a farmer will not

plant a seed nor raise a livestock unit without knowing where

it's going to be marketed," said H.D. Cleberg, president

of Farmland Industries Inc., speaking at the Texas Agricultural

Forum in Waco recently.







M A R G I N A L I A







BEEF BROUHAHA A BOON TO NEWS BUREAUS



That cheering you heard when Texas cattle producers sued Oprah

Winfrey for allegedly defaming beef was probably from the nation's

headline writers. Here are some recent newspaper headlines on

the Oprah vs. beef trial:



Lawyers: Herd Followed Oprah



Texas Cattlemen Say Oprah Lynched Them



Jury To Hear Cattlemen's Oprah Beef



It's Oprah Vs. Mad Cow Town



Beef Barons Battle Oprah In Big Burger Bust-Up



Cattlemen Want Oprah To Eat Her Words



Top Court May Slice & Dice 'Veggie Libel' Law