Inside IFAS October 2006
We hope you’re enjoying the cooler weather and great Gator football games this season offers. That loss to Auburn was a heartbreaker, but with a week off the team should be in good position to bounce back against Georgia. Who knows, we may end the regular season 11-1 and then have another go at Auburn in the SEC championship game – hmm, sounds a little bit like what happened in 1996, doesn’t it?
Be sure to check out this month’s “INFORM” section, which contains important news about photocopying, printing and other services available to all IFAS personnel at discount prices, thanks to an agreement between UF and FedEx/Kinko’s.
As always, we need your help to keep “INSIDE IFAS” going strong as the voice of faculty and staff. Please send brief news items to insideifas@ifas.ufl.edu, including all the essential information – who, what, when, where, why and how.
Produced by UF/IFAS External and Media Relations in cooperation with IFAS Communication Services, the online “INSIDE IFAS” is a work in progress, so please let us know if you have any suggestions for improvements. We look forward to hearing from you.
Below, you’ll find a table of contents with links that will take you to different sections of the issue.
ONLINE STORIES
10.17.2006 New building at Sunbelt Agricultural Expo will showcase UF research and education programs
http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?id=1161
9.28.2006 Florida youth to celebrate National 4-H Week Oct. 1-7
http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?id=1156
9.27.2006 Former UF vice president for agriculture and natural resources James M. Davidson dies at 72
http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?id=1153
9.25.2006 New UF radio series gives gardeners Florida-friendly information
http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?id=1152
FEATURES
Seventh Annual CALS Teaching Enhancement Symposium draws more than 250
More than 250 IFAS faculty, staff and graduate students attended the Seventh Annual CALS Teaching Enhancement Symposium Aug. 17.
Held at the UF Hilton Hotel and Conference Center in Gainesville, the daylong event presented some of the latest innovations to help educators be more effective in their preparation, communication and classroom leadership.
The symposium featured three breakout sessions, each offering four different presentations – some geared toward faculty, others designed for graduate students, academic advisers or administrators. The topics addressed everything from strategies for encouraging greater student involvement in class, to stresses associated with graduate school, to using multi-modalities to reach diverse audiences.
“One of the most popular sessions this year was a discussion of the millennial generation, and that was led by (junior associate director of the UF Honors Program) Jeanna Mastrodicasa – it generated a lot of interest, a lot of discussion, people left the room talking about things that they had observed and things they were going to do differently in their classes,” said Elaine Turner, a CALS associate dean who helped organize the event. “And that’s really what it’s all about, for people to get new ideas, maybe hear a different perspective and then take that back and be able to utilize it in the classroom.”
Jack Elliot, a professor and chairman with the University of Arizona’s agricultural education department, gave a keynote speech on outcomes assessment, explaining how the behavior of some African animals provides lessons that can help instructors better understand teaching and learning.
Elliot also taught an interactive workshop, “Teaching Backwards: the Way to Excellence,” that focused on the grading rubric, a type of outcomes assessment that breaks down a student’s overall performance into small components that can be evaluated separately, illuminating the strong and weak points.
All presentations given at the symposium are available online at http://www.cals.ufl.edu/facultyStaff/symposium/evaluation.htm.
The event was organized by Turner, the CALS Teaching Resource Center and the CALS Academic Development Committee. Next year’s symposium is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 13.
IFAS researchers, UF Water Institute get grants
UF is involved in two grant-funded projects to improve agricultural education and research in India.
The two are among nine projects chosen out of 27 consortium and individual university proposals reviewed by an expert panel.
UF, led by Water Institute Director Wendy Graham, will team with North Carolina A&T State University to work on a project called “Sustainable Water Resource Management.” The work is funded by an $88,650 grant.
And Ramesh Reddy, chairman of UF’s Department of Soil and Water Science, will lead researchers on a project called “Information and Communications Technologies for Capacity Building in Water Management.” That proposal earned a $59,900 grant.
The federal grants are part of the U.S.-India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative, a public-private partnership to bolster agricultural research, education and strengthen trade between the two countries.
Other universities involved include The Ohio State University, Cornell University, Purdue University, Michigan State University, Texas A&M University and the University of California, Davis.
FYN honors builders at GreenTrends conference
Four Florida builders were honored recently by the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program in its first-ever awards program recognizing housing developments for incorporating FYN principles into their landscape design and maintenance.
The 2006 Builder & Developer Community-Wide Florida-Friendly Landscape Awards were presented at GreenTrends 2006, a statewide “green” building conference and trade show held May 2-4 at the J. Wayne Reitz Union on UF’s main campus and co-hosted by the Florida Green Building Coalition and the University of Florida School of Natural Resources and Environment/Program for Resource Efficient Communities.
Recognized for their efforts were:
- Lake Jovita, a Pasco County development built by Lake Jovita Joint Venture;
- River Forest, a Manatee County development built by King Ranch Manatee;
- Vista Grove Condominiums, a St. Johns County development built by Drunna Properties;
- Willow Bend, a Sarasota County development built by Lee Wetherington Homes.
The new event gives FYN an opportunity to recognize developments which are helping to protect water quality and conserve water through Florida-friendly landscaping. The awards also encourage other builders and developers to consider green building options, said Ondine Wells, FYN builder and developer coordinator.
Builders were only considered for the statewide awards program if they incorporated FYN principles into an entire development, and put mechanisms in place to ensure the landscaping would be maintained in accordance with FYN principles.
The FYN program emphasizes nine major principles that help conserve resources through sustainable landscaping practices. They are: Right Plant, Right Place; Water Efficiently; Fertilize Appropriately; Mulch; Attract Wildlife; Manage Yard Pests Responsibly; Recycle; Reduce Stormwater Runoff; Protect the Waterfront.
INFORM
Agreement makes FedEx Kinko’s services available to IFAS personnel statewide
IFAS faculty and staff – in Gainesville or anywhere else in America – can now obtain discount-priced photocopies, business cards, banners, posters and other work-related items and services from FedEx Kinko’s, thanks to an innovative agreement between the Memphis-based corporation and UF.
Personnel in Gainesville can use the new FedEx Kinko’s Center, located in Building 664 on Mowry Road next to the IFAS Extension Bookstore. The facility, which hosted a grand opening celebration Sept. 29, is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be reached at 392-1775.
Customers can bring work to the center or submit orders electronically via a customized Web site, https://psg.kinkos.com/uf. The site includes general information about FedEx Kinko’s services, including prices. All UF employees are welcome to do business with the new FedEx Kinko’s Center, and prices quoted on the Web site apply to every UF unit, not just IFAS.
Personnel stationed outside Gainesville can also use the Web site, and receive the finished work from any one of about 55 FedEx Kinko’s locations in Florida. Planning an out-of-state trip to a meeting or conference? The discount applies nationwide, and you can pick up your order at the nearest FedEx Kinko’s once you reach your destination.
Although FedEx Kinko’s will assume many of the tasks previously performed by the IFAS print shop, the IFAS Communication Services graphic design team will continue to offer services in designing stationery items such as business cards, letterhead, envelopes and mailing supplies. For questions regarding ICS graphic design services, please contact Tracy Zwillinger, graphics coordinator, at tracydz@ufl.edu.
ICS Director Ashley Wood said he expects a smooth transition to the new arrangement, and encourages all potential customers to visit the Web site and learn more about services, pricing and ordering options.
The agreement was arranged by Wood, Joe Joyce, executive associate vice president for agriculture and natural resources; Harold King, a purchasing coordinator with the UF purchasing office; and Camille Whiddon, a Gainesville-based account manager with FedEx Kinko’s.
“We see this as a further means of extending our business relationship with the University of Florida,” Whiddon said. “We’re really excited about it.”
Wood said FedEx Kinko’s approached IFAS about providing copying and printing services 18 months ago. Following a lengthy period of discussion and evaluation of numerous other firms, FedEx Kinko’s proved to be the best fit for UF’s needs.
“Universities in other states have been contacting us to learn about this arrangement because they see the value of what we’re doing,” Wood said. “In states with a lot of FedEx Kinko’s offices, this is a good model to follow.”
The contract between UF and FedEx Kinko’s is for a term of five years, with provisions for the agreement to be reviewed each year.
PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS
Florida Agriculture in the Classroom hires new coordinator
UF agricultural leadership and communications student Melissa Stanley has joined Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, or FAITC, as educational program coordinator.
Stanley, who graduates in December, has been a state Florida FFA officer and director of Florida Outdoor Adventures youth conference program.
FAITC is a nonprofit organization that provides teaching materials, grants and other help to teachers who incorporate agricultural concepts in their language arts, math, science and social science classes.
The group is funded by sales of the Ag Tag – Florida’s agriculture specialty license plate.
FAITC is spending about $21,000 to pay for 17 grants that will infuse agriculture knowledge in classrooms throughout the state.
The projects – which include everything from how eggs incubate to how aquaculture works to what kinds of foods are grown on nearby farms – will reach nearly 18,000 students. Pinellas County extension ends summer on a busy note
Pinellas County extension agents have had good luck with their summer rain barrel workshops, drawing hundreds for a lesson in how to set one up.
Dale Armstrong, Florida Yards & Neighborhoods coordinator, said in the workshops, participants learn how to safely set up a 55-gallon rain barrel in a strategic spot to catch non-potable water for plant watering and conservation.
In the right spot, a hard summer rain can quickly fill the barrel, he said, and screen over the top keeps mosquitoes from breeding.
The idea behind the workshops: Get homeowners to buy into the idea of conserving water. By taking that first step, they’re far more likely to take a second, Armstrong said.
Other Pinellas extension events coming up:
- Oct. 1, they’ll offer “It’s a Bug’s Life”—a free workshop for all ages interested in insects.
- Oct. 21 and Nov. 4, master gardener Bob Abben leads a two-part workshop on creating butterfly habitat.
- Oct. 26, they’ll teach Tampa Bay residents how to recognize and protect themselves from Africanized honey bees.
UF’s Gamma Sigma Delta chapter honored
UF’s agriculture honor society has taken a top award from its international organization.
International Gamma Sigma Delta has given UF’s Gamma Sigma Delta the Gold Chapter Award. Only five chapters are given the award each year.
The award recognizes significant chapter activities for the 2005-06 academic year.
Tracy Irani, the local chapter president, said the group’s annual banquet in March honoring student and faculty accomplishments is a major event that likely helped earn them the award.
The chapter, celebrating its 51st year, inducts undergraduate and graduate students with the strongest academic credentials.
International Gamma Sigma Delta has 52 chapters in the United States, the Philippines, Honduras and Puerto Rico. The local chapter boasts more than 300 active members.
IFAS information technology staffer Xin elected to CIGR executive board
In September, Jiannong Xin, an associate in IFAS’ Office of Information Technology, was elected to the board of directors of the International Commission of Agricultural Engineering, or CIGR.
Xin, a software systems expert, was elected to the two-year position at the 2006 CIGR World Congress, held Sept. 3-7 in Bonn, Germany. CIGR is a world-level organization whose members are national and regional agricultural and biological societies; Xin was selected as one of the 15 executive board members to represent the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, or ASABE.
He has served in several positions with ASABE including chair of the International Commission. With his new responsibility, Xin will be working with the leadership of ASABE and CIGR to continue to promote these two professional societies.
At IFAS, Xin conducts applied research on IT applications in agriculture. He has contributed to the Distance Diagnostic and Identification System for Extension, a Web-based collaboration and communication tool that enables experts statewide to share information on plant diseases and pests; and the State Agricultural Response Team, a multiagency group dedicated to disaster preparedness and recovery for Florida’s animal and agricultural industries.
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers honors two with IFAS
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, or ASABE, has honored Fedro Zazueta, a professor with the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and director of the Office of Academic Technology, and Jiannong Xin, an associate in IFAS’ Office of Information Technology, with its Outstanding Leadership Award.
The award, which recognizes individuals who have played a leadership role in the agricultural and biological engineering profession, was presented at the ASABE 2006 Annual International Meeting July 9-12 in Portland, Ore. Zazueta and Xin were selected for their efforts and successes promoting the use of information technology in agriculture.
In particular, the scientists were honored for founding and organizing the first four World Congresses on Computers in Agriculture. This event began as an IFAS international conference in 1982. It was adopted by ASABE in 1994 and became recognized as the premier conference concerning information technology in agriculture. In 2001, Asian, European and American regional organizations joined this effort into what became the World Congress on Computers in Agriculture, or WCCA. The fourth, most recent WCCA took place July 24-26 in Orlando.
The WCCA provides a forum for agriculture-related professionals to share ideas on applications and developments in the use of information technologies in research, teaching and extension.
Thanks, and we’ll see you next time!
