eXtra

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

VISION eXtra is e-mailed weekly to faculty and staff of Bumpers College and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Division of Agriculture. This service is primarily for timely announcement of news and events for the AAES and Bumpers College. Submit items to hmedders@uark.edu. You may also wish to submit items to headline@uark.edu for posting on "UA Daily Headlines" for campus-wide distribution.


February 12 , 2007

1. 'Corps of Discovery' Presentation and Seminar -- Thursday & Friday

2. Is Racism in You? -- Tuesday

3. Student Poster, Oral Presentations - Entry Deadline Tuesday

4. Academic Enhancement Program Workshop Schedule

5. Agriculture Librarian Seminar - Tuesday

6. Childhood Obesity Webcast - Tuesday

7. Statistics for Non-Statisticians - Feb. 19

8. Chili & Pie - Feb. 23

9. Arkansas Women in Agriculture Conference - March 8-9

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1. 'Corps of Discovery' Presentation and Seminar -- Feb. 15-16. "A 21st Century Corps of Discovery - Everyday citizens documenting things of unimaginable wonder" will be presented Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in Giffels Auditorium in Old Main.

The presentation will be by Michael Jeffords and Susan Post, husband and wife on he staff of the Illinois Natural History Survey, about how they blend science and art to learn more about the natural world while making it more accessible to the non-scientific public. The departments of Entomology and Biological Sciences are sponsoring the event, along with the Nature Conservancy of Arkansas as part of its 25th anniversary.

Jeffords also will present a Department of Entomology seminar, "Picturing Nature: Science, Art and Aesthetics," in the Agriculture Building, Room 332, Feb. 16 at 1:30 p.m.

Rob Wiedenmann, Entomology department head, said Jeffords and Post have recruited volunteers to participate in documenting changes in the environment, particularly in areas that are undergoing restoration or other changes. He said they will discuss the value of teaching nature to the public and having ordinary citizens learn to observe and document the natural world around them.

The original Corps of Discovery, led by Lewis and Clark in 1804, inspired the 21st Century Corps of Discovery, Jeffords said. That expedition, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson, recorded the landscape, flora and fauna along a route from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean.

As organized by Jeffords and Post, the 21st Century Corps is documenting fixed locations that are constantly changing. Two such groups have been organized in Illinois in areas undergoing restoration. One is working in the Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Preserve along the Illinois River. The other group is working in the Cache River wetlands of southern Illinois.

"Our goal for these and, perhaps, future Corps of Discovery teams is simple," Jeffords said. "We aim to engage citizens who will add a creative, aesthetic dimension to their local lands and who will contribute to the total picture of the evolving, diverse landscape that is Illinois."

Jeffords is a senior scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey, where he serves as the education and public relations coordinator. Post is a technical scientist at the Natural History Survey. Their creative efforts to translate science for the public have earned a number of national and state awards.
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2. Is Racism in You? -- Tuesday. The University of Arkansas chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) is presenting a panel discussion, "Is Racism in You? A Look into Stereotypical Behavior," Tuesday, Feb. 13, from 3 to 5 p.m., in the Multicultural Center on the 4th floor of the Arkansas Union. Refreshments will be served.

The event is in observance of February as Black History month. More events are planned throughout the month, and an updated schedule is available at the UA Multicultural Center Web site at http://www.uark.edu/rd_vcsa/samc/575.htm.
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3. Student Poster, Oral Presentations - Entry Deadline Tuesday.  Gamma Sigma Delta will sponsor its ninth annual competition of students' posters and oral presentations Feb. 27 at the Arkansas Union. Undergraduates, master's candidates and doctoral candidates will compete in their respective categories. Presentations should be based on students' own research. A student may submit both an oral and poster presentation (research must be separate for each presentation). Complete guidelines are published in the item below and on the GSD web site at http://www.uark.edu/misc/gsdhonor/gsdresearch.html

First, second and third places will be awarded with students receiving respective awards of $100, $75 and $50 in each category for posters or oral presentations.

Posters will be available for public viewing from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Feb. 27, at the Union Connections Lounge. The schedule of oral presentations for that day will be posted on the GSD Web site later.

Students may enter by sending their abstracts no later than Feb. 13 to Tom Yazwinski at yazwinsk@uark.edu. Abstracts should be on Word documents with a maximum of 300 words (not including title and authors/affiliations) in 12 point Times New Roman type.
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4. Academic Enhancement Program Workshop Schedule.  All students are invited to attend AEP workshops in the Carroll and Sue Walls Classroom, HOEC 106, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. on the dates listed. For more information, contact John Kelly, Ph.D., L.A.C. at 575-5716 or jkelly@uark.edu.

February 13 - How to be Successful in College
February 27 - Conquering Test Anxiety
March 8 - Learning to Manage Stress
March 29 - Rapid Guide to Job Hunting
April 12 - Rapid Guide to Interviewing.
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5. Agriculture Librarian Seminar - Tuesday. Luti Salisbury, UA librarian for agriculture, will present "Information Services to Support 21st Century Instruction and Research" at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, in PTSC 9. Reception prior to the seminar at 3 p.m. in PTSC 214.
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6. Childhood Obesity Webcast -- Tuesday. The University of Arkansas Food Science Club is hosting a Webcast on "The Childhood Obesity Dilemma and How Food Science Can Impact Its Future," on Tuesday, Feb. 13 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. in the Food Science Building, Room D-1 & D-2.
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7. Statistics for Non-Statisticians - Feb. 19. Spring semester seminars in the Food Science Department include a presentation by Jerry Foote, HESC, on "Statistics and Experiment Design for Non-Statisticians," 3:40-4:20 p.m., Feb. 19, D-1, Food Science Building.
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8. Chili & Pie - Feb. 23. Sigma Alpha is hosting a chili supper and pie auction at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 23, at the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center. Proceeds will support activities of Sigma Alpha, the professional sorority for agriculture.
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9. Arkansas Women in Agriculture Conference -- March 8-9.  The 3rd annual conference of Arkansas Women in Agriculture is set for March 8-9 at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

AWIG president Janie Hipp, AEAB, said the conference theme is "Preparing Arkansas Women in Agriculture."

To register for the conference visit the Web site: www.arwomeninag.com.

A few of the many conference highlights will include a legislative panel and special legislative announcements; production issues for horse owners, cattle producers, poultry producers, fruit and vegetable producers; sessions for row crop producers, forest land owners and agricultural land owners; advanced estate and financial planning and advanced credit and financing; risk management and farm financial planning; direct marketing, agri-tourism and farmers markets information; legal issues; family and health updates; donation service projects (baby quilts & rice depot); and an evening mixer with popular horticulturalist Janet Carson.


AAES and Bumpers College Web sites:
http://aaes.uark.edu/
http://bumperscollege.uark.edu/


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