February 20 , 2007 |
1. Leave office computers on for security updates
2. Exchange student studies truffles in Toulouse
1. Leave office computers on for security updates
Technology support for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Bumpers College includes central network servers which synchronize virus and network security protection with the latest available. New deviant variations of these threats are constantly appearing in the world-wide internet community, so protection against these require frequent updates by central servers.
In the interest of providing the most thorough protection available, we ask the assistance of all users of AAES/AFLS campus networked computers to adopt the policy of leaving computer systems powered on when leaving work in the evenings. We ask that you begin this policy immediately. At your discretion, you may power down during long absences from campus.
The hardware of present day computers will actually benefit by not experiencing a daily power cycle, so this policy may lead to less hardware failure as well. You should also be sure the system is connected to a surge protector of adequate capability - old surge protectors should be replaced.
Because updates frequently cause a reboot of a system, please do the following each evening:
1) Reboot your computer and leave at the logon prompt; or
2) Close all software applications and lock your console using Ctrl-Alt-Del and click 'Lock Computer'.
If you have questions concerning this, feel free to contact us at aflshelp@uark.edu or 5-3420.
Thank you for your assistance in providing protection to your computer. --Brenda Wideman, AES/CAFLS Technology Coordinator, POSC O-313
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2. Exchange student studies truffles in Toulouse. By Fred Miller
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| EU Students -- Five European students attended classes at the University of Arkansas in fall 2006 as part of the Renewable Resources and Clean Technology International Exchange Program. With Dr. Andrew Proctor, second from right, they are, from left, Angela Chemelli, Claire Jeanquartier and Axel Schlagenhauf, all of Graz, Austria; Tom Messiaen and Ellen Van Loo, both of Gent, Belgium. | Exchange Students -- Food science graduate students, from left, Stephen O'Brien of Springdale, Caroline Lovely of Tulsa, Okla., and Devon Cameron of Rogers participated in the Renewable Resources and Clean Technology International Exchange Program. O"Brien studied green chemistry and sustainability in Gent, Belgium. Lovely conducted consumer research with natural flavor extractions from truffles in Toulouse, France. Cameron conducted research on novel chemical modification of starches as a substitute for plastics in Graz, Austria. |
The French don't typically look to Americans for help with their food, especially with something so quintessentially French as truffles. But Food Science graduate student Caroline Lovely of Tulsa helped the French settle an important question about their delectable fungus. She spent the fall 2006 semester in Toulouse, France, developing and conducting consumer-testing research on low-salt truffle butter.
Lovely and other University of Arkansas students have participated in the Renewable Resources and Clean Technology International Exchange Program, said Dr. Andy Proctor, professor of food science.
The U of A is the lead U.S. institution that links three universities here with three universities in Europe, Proctor said. The other American partners are Iowa State University and the University of Washington. The European institutions are the University of Ghent, Belgium, the Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Austria, and the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse, France.
During a recent seminar, Lovely and two other food science graduate students talked about their experiences abroad in the exchange program.
Lovely, a master's degree student, went to Toulouse to apply American consumer testing methods to French cuisine. France has mandated that food companies must lower salt content in processed foods, and no one knew what consumers thought of the low-salt truffle butter. Her research showed that French consumers actually liked the low-salt product better than the traditional, higher-salt content staple of the French diet.
Ph.D. student Devon Cameron of Rogers was the first U of A student to participate in the program. In fall 2005, she took classes and conducted research at Graz, Austria, in the extraction of starches from potatoes that can be used to synthesize "biopolymers" as a substitute for plastics products. She also spent time at an agricultural university in Vienna to conduct detailed chemical analysis of the materials she made, using specialized equipment.
Two of Cameron's classes were in German. Her language studies at the U of A were aided by an intensive language course in Austria, provided by the program grant.
Ph.D. student Stephen O'Brien conducted "green chemistry" research in Gent, Belgium. He worked on the use of modified starches as a means to slow-release chemicals from time-release medicines.
Although his work in Belgium was related to pharmaceutical applications, O'Brien said the modified starches could be used in fertilizers or other slow-release chemical applications.
The Renewable Resources and Clean Technology International Exchange Program was conceived and developed by Proctor and Dr. Roland Verhé of the University of Gent, Belgium. It is funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture.
Each American university can send up to nine seniors or graduate students, three to each of the European partners, and host three students from each of the three European universities, Proctor said.
So far, five U of A students have completed research and study programs in Europe through the exchange program, and a sixth is in Belgium now. At least one student is planning to participate in the fall.
The program is open to students in any college at the U of A, Proctor said.
The grant covers the travel and living expenses of eligible students while they are studying abroad for up to five months. Language training, if needed, will also be provided. Students must pay their own travel from the U.S. to their host countries, but they pay no fees to the host universities.
Proctor said the point of the program is to allow students interested in renewable resources to get international experience working in related fields like biofuels, biomass and other "green technologies."
"European countries are leading the U.S. in some of these fields," Proctor said.
The students also gain international work and cultural experiences that can benefit them personally and professionally, he said.
Lovely, Cameron and O'Brien all said traveling to other European countries and getting to know the people and cultures of other places were among their most memorable experiences.
Students interested in participating in the exchange program can contact Proctor at 479-575-2980 or send him an e-mail at aproctor@uark.edu. Information about the program is also available on the Web: http://www.foodscience.uark.edu/biorenewable%20resources.html
AAES and Bumpers College Web sites:
http://aaes.uark.edu/
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