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Pointing Toward the Holidays
A.J. Coleman arranges poinsettias in one of the horticulture
greenhouse
Dec. 1 while getting ready for the Horticulture Club's annual poinsettia
sale Dec.7 in the Nebraska Union and the Nebraska East Union and Dec. 8
in the East Union only. The club has 650 plants to sell. Prices range
from
$6 for small plants to $8 for larger ones.
Lab Sheds New Light on Intelligent Traffic Systems
By Connie Walter, Engineering and Technology
A new laboratory will help students in UNL's College of Engineering
and
Technology see traffic in a whole new light.
The Intelligent Transportation Systems Information and Infrastructure
Laboratory or I3 ("I-cubed") at the Peter Kiewit Institute in
Omaha and will be used as a multidisciplinary research and education
platform.
Intelligent transportation systems apply information technology and
telecommunications
infrastructure to improve the overall efficiency of existing and future
transportation networks.
The lab will provide a research intensive educational environment for
undergraduate and graduate students in transportation engineering,
computer
and electronics engineering, computer science and other intelligent
transportation
systems disciplines. Research areas of study will include:
o basic traffic flow characteristics over a long period of time
o signal control strategies
o various visualization techniques to enhance and improve current
traffic
monitoring techniques
o communication needs associated with intelligent transportation
systems
o methods and mechanisms for traffic database management and database
sharing
"This kind of multidisciplinary teaching and research opportunity
should make the I3 Lab a focal point for transportation education and
research
at the University of Nebraska and throughout the region," said
Elizabeth
Jones, director of the lab and an assistant professor in the UNL's
department
of civil engineering.
Students and faculty will monitor the Pacific Street and 72nd Street
corridors near the institute using state-of-the-art control equipment
located
in the lab's traffic management center and on the street. This provides
students with hands-on experience in a real-world situation, Jones
said.
"The project and lab are significantly enhanced by a close
working
partnership with the City of Omaha," she said.
Gary Duncan, senior vice president of new product development at
Econolite,
said the work of the Peter Kiewit Institute complements Econolite's
mission
of "providing innovative solutions for the transportation management
systems market."
In business since 1933, Econolite Control Products Inc. manufactures
advanced traffic management equipment and systems, including advanced
traffic
controllers, pre-timed controllers, the trademarked Aries and
"icons"
traffic management systems, Autoscope video vehicle detection systems,
arterial
system masters, vehicle and pedestrian signals, and traffic control
cabinets.
UNL in Partnership with Distributed Learning Initiative
UNL is now a partner with the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning
Collaborative Laboratory of the Department of Defense ADL Initiative. The
partnership agreement was signed by Jim O'Hanlon in his capacity as
associate
vice chancellor for extended education. Roger Bruning of Teachers College
and Art Zygielbaum of Nebraska Educational Telecommunications are the
technical
contacts with the Co-lab, which is located at the University of
Wisconsin.
Edward Meachen, associate vice president, office of learning, and
information
and technology, and Michael Offerman, director of learning innovations
and
dean of continuing education, both with the University of Wisconsin
system,
will visit UNL on Dec. 11. UNL faculty and staff are invited to a seminar
running from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union to hear more about the
initiative,
its intended impact on education, and how UNL can play a significant
role.
The Advanced Distributed Learning initiative is intended to develop,
demonstrate and evaluate the next generation of learning technologies
that
enable web-based learning, also known as "distributed
learning."
The vision of the ADL partners is to provide access to the highest
quality
education and training that can be tailored to individual needs and
delivered
cost effectively, anywhere and anytime.
According to a news release from the University of Wisconsin,
Pennsylvania
State University, the Rochester Institute of Technology, the University
of California-Berkeley, the University of Washington and UNL have agreed
to participate in the effort. They will:
o Support the development and implementation of national technical
standards
for distributed learning;
o Share research and development information focused specifically on
network-based distributed learning; and
o Contribute to efforts that enhance quality, reduce costs and promote
the development of interoperable content and distributed learning
systems.
The U.S. Department of Defense is a major consumer in the education
arena,
spending approximately $14 billion per year on classroom education for
its
3 million active duty and reserve military and civilian personnel around
the world.
"Our initiative will provide a means for learning materials
developed
by brilliant teachers in the military, the corporate environment and the
university classroom to become accessible to all," Meachen said in
the news release. "Our research and development efforts will
transform
education as we know it and will be greatly enhanced by collaboration
with
other leading universities."
According to Judy Brown, emerging technology analyst and director of
the Academic ADL Co-Lab in Madison, Wis.,: "The research and
development
happening here will be a focal point for partnerships with leaders in
business
and industry, government and all levels of education. By coordinating and
focusing the work of our partners on a common goal, we will serve as the
proving ground for the technology to support the lifelong learning needs
of a changing society."
For more information, visit http://www.wiadlcolab.org,
or see http://www.adlnet.org
for details on the ADL initiative.
Water Sciences Laboratory's Quality-Assessed Groundwater Pesticide
Data
Available Online
By Steve Ress, Water Center
A groundwater clearinghouse project at UNL recently released more than
100,000 results of pesticide and nitrate samplings from water wells in
every
Nebraska county.
The quality-assessed results are available online at the Nebraska
Department
of Natural Resources Web site at
<http://nrcnt3.dnr.state.ne.us/clearinghouse/index.asp>.
The database is a result of an ongoing, cooperative project between UNL's
Water Sciences Laboratory and the state Department of Agriculture and
Department
of Environmental Quality to assess groundwater pesticide and nitrate
contamination
statewide.
The clearinghouse database contains nearly 78,000 analyses for 90
pesticides
and breakdown compounds of pesticides in more than 3,000 wells, and more
than 23,000 nitrate analyses in nearly 11,000 wells.
"The database enables legislators, regulators, planners and
natural
resources districts with environmental concerns to very quickly make
assessments
of groundwater quality, resolve controversy and propose solutions,"
said Mary Spalding, UNL School of Natural Resource Sciences hydrochemist
who coordinates the clearinghouse project.
This database contains 25 years of information from a variety of
wells,
including domestic, irrigation, public supply and monitoring wells. About
56 percent of the pesticide data is from domestic wells, while more than
half of the nitrate results are from irrigation wells.
The data has been collected from across Nebraska by agencies such as
NRDs, the Nebraska Health and Human Services System, NDEQ and the U.S.
Geological
Survey.
The database can be searched by county, NRD, well location, well
registration
number and other criteria. Results can be sorted and viewed on-screen,
downloaded
or imported into other applications, such as a spreadsheet or Geographic
Information Systems.
"The project is a result of known, extensive nonpoint source
agricultural
groundwater contamination in several areas of the state," Spalding
said.
"Strict adherence to quality ranking allows data covering a
period
of 25 years and from many different sources to be compared and imparts
confidence
in the use of the data," said Spalding.
"In the past, these data would have been relegated to a desk
drawer
once they served their initial purpose. The clearinghouse provides a
large,
quality-assessed database to interested parties for incorporation into
local
and regional assessments and applications," she said.
Dec. 14 Final Scarlet for 2000
The Dec. 14 edition of the Scarlet is the final edition for 2000. The
Scarlet resumes publishing Jan. 11. Deadline for that edition is noon,
Jan.
4. The Scarlet will not publish Jan. 18 due to Martin Luther King Day and
resumes publishing Jan. 25.
USAID Policy Changes Discussed Dec. 8
Changes in policies and programs are coming from an historically
important
partner and funding source, the U.S. Agency for International
Development.
Felipe Manteiga, the new director of the Office of Agriculture and Food
Security, USAID, will speak on those changes at noon Dec. 8 in the East
Union. The changes at USAID will mean closer working relationships with
land-grant universities and more opportunities for competitive grants.
This
will be a brown bag lunch or you may bring food from the East Union
cafeteria.
Manteiga's address, and a question and answer period, will be followed
at 1 p.m. by an hour-long meeting to chart the future of IANR
International
Programs which is open to faculty, staff, students, and the public. In
order
to provide the appropriate sized room, and in case of last minute changes
in Manteiga's schedule, call 472-2758 to register.
Deadline to Schedule Summer Reading Course Is Dec. 15
The 2001 Summer Reading Course Program, offered through the Division
of Continuing Studies, gives undergraduate students who will not be on
campus
the summer of 2001 the opportunity to still earn up to six hours of
credit.
Offering courses through this program provides faculty who may also be
off-campus,
or busy with research projects, the opportunity to teach a summer course.
This may be a course in which they have a special interest but is not
taught
during the academic year because of overcrowded schedules. Graduate
teaching
assistants who will be on campus again in the fall of 2001 are also
eligible
for a SRC appointment.
Dec. 15 is the deadline to assure your offering is in the program
bulletin.
Applications forms are available from your department chairperson or our
office. Call Deanna Eversoll, director for SRC at 472-9328 if you have
questions.
Sue Rosowski Speaking at Emeriti Meeting Dec. 21
Members of the UNL Emeriti Association are scheduled to meet at 12:30
p.m. Dec. 21 in the East Union (room to be posted). Susan J. Rosowski,
Adele
Hall Distinguished Professor of English, will speak on "The Great
Plains
Regional Center for the Humanities." If the meeting is cancelled due
to inclement weather, there will be announcements on radio stations KFOR
1240 and KLIN 1400 the morning of Dec. 21, or members can call the
University
Operator at 472-7211.
Teleconference Looks at UCITA
The University Libraries and the Nebraska Library Commission will host
a satellite teleconference, "UCITA: A Guide to Understanding and
Action,"
from noon to 3 p.m. Dec. 13 in the Nebraska Educational
Telecommunications
Center, 1800 N. 33rd St.
To register contact Ellen Van Waart, NLC, at 471-4004.
UCITA, the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act, is a
proposed
state law that seeks to create a unified approach to the licensing of
software
and information. Two states - Maryland and Virginia - have passed UCITA,
and it will be under consideration in many other states in the near
future.
UCITA's broad scope and focus on software and information requires that
the research, education, and library communities understand what the
adoption
of UCITA will mean for the mission, operation, and core values of the
higher
education and library communities.
The teleconference is sponsored by the American Association of Law
Libraries;
American Library Association; Association of Research Libraries; Medical
Library Association and the Special Libraries Association.
UNL Looking For Track & Field Officials
UNL's track and field team is supported by an all-volunteer officials'
association who help officiate at all Husker home competitions and have
been called the "midwest's finest officials' group."
They are looking for new members. If you are interested in track,
would
like to see some of the nation's best competitors and think you would
enjoy
being part of the association, contact Mark Colligan at 472-1148.
Knowledge
of the sport is helpful but not necessary; an orientation and training
process
is held.
Holiday Mail Collection/Delivery Schedule
Mail and Distribution Services will be open Dec. 27 and 28.
Mail will be delivered Dec. 28 between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to the
following City and East Campus locations:
Nebraska Hall Mailroom, 201 Andrews, Administration Building Mailroom,
Love Library (1700 Y St.), Nebraska Union Mailroom, CBA Mailroom,
Hamilton
Hall Mailroom, Graduate Studies, Manter Hall Mailbox, Oldfather
Departmental
Offices, 217 Avery, 118 Henzlik, Beadle Center, Westbrook, Behlen Lab
Mailbox,
1700 Y St., 115 Ferguson, Burnett, 202 Ag Hall, Plant Science, Forestry
Science Lab, Vet Diagnostic Center, Law College, 101 Dental College, 135
Varner, Agricultural Communications Building, 105 Home Economics, 254
Chase
Hall, Animal Science, Division of Continuging Studies and Filley Hall
(Food
Industries).
Faculty and staff in buildings with no mail service can pick up mail
at 1820 R St., West Dock, between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. on the dates listed.
A University ID card must be presented. Off-campus mail, excluding
single-piece
mail, will be processed during the holiday closedown by prior arrangement
only. Regular campus mail service will resume Jan. 2.
For more information, contact Connie Rohloff at 472-2533, or Mark
Porter
at 472-7029, by Dec. 18.
Holiday Hours Announced For Campus Facilities
Nebraska Union
- Dec. 18-22, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Dec. 23-Jan. 1, closed
- (24 hour access to computer lab. Valid UNL ID required after
building
is closed)
Love Library
- Dec. 18-22, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Dec. 23-25, closed
- Dec. 26-29, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.*
- Dec. 30, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.*
- Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, closed
- Jan. 2-5, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Jan. 6, closed
- Jan. 7, noon to 5 p.m.
- Jan. 8-14, regular hours resume
- Jan. 15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- The library system's calendar is available at http://iris.unl.edu
- *with minimal staffing
C.Y. Thompson Library
- Dec. 18-22, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Dec. 23-25, closed
- Dec. 26-29, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.*
- Dec. 30-31, Jan. 1, closed
- Jan. 2-5, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m
- Jan. 6-7, closed
- Jan. 8-14, regular hours resume
- Jan. 15, closed
- *with minimal staffing
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery
- Dec. 23, noon to 4 p.m.
- Dec. 24-25, closed
- Dec. 26-31, noon to 4 p.m.
- Jan. 1, closed
Campus Recreation Center
- Dec. 18-22:
- Office, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Child Care, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 7 p.m.
- Climbing Wall, 2 to 7:30 p.m.
- Swimming Pool, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Weight Training & Conditioning Room, 7:45 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
- Super Circuit, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Outdoor Adventures Rental Equipment, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Dec. 23:
- Office, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Child Care, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Climbing Wall, 2 to 4 p.m.
- Swimming Pool, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Weight Training & Conditioning Room, 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
- Super Circuit, 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
- Outdoor Adventures Rental Equipment, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Dec. 24-26, closed
- Dec. 27-30:
- Child Care, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 6 p.m. (W-F); 9 a.m.
to
6 p.m. (Sat)
- Climbing Wall, 2 to 6 p.m.
- Swimming Pool, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Weight Training & Conditioning Room, 9:15 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
- Super Circuit, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Outdoor Adventures Rental Equipment, closed
- Dec. 31, Jan. 1, closed
- Jan. 2-5:
- Office, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Child Care, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 8 p.m.
- Climbing Wall, 2 to 5 p.m.
- Swimming Pool, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Weight Training & Conditioning Room, 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.
- Super Circuit, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Outdoor Adventures Rental Equipment, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Jan. 6:
- Child Care, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Climbing Wall, 2 to 5 p.m.
- Swimming Pool, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Weight Training & Conditioning Room, 9:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
- Super Circuit, 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Outdoor Adventures Rental Equipment, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Jan. 7:
- Child Care, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Climbing Wall, 2 to 9 p.m.
- Swimming Pool, 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.
- Weight Training & Conditioning Room, 11:15 a.m. to 10:45 p.m.
- Super Circuit, 11:15 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Outdoor Adventures Rental Equipment, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
East Campus Activities Building
- Dec. 18-22, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Dec. 23-31, Jan. 1, closed
East Union
- Dec. 18-22, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Dec. 23-Jan. 1, closed
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