By Karol Bredenkamp, Engineering & Technology
The debate over global climate warming may take a new turn with the recent findings of UNL researchers.
Istvan Bogardi and Istvan Matyasovszky have predicted, using preliminary results, that global climate changes may have gradual positive effects on the ability to use renewable resources such as wind and solar power as energy sources.
Until now, the unpredictability of weather made harnessing wind and solar energy for worldwide use seem impossible because weather varies from day to day. Bogardi, a civil engineering professor in the College of Engineering and Technology, said that "amid global warming concerns, the implications for wind and solar energy look now quite reassuring." Research on wind energy at seven test sites in Nebraska has shown that April is the windiest month in Nebraska while August is the least windy. Under global climate change conditions, wind and solar energy potentials may be more uniform throughout the year. Unvarying renewable energy resources would be an ideal alternative to energy sources such as fossil fuels that are believed to cause global warming.
Predicting the effect global climate change may have on wind and solar radiation is important in determining the efficiency of natural energy resources under the changes. Bogardi and Matyasovszky, a visiting professor in civil engineering and climatologist with the University of Science in Budapest, have developed a computer model that simulates statistical characteristics of wind and solar radiation under global climate change conditions. They enter data collected at test sites into the computer and use a methodology, which they also developed, to evaluate renewable energy potentials under global climate change conditions on both the local and national levels.
Bogardi and Matyasovszky will continue to evaluate wind and solar
energy potentials. Bogardi foresees the use of renewable resources as a
more efficient replacement for current forms of energy production. Their
research is funded by the National Science Foundation, the Great Plains
Regional Center of Global and Environmental Change and the United States
Information Agency.
By Amy Cyphers, News & Information
A new purchasing program at UNL will streamline paperwork and boost accounting efficiency while making it more convenient for departments to buy supplies, an official said.
Bill Bode, materiel services administrator, said the University of Nebraska Purchasing Card may be used to buy approved goods and services under $500. Under the existing system, departments paid for "small-dollar" items such as hardware supplies, professional subscriptions and books with a check-with-order or purchase order form.
The NU Purchasing Card, issued by First Chicago/Mastercard, will make a limited debut this fall as part of a six-month pilot program. About 40 cards have been issued on behalf of UNL to individuals in several departments, including all research and extension centers. Bode said he hopes to expand the program to 1,000 additional employees within a year -- halfway to the goal of 2,000 employee cardholders by fall 1997.
Bode said the corporate purchasing card has advantages over the current check-with-order system. Besides being quicker and easier to use, the purchasing card program consolidates UNL transactions into a weekly computerized invoice, which he said is a significant step to reduce "paper strangulation" on campus.
In the last fiscal year, UNL racked up more than 70,000 purchasing transactions, of which 75 percent were less than $500. That means 53,000 separate checks were approved, written and sent to vendors for authorized purchases. When the new system is up and running at full speed, Bode said he expects 30,000 of those transactions to be consolidated into 52 payments over the course of a year.
Here's how it works. Once a week, issuing bank First Chicago consolidates all charges by authorized departmental representatives and sends a computerized invoice to UNL. An online or electronically accessible transaction recap is sent to each department, where itemized charges are reviewed and reconciled with departmental records. After all departments have examined and approved this "audit trail," accounting processes a single payment to First Chicago. The whole procedure is done via computer, moving UNL a step closer to a "paperless environment," Bode said.
The program fits well with NU President L. Dennis Smith's recent intiative to streamline administrative processes for greater efficiency, Bode said.
"I'm really excited about the corporate purchasing card," he said. "I think this demonstrates to the entire business community and other folks that we're already on the way to re-engineering administrative processes in using technology to improve quality, productivity and efficiency."
Vendors also will benefit from the charge card, he said. They won't have to send an invoice to the university and wait for payment.
Although an improvement for all parties involved, the new program won't be flawless -- at least for a while, Bode said.
"It will be a real challenge at first. We are asking people to do
business with and for the university in a way they have never done
business before," he said. "We know there are going to be some 'hiccups'
but we will be 'de-bugging' the process in the pilot program."
A Husker football tackle, volleyball spiker or basketball forward needs mega-helpings of nutrition to keep fit.
The new Omega egg developed through UNL research provides protein and more to diners at the athletic department's Training Table.
Recent research elsewhere shows that eating just one Omega egg a day increases the amount of HDL, or good, cholesterol in a person's blood, said Sheila Scheideler, the UNL poultry scientist who developed the eggs.
Omega eggs contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, Scheideler said. In addition to increasing a person's ratio of good to bad cholesterol, these fatty acids are known to reduce the occurrence of blood clots, which in turn decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease, the IANR researcher said.
When David Ellis, performance nutrition coordinator for UNL's athletic department, talked to Scheideler about her Omega eggs, he decided to add them to Training Table fare. More than 450 UNL student athletes eat lunch and dinner at the Training Table daily during the school term and about 50 eat breakfast there.
"The Training Table is a haven for athletes who are healthy eaters," Ellis said. The Training Table will spend money for fresh fruits and vegetables out of season, skinless chicken, lean red meat and other foods that often aren't available from the university's food service.
The nutritional objectives of student athletes are vastly different than what the student population is willing to pay for, or what the food service can economically provide, Ellis said.
Time is also a factor with athletes, he said. Athletes often train late into the evening, beyond food service hours. The Training Table can extend its hours to be available to athletes.
Ellis thinks Omega eggs are a valuable addition to the Training Table.
"Our athletes have asked for egg products and we try to serve them the most healthful products we can," Ellis said. "We really keep track of the latest developments in food technology, and I think it's great when we can get the eggs that include the omega complex."
Scheideler began selling Omega eggs to the Training Table in September. She had to rustle up 100 more hens to produce the 50 to 60 dozen eggs monthly that the Training Table needs.
Scheideler produces the Omega eggs by feeding hens housed at UNL's Poultry Research Facility a diet containing 15 percent flax seed. Flax seed contains more omega-3 fatty acids than any non-marine source. The most common source of omega-3 is fish oil, she said.
"Eskimos have an extremely low incidence of cardiovascular disease and their diet is high in fish oils," Scheideler said.
Fish oils are scarce in these parts, but fields of flax cover the North Dakota plains. And the seed makes great chicken feed, Scheideler found.
Flax seed is good for hens because it helps vary their diet and they lay more eggs, she said. But just how good are Omega eggs for people?
UNL Nutrition Scientist Nancy Lewis is completing a dietary study to determine the effect eating Omega eggs and regular eggs has on people with high cholesterol levels.
Final results aren't in yet, but Lewis learned one thing: people in the study liked the Omega eggs so much they wanted to know where they could buy them.
The UNL Dairy Store in the Food Industry Complex on East Campus sells Omega eggs for 80 cents a dozen, Scheideler said.
Scheideler is working with a private company to commercialize Omega eggs and add them to processed egg products.
Scheideler's research was conducted in cooperation with IANR's
Agricultural Research Division with funding form the North Dakota Oil
Seed Council and the U.S. Flax Institute.
By Jana McGuire, News and Information
While past QIAC recognition has focused on administrative issues, quality intiatives have now formally entered a new arena, the classroom.
A team of faculty members at the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources is bringing a new approach to teaching. As part of a larger project to implement Total Quality Management principles in IANR, the professors are approaching their students as clients when it comes to writing, said Dennis Brink, professor of animal science.
"Students often don't perform to our expectation on writing assignments," said Brink, which prompted the five-person team to change strategies. The group realized the problem may be with the process, not the students, he said.
"Students often said, 'We don't understand, you didn't tell me what you wanted'," said Elizabeth Banset, assistant professor of agricultural leadership education and communication. "In some instances students were either spending too much time on assignments or not enough.
"We wanted to improve confidence in their ability to do that kind of work and make it easier for instructors," Banset said.
Recent requirement changes resulting in the implementation of 300- to 400-level communication-intensive courses in IANR provided an opportunity to redesign the writing assignment process, Brink said.
The group of faculty members met a handful of times to familiarize themselves with the tools of TQM, then ventured out on their own to craft a new approach.
"We developed a survey instrument asking for student feedback on assignment delivery," Banset said.
Based on feedback, assignment delivery was refined. A second survey was conducted with the following assignment and again, refinements were made.
"They gave very thoughtful feedback and were willing to give it frequently," said Brink, who noticed an immediate improvement in student papers. "We thought they'd get tired of this but when it's improving their learning, they're willing to give feedback."
Each member of the team now operates independently, giving the survey as each sees fit.
But Brink believes the more feedback the better.
"We want to say we care about students but we've not done a very good job of finding out what they think," he said.
Brink believes treating students as customers by encouraging constant feedback opens up lines of communcation and helps " build a trust between teachers and students."
"Students take ownership in the class and can tell you things about how they learn. You break down barriers," he said.
Banset admits some professors aren't comfortable with viewing students
as customers or clients, but said "they are our audience and we need to
understand them a little better."
Anyone interested in the IANR writing project should contact Brink at
2-6446 or Banset at 2-7864.
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