Jan Harris relaxes as Heidi Brandt, LMT, massages her neck during the Health and Safety Fair Tuesday on the Greenspace near the Nebraska Union.

Child Lab That Launched Lincoln Leaders Turns 70

You May Recognize These 'Graduates' of Revolutionary Ruth Staples Lab

By Peg Strain, Public Relations

The Ruth Staples Child Development Laboratory at NU will celebrate its 70th anniversary with an open house from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 17 at 35th and Fair streets on East Campus.

One of the earliest university laboratory schools in the nation, the Staples laboratory's alumni include a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and some of Lincoln's best-known citizens.

Alumni include James V. Risser, who won two Pulitzer Prizes at the Des Moines Register and the child of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Clayton Yeutter. Other students were James Stuart Jr., whose family roots in Lincoln date to the early 1900s, and the daughters of former Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Krivosha.

Indeed, the list of those who attended the school reads like a "Who's Who" of Lincoln. Barbara, Howard, Marsha and Naomi Misle of the car dealership family attended the school as did John Lawlor of the longtime Lincoln store, Lawlor's Sporting Goods. Linda and Steven Schwartzkopf, children of former NU athlete and regent Edward Schwartzkopf attended, as did the daughter of C.K. and Mary Hillegass of Cliffs Notes.

Risser, who now teaches at Stanford University, attended the school from about 1941 to 1943. "I somewhat remember Dr. Staples as being very kind with children. I remember there was a terrific covered, sort of circular slide that slid from the second floor of the building. But that's about it. I was three," he quipped.

More than 3,500 children have attended programs at the laboratory, which was one of those that first underscored the importance of early childhood education. Begun in the Agricultural Engineering Building as an experimental program in 1925, it evolved when there was rapidly developing scientific interest in early childhood health and nutrition. The laboratory was the first of its kind built west of the Mississippi River and the experimental phase ended in 1928 when the lab was moved to its own free-standing two-story frame house near the present site of the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education.

The present state-of-the-art lab, built in 1970, houses both preschool and child care programs for children ages 2 through 6. That year it was dedicated as the Ruth Staples Child Development Laboratory. Staples was instrumental in establishing the child development program curriculum and was lab director from 1930 until her retirement in 1956. The laboratory provides students the opportunity to work with children of university staff and students. Day care is provided from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"Everyone is a teacher and everyone is a learner because everyone is an integral part of the program," said Julia Torquati, laboratory director. "We learn a great deal about children from parents. We consider parents to be the first, best and most important information source about children."

The open house will feature activities including puppeteers, storytelling and tours of the facility.

Agricultural Biotechnology Focus of November Conference

By Vicki Miller, IANR science writer

Several nationally known speakers will offer varied perspectives on agricultural biotechnology during a November conference exploring developments, issues and implications in this rapidly changing field.

The conference, "Biotechnology in Agriculture: The Bottom Line," will be Nov. 19-20 at the Clifford Hardin Nebraska Center for Continuing Education on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus. Conference speakers will cover what's happening in agricultural biotechnology and discuss production, economic, environmental, social and scientific issues.

The $80 conference registration is due by Nov. 10. To register or for more information, call the university's Center for Biotechnology at (402)472-2635.

Several agricultural organizations and the University of Nebraska are collaborating on the conference because producers and others need information to better understand agricultural biotechnology.

The conference offers producers and consumers an opportunity to get up to speed on this fast-changing and complex field, said Rod Gangwish, a Shelton, farmer and chair of the conference organizing committee.

"For producers, the bottom line is 'what's going on in biotechnology and how does it affect me and my operation?' We'll cover topics producers need and want to know about," Gangwish said.

"Biotechnology is affecting you today whether you know it or not," he said. "It will affect you tomorrow at an increasing rate. If you don't know what's happening, you're driving down the road with your eyes closed."

The conference is designed for "anyone in the pipeline from production agriculture to the finished product" and others who are interested in how biotechnology affects agriculture, said Anne Vidaver, director of the university's Center for Biotechnology and a conference organizer. The goal is to provide diverse perspectives and information about ag biotechnology developments and issues in presentations geared to a general audience.

The evening of Nov. 19, keynote speaker Ron Phillips, a University of Minnesota agronomist, will discuss "Public Sector Biotechnology: Its Role and Importance." Phillips, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is former chief scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Research Initiative competitive grants program and was instrumental in the National Plant Genome Initiative. His was among the early research programs in modern agricultural plant biotechnology.

At noon Nov. 20, keynote speaker Paul Raeburn, senior editor for Business Week magazine, will explore "Biotech-nology, Business and the Agricultural Landscape." Raeburn is a former Associated Press science editor, a regular guest on National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation: Science Friday" and author of "The Last Harvest: The Genetic Gamble that Threatens to Destroy Agriculture."

Other topics and speakers include:

• "Processing and Distribution of Biotechnology Products," Cliff Baile, animal scientist, University of Georgia.
• "Markets, Labeling and International Trade: A Commercial Perspective," Molly Cline, director of Food Industry Relations, Monsanto Corp.
• "Biotechnology: Issues for Speciality Farmers, Consumers and Rural Communities," Kathleen Merrigan, policy analyst with the H.A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture.
• "Economic Impacts from Biotechnology for Agriculture: Who Gains, Who Loses," Robert Evenson, economist, Yale University.
• "The Animal Pipeline: What to Expect," Dan Laster, director, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center at Clay Center.
• "Preserving Our Future: The Need for and the Promise of Biotechnology," Steve Baenziger, NU wheat breeder.
• "White Hat Microbes: Modifying Rumen Microbes," Mark Morrison, NU animal science microbiologist.
• "Black Hat Microbes: E. coli 0157:H7," Andrew Benson, NU food science molecular biologist.

Biotechnology is a relatively young and rapidly evolving field that sparks many questions and uncertainties, Vidaver said. She expects speakers will discuss many of those questions.

"There are very real, practical questions still to be answered and some won't be answered until people try these products or grow them in their fields," she said. "Biotechnology is not a panacea. It will solve some problems and may create new ones."

Conference co-sponsors are: Agricultural Builders of Nebraska, the Nebraska AgRelations Council, Nebraska Farm Bureau, Nebraska Beef Council, Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Soybean Board, and NU's Center for Biotechnology, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Department of Agricultural Economics.

Costa Rican Institute Leaders to Visit Oct. 29

A Costa Rican ecological institute with Nebraska roots will be the subject of a gathering featuring two of the institute's current leaders from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Great Hall of the Wick Alumni Center.

Rector Jose Zaglul and Vice Rector James French of the EARTH Institute in Costa Rica will be on hand to discuss such issues as environmental education, the development of learning communities, leadership development and community/university partnerships.

Suzanne Ortega, associate dean of graduate studies and a recent visitor to the EARTH institute, said the private, non-profit international university is devoted to promoting sustainable development in the humid tropics.

Ortega said the institute was founded about 10 years ago with the help of several NU faculty members who assisted in developing its curriculum. She said the institute is committed to "the formation of vanguard professionals who combine ethical and human values, social and environmental consciousness, and an entrepreneurial mentality" in developing future sustainable communities.

The visit by Zaglul and French, a former Nebraskan, is sponsored by International Affairs, the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Kellogg Leadership Initiative, and the Nebraska Network 21.

Of Pixels and Predators

Bond, Kamil Report on Research in Nature

By Robert Sheldon, Public Relations

Moths that are the prey of blue jays may not appreciate the fact, but without the bird's insatiable appetite for their kind, at least some of their close relations might become extinct.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln behavioral biologists Alan B. Bond and Alan Kamil report in a recent issue of the international science magazine, Nature, that blue jays' ability to detect their prey is important to population equilibrium among different types of the same moth species, and to polymorphism, which is the continued existence of the same moth in different forms.

Bond and Kamil said in their article, "Apostatic Selection by Blue Jays Produces Balanced Polymor-phism in Virtual Prey," that they conducted a series of experiments aimed at displaying the effects of predation on a "virtual population" of moths displayed as images on computer screens.

In nature, blue jays commonly prey on cryptic moths, insects with muted colors and complex patterns that camouflage them on tree bark. In the experiments, the jays were real, but their prey was digital, produced by generating random modifications of photographs of closely related moth types.

The digitized images were - at least to human eyes - disparate in appearance. When presented to the birds via a computer monitor, the digitized moths were rendered difficult to detect by presenting them on complex, randomized backgrounds with similar pixel intensities and pattern irregularities. (A pixel is any of the small discrete elements that together constitute an image). When the jays correctly pecked at a "moth," they were rewarded with a worm.

The researchers conducted a series of experiments involving a virtual population of these digital moths. In this cybernetic ecosystem, moths were exposed to predation by displaying them one at a time on computer screens. Those that the jays detected were considered "killed." Those that survived each day's encounter with the birds were allowed to "breed," bringing the population back up to its original numbers for the following day. In each experiment, the researchers varied the initial proportions of different moth types, but did not otherwise manipulate the system. The resulting dynamics were, therefore, a realistic reflection of how predators may interact with prey populations.

Bond and Kamil started with a population consisting of equal numbers of three moth types, one of which had markings more cryptic than the others' and was therefore more difficult to detect. After 50 generation days, the most cryptic type had increased to about 75 percent of the population, while the other two moths dropped to around 12 percent apiece. In two subsequent replications, the number of individuals of one of the less cryptic moth types started out at 75 percent of the population, with the other two making up the remainder. Each time, the most cryptic moth rapidly returned to 75 percent of the population.

The researchers determined that the stabilization effect came about because the birds were much more accurate at detecting common moth types, while they tended to overlook rare ones. The result was overselection of moths with high abundances, allowing those of lesser numbers to increase and thereby become targets themselves.

Bond and Kamil concluded from their experiments that changes in prey detection in and of itself can produce stability and also maintain prey polymorphism - the continued existence of the same species of moth in different forms.

The advantage for the predator in concentrating on the most abundant moth type is that it temporarily improves its ability to detect that moth, maximizing its short-term success. When the population reaches equilibrium, however, each moth type runs an equal risk of detection. Thus, the long-term consequence is to generate a distribution of prey populations that yields a significantly reduced rate of return.

The introduction of novel prey items led to the researchers finding that some prey might face extinction as the result of the predators' inability to detect them.

In their first experiment involving novel prey, Bond and Kamil introduced prey items that were dissimilar to the original population. In one case, this produced a delayed response to detection: the new prey was overlooked for a number of generations and increased until it comprised a substantial portion of the population. When the novel prey finally drew the birds' attention, however, the jays came to concentrate on it and drove its numbers down to the levels of the two less cryptic types in earlier experiments.

However, the researchers found that this was not always the outcome of introducing novel prey. A highly cryptic new moth type found few blue jays able to detect it even after 30 generations. This novel moth increased to dominate the population and was maintained at maximum levels throughout the experiment. In the real world, the researchers noted, "this situation would have driven the other moths to extinction."

Those with World Wide Web access can see if they're better at detecting moths than Bond and Kamil's blue jays at http://www.abcnews.com/sec tions/science.

The article in Nature is the second this year in which Kamil is listed as a co-author. Last November, he and Juli Jones, a graduate student, published an article about their experiments with Clark's nutcrackers in which they found that the bird used geometry and spatial memory to search for buried seeds.

Chancellor Moeser Issues Statement on Hate Crime

Editor's Note: The following is a statement issued by University of Nebraska Chancellor James Moeser regarding hate crime and tolerance:

The nation has been shocked by the terrible torture and murder of a gay student at the University of Wyoming, apparently because of his sexual orientation. All Americans should rise to condemn such acts and the hate that lies behind them.

On our own campus, we too have seen incidents reflecting intolerance and hate, and this is a time to reaffirm our commitment to a community that values the dignity of all people, regardless of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran's status, national or ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

We recognize the need to help educate others during National Gay and Lesbian History Month. Perhaps activities such as the Gay and Lesbian film festival beginning Oct. 22 at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater can help in the education process. The premiere of "The Brandon Teena Story"­ a documentary about a Nebraska woman who was murdered because of her sexual orientation­shows us that intolerance, lack of respect, and raw hatred is a fatal problem in our own state.

This is a time for all of us who are committed to these values to speak up. Respect can, indeed, be stronger than hate, but only if people who refuse to hate come forward to express their commitment to higher values.

­ Chancellor James Moeser, University of Nebraska

Cost Estimates Released for Unfunded Campus Imperatives

Editor's note: Below is a letter to the campus community from Rick Edwards, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, which offers an early look at unfunded needs on the UNL campus:

The following is a very early, preliminary look at funding that will likely be required during the next biennium for unfunded campus needs. Please understand that the estimates are of varying accuracy and subject to substantial change in response to factors that are currently unknown. No final decisions on these matters will be made for several months. We want to work to reduce these costs as much as possible, and seek your help in devising creative ways to do so.

Three additional factors could affect our budget situation. Enrollment declines could produce tuition shortfalls sizeable enough to cause a system-wide budget cut; no decision has been made, so we include no listing below. Second, the growing agricultural crisis in the state may reduce state revenues and impact our budget. Third, all estimates are likely to be invalid if the proposed constitutional revenues lid passes.

The items below are not one-time costs but rather would require continuing (permanent) funds. They present different levels of flexibility. Items 1, 2, and 4 are on-going bills that we expect to come due and must be paid, although the amount due may change as better information becomes available. Item 3 includes both some elements without choice (where the costs are externally set) and some items for which there is greater campus discretion as to timing and amount. Items 5 and 6 are matters of campus choice. Several of the items have some flexibility in terms of when they are phased in.

We present these estimates for campus scrutiny and comment. Chancellor Moeser has committed that the maximum tax on college and administrative-unit budgets (absent the factors listed in the second paragraph above) will be one percent per year during the next biennium, and we all intend to work to reduce the rate below that maximum if it is possible to do so. Particularly for those items for which the campus retains some choice, we invite your comments and suggestions, and creative solutions.