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May 7, 1999
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NU to Host National Biotechnology Meeting Exploring World Food Security, SustainabilityBy Vicki Miller, IANR news writer Nationally known speakers will discuss implications of agricultural biotechnology and industrial consolidation for world food security and sustainability at a national meeting here in June. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council's 11th annual meeting, titled "World Food Security and Sustainability: The Impacts of Biotechnology and Industrial Consolidation." The meeting is June 6-8 at the Cornhusker Hotel. General registration is $200. A special registration fee of $100 is available for university faculty, staff and students. Speakers and workshops will examine new developments in agricultural biotechnology and trends toward industrial consolidation and vertical coordination. The meeting will feature diverse views about what these factors mean for world food supplies, security and sustainability, said Don Weeks, a UNL biochemist and chair of the university's conference organizing committee. "The commercialization of biotechnology and industrial consolidation are major emerging factors that, individually and collectively, are changing the face of agriculture. There are tremendous implications for farmers, businesses, communities and consumers. This conference offers a unique opportunity for people with diverse backgrounds and opinions to learn about and discuss these important issues," said Darrell Nelson, dean of UNL's Agricultural Research Division and chair-elect of the national council. NABC meetings provide forums for people with different views and perspectives to meet on neutral ground to learn about and discuss complex issues, Weeks said. "It's an unusual opportunity for farmers, ranchers, agribusiness people and consumer groups to discuss these issues face-to-face and try to find common ground." Industrial consolidation and biotechnology are hot topics, Nelson said. "There's currently a big policy debate right now about where the U.S. food supply should come from." Biotechnology is rapidly yielding new products, such as genetically modified crops. These new products create opportunities and concerns including environmental, health, social and international trade issues. "The people who are producing these genetically modified crops are also vertically integrating," Nelson said. "What does all that mean for our food supply? There are a huge number of issues around this." Early registration is strongly encouraged. For more information or to register, call or write NU's Center for Biotechnology at (402)472-2635; P.O. Box 880655, Lincoln, Neb., 68588-0665, or e-mail NABC at NABC@cornell.edu. Keynote speakers and topics June 6: Per Pinstrup Andersen, director general of the World Bank's International Food Policy Research Institute, will discuss challenges to securing and sustaining adequate world food production for the third millennium. Jerry Caulder, president of Xyris Corp., will discuss biotechnology's role in helping to increase and sustain world food production. Cornelia Flora, director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development at Iowa State University and president of the Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, will examine implications for rural areas and lifestyles. Speakers June 7 are: Stan Johnson, Iowa State University vice provost for extension, will provide an economist's perspective on policy and technology factors in industry. James Tobin, co-president of Monsanto Global Seed Co., will offer an agribusiness perspective on business strategies that are evolving to use biotech developments and how they'll support long-term production of adequate, high-quality food for the world. Fred Kirschenmann, Kirschenmann Family Farms Inc., a 3,100-acre organic grain and livestock operation in North Dakota, will provide a farmer's viewpoint about biotechnology on the farm, what kind of future farmers can expect and what kind they should create. Dennis Avery, director of the Hudson Institute Center for Global Food Issues, will discuss why biotechnology may not represent the future of world agriculture. Chuck Hassebrook, director of the Center for Rural Affairs in Walthill, will examine whether we can meet food needs efficiently through family farms and sustainable production. June 8 speakers are: William Heffernan, University of Missouri-Columbia rural sociologist, will outline the societal issues faced in a capitalist society helping to create secure and sustainable world food supplies. John Pierce, director of genetic technology for DuPont, will discuss using biotechnology to sustain, enhance and protect the food supply. Clifford Gabriel, a deputy in the federal Office of Science and Technology Policy, will address the appropriate roles of government and public institutions in building secure and sustainable food supplies and in resolving conflicts arising from new technologies. Paul Raeburn, a senior editor for Business Week magazine, will wrap up the conference by reflecting on discussions and offering insight into what the future might hold. The National Agricultural Biotechnology Council, headquartered at the
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research in Ithaca, N.Y., sponsors the
annual conference. This year's co-sponsor is the Henry A. Wallace
Institute
for Alternative Agriculture. The council is composed of members from 27
major universities, including NU, and nonprofit agricultural
biotechnology
research institutions in Canada and the United States. Donna Reed Biography Hit for Jay FultzBy Dave Fitzgibbon, Office of Public Relations A writer with strong ties to the University of Nebraska will appear on a Mother's Day documentary about the life of television and movie legend Donna Reed. Jay Fultz is a former English and film history instructor at Nebraska and, before retiring last year, spent 14 years as an editor for Bison Books at the University of Nebraska Press. He wrote the biography of an Iowa farm-girl turned movie star: In Search of Donna Reed. The book has led to a string of appearances for Fultz, including an interview on the Lifetime Television program Intimate Portrait: Donna Reed airing at 9 p.m. on Mother's Day, May 9. In her television show, Donna Reed portrayed a young suburban mother and was often seen as a role model to moms, and a surrogate mother to kids growing up in the early 1960s. "She stands for a certain goodness and decency that maybe has gone out of style in entertainment now. But, she's not a goody-goody either; she was quite outspoken and involved in many political causes," Fultz said. "I think that she did mean a lot to people growing up then." Reed is also known for her role as a young mother in It's a Wonderful Life and ironically, for her Academy Award winning performance as a prostitute in From Here to Eternity. "I had a long standing love affair with her going back to adolescence in the early '50s. I grew up, got a life, but continued to admire her. After her death a friend persuaded me I should write about her," said Fultz, now a freelance writer and editor living in Parsons, Kan. "She means a great deal to American popular culture, and she's very well remembered." Health Center Summer HoursThe University Health Center's summer hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays and holidays. The Health Center is closed on Fridays. Faculty and staff are eligible to utilize Health Center services this summer, including Pharmacy, Dental, Optometry, Laboratory, Physical Therapy, International Travel Immunization, Radiology and Health Education services. All NU students are eligible for University Health Center summer services also. Students taking summer classes as well as students who were enrolled in Spring semester 1999 or who are registered students for Fall semester 1999 may benefit. Call 472-5000 for more information. UNL Libraries Need Summer AddressesIf you are planning to be away from your primary address this summer, please come to one of the UNL Libraries or e-mail richardg@unllib.unl.edu and let us know where your library-related mail should be sent. If this is not a possibility, please make arrangements for someone to check your mail (paper/electronic) and to have access to any library materials you have checked out. This is important for two reasons: 1) books may need to be renewed in your absence and 2) books may be recalled for use by another patron. If items are not returned by the recall due date, fines are levied. All library users, including staff and faculty, are liable for this type of fine. Additionally, non-return of recalled items impedes research for those who requested them. Your cooperation is appreciated. Work-Study Student Pay Method ChangesBeginning with the 1999 summer appointments, work-study students must be paid on a different position number pool than temporary student hourly. Student employees receiving a work-study award must be placed on a new student position number pool. Each hiring department needs to contact their Budget Office: UNL Budget (472-2064) or IANR Budget (472-1455) and request a new position number. In addition, the new title code of 195500 (work-study student) should be used to designate all work-study student employee appointments. These changes will facilitate the conversion of work-study appointments to the SAP human resource data base. For more information, contact Pat Amadeo at 472-0255 or via e-mail <pamedeo@unlnotes.unl.edu>. Silver Dollar City Tickets Sold at CRECCampus Recreation sells Silver Dollar City tickets. The prices are as follows: Adult 1-day pass, $26; child 1-day pass (ages 4-11), $16; adult season pass, $42; child season pass (ages 4-11), $32. Campus Recreation Summer HoursCampus Recreation Summer office hours begin May 17. The Campus Recreation Center maintenance shutdown is the week of May 9-15. Summer office hours are as follows: The Campus Recreation Center will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; closed Saturday and Sundays. The East Campus Activities Building will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Maintenance shutdown is the week of May 17. For more information call Campus Recreation at 472-3467 or ECAB at 472-2479. Apple Computer Sales Information UpdatedAs Computer Sales' licensing contract with Apple expired on March 31, here is information on alternate means of buying Apple software licenses. Besides buying Apple software from the Computer Sales/Shop, departments may buy volume quantities directly from Apple. To purchase 25 or more units of a software: Visit the Apple Higher Education web page at http://www.apple.com /education/hed/index.html and run a search on the word: EVLA. The resulting page lists links to EVLA pages. Read all summaries. One should relate to "Software Price List. Education..." Follow its link to retrieve current EVLA pricing and contact information. To purchase less than 25 units of a software: Visit the Apple web store at http://www.apple.com/educatio n/store. Click on the Higher Education Institution option (not the tempting Higher Education Purchase Administration option). "Find Your School" and finally click on Software to get a list of software at academic prices, including some 10 to 50 user license packages. For more information, contact Computer Sales - Site License Specialist, Room 126 501 Building 0200; phone 472-9960; Fax: 472-8486. Family Violence Subject of National Symposium May 26, 27The 1999 National Symposium by the Family Research and Policy Initiative, Family Violence: Research and Policy Issues, will take place May 26 and 27 at the Nebraska Union. Family Violence: Research and Policy Issues is a national symposium concerned with factors related to family violence. Interdisciplinary research perspectives and current policy issues will be the focus of plenary presentations and discussions with symposium participants. The symposium is organized into sessions which focus on family violence and assessment of intervention strategies (Jacquelyn Campbell and Amy Holtzworth-Munroe); research on societal dimentions of family violence (Richard Gelles and Alissa P. Worden) and the role of the courts and criminal justice in challenging family violence (Susan Keilitz and David A. Ford). Participants include Brian Wilcox, Helen Moore and Susan Jacobs from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Keynote speakers at 9 a.m. May 26 include Jacquelyn Campbell, Ph.D., Anna D. Wolf Professor of Nursing,, The Johns Hopkins University and Amy Holtzworth-Munroe, Ph.D., department of Psychology, University of Indiana, Bloomington. Campbell will be speaking on "What We Know and Don't Know About Intimate Partner Violence and Reproductive Health," and Holtzworth-Munroe will speak on "A Male Batterer Typology." At 1:45 p.m. speakers will be Richard Gelles, Ph.D., Joanne T. and Raymond B. Welsh Chair of Child Welfare and Family Violence, University of Pennsylvania, and Alissa Pollitz Worden, Ph.D., School of Criminal Justice, University of Albany, SUNY. Gelles will speak on "Intimate Violence: Current Issues in Research, Practice and Policy," and Worden will speak on "The Promises and Limits of Community Coordination." At 9 a.m. May 27, Susan Keilitz, J.D., National Center for State Courts, will speak on "Bringing the Authority of the Courts to Bear on Family Violence: Issues, Challenges and Progress." David Ford, professor and chair of Sociology, Indiana University-Purdue University, will speakn on "Coercing Victim Participation in the Prosecution of Domestic Violence: Protecting the Victim or the System?" The symposium is sponsored by the Family Research and Policy Initiative, a consortium of researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln concerned with the contemporary well-being of families. Co-sponsors of the symposium include the College of Arts and Sciences Family Research and Policy Initiative; department of Sociology; Center for Children, Family, and the Law; department of, Psychology and department of Criminal Justice, UNO. For more information contact the Family Research and Policy Initiative, Center for Children, Families and the Law, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, 121 S. 13th Street, Lincoln, NE 68588-0227. Phone: 402/472-3479; Fax: 402/472-8412 or E-mail childdev@unlinfo.unl.edu.< /P> Plummer Reception May 11A farewell reception for Gwen Plummer will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. May 11 in the Nebraska Union. Plummer is assistant manager/trade book manager of the University Bookstore. Worlds/Oceans of Fun Tickets Sold at CRECCampus Recreation sells Worlds and Oceans of Fun tickets at either office, 55 Campus Recreation Center or 32 East Campus Activities Building. Costs are as follows: Worlds of Fun (single day), $20.50; Oceans of Fun (single day), $14; Super Pass, $35.50 (2 parks for one person or 2 people for one park). Children 3 or younger are admitted to both parks free. Those age 4 and older and under 48 inches tall may purchase a junior ticket for $6.95 (single day). Tickets may be returned for a refund within two weeks of the purchase date with receipt. For more information call 472-3467 or 472-2479. Take a Parent to Lunch This SummerWant a free lunch? New Student Enrollment invites all faculty and staff to participate in the Take A Parent To Lunch program. NU employees host the parents of incoming students participating in New Student Enrollment activities. NSE occurs between June 8 and Aug. 5. Hosts will receive a complimentary lunch at either the Selleck Dining Room or the Nebraska East Union, depending on the colleges whose students are being hosted that particular day. Parents of students enrolling in Human Resources and Family Sciences or Agriculture and Natural Resources will meet on East Campus and hosts will join them in the Nebraska East Union cafeteria. All other students and parents will be hosted at Selleck Dining Room. You can choose which campus you would like to visit. For more information, contact Kristi Kettelhut at 472-1705 by May 10. Summer Hours May 10-Aug. 20Summer office hours begin on May 10 (Monday after commencement) and continue through Aug. 20 (the Friday before fall classes begin).During summer office hours, regular business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The 4:30 p.m. closing may be extended to 5 p.m. with the approval of the vice chancellor who oversees the unit wishing to remain open longer. McEntarffer Retirement Reception June 9A retirement reception will be held for Jerry McEntarffer from 3 to 4:30 p.m. June 9 in Room 28 of Nebraska Hall. McEntarffer has served Printing and Copy Services for 35 years as plant operations superintendent. Aerospace Days May 14-15 Feature Astronaut CockrellAn appearance by astronaut Ken Cockrell will highlight activities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the first Aerospace Days, May 14-15. Activities will take place in Mueller Planetarium and the University of Nebraska State Museum in Morrill Hall, the department of physics and astronomy's Student Observatory at the Stadium Parking Garage and Hyde Observatory in Holmes Park. On May 14, Cockrell, a veteran of three space shuttle missions, will greet visitors in the State Museum from 2 to 4 p.m. and Al Muller, who designed Stealth technology for Northrup-Grumman Corp., will give a talk, "B-2 For Professionals," at 2:30 p.m. in the Morrill Hall auditorium. Students from the NU department of physics and astronomy will present demonstrations of physics concepts in the planetarium lobby during the afternoon and in the evening, physics and astronomy's Student Observatory on top of the Stadium Parking Garage will be open to the public from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Admission is free. Activities will resume May 15 with Astronomy Day 1999 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the lobby of Mueller Planetarium. There will be displays of telescopes, computer astronomy and astrophotos by members of the Prairie Astronomy Club. Throughout the day there will be special demonstrations of telescope mirror-making and UNL physics and astronomy students will present physics demonstrations. NASA educator Pam Christol will present a seminar for teachers and educators from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Morrill Hall auditorium. At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., she will have presentations for the general public on aspects of space flight. At 3 p.m., space enthusiast and member of the National Space Society Tom Long will present a program, "Mars or Bust," in the auditorium. All these events are free. Mueller Planetarium will present a planetarium show, "Worlds In Motion," at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Admission is charged for this 30-minute program. In the evening, Hyde Observatory will be open its regular Saturday hours of sundown till 11 p.m. for more viewing (weather permitting). Knowledge Best Defense Against TermitesSooner or later, wood-consuming termites could invade your home and eat their way into your wallet through expensive treatments and repairs. Five University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension workshops in May could be among the best and least expensive educational weapons for homeowners because participants learn how to prevent and eliminate these pests and keep from being ripped-off in the process. The three-hour workshops are presented by NU Extension Educators Barb Ogg and Dennis Ferraro and NU Pesticide Education Specialist Clyde Ogg. "Workshop participants will learn how to identify termites and their damage, and how to make good decisions about treatments and choosing a pest control company," said Barb Ogg. Each workshop is presented from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Workshop dates, locations and contact people are:
Cost is $15 per person. Preregistration is encouraged by calling the number listed for each site. Participants will receive reference materials at the workshops. Severe Weather Season Upon Us Tornado Warning Policy Revised, ClarifiedTornado warning procedures have been revised effective April 26, 1999. Note the new information contained in bullet point 7. Please read and keep a copy close at hand during the severe weather season. If you have questions about the policy, contact Bruce Bernt, Telecommunications Center, 472-2131. In the event of a tornado warning at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln: 1. A tornado warning means a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar. 2. Listen for one of four signals
3. Move quickly to the tornado shelters listed on orange posters in university buildings. 4. Do not use elevators. 5. Stay away from windows. 6. If a tornado strikes, help avoid telephone overloads. Do not use telephones (including cell phones) except for emergency. 7. Remain in the tornado shelter until the warning has expired. Fire alarms bells/tones will not be used as an "all clear." Notification that severe weather has passed will occur in one of these ways:
The entire policy can be found at http://www.unl.edu/unlpub/t
ornado.html. |
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