Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World articles from April 2003

Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World archives from April 2003

Does water flow become unstable in all soils? (Update).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A phenomenon occurring in soil that has baffled scientists for the past 20 years finally has some answers thanks to a water movement model created by researchers at the University of California-Riverside. The researchers used observations...

Wood fiber-cement research may yield better shingles. (Update).
April 1, 2003... In the Eastern United States, where most shingles are made of asphalt and people give little thought to the advantages of shingles made of cement, the significance of Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences researcher Paul Blankenhorn's...

University of Nebraska Tractor Test Lab gets new test car. (Update).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... After nearly 65 years, the University of Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory's silver test car will take its last jaunt around the university's East Campus test track this year. The car will retire this fall when the lab starts using its new...

Clothing from corn. (Update).(Sorona fiber developed from corn glucose)
April 1, 2003... Clothing from cornfields? DuPont scientists have recently developed an innovative bio-based method that uses corn--instead of conventional petroleum-based processes--to produce the latest polymer platform for use in clothing, carpets, and...

Plants could warn of of biological and chemical weapons. (Update).
April 1, 2003... Colorado State University biologists have been awarded a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant to examine the possibility of genetically engineering plants to rapidly lose their green color in response to biological or...

Electrical stimulation of chicken carcass makes meat more tender. (Update).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A new processing wrinkle developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists may allow older, egg-producing layer hens to be processed like broiler birds. Usually, mature birds are processed for lower-value items such as feed, pressed...

Using sewage sludge as fertilizer. (Update).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Sewage sludge has the potential to boost production for certain crops while addressing the increase in the amount of waste and the growing scarcity of landfills, according to scientists at the University of Florida. Using organic waste as...

No more bananas? (Update).(International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain research banana disease)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... One of the world's most popular fruits, the banana, is under severe threat from virulent pests and diseases. This seedless fruit might be extinct within 10 years without scientific help, according to new studies. Emile Frison, the head of...

Cuphea plant could be alternative crop. (Update).
April 1, 2003... Researchers are hoping the cuphea plant--which produces oil that could be used for products ranging from toothpaste to body lotion--proves to be a lucrative alternative crop that will boost the farm economy. "The nice thing about this...

Air emission measurements at livestock houses: a hide-and-seek challenge to find the numbers.
April 1, 2003... Public concerns about ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and odor emitted by animal feeding operations, of which buildings play a major role, have caught the attention of state and federal governments in...

E-diesel evaluated; Part two: "will it reduce exhaust pollution?" and other fuming questions.(ethanol-diesel)
April 1, 2003... With diesel engines, particulate and [NO.sub.x] emissions are the primary regulated emissions of concern. Engine adjustments to reduce one pollutant typically lead to increases in the other pollutant. Studies carried out by National...

The "nitrogen problem": what we can--and cannot--do.
April 1, 2003... Newspaper headlines and editorials in the New York Times as well as the Des Moines Register repeatedly bring public attention to the problems of nonpoint source agricultural pollution. In the Corn Belt, nitrogen (N) losses from crop land are...

Quality management systems for agriculture. (A Case Study).
April 1, 2003... Consumers are becoming more involved in food marketing systems, demanding levels of safety assurance, purity, and even production or environmental practices. With biotechnology offering an expanding array of agronomically and/or functionally...

ASAE's Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
April 1, 2003... ASAE's Annual International Meeting always provides many opportunities for tithe attendee. This year's Annual International Meeting in Las Vegas is no different. It explores engineering challenges and technology of the present and the future...

Revision versus reaffirmation. (Standards).(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
April 1, 2003... Every winter many ASAE standards committees are asked to reaffirm the ASAE documents for which they are responsible. Invariably, the Standards Department gets questions from members regarding the process, and this year was no different. ...

Miller joins standards department. (Standards).(of American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Carla Miller has joined the ASAE standards department as standards administrator. Miller was formerly employed for 15 years by the Cook Nuclear Plant, Bridgman, Mich. where she was a reactor operator, operations procedure writer, engineering...

Cooperative standards program. (Standards).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Proposed New Projects Withdrawal X278.6 Attachment of Implements to Agricultural Wheel Tractors Equipped with Quick-Attaching Coupler, and replace (adopt) ISO 11001-1, Agricultural Wheeled and Tractors Implements--Three-point Couplers....

CAST and ASAE--how can we help each other?
April 1, 2003... What is CAST? The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) was established in 1972 as a nonprofit organization. CAST'S primary objective is to assemble, interpret, and then communicate science-based information regionally,...

Silent auction items needed.(for American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Mark your calendars and get ready for the fifth annual ASAE Foundation Silent Auction to be held at this year's annual meeting July 27-30 in Las Vegas, Nev. Do you have any interesting items you would like to donate to this exciting event?...

Recruit a Member and become eligible to attend the 2004 Annual Meeting for free.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... How would you like to attend the 2004 joint ASAE and CSAE-SCGR Annual International Meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, Aug. 1-4, 2004 for free? We'll even throw in three nights lodging. Or how about a free one-year membership? Participate in ASAE's...

1/4-Scale Tractor Design Competition: Ireland's University College Dublin enters for first time.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Start your engines... the 6th Annual 1/4-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition is set for May 29-June 1, 2003 in East Moline, Ill. The Competition will again be held at the Quad City Downs with a field of more than 30 teams expected to...

Poster competition offers professional benefits. (Preprofessionals).
April 1, 2003... As a student member of ASAE, you have numerous opportunities for professional development right at your fingertips. One such opportunity lies within student competitions, many of which will take place at the 2003 ASAE Annual International...

Reminder: no Resource magazine for preprofessional/student members during the summer. (Preprofessionals).
April 1, 2003... While preprofessional/student members receive a subscription to Resource magazine, it is an academic year subscription only. You will not receive hard copies of the May through August issues, but you may read the full text of them online at...

ASAE and the USDA collaborate on information delivery.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Through an agreement between the National Agricultural Library (NAL) and ASAE, all USDA employees now have access to the complete collection in the ASAE online Technical Library. This new NAL pilot initiative, called DigiTop, provides all USDA...

In memoriam.(Russell R. Poynor)(Cecil H. Robinson)(Obituary)
April 1, 2003... ASAE Fellow, Russell R. Poynor, P.E., 89, of Geneva, Ill., died Jan. 10, 2003. Poynor obtained bachelor degrees in agricultural and civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He also earned a master's degree in civil engineering from...

The Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department. (Member News).
April 1, 2003... Wendy D. Graham, a hydrologist, has been appointed chair of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department in the University of Florida's (UF) Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Graham is the first woman to chair an...

Engineering standards at Deere & Company. (Member News).
April 1, 2003... Robert W. Noth, manager of engineering standards at Deere & Company, has recently been appointed vice chairman of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). His responsibilities include chairmanship of the ANSI International Policy...

The Year for the Agricultural Research Service. (Member News).
April 1, 2003... Floyd E. Dowell was recently named 2002 Senior Research Scientist of the Year for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Northern Plains Area. Dowell, based at ARS's Grain Marketing and Production Research Center in Manhattan, Kan., has led...

The Rural Builders Hall of Fame. (Member News).
April 1, 2003... Jay D. Harmon, P.E., was recently inducted into the Rural Builders Hall of Fame. He is an associate professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University. In 1995, Harmon started an annual educational conference--the...

The University of Sao Paulo. (Member News).(receives Robert J. Gustafson and Ohio State and Rutgers University students)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... During a recent trip to campuses of the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in Brazil with Ohio State and Rutgers University students, ASAE President Elect Robert J. Gustafson, P.E., was able to meet with seven of our 48 ASAE members on three...

Events calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2003... ASAE Conferences and International Meetings To receive more information about ASAE conferences and meetings, contact ASAE at 800-371-2723 or mcknight@asae.org. For the complete list, see www.asae.org/resource/asaevents.html. 2003 ...

Bio-security studies: educational challenges for engineering. (Last Word).
April 1, 2003... Bio-security and a more popular term, terrorism, will likely be with us long into the future. Whatever the label, concerns are the same. Biological and agricultural engineering programs are in an excellent position to take an international...