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

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

Events calendar.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
August 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.asac.org/resource/asaevents.html. 2003 ...

Research turns melons into square meals.(Update)
August 1, 2003... Anyone who has ever tried to stack watermelons has probably thought to himself, "Wouldn't it be great if these things were square?" It's an idea that has caught on in Japan, where small, square melons cost triple the price of traditional...

Device to gauge erodibility of soil can aid watershed planners.(Update)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Watershed managers and structural engineers may benefit greatly from a soil-erodibility testing device developed by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The Jet Test Apparatus, developed by ASAE member and hydraulic engineer Gregory J....

Using frequency waves to measure moisture in soil.(Update)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A more accurate method to measure the water content in soil is now available, thanks to a study conducted by researchers from National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan. Researchers have developed a numerical model for simulating the...

Harvesting with robotics.(Update)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Florida researchers are in the process of developing robotic harvesting techniques that can potentially offset declines in labor supply. For the past year, the Florida Department of Citrus has been looking for ways to incorporate automatic...

Mock village to measure runoff effects.(Update)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... With funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is building a mock residential housing development on rolling farm land in Coshocton, Ohio, to find out what happens to streams and lakes...

Berkeley, Calif. goes biodiesel.(Update)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The city of Berkeley, Calif., has transitioned to 100 percent biodiesel (B100) in its diesel vehicles. Berkeley is the first city of its size in the United States to switch to pure biodiesel, a fuel made from renewable resources like fat or...

Wireless networking system to deliver precision agriculture data.(Update)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Using aerial photographs taken from airplanes, farmers nationwide who have adopted precision agriculture techniques can get detailed overviews of their croplands to see which plants look healthy and which don't. Agricultural Research...

Seed dormancy may hold the key to fighting weeds.(Update)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Weeds flourish in agricultural, urban, and natural settings because they have certain characteristics, such as seed dormancy, that provide for their persistence. Dormant weed seeds in the soil avoid exposure to control practices that target...

Movement brings computer images to life.(Update)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A new computer graphics method that uses movement to show the shape and structure of static objects has been developed by researchers at the University of California Davis Center for Image Processing and Integrated Computing. The method...

Shrink-proof sheep.(wool shrinkage is an inherited trait that can be manipulated through breeding)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Shrinkage of woolen garments could soon be reduced following the discovery that wool shrinkage (felting) is an heritable trait that can be manipulated through selective sheep breeding. Felting causes significant problems in the manufacture...

Fresh vegetable harvesting: practices change to meet California's fresh-cut and food safety needs.
August 1, 2003... In the past few years there have been a number of changes in harvesting practices used in the fresh vegetable industry in California and Arizona. Several factors have led to these changes: an increased emphasis on food safety, the growth of the...

Student-centered learning activities.(description of several techniques in engineering education)
August 1, 2003... Engineering education shares with all of higher education the overarching purposes of helping students 1) gain important knowledge and skills, 2) become informed and responsible citizens and members of society, and 3) prepare for lifelong...

Many challenges still remain.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers president's year in review)
August 1, 2003... This past year has presented several challenges to ASAE--challenges that may remain before us for several years to come. I list them here not because they required substantial time and energy from our members and staff, but because they are...

Investments for now and the future.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
August 1, 2003... Growth of the Society. We have been discussing and working toward this goal and it is beginning to show. In 2002 we had the highest number of new members in recent history and the highest number of preprofessional members in 20 years! We also...

ASAE 2002 Financial Report.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers )
August 1, 2003... The 2002 audited report of ASAE finances has been distributed to members of die Hoard of Trustees the Trustees-Elect, the Finance Committee, and the Council Chairs. The CPA firm of McMurray, Marks, and Edmunds of St. Joseph, Mich.,...

Membership development.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
August 1, 2003... Society Numbers Continued to Grow ASAE continued its upward growth trend in 2002 with a net gain of 87 members over 2001. At the conclusion of 2002 total membership was 9,010. We posted our highest numbers in recent history for both regular...

Meetings and conferences.(The Society for Engineering in Agricultural, Food, and Biological Systems)
August 1, 2003... Personnel changes and new marketing strategies challenge the meetings department in 2002. Barbara Sowden filled the director post in October. With the help of staff and the Meetings Council, Barbara continues the move towards more electronic...

Publications.(The Society for Engineering in Agricultural, Food, and Biological Systems)(Bibliography)
August 1, 2003... Resource Magazine The second edition of Explore, featuring careers in agricultural systems, was published in the February 2003 issue of Resource magazine. More than 9,000 copies of the issue have been purchased by departments for student...

Standards & technical services.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
August 1, 2003... The ASAE Cooperative Standards Program (CSP) continues to evolve. The past year has seen many member driven improvement initiatives and significant outreach to key agricultural companies and organizations. While challenges lie ahead, the...

The ASAE Foundation.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
August 1, 2003... The role of the ASAE Foundation is to support ASAE. This support process involves fund raising and the distribution of funds to the Society for purposes that are consistent with the goals and objectives of the funds and of ASAE. The generous...

The honor roll of ASAE Foundation contributors.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
August 1, 2003... Member contributions are the base upon which the ASAE Foundation endowment is being built. ASAE and its Foundation gratefully recognize the generous support given at the following levels: Gold Key I ($20,000 or more) James H....

2003 ASAE awards.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
August 1, 2003... CYRUS HALL MCCORMICK--JEROME INCREASE CASE GOLD MEDAL Bill A. Stout JOHN DEERE GOLD MEDAL Alvin C. Bailey MASSEY-FERGUSON EDUCATIONAL MEDAL Glenn J. Hoffman G.B. GUNLOGSON COUNTRYSIDE ENGINEERING AWARD Joseph P....

Preprofessional awards.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... 2002 PREPROFESSIONAL UNDERGRADUATE POSTER SESSION COMPETITION Mindi Huguet Lance Black Neil Tilyou Jeremy Theriot Louisiana State University 2002 AGCO NATIONAL STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION Erik E. Arbut ...

Resource magazine's 2003 AE50 awards.(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
August 1, 2003... AGCO Corporation FENDT[TM] VARIO[R] Camera AGCO Corporation FENDT[TM] Variotronic Implement Agratechnik Hohenheim Mobile Cabinet Dryer Armstrong Energy, LLC Armstrong Solar Powered Water Pumping System Auto...

Water-in-oil-water double emulsions: targeted drug delivery under investigation.
August 1, 2003... Research underway in Tulane University's Chemical Engineering Department merges the fields of biological and chemical engineering in the study of double-emulsion systems. A water-in-oil-in-water ([W.sub.1]/O/[W.sub.2]) double emulsion is...

Tracking chick locomotion: determining cage size.
August 1, 2003... Approximately 98 percent of the commercial egg production in the United States today comes from caged layers. Despite the large percentage of caged layers, there is an on going tug-of-war between poultry producers and public opinion on the...

Members respond to proposal to change ASAE's name.(Reader Forum)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... Continued Viability Name Change: ASAE's Future was the name of the article by Fred Wheaton and Lalit Verma in the June 2003 issue of Resource. I support this change to "The Society for Biological and Agricultural Engineering," SBAE. ...

Multiplication vs. division.(ideas about the growth of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
August 1, 2003... ASAE needs to multiply and grow. Growth can spread our fixed costs over a larger membership base, thus holding down dues. More members can accomplish more, attracting more public attention and giving us more legislative clout. Growth is good....

Peer reviewed.(Last Word)
August 1, 2003... Are there any two more important words in describing Transactions of the ASAE, Applied Engineering in Agriculture, and the Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health? "Peer reviewed" is what places these journals on a higher plane than...