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

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

Events calendar.(Calendar)
March 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 ...

Wetlands clean selenium from runoff. (Update).
March 1, 2003... Researchers from the University of California (UC) have found a natural detox program for selenium-contaminated farm runoff in the form of wetland vegetation and microbes. Results from a two-year study by UC Berkeley researchers show that...

Improved soybean oil-based lubricant. (Update).(2002 Innovative Uses of Soybean Contest)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... ASAE member and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate student Sandun Fernando received top honors in the 2002 Innovative Uses of Soybean Contest. Fernando of Sri Lanka is a biological systems engineering doctoral student. He won the...

Longer dairy product shelf life possible. (Update).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Research, done by Texas A&M University graduate student Alexander Lin, may improve many dairy industry consumer products. Lin's research involved finding the mechanism of how additives including gums and phosphate salts, and homogenization...

Vapor spurs sprouting. (Update).(water vapor aids germination)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A new finding by Agricultural Research Service soil scientist Stewart Wuest has stunned many plant scientists. Until recently, it was generally believed that seeds must be in direct contact with soil to obtain liquid water needed for...

Farmland falling to development. (Update).(American Farmland Trust report)
March 1, 2003... Eighty-six percent of America's fruits and vegetables and 63 percent of dairy products are grown on farmland that is increasingly at risk from sprawling development, according to a recent study by American Farmland Trust. Farming on the...

Profitable to the last drop: new process captures valuable components from corn fiber.
March 1, 2003... Increasing high-value yield from crops is an ongoing challenge for farmers, agricultural processors, and the bioproducts industry. This is particularly true for corn produced in the United States at the rate of 320 million [m.sup.3] (9.2...

E-diesel explained; part one: hardly the new fuel on the block.(ethanol diesel blended fuel)
March 1, 2003... E-diesel is the name given to blends of ethanol and diesel fuel in which up to 15 percent ethanol is used to displace petroleum diesel in an unmodified engine. After biodiesel, E-diesel is arguably the fastest growing renewable alternative fuel...

Baffled by wetland hydrology? Discern the defining factors and weigh the evidence.
March 1, 2003... With the passage of the Food Security Act in 1985, the issue of wetlands became a hot or, perhaps more aptly, slippery topic for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, formerly the Soil Conservation Service), other agencies, and...

Total Maximum Daily Loads: part two; why are they necessary? How will they impact you?
March 1, 2003... Over the past 20 years, substantial reductions have been achieved in the discharge of pollutants into the air, lakes, rivers, wetlands, estuaries, coastal waters, and ground water. These successes have been achieved primarily by controlling...

Fountain Wars preprofessional competition to make debut at annual meeting in Las Vegas. (Inside ASAE).
March 1, 2003... Design competitions are an important tool for developing skills that will serve ASAE preprofessionals throughout their careers. Students learn the design process, teamwork skills, time management capabilities, how to create effective design...

More then glamour and glitz! Las Vegas 2003. (ASAE Annual International Meeting).
March 1, 2003... Come to the upcoming ASAF Annual International Meeting July 27-30, 2003 at the Riviera Hotel Casino and Convention Center and discover a side of town that the Rat Pack never knew existed. Las Vegas is a man-made oasis engaged in a constant...

Keynote speaker selected for annual international meeting. (Inside ASAE).(Todd Stewart)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Todd Stewart, retired U.S. Air Force Major General, will address ASAE on the pressing issues affecting the agricultural and bio-technical industry relating to bio-terrorism, sabotage, and homeland security. Stewart was appointed to the...

ESH desires to become a Division within ASAE. (Inside ASAE).(Ergonomics, Safety, and Health)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... We are sure all of you know what ASAE is, but let us tell you about ESH. ESH stands for Ergonomics, Safety, and Health. This group is currently known as the T-15 Committee. Our committee would like to become a Division within ASAE. We would...

The second hundred years. (A Word from the President).(future of agriculture and related industries)
March 1, 2003... "The future ain't what it used to be," I claimed Yogi Berra. I don't know the context in which the New York Yankees catcher made this famous remark, but I'm sure we can all relate to the feelings he expressed. Things we took for granted and...

New North American ISOBUS group formed. (Standards).
March 1, 2003... Anew Controller Area Network (CAN) group has been formed called the North American ISOBUS Implementation Task Force (NAIITF). NAIITF is open to everyone interested in developing and promoting ISO 11783 standardized implementation within...

New completed standards. (Cooperative Standards Program).(agricultural equipment standards )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... ANSI/ASAE S547 DEC02 Tip-Over Protective Structure (TOPS) for Front Wheel Drive Turf and Landscape Equipment. ASAE S580 JAN03 Testing and Reporting Performance of Solar Cookers. Revisions ANSI/ASAB S279.12 DEC02 Lighting and...

ASAE presents position on accreditation of biologically-based engineering curricula. (Inside ASAE).(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A new position statement that reaffirms ASAE's historical role as a leader in biologically based engineering practice and education has been recently adopted by ASAE. ASAE member Mary Leigh Wolfe, an associate professor at Virginia...

2003 Blue Ribbon Educational Aids awards. (Inside ASAE).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Entries Due April 22 Blue Ribbon Educational Aids are presented each year by ASAE in recognition of outstanding effort and achievement in the development of noteworthy educational aids. The competition encourages agricultural and...

Financing the dream. (Preprofessionals).(scholarships)
March 1, 2003... Many young adults enter college with the dream of obtaining a higher education. This goal doesn't come without a price tag. The cost of a degree is increasing at most colleges across the nation, and many students find it hard to keep up with...

Preprofessional Council holds winter retreat. (Preprofessionals).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The International Preprofessional Council recently held their officer winter retreat in St. Joseph, Mich. and had the opportunity to visit ASAE headquarters and visit with staff members. "It was a great experience for our team, and we made...

Change to the ASAE Bylaws. (Inside ASAE).(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
March 1, 2003... The ASAE P-412 Professional Ethics Committee recommended removing in their entirety, the "Suggested Guidelines for Use with the Fundamental Canons of Ethics" from Par. 1 of Article B14 (Professional Practice) in the ASAE Bylaws. The Committee...

NABEC 2002. (ASAE Communities).(American Society of Agricultural Engineers conference)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Quebec City, Canada with all its beauty and history welcomed NABEC 2002. Cristina Ratti and her Laval University local arrangement team ensured that program activities were on time and well organized. The three-day conference, held June...

Society numbers continue to grow despite dues increase. (Inside ASAE).(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... ASAE continues its upward growth trend with a net gain of 87 members over 2001. As of December 31, 2002, total membership was 9,010. This number is especially significant because retention rates were down in 2002 primarily due to our first dues...

Gary L. Miller wins member-get-a-member recruitment campaign prize drawing. (Inside ASAE).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Congratulations to Gary L. Miller, USDA-NRCS, Clarion, Pa. for winning free 2003 Annual International Meeting registration and a three-night hotel stay in Las Vegas. Miller's name was drawn from a bowl containing the names of all ASAE members...

Renew now! Membership benefits will end April 1. (Inside ASAE).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... April 1st is the end of the line for members who have not renewed their dues for 2003. That's it. We pull the plug. No more access to online benefits such as the ASAE Technical Library and Technical Expertise Database searches. No more Resource...

International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR). (Member News).(Axel Munack named president)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Axel Munack was recently named President of the International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR) effective Jan. 1, 2003. He is the first German in the office of CIGR President since the society was founded in 1930. Munack is director...

Max-Eyth-Memorial Medal. (Member News).(Bill A. Stout awarded)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... ASAE Fellow Bill A. Stout, P.E., was recently awarded the Max-Eyth-Memorial Medal on Ribbon in Germany. The honor was given by the VDI-MEG, the Agricultural Engineering Branch of the German Association of Engineers. The honor was awarded...

American Society of Safety Engineers. (Member News).(Terry L. Wilkinson, Director of Member/Region Affairs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Terry L. Wilkinson has been named Director of Member/Region Affairs of the American Society of Safety Engineers. Wilkinson, a certified safety professional, was formerly employed by the National Safety Council. He also served as an...

Department of Food Science and Technology. (Member News).(Bala Balasubramaniam joins faculty)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Bala Balasubramaniam has joined the faculty of the Department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University as assistant professor of food safety engineering. Balasubramaniam is developing a food safety and technology research...

In memoriam.(Andrew Hustrulid, Lynndon A. Brooks)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
March 1, 2003... ASAE Fellow, Andrew (Andy) Hustrulid, 97, a former University of Minnesota biosystems and agricultural engineering faculty member, died Jan. 9, 2003 in Spokane, Wash. Hustrulid was an agricultural engineering professor at the University...

Combating reduced rigor and grade inflation: an action plan for higher standards in higher education. (Last Word).
March 1, 2003... Articles documenting reduced rigor and grade inflation at colleges across the country appear frequently in the media. My colleagues in higher education, including those teaching in the areas of engineering and engineering technology, are...