Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World articles from March 2006

Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World archives from March 2006

Events calendar.
March 1, 2006... ASABE Conferences and International Meetings To receive more information about ASABE conferences and meetings, contact the Meetings Department at 800-371-2723 or hq@asabe.org. For the complete list, see...

Engineers help turn science into interactive exhibits.(Update)
March 1, 2006... As part of a new National Science Foundation-funded network, University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering faculty, staff, and students will work with some of the nation's top science museums to create hands-on exhibits about technology so small...

Corn-based plastic cards in your future?(Update)
March 1, 2006... Arthur Blank & Co. recently introduced CornCard USA[TM], a corn-based plastic card that uses corn, an annually renewable and domestically grown resource, as an alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastic cards. CornCard USA[TM] is...

Life and agriculture synonymous.(Update)
March 1, 2006... Life: it goes hand in hand with agriculture. Yet many turn a blind eye and a deaf ear toward the word "agriculture." Today's educators, however, say agriculture is not cliche. In fact, there aren't enough college agriculture graduates to fill...

A better way to scrub milking hardware.(Update)
March 1, 2006... Researchers at Penn State have devised a way to clean and disinfect milking equipment using little more than salt water. The new method could be a safer and cheaper alternative to conventional cleaning systems. "Concentrated chemicals used...

Pollution-busting plants clean up contaminated land.(Update)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Scientists at the University of York in the United Kingdom have played a crucial role in developing a way of using plants to clean up land contaminated by explosives. The research, led by Neil Bruce in the Centre for Novel Agricultural...

New film created from milk is edible, water resistant.(Update)
March 1, 2006... Several products commonly found in grocery store dairy aisles could soon be coated in an edible and water-resistant milk protein, thanks to a new process developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists that makes possible the...

Rain gardens soak up urban storm water pollution.(Update)
March 1, 2006... Properly designed rain gardens can effectively trap and retain up to 99 percent of common pollutants in urban storm runoff, potentially improving water quality and promoting the conversion of some pollutants into less harmful compounds,...

Going against the grain: a new take on harvesting.(Update)
March 1, 2006... A wheat-harvesting system that could save farmers money has been developed by ASABE member and agricultural engineer Mark Siemens, an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist. Today's farmers use a wheat-harvesting combine that cuts,...

Gone with the wind: energy technology with no fuel cost or pollution.
March 1, 2006... In the early part of the 20th century, wind turbines were used in the United States for water pumping and electricity generation on remote farms. These old-fashioned turbines gradually faded into obscurity after rural electrification spread...

Center-pivot automation: using crop canopy temperature to eliminate irrigation guesswork.(irrigation engineering)
March 1, 2006... Center pivots revolutionized irrigation, not only because they improved water-use efficiency, but because they reduced labor and management needs. Irrigation scientists have done an outstanding job of developing accurate methods of determining...

Tackling one $melly problem: microbial manure lagoon treatment system overcomes odors and expense.(agricultural services)
March 1, 2006... Many farmers with concentrated animal feeding operations have odorous, expensive problems. Farmers tend to have more manure than available land can handle to meet nutrient requirements and, thus, incur hauling costs. Manure lagoons are often...

Plant factories blossom: production in Japan steadily flowers.(Light emitting diodes)
March 1, 2006... The concept of a plant factory, which produces crops under a controlled and optimized environment, has been pursued since the 1970s. Potential advantages of such a facility are high productivity, year-round continuous production, pesticide-free...

UC-Blackwelder Tomato Harvester dedicated as Historic Landmark.(Inside ASABE)
March 1, 2006... The UC-Blackwelder Tomato Harvester was dedicated as the 45th ASABE Historical Landmark on Oct. 7, 2005 at the Joe A. Heidrick, Sr. Western Center for Agricultural Equipment at the University of California, Davis. "This landmark is...

The changing face of rural America.(technology)
March 1, 2006... He died last year in his 80s. The outside world would take little note for he had not achieved the fame or notoriety that merits front page nationwide coverage. Yet, I would offer that Mr. A. E. "Tinker" Glen represented a category of...

Finding OZ: the second of four articles on coordinating the Annual Meeting.(Inside ASABE)
March 1, 2006... ASABE's Meetings Department staff conducts an exhaustive search and review of various cities and locations for OZ, ASABE's Annual International Meeting (AIM). The search begins by comparing travel accessibility by air and car. Reviewed are...

NABEC 2005 highlights.(COMMUNITY AND SECTION NEWS)(Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference)
March 1, 2006... The 16th annual Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC 2005) was held Aug. 7-10 at the Virdon Center on the University of Delaware campus in Lewes, Del. Ninety-five registrants and guests were in attendance....

Minnesota Section.(COMMUNITY AND SECTION NEWS)(Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center's tours)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Approximately 24 members and guests of the Minnesota Section toured the Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center (PEEC) in Minneapolis in December. PEEC is a model green building that has brought 140 jobs to an inner-city brownfield site. This...

Texas Section meets in Grapevine.(conferences)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Jerry Walker, Vice Chair of Programs and Plans, welcomed participants to the 41st Annual Meeting of the Texas Section at the Grapevine Convention Center, in Grapevine, Texas, Oct. 12-13. Activities included a golf tournament, wine tour and...

Alpha Epsilon 2005 initiates.(Inside ASABE)
March 1, 2006... Congratulations to the following ASABE members who are 2005 initiates to Alpha Epsilon, the honor society for outstanding biological and agricultural engineers. Iowa State University Pi Chapter Brian Peters Stacy Grove ...

Why become licensed?(YOUNG PROFESSIONALS COMMUNITY)
March 1, 2006... As members of the Young Professionals Community, we are in the introductory stages of our careers during which we establish ourselves as professionals in the field of agricultural engineering. We work to gain experience, find new opportunities,...

2005 member-get-a-member recruiters.(Inside ASABE)
March 1, 2006... The following ASABE members successfully recruited new members in 2005. We greatly appreciate their efforts. Why not recruit a new member today! You will receive a $20 ASABE gift certificate when you recommend someone who joins ASABE and...

Renew today! Membership benefits will end April 1.(American Society of Argricultural and Biological Engineering)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... April 1 is the end of the line for members who have not renewed their dues for 2005. That's it. We pull the plug. No more access to online benefits such as the ASABE Technical Library and Technical Expertise Database searches. No more Resource...

Tees joins headquarters standards department.(Inside ASABE)
March 1, 2006... Ted Tees, a lifelong resident of southwest Michigan, recently joined ASABE headquarters in the newly created position as Manager of International Standards. Tees will be responsible for carrying out functions pertaining to the United States...

Undergraduate Poster Competition ups the ante.(PREPROFESSIONALS)
March 1, 2006... March typically means three things to college students: the countdown to March Madness, spring break, and course-work. Well, believe it or not, ASABE can help with two of these. Although, it cannot help your school's team make it to the big...

Two new ASABE student branches formed.(American Society of Argricultural and Biological Engineering)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... We are pleased to announce the creation of two new ASABE student branches: an engineering branch at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and a mechanization branch at the University of Arkansas. The branches were approved by the Membership...

Preprofessional Council holds retreat at headquarters.(PREPROFESSIONALS)
March 1, 2006... The International Preprofessional Council recently held their officer's winter retreat in St. Joseph, Mich., and had the opportunity to visit ASABE headquarters. ASABE staff planned a chili cook-off to coincide with the council visit. For...

Member news.(American Society of Argricultural and Biological Engineering)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Prasanta K. Kalita, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Illinois, recently won a National Teaching Award in the USDA and National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges Food and...

Member news.(Inside ASABE)
March 1, 2006... Rosana G. Moreira, an associate professor in biological and agricultural engineering at Texas A&M, has been named a Faculty Fellow by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. The honor includes a $4,000 cash award and recognizes...

In memoriam.(obituary)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Robert E. Skinner, 83, of Athens, Ga., died Dec. 18, 2005. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1943 and earned a master's degree in 1947 from Iowa State University. He served in World War II and was part of the occupation force in...

In memoriam.(obituary)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Paul A. Crawford Jr., 81, of Athens, Ga., died Jan. 19, 2005. Crawford was a graduate of the University of Georgia where he received a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering in 1944 and a master's degree in 1955, also in agricultural...

In memoriam.(Inside ASABE)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... George B. Duke, 93, of Americus, Ga., died July 11, 2005. Duke was a graduate of the University of Georgia. He taught agricultural engineering at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Ga., for two years, designed and field tested farm...

In memoriam.(obituary)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Kenneth A. Jordan, 75, died Nov. 29, 2005. He joined the University of Arizona (UA) in 1986 as a full professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and retired in 2001. Jordan provided students an in-depth experience in...

Welcome new members.(Inside ASABE)
March 1, 2006... ASABE welcomes the following new members who joined the Society, reinstated a lapsed membership, or upgraded to full membership from student/preprofessional membership from October through January. When available, the member's place of...

A new role for ASABE? The green and green engineering society?(Last Word)
March 1, 2006... Once upon a time, phrases such as green plants, green paint, village green, green with envy, green lumber, and green quarterback represented the typical meanings and uses of the word green. However, terms such as green buildings, living green,...