Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World articles from May 2005

Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World archives from May 2005

Careful proofreading isn't fail-proof ...
May 1, 2005... David Bainbridge's e-mail address was not correct in the March 2005 Last Word. Our apologies to those who may have tried to contact him. It appears correctly in this issue on page 8 and as follows: dbainbridge@alliant.edu or...

Pasteurizing apple cider with UV light.(Update)
May 1, 2005... Increasing concern about food safety following contamination of unpasteurized apple cider with Escherichia coli 0157:H7 reinforces the need for using the best technologies in apple cider production to reduce risk to consumers. ...

New PBS series to feature agriculture.(Update)
May 1, 2005... Agriculture in the Texas Rio Grande Valley will be featured in the first installment of a new television series that producers say will eventually cover agriculture in all 50 U.S. states. The Public Broadcasting System show, "America's...

Job opportunities in agriculture.(Update)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Employment opportunities for U.S. college graduates with expertise in the food, agricultural, and natural resources system are expected to remain strong during the next five years, according to "Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in...

Image of dairy farming matters.(Update)
May 1, 2005... As development increasingly encroaches on traditionally agricultural areas, a dairy expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences urges farmers to find ways to understand and be considerate of their non-farming neighbors. Some...

Researcher helps control erosion in West Africa.(Update)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... An Iowa State University professor is using erosion control methods to restore the Sahel region and Niger River in West Africa. Andrew Manu, associate professor of soil science at Iowa State, has been working with the people of Niger to...

Poultry feathers made into plastic mulch.(Update)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Scientists who have developed a method to turn chicken feathers into plastic products are continuing to bring the technology closer to the marketplace. Chemist Walter Schmidt has developed the technology to clean feathers and separate them...

ASAE member to lead EPA air emissions study of livestock facilities.(Update)(Environmental Protection Agency)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... An animal agriculture clean air consortium selected ASAE member A1 Heber, professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Purdue University, to lead a national $9 million study to help the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

Agricultural tool recruited to help fight malaria and other diseases.(Update)
May 1, 2005... It can be hard enough guessing a person's age, but can you imagine trying to tell an insect's? In a quest to quash grain-infesting bugs, engineers have developed an instrument that can do just that. And, unexpectedly, the technology is also...

Tree-power future energy source?(Update)
May 1, 2005... A wood-fueled electricity generating plant may be in your future. In fact, the future is now in some Scandinavian countries, says Darwin Foster, Texas Cooperative Extension forestry program leader. "In Sweden, they're already bundling...

Asian exports to increase with new Australian soybean.(Update)
May 1, 2005... A new Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Plant Industry bred soybean variety, "Snowy," is set to enhance the profitability of the Australian soybean industry due to higher yields and better quality soybeans....

Houses of straw: building solid and environmentally conscious foundations.
May 1, 2005... As straw bales become increasingly popular as material for building homes, outbuildings, and commercial and industrial buildings, they also provide interesting new opportunities for agricultural engineers. This "all American" technology was...

The compaction problem: sensors address soil compaction variations.
May 1, 2005... It has long been recognized that soil must be managed properly to sustain productivity. Soil is a complex medium composed of solids (mineral particles and organic matter), liquid (soil water), and gas (air entrained in soil pore spaces). The...

Environmental technology: at Valley View, a breakthrough in waste-to-fertilizer processes.(services of the waste-to-fertilizer plant of Premium Standard Farms Inc.)
May 1, 2005... Though operations won't begin for several months, Premium Standard Farm's (PSF's) new waste-to-fertilizer plant, being built near Green City, Mo., is clearly the start of something big. The product of a five-year effort by PSF and Crystal...

Teaching safety: ramping up bio and ag engineering and technology programs.
May 1, 2005... Agriculture consistently ranks as one of the nation's most hazardous occupations. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 2002 place agriculture, forestry, and fishing (22.7 fatalities per 100,000 workers) second behind mining (23.5 fatalities per...

Iowa State's Ag Engineering celebrates 100 years.(Inside ASAE)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The invention of the large round hay baler and the incorporation of women into agricultural engineering are just part of the 100-year history of Iowa State's Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. The department was founded in...

Vibrant vacation city will host 2005 Annual International Meeting.(Inside ASAE)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
May 1, 2005... Florida's beautiful coastal city of Tampa plays host to ASAE's 2005 Annual International Meeting. Wait. Florida in July? You've got to be kidding! You're not the first person to ask, "What are you thinking? Florida in the summer?" Take a...

Opportunities for promotion of our profession.(A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... ASAE is very fortunate to have a strong preprofessional program. I recently had the pleasant opportunity to attend one of our local preprofessional meetings. These people have bright new ideas, sound judgment, and unlimited enthusiasm. ...

Iowa State to present historical symposium at Tampa Meeting.(A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT)
May 1, 2005... A special symposium, "Agricultural Engineering--Its Creation and 100-year Service to Humanity," will be held at the ASAE Annual International Meeting in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, July 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon. It will commemorate the creation...

ASAE's Term Life Insurance Plan update.(A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Many of you who take advantage of ASAE's group Term Life Plan may have noticed a hefty increase in your latest invoice. MARSH Affinity Group Services, the group who administers the plan on ASAE's behalf, explains that this is because benefits...

International standardization--what it means to you.(STANDARDS)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(American National Standards Institute)(International Organization for Standardization)
May 1, 2005... Have you ever visited a foreign country and realized that things just aren't quite the same as they are back here in the good old U.S. of A.? There are a lot of differences, right? Well, what if you could do something about those differences?...

Automation leading technology in nursery production.(MEMBER PROFILE)
May 1, 2005... Automation technology is quickly becoming a standard in nursery production, says Paul O'Neill, manager of the Grower Product division for Beaver Plastics Ltd. in Alberta, Canada. Containerized nursery production is one example of this...

QCESC honors Quad City Section.(SECTION NEWS)(Quad City Engineering and Science Council)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Quad City Engineering and Science Council (QCESC) honored ASAE and the Quad City Section with the Society of the Year award. The award was given at the 43rd Annual National Engineers Week Banquet held Feb. 25, 2005 at the John Deere...

Hawaii Section tours historic Waiahole Ditch project.(SECTION NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Members of the Hawaii Section toured a unique and historic engineered site in March. In 1905, the O'ahu Sugar Company hired engineer Jorgen Jorgensen to explore the possibility of bringing water from the eastern mountain range and...

Foundation seeking items for Silent Auction.(SECTION NEWS)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Foundation will once again be holding a Silent Auction at the Annual International Meeting in Tampa, Fla. Each year it gets bigger and better. Sections are being asked for items that would represent their areas. Suggestions include...

Promote the profession--and your society.(SECTION NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Whose interest might you attract with your own copy of ASAE's membership poster? Career fairs, scientific meetings and conferences, community events--the possibilities for displaying it are endless. The four-color poster comes complete...

YPC Outing planned for Tampa Meeting.(SECTION NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Don't forget to sign up for the Young Professional Outing on Saturday night, July 16, during the Annual International Meeting in Tampa, Fla. This year, the young professionals will be heading to Ybor City, an historic district in down-town...

Learn about your engineering future.(PREPROFESSIONALS)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Do you feel intimidated by the many specialties that an agricultural and biological engineer can focus on throughout their career? Are you not exactly sure what type of job you would have if you pursue a certain specialty? Or are you just...

J. Alex Thomasson.(MEMBER NEWS)(Appointed J. Alex Thomasson as as a professor)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... J. Alex Thomasson joined the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University as a professor. He will be working principally in engineering aspects of cotton production and processing. Thomasson was formerly an...

ASAE Fellow Allen R. Dedrick.(MEMBER NEWS)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... ASAE Fellow Allen R. Dedrick, Deputy Administrator for Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems on ARS' National Program staff, retired April 1 after more than 45 years of service with the ARS. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Lie Tang.(MEMBER NEWS)(appointed Lie Tang as assistant professor in the advanced machinery engineering)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Lie Tang has joined the agricultural and biosystems engineering faculty at Iowa State University (ISU) as an assistant professor in the advanced machinery engineering focus area. Tang's appointment is split between teaching and research. ...

Miles Keaton, P.E.(MEMBER NEWS)(John Deere Seeding Group)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Miles Keaton, P.E., was recently chosen Junior Engineer of the Year by the Quad City Engineering and Science Council. Keaton is employed as a product program manager at the John Deere Seeding Group in Moline, Ill. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Julian M. Fore.(IN MEMORIAM)(Obituary)
May 1, 2005... Julian M. Fore, 91, professor emeritus at North Carolina State University (NCSU), died March 10, 2005, in Cary, N.C., after a brief illness. Fore graduated in 1935 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and earned a master's degree in...

Events calendar.(Calendar)
May 1, 2005... ASAE Conferences and International Meetings To receive more information about ASAE conferences and meetings, contact the Meetings Department at 800-371-2723 or hq@asae.org. For the complete list, see www.asae.org/resource/asaevents.html....

"... the answer lies in the soil".
May 1, 2005... As a Brit, partially educated in the Colonies (although technically Ilinois never was one), and a 34-year member and former International Director of ASAE, I was at first flattered when asked for a brief update on the state of agricultural...