Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World articles from November 2004

Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World archives from November 2004

Plants may not save us from greenhouse gases.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... McGill research shows that increased carbon dioxide levels decrease algae growth. According to researchers at McGill University, the ability of plants to counteract the greenhouse effect has been overestimated. The researcher's findings,...

European haydryer being evaluated.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... An ironic twist of technology has Penn State farm operations manager Glen Cauffman feeling like a bit player in the hit movie "Back to The Future." The College of Agricultural Sciences is evaluating a new European spin on a 50-year-old...

Wastewater could power city.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Converting raw wastewater into a valuable energy source is foreseeable in the future. The energy stored in Toronto, Canada's municipal wastewater could be harnessed to run water treatment facilities and contribute power to the city grid,...

Cotton irrigation strategies studied.(Update)
November 1, 2004... Is there a better way to water cotton using subsurface drip irrigation? Research under way at the Helms Research Farm near Halfway, Texas, has found that concentrating subsurface irrigation on smaller areas can increase cotton yields,...

Using electromagnetic induction to trace soil nitrogen.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Nitrogen, a chemical nutrient needed by many growing crops, can accidentally end up in surface or subsurface water. Now an Agricultural Research Service scientist is using electromagnetic induction (EI) to measure changes in the soil's...

Iowa State lab targets link between livestock diet and air emissions.(Update)
November 1, 2004... The first residents of a new laboratory at Iowa State University arrived in September. And while the pigs get used to their new digs, they're also getting used to a new, low-protein diet. ASAE member Wendy Powers, associate professor of...

Agricultural damage assessed in Florida.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... In response to the four hurricanes that pummeled Florida in six weeks, the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has established a Hurricane Recovery Task Force to assess damage in the state's $64 billion...

Poultry manure boosts yields, protects water.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Research at Iowa State University (ISU) shows the manure generated by an increasing number of Iowa poultry operations is an effective, environmentally friendly fertilizer. A six-year study was initiated to determine the impact of poultry...

Bacteria take on late blight, sprouting, and dry rot in potatoes.(Update)
November 1, 2004... Spraying potatoes with harmless bacteria that delay sprouting and suppress dry rots may also shield the tubers from late blight disease, according to Agricultural Research Service scientists. Patricia Slininger, David Schisler, and...

Continuous TCC process: producing oil from livestock manure.(Thermochemical conversion)
November 1, 2004... Thermochemical conversion (TCC) is a chemical reforming process of organic compounds and water in a heated enclosure to produce oil and gas. Similar to the crude oil that Mother Nature formed from deceased animals (organic compounds) buried...

A soil bioengineering success: Elm Creek stream bank stabilization.(related article: Soil bioengineering is ...)
November 1, 2004... Elm Creek meanders through the farmland of Martin County, Minnesota. County commissioners were concerned about a 120-m (400-ft) reach of stream bank erosion which had encroached within 12 m (40 ft) of a township road. The commissioners...

Modern technology in the study of ventilation.
November 1, 2004... Ventilation is important in maintaining a suitable environment for animals and plants in agricultural buildings. In the last few decades, agricultural buildings have become ever larger to accommodate high productivity and automation....

Harvest thieves: the "gap" and other outcomes from combine performance audits.
November 1, 2004... Grain damage robs yield! This was an unexpected result from extensive combine performance "audits" in Iowa carried out over four seasons on a number of combines in corn, oats, and soybeans. Field yield preharvest, machine yield, grain damage,...

UW-Madison celebrates centennial of Farm Engineering Department.(Inside ASAE)(University of Wisconsin)
November 1, 2004... The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Biological Systems Engineering Department recently celebrated the centennial of the founding of the Farm Engineering Department, as it was called in 1904. The department was later known as the Agricultural...

How to handle standards ballot comments (the right way).(STANDARDS)
November 1, 2004... Before getting started on handling ballot comments, the following is a much-abbreviated synopsis of the balloting process for an ASAE standard (new or revision): 1. Project approved. 2. Draft standard written. 3. Draft standard...

More standards ballot comment questions and answers.(STANDARDS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Q: Can a Division-03 Committee member make substantive comments during balloting, even though the balloting is only to determine if procedure was followed? (See step 5 above.) A: The Division-03 Committee ballot is to confirm that ASAE...

Historical marker in Agricultural Engineering.(Inside ASAE)(William Conroy honored)
November 1, 2004... A historical plaque commemorating the invention of the forage harvester was dedicated on Aug. 2, 2004, in the Aylmer neighborhood of the City of Gatineau in Quebec. The plaque emphasizes the inventiveness of William Conroy (1850-1915) who lived...

Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Award.(Inside ASAE)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Andy Ward and Stanley Trimble received an Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Award under the category of Publications: Manuals and Workbooks for their entry titled, "Environmental Hydrology, 2nd Edition." This award recognizes outstanding effort...

Win a BlackBerry PDA: drawing date Jan. 3, 2005.(Inside ASAE)
November 1, 2004... Renew your ASAE or ASAE/CSAE-SCGR membership by Dec. 31, 2004 and you will be entered in a drawing to win a BlackBerry, which offers phone, e-mail, browser, and organizer applications in a single wireless handheld device. Renew online at...

February 2005 AETC Conference offers new location and format.(Inside ASAE)(Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference )
November 1, 2004... The Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference (AETC) revamps and moves to the newly renovated, historic Hilton Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Ky., Feb. 13-16, 2005, to precede the Farm Show. New surroundings and a new conference structure...

Get involved in publications!(YOUNG PROFESSIONALS)
November 1, 2004... Each month, I look forward to reading the latest issue of Resource magazine and learning about what's happening in academia, industry, and ASAE in general. Publications like Resource magazine, textbooks, and peer-reviewed journals are a vital...

Process for nominating fellows streamlined: nominations due April 15, 2005.(YOUNG PROFESSIONALS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... A new process for nominating ASAE Fellows has been put into place for 2005 nominations. This change will streamline the process for the nominator, authors of the support letters, headquarters, and the M-131 Fellow Selection Committee. ...

Call for presentations deadline fast approaching.(YOUNG PROFESSIONALS)
November 1, 2004... Don't wait! The deadline for presentations for the 2005 ASAE Annual International Meeting, July 17-20 in Tampa. Fla., is Dec. 1, 2004. For more information, visit the ASAE Web site at www.asae.org/meetings/am2005/index.html.

CNH donates lawn mower to ASAE headquarters.(Inside ASAE)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... CNH recently donated a mower for use at ASAE headquarters. The mower is zero-turn radius with a 52-in. mowing deck. It is 19 hp with a 2-cylinder Kawasaki FH580V engine. ASAE Treasurer Ron McAllister delivered the mower to headquarters in...

ASAE Technical Library.(Inside ASAE)
November 1, 2004... Check out the latest additions to the ASAE Technical Library: * Revised textbook: Engine and Tractor Power, 4th Edition * New textbook: Food and Process Engineering Technology * New proceedings: Self-Sustaining Solutions for...

Cooperative standards program.(Inside ASAE)(agricultural equipment)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Proposed Revision X414.2, Terminology and Definitions for Agricultural Tillage Implements. This standard is being revised to include implements that have been developed since 1990, which was the last time the standard was revised. Such...

Promote the profession--and your society.(Inside ASAE)
November 1, 2004... Whose interest might you attract with your own copy of ASAE's new membership poster? Career fairs, scientific meetings and conferences, community events--the possibilities for displaying it are endless. The four-color poster comes complete...

ASAE fellow Harold J. Schramm, P.E.(IN MEMORIAM)(Obituary)
November 1, 2004... ASAE Fellow Harold J. Schramm, P.E., 68, of Downers Grove, Ill., died June 27, 2004. He was a retired engineer for International Harvester and a designer of numerous pieces of farm equipment. He played a key role in the design of the Cub Cadet...

Lowell E. Campbell.(IN MEMORIAM)(Obituary)
November 1, 2004... Lowell E. Campbell; 84, died Aug. 21, 2004 in Frederick, Md. He had worked for the Agriculture Department from 1947 to 1985 and retired as a specialist on lighting technology to improve plant and tree growth. Campbell wrote or co-wrote more...

ASAE fellow Frank W. Andrew, P.E.(IN MEMORIAM)(Obituary)
November 1, 2004... ASAE Fellow Frank W. Andrew, P.E., 90, of Tucson, Ariz., died Sept. 26, 2004. He received bachelor degrees in both agriculture and engineering at the University of Illinois. He has been a member of ASAE for 57 years. Andrew's inventiveness...

Robert T. Burns, P.E.(MEMBER NEWS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Robert T. Burns, P.E., recently joined the faculty at Iowa State University as an associate professor in the environmental stewardship engineering focus area. Burns' appointment will be split between extension and research. He received his...

Stuart W. Styles, P.E.(MEMBER NEWS)(Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center)(Irrigation Association)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Stuart W. Styles, P.E., Director of the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center, was recently named 2004 Person of the Year by the Irrigation Association. The annual award goes to individuals who make outstanding contributions toward...

Saied Mostaghimi.(MEMBER NEWS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Saied Mostaghimi, the H.E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin professor and department head of Biological Systems Engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, received the 2004 Alumni Award for Excellence in Undergraduate...

Daniel E. Meyer, P.E.(MEMBER NEWS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Daniel E. Meyer, P.E., was recently selected as national agricultural engineer with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Washington, D.C. He will serve as chair of NRCS' National Conservation Practice Standards Subcommittee and...

Jacek A. Koziel.(MEMBER NEWS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Jacek A. Koziel, an assistant professor, recently received a research/teaching appointment at Iowa State University with the animal and plant systems engineering focus group. Koziel received his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical...

Kenneth H. Solomon, P.E.(MEMBER NEWS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Kenneth H. Solomon, P.E., retired June 30 as department head of the BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Solomon had been with the California State...

Welcome new members.(Inside ASAE)
November 1, 2004... ASAE welcomes the following new members who joined the Society, reinstated a lapsed membership, or upgraded to full membership from student/preprofessional membership in August and September. When available, the member's place of employment has...

Events calendar.(ASEA)(Calendar)
November 1, 2004... 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....

ASAE diversity statement: claiming it as your own.(Last Word)(American Society of Agricultural Engineers)
November 1, 2004... At the Aug. 5, 2004, meeting of the ASAE Board of Trustees, the diversity policy recommended by the Membership Development Council was adopted. The text is as follows. "ASAE has a history of being a diverse and strong organization. We...