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Inside Update

Feb. 3, 2011
Announcements and news for ISU faculty and staff



News

Finalist visits scheduled in VP for Extension search
Five candidates will interview on campus later this month for the vice president for extension and outreach position. Each visit includes an open forum. Candidate names and biographies will be posted next week.

Energy savings drop during this year's winter break
Milder weather, no required furloughs and more people working on campus are just some of the reasons ISU saw less energy savings during this year's winter break.

Five questions with the Drupal guy
By day, he's an IT systems analyst, providing support to several departments, perhaps most famously entomology. In the web world, John VanDyk is a rock star.

Tuition increase is on regents agenda Feb. 3
The state Board of Regents will take its first look at tuition and student fee rates for 2011-12 when it meets Feb. 3 in Iowa City. An audio stream of the meeting is available on the board's website.

Life on the wild side
Several undergraduate students spend much of their time rehabilitating injured wild animals at the Wildlife Care Clinic in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Here's a photo of three students with some resident raptors.

More news: Inside Iowa State



Announcements

The following announcements were added this week:
-- Volunteer for free nutrition counseling with a dietetics student
-- Registration for sustainability symposium closes Feb. 15
-- Interfraternity Council is looking for former Greeks among faculty, staff
-- President Geoffroy will speak at P&S Council open forum Feb. 21
-- Ag career day bumped from Feb. 2 to Feb. 3; same time and place
-- IT proposals sought for innovative instruction
-- Catt Hall south steps closed for repairs
-- Funding available for 2011-12 undergraduate research assistant posts
-- Learn about USDA's APHIS permits Feb. 9

See: Announcements



Teaching

CELT programs
Register via AccessPlus (click on Employee > HRS Training > Courses).
-- Graduate Student Teaching and Learning Circle: McKeachie's Teaching Tips, Mondays, Feb. 7, 14, 21 and 28 (9-11 a.m., 2030 Morrill)
-- Preparing You and Your Courses for the Upgrade to Blackboard Learn, Feb. 9 (12:10-1:30 p.m.; 1230 Communications)
-- Difficult Dialogues Workshop: Conflict Management (same workshop offered three times), Feb. 11 (9-10 a.m., 12:10-1:10 p.m., 3:10-4:10 p.m.; all in MU Campanile Room)
-- Blackboard Users Group inaugural meeting, Feb. 11 (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; 1230 Communications)

See: Descriptions and times



Seminars and conferences

The following conferences were added this week:
-- 6th annual Beginning Farmers Conference, Feb. 12

See: Announcements



Appointments

-- Patricia Thiel, ISU Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences, to John D. Corbett Professor in Chemistry (three-year term)
-- Marc Harding, director of ISU admissions, to assistant vice president for enrollment and director of admissions



Around campus

ISU study finds TV ad violence and the Super Bowl impact kids
Five ISU researchers have discovered that kids who viewed violent ad content also had more aggressive thoughts, and that the Super Bowl's football violence may have a compounding effect on kids.

Engineering college receives endowed dean post
Iowa State's goal of an endowed deanship in every academic college took another step forward this week with the creation of the James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Endowed Deanship in the College of Engineering.

First seed grant recipients named
Three university teams are the first to benefit from a new seed grant program offered by the Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities. The teams are working on projects involving ethical science communications, a theatre production based on interviews and photos of immigrant farmers, and designing educational experiences for children with autism.



Arts and events

Cyclone teams competing at home in the next week:
-- Wrestling, vs. Northern Iowa, Feb. 4 (7 p.m., Hilton)
-- Men's hockey, vs. Nebraska (American Collegiate Hockey Association), Feb. 4 and 5 (7:30 p.m., Ames/ISU Ice Arena)
-- Men's basketball, vs. Kansas State, Feb. 5 (12:45 p.m., Hilton)
-- Wrestling, vs. Arizona, Feb. 6 (2 p.m., Hilton)

Ticket info: Cyclone athletics, Cyclone hockey

Everyday objects focus of gallery walk
In a University Museums gallery walk Feb. 6 (2-3 p.m., Brunnier Art Museum), Nancy Girard will offer a close look at "Mark Adams: Translation of Light" and explain why common objects are popular in art.

'Trouble in the trailer park'
Des Moines Register reporter Lee Rood will talk about the health, safety and legal issues she found in Iowa's mobile home parks while writing a series of articles. Her Feb. 9 presentation (6 p.m., 130 Design) is hosted by the Community and Regional Planning Graduate Club; all are welcome.

Giving Avatar its voice
Linguist and Hollywood consultant Paul Frommer will be on campus Feb. 3 to talk about his work on the blockbuster film Avatar. The lecture, "Giving Avatar its Voice: Creating the Na'vi Language," begins at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall.

More campus events
Talks, performances, athletic contests and other campus events are listed on the university calendar. Also, see the Arts and Entertainment page.

 

Submitting your news
Inside Update is published Thursday mornings by the Office of University Relations. Send Update news to inside@iastate.edu. For questions, call 4-7958.

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